Maple Roasted Pumpkin with Walnuts

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Even though roasted vegetables are delicious just as they are, there is so much you can do with them to make them even more drool-worthy and stand-outy. My Maple Roasted Pumpkin Wedges is a really tasty side dish, which takes very little prep time, but gives maximum flavor. 

Contents:

The perfect side dish for your holiday meals or Thanksgiving table, my Maple Roasted Pumpkin has just a touch of sweetness with caramelised, crispy edges. The combination of sweetness of the pumpkin, sharp saltiness from the blue cheese and the crunch of walnuts makes this roasted pumpkin dish a real show-stopper. It’s my new favorite way to prepare pumpkin and I know you’re going to love it too! Now I know that blue cheese can be divisive, so I have included other cheeses that you can use in its place for those who aren’t blue vein cheese fans. 

For more delicious side dishes you might like to try my Honey Roasted Parsnips and Carrots, Crispy Smashed Potatoes, Green Beans with Cranberries or my Fuss Free Pumpkin and Feta Frittata.

What’s To Love About Maple Roasted Pumpkin

• quick & easy to prepare – while this dish does require over an hour to bake, my roast pumpkin recipe takes very little hands-on time to prepare. 
• allergy friendly – this recipe is gluten free, dairy free, egg free and easily nut free (just swap the walnuts for some toasted seeds). It can also be vegan and plant-based by using a vegan soft cheese.
• great for meal prep – not only does this maple roasted pumpkin make a delicious side dish, but it is also great to meal prep as well! 

Ingredients Notes & Substitutions 

You will need just a handful of simple ingredients to make my maple roasted pumpkin slices. Below are the ingredients that you will need along with any ingredients notes and substitutions. Ingredient quantities can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. 

Maple glaze

• pure maple syrup – you can also use honey in place of maple syrup. 
• extra virgin olive oil – you can swap extra virgin olive oil for another healthy, neutral tasting oil like avocado oil. Olive oil is always my go-to as it is filled with essential nutrients and can used in cooking (despite what you may have hear, olive oil is actually well suited to being heated up in cooking!). 
• sea salt flakes – if using finely ground sea salt, use less than what the recipe calls for. 

Other ingredients

• Kent pumpkin – also known as Jap pumpkin or Japanese pumpkin, I love this type of pumpkin for roasting as they end up deliciously sweet and tender. You can also eat the pumpkin skin of this variety when roasted. Different types of pumpkin that are suitable for roasting include butternut squash, golden nugget or Jarrahdale pumpkin. You can also roast small pumpkins like sugar pie pumpkins, the cooking time may vary depending on the size and variety of pumpkin you use. I’ve used a half of a Kent pumpkin, which is about 1.6kg (3.5 pounds).
• blue vein cheese – I made this recipe using blue vein cheese, purely because I thought it would look really pretty. However, it is not a cheese that everyone loves, in fact I think most people don’t really like blue cheese. Unless you know everyone coming to your dinner party loves this type of cheese then I would recommend using another cheese like feta cheese or soft goat’s chèvre. 
• fresh herbs – I love adding fresh basil leaves to this dish (I’ve used a variety called Dark Opal Basil). However, I know in the cooler months it can be really hard to find so you can also use fresh oregano or thyme. Or swap for radicchio leaves. 

​How to Make Maple Roasted Pumpkin

Follow my step-by-step instructions to make the perfect maple roasted pumpkin. 

Preheat oven

First, preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius (392F). Grease two large baking dishes or sheet pans with a drizzle of olive oil and set aside. You might be able to get away with one large sheet pan or baking sheet. There just needs to be enough space for the pumpkin to be spread out in a single layer. 

Make maple glaze & slice pumpkin

Next, add the maple syrup, olive oil and sea salt to a small bowl and whisk to combine. Slice the pumpkin into wedges (around 1 inch thick slices) and place half of the wedges into each baking dish. 

Drizzle with the maple mixture and use a basting brush to evenly coat the entire surface of the pumpkin slices, including the skin.

Roast pumpkin

Spread the pumpkin wedges out into a single layer across both dishes and place into the hot oven. The pumpkin will be fork tender at around 30-40 minutes, however I like to bake the pumpkin for an hour and twenty minutes to get that beautiful golden brown color and that really nice caramelised outer layer. 

Toast walnuts

While the pumpkin is roasting, add the walnuts to a small baking tin. Place walnuts into the oven for 5 minutes. Keep a close eye on the walnuts so they don’t burn! Take the walnuts out of the oven and transfer to a chopping board. Let them cool to room temperature and then roughly chop them up. 

Assemble

Once the pumpkin has finished roasting, remove from the oven. I like to serve this dish warm, so plate up straight away. Transfer the pumpkin wedges to a serving platter and crumble your choice of soft cheese over the top. Serve topped with the fresh basil leaves and chopped walnuts. 

Storage

Store leftover pumpkin in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days.