Butternut Squash Bread with Pecan Streusel

As soon as fall arrives, I go into a quick bread frenzy until springtime. I cycle through every kind of muffin and loaf imaginable, like this Butternut Squash Bread with Pecan Streusel, dazzled by their simplicity and comforting flavors and textures.

While pumpkin gets all the attention in sweet dishes, butternut squash is actually better in many baked goods. It’s naturally sweeter and creamier and adds a moist richness to this delightful bread.

Butternut squash bread hits all the right notes for a breakfast loaf—moist but tender, sweet but not too sweet. It has just the right amount of spice, enough to celebrate the season without overpowering the squash.

Equal parts oil and butter ensure a flavorful loaf that will stay moist for days. And with a crispy and nutty streusel top, it’s pretty enough for a bakery shop window. It’s a low key, low stress weekend project or weeknight bake (especially since it tastes even better the next day). Paired with tea or coffee, there’s nothing better on a chilly morning.

How to Make Butternut Squash Purée

I like to roast butternut squash when making purée for a few reasons. It’s easy and largely hands-off, results in the best flavor, and gives a nice texture to the finished bread. You could boil or microwave cubed squash instead, but these methods often introduce unwanted moisture into the purée and can make the bread gummy.

Luckily, you can roast the squash up to two days ahead of time. Cool and tightly wrap the halves in plastic wrap. Or go ahead and make the purée and store it in the fridge until you’re ready to bake.

How to Use Leftover Butternut Squash Purée

This recipe calls for roasting a whole butternut squash. However, you won’t end up using all of it. It’s easy to double the recipe if you’d like to make two loaves and use most of the roasted squash. Otherwise, there are plenty of delicious ways to utilize the leftovers:

• Make a savory butternut squash and parmesan sauce for pasta.
• Make a creamy butternut squash soup.
• Mix it with cheese and stuff ravioli or pasta shells.
• Create a creamy filling for enchiladas.
• Add color and flavor to a fall lasagna.

Leftover butternut squash purée also freezes well for up to three months, so you can save the excess to make bread another day.

Can You Use Canned Purée

While the recipe calls for roasting the squash, you can use canned butternut squash purée. Canned pumpkin will also work in a pinch, although I think the flavor, texture, and color of butternut squash is superior in this bread.

Recipe Variations

This recipe is easy to adapt to your own personal tastes. Here are some ideas to get you started:

• No Nuts: If you have a pecan allergy or simply don’t care for them, leave them out. The streusel top without the pecans will still add a crispy element.
• Extra Nuts: If you’re on the other end of the spectrum and love nuts, you can add more chopped pecans to the batter (up to 1/2 cup). Fold them in at the end. Walnuts also work well in the topping and the batter.
• No Topping: For a less sweet, more traditional loaf, leave off the streusel topping. I recommend adding another 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and, if you’d like a bit of texture, add 1/2 cup of chopped nuts to the batter.
• Chocolate Chips: For an extra decadent bread, fold in up to 1/2 cup of semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips.
• Non-Dairy: To make this bread dairy-free, swap the butter in the bread for equal amounts of oil, and swap the butter in the topping for non-dairy butter (or leave off the topping). I don’t recommend swapping out the oil in the batter with butter, because an all-butter bread loses its moisture quickly.

Storage Instructions

To keep the topping crisp, let the bread cool completely before wrapping it for storage. It will stay moist for about four days at room temperature.

You can also freeze it, but the topping gets a bit soggy once defrosted. Wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and place it in a zip top freezer bag, squeezing out all the air. Freeze it for up to two months. Defrost it in the fridge before serving.

More Quick-Bread Recipes to Try

• Guinness Bread with Molasses
• Cranberry Orange Nut Bread
• Easy Zucchini Bread
• Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
• Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread