Spotlight Spice: Butternut Squash Seed Oil

You read that correctly – this week’s Spotlight Spice is our Butternut Squash Seed Oil. You’re likely thinking something along the lines of, “Butternut squash is for hearty autumnal recipes — shouldn’t that be the case for the oil from the butternut squash seed as well?”

“No way,” says Rory: “Butternut Squash Seed Oil is one of my favorite oils in the Spring, because I love using it to roast asparagus and other fresh veggies along with a little Himalayan Pink Salt. I can load up on vegetables when I make them this way!”

This golden colored oil is made by roasting, pressing, and filtering butternut squash seeds, which produces a rich oil with nutty and buttery qualities reminiscent of cashews and peanuts. It’s high in healthy mono- and polyunsaturated fats too.

Butternut Squash Seed Oil is a marvelous finishing oil but has the versatility — and higher 425°F smoke point — that makes it useful for cooking foods at a relatively high heat. Other nut and seed oils have a much lower smoke point (pumpkin seed oil starts to smoke at 250°F). And unlike the muted flavors of other oils (like grapeseed) that can take high heat, Butternut Squash Seed Oil maintains its rich, buttery flavor when the heat is on. This makes it wonderful for grilling, roasting, baking, and sautéing.

Try combining it with our Traditional, Fig, Red Apple, and Raspberry Balsamic Vinegars for a great vinaigrette or marinade for pork. It’s also wonderful drizzled over ravioli tossed with wilted greens and topped with freshly grated parmesan cheese. The oil’s buttery cashew-peanut taste is almost sweet - some folks even drizzle this oil over ice cream or cheesecake!

Pick up a bottle to experiment with in the shop or online. The oil will store well in a dark place away from heat (translation: not in the windowsill or cabinet above the stove or next to the oven) for around a year.