Slightly sweet, sticky maple roast pumpkin with maple glaze and feta cheese. This is the perfect appetiser for your Christmas or Thanksgiving table. Autumnal flavours that are bold, cozy and warm. Delicate pumpkin pieces topped with creamy feta cheese and crunchy pepitas.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
We're talking sticky pumpkin topped with rosemary and creamy feta cheese. If you need a cozy side for a fall or winter dinner party, then this appetiser is for you!
The roasted pumpkin becomes beautifully sticky in the oven and the feta cheese brings some sharpness and creaminess to the recipe.
I love this recipe because:
- it is so simple - just six ingredients is all you need to make this maple roast pumpkin appetiser.
- make ahead - this recipe can be made ahead of time and easily reheated. It is also great for meal prep and can be transportable for a potluck dinner.
- It brings together all the flavours of fall - nothing says fall like maple syrup and pumpkin!
- It ticks all the texture boxes - it's soft and caramelised, but also creamy and has added crunch from the pepitas.
- Substitutes - you can easily make ingredient substitutes and it will still taste amazing!
Recipe Ingredients
For this recipe you will need the following (see FAQ for substitutions).
Pumpkin - a given! The variety you use doesn't really matter however I do have a few favourites. In Australia we get a vast variety of pumpkins - Kent, Jap, Grey and Butternut.
For this recipe I loved using Kent or Jap/Kabocha pumpkin because I love the sweetness and texture.
However, when I lived in the US I had a hard time finding anything other than butternut squash. Kabocha pumpkin is sometimes easy to find, but you could use acorn squash or butternut squash for this recipe with similar results.
Olive Oil - an essential for roasting pumpkin. A neutral oil like avocado oil will also be fine.
Rosemary - this adds a bit of seasonal flair to this recipe and pairs beautifully with the maple syrup and pumpkin.
Feta Cheese - I prefer Danish feta because it's creamier however regular feta (Greek/Australian) will also do. A good substitute would also be goats cheese or even blue cheese or gorgonzola if you want a punchier flavour!
Real Maple Syrup - this is essential. Use real maple syrup for this recipe. Maple flavoured syrup will provide a synthetic taste and won't be as good.
Pepitas - pepitas bring crunch to the recipe. Walnuts would also be a good alternative.
How to Make this Recipe
*See the full recipe card for details*
- Cut your pumpkin into large wedges or chunks, depending on the type of pumpkin you're using. Place in a large baking tray.
- Combine the olive oil, maple syrup, rosemary and salt and pepper in a small bowl. Then brush this over the pumpkin wedges.
- Roast the pumpkin for about 35-45 minutes until it's nice and soft and starting to get caramelised.
- Once cooked, remove from the oven and sprinkle over the feta cheese and pepitas and serve warm.
FAQ and Substitutions.
How Long Does it Take to Roast Pumpkin?
Large pumpkin wedges don't take as long as you probably think to roast. If you cut your pumpkin in similar sizes, the cooking time should be between 35-45 minutes.
You want to roast your pumpkin until it starts to caramelise and go brown, without burning. You roast your pumpkin skin on, and it's totally ok to eat the skin as well!
Can I Make Substitutes?
That's the beauty of this recipe - it will still taste really good if you need to substitute some ingredients.
Pumpkin - you can use any pumpkin/squash you have on hand. In Australia we use Jap or Grey pumpkin.
Cheese - the feta can be substituted for goat cheese or if you're game, blue cheese too!
Nuts - walnuts also make a great substitute for pepitas.
Can This Be Made Ahead of Time?
Yes absolutely! You could make it the morning of, then reheat in the oven later on. If reheating, do not add the cheese and nuts. Add those at the very end.
What Can I Serve this With?
This roast pumpkin recipe is so versatile that you can easily serve it with any dish for Thanksgiving or Christmas. I love roast pumpkin as a side with Turkey or my garlic-and-rosemary boneless lamb roast or an easy roast chicken.
This dish is a gorgeous side to enjoy all year round, but especially lovely for the upcoming holiday season! If you're looking for a quick and easy, roast pumpkin dish then this maple roasted pumpkin is a must try!
Remember to leave a comment and star review if you've made this recipe, I love seeing and hearing from you!
Georgie
Want more gorgeous side dishes? Try these;
- Creamy mashed cauliflower (Keto friendly, gluten free)
- Homemade oven baked fries
- Harissa roasted carrots with Farro and pomegranate
- Honey butter brussels sprouts
📖 Recipe
Maple Roast Pumpkin
Ingredients
- 1 kg kent pumpkin (2lbs) cut into wedges
- 5 tablespoon maple syrup
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon chopped rosemary
- 100 g feta cheese (3.5oz)
- 2 tablespoon pepitas
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200C/400F and line a large baking tray with parchmant paper
- Cut pumpkin into wedges, or rounds if using butternut squash or acorn squash. Remove seeds. Skin can be kept on.
- Lay out pumpkin on your prepared baking tray
- Combine olive oil, maple syrup, rosemary and salt and pepper in a small bowl.
- Pour the olive oil mix over the pumpkin and use a silicone pastry brush or your hands to coat the pumpkin on both sides.
- Roast the pumpkin for 35-45 minutes, flipping the pumpkin halfway. The pumpkin should be caramelised on top but soft enough in the middle to poke a knife into it.
- Remove the pumpkin from the oven, and crumble the feta cheese over the top and sprinkle with pepitas and some leftover rosemary for garnish. Serve immediately warmed.
AK says
Just made these tonight my partner and I loved them! You must try this recipe and once you try it then you will be able to adjust to your liking next time! I paired it with barramundi fillets drizzled with a sauce that contained lime juice, fish sauce brown sugar ginger garlic chilli and finely sliced onions then topped with fresh mint and basil.
Thank you for the pumpkin recipe will definitely be making again!
Shelley says
Pretending today is Thanksgiving here in Australia; it's pouring rain and windy all along the southeast. I bought 2kg of kent pumpkin to make American pumpkin pie and then found a local source for a can of Libby's ! the pie looks lovely, but what to do with all this pumpkin ?! Will be giving your recipe a try 🙂 planning to toast the pepitas first though, to give some texture contrast. Yum ! maple syrup and rosemary sounds perfect for an autumn feast on a cold, wet spring morning ...
Georgie says
Oh awesome thanks shelley! I’m in melbourne it’s been so miserable! Enjoy your thanksgiving
Emese says
It looks like a perfect Thanksgiving side dish. I've never had kent pumpkin before, only butternut squash and Hokkaido. I wonder what they taste like.
Georgie says
I think butternut is the most popular in the US, you can also use acorn squash! I wonder if Hokkaido is similar to Kabocha?
Jeannette says
What a scrumptious, delightful meal! This is the perfect meal for winter! Thanks for sharing!
Georgie says
thanks Jeanette, it's the perfect fall/winter side dish for thanksgiving or Christmas!
Farah says
This looks so delicious! I love the flavor combination of pumpkin and feta and adding maple is genius!
Georgie says
the maple makes it so gorgeous and sticky!
Dannii says
That looks amazing. I love feta, but have never had it on pumpkin.
Georgie says
it's a game changer, so creamy!
Brian Jones says
This was delicious, so simple and the salty feta alongside the sweet pumpkin is lovely!
Georgie says
glad you loved it Brian!