This BBQ smoked butternut squash steak recipe will up your vegan or vegetarian BBQ grilling game.
Butternut squash takes on smoky flavours much more quickly than meat and doesn’t take as long to cook.
It can be added to other delicious dishes such as pasta or curries and stews. It’s also great for making a fantastic smoked butternut squash soup.

- Easy BBQ Smoked Butternut Squash Steaks Recipe
- Steps
- 1 Get Your Pellet Grill Smoker up to 250F
- 2 Prepare the Squash for the Smoker
- 4 Smoke the Squash Steaks at 250F
- 5 Serve the Smoked Squash Steaks
- Recipe Notes
- Homemade Vegan BBQ Dry Rub
- Grilling Butternut Squash Steaks
- Vegan BBQ Butternut Squash Steaks
- Further Vegan BBQ Ideas
Easy BBQ Smoked Butternut Squash Steaks Recipe
Steps
1 Get Your Pellet Grill Smoker up to 250F
Make sure your pellet grill is at 250F.
Let the smoker burn off by leaving the lid open for 10-15 minutes. If you are using a Pit Boss pellet grill set it on the smoke setting (this is the ‘S’ or Smoke on control board). If you are using a Traeger grill we like to use the Super Smoke setting for maximum smoky flavour.
We like to use milder fruit woods with vegetables such as squash (e.g. apple or cherry). Hickory or mesquite would overpower the squash’s natural sweet flavours.
2 Prepare the Squash for the Smoker
Cut the stalk off the top of the squash. Using a sharp knife, carefully halve the squash into 2 equally sized steaks.
We are going to keep the skin on for smoking, but if you want to grill the squash quickly you might want to peel it and chop it into thinner slices.
Cover both the squash steaks in a little olive oil to act as a binder for the dry rub. Dust your steaks liberally with the BBQ dry rub of your choice.
See the Recipe Notes below if you want to make your own Homemade BBQ rub, so you know exactly what’s in it.
Some vegans don’t like to use olive oil because of the negative impact its production can have on the environment. Substitute coconut oil instead.
4 Smoke the Squash Steaks at 250F
At this temperature the butternut squash steaks will take around 1 1/2 to 2 hours to smoke. If you are worried about them drying out, add a little more olive or coconut oil.
Make sure they are fork tender.
The skins will be charred and black but the squash should have taken on a nice golden brown colour along with plenty of smoke flavour.
5 Serve the Smoked Squash Steaks
Serve the smoked squash with the sies of your choice e.g. sweet potato fries, mashed potatoes, baked potatoes etc.
Recipe Notes
Homemade Vegan BBQ Dry Rub
This homemade rub is spicy, smoky and sweet, as well as vegan friendly.
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons coarse salt
- 1 tablespoon smoked chipotle chilli powder
- 1 tablespoon of sweet smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon of garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons of ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
Feel free to experiment adding more chilli powder if you like heat or more cumin if you want more of that earthy savoury flavour.
Grilling Butternut Squash Steaks
If you want to grill your butternut squash steaks hot and fast simply heat up your grills to a medium hot temperature and grill each squash steak for 5-7 minutes a side until tender.
If you want to cook them even faster, cut the squash into thinner slices around 1/2 inch (1.3cm) thick.
Vegan BBQ Butternut Squash Steaks
If you are a vegan you’ll want to make sure your dry rub is vegan friendly and doesn’t contain honey or any kind of animal extract e.g. milk or egg proteins.