Maple Chili Butternut Squash Black Bean Tacos with Apple-Jalapeño Slaw
Butternut squash black bean tacos with maple-chili roasted squash, garlicky smashed beans and a crisp apple-jalapeño slaw on warm corn tortillas.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Serves
- 4
Maple Chili Butternut Squash Black Bean Tacos with Apple-Jalapeño Slaw is a vegan dinner recipe made with butternut squash, olive oil, chili powder. It takes 50 minutes of hands-on time, serves 4, and each serving has 498 calories, 13 g of protein and 16 g of fiber.
Small cubes of squash roast hot with chili and cumin, and the maple goes on only for the last few minutes, so it caramelizes without burning. The black beans are lightly smashed with garlic and lime, which keeps the filling from rolling out of the tortilla. A tart, crunchy slaw of red cabbage, apple and jalapeño cuts through the sweet squash and makes every bite taste fresh.
Ingredients
Roasted squash
- 1 medium700 gbutternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 3/4-inch cubes (about 5 cups)
- 2 tbsp27 golive oil
- 2 tsp5.4 gchili powder
- 1 tsp2.1 gground cumin
- ½ tsp1.2 gsmoked paprika
- ½ tsp3 gsalt
- 1 tbsp20 gmaple syrup
Smashed black beans
- 1 can240 gblack beans, drained and rinsed, 15-oz can
- 1 tsp4.5 golive oil
- 1 clove3 ggarlic, minced
- ½ tsp1.1 gground cumin
- 3 tbsp45 gwater
- 1 tbsp15 glime juice
- ¼ tsp1.5 gsalt
Apple-jalapeño slaw
- 2 cups178 gred cabbage, thinly shredded
- 1 medium182 gtart apple (such as Granny Smith), cut into thin matchsticks
- 1 14 gjalapeño, seeded and finely minced
- ¼ cup4 gfresh cilantro, chopped
- 2 tbsp31 glime juice
- 1 tbsp14 golive oil
- 1 tsp6.7 gmaple syrup
- ¼ tsp1.5 gsalt
To serve
- 12 312 gcorn tortillas (6-inch)
- 1 150 gavocado, sliced (optional)
- 2 tbsp16 gtoasted pumpkin seeds (optional)
- 1 67 glime, cut into wedges (optional)
Kit: rimmed baking sheet, parchment paper, medium skillet, mixing bowls
Tips
- Keep the squash cubes at 3/4 inch or smaller; bigger pieces brown on the outside before the centers go soft.
- Crowded squash steams instead of browning, so use two baking sheets if your pan is small.
- Double up the tortillas if yours tear easily, especially thin store-bought corn tortillas.
- Leave a few jalapeño seeds in the slaw if you want more heat.
Swap ideas
- Sweet potato instead of butternut squash
- Similar sweetness and a slightly denser, starchier bite; roasts in about the same time.
- Pear instead of apple in the slaw
- Softer and more floral; add it just before serving so it stays crisp.
- Pinto beans instead of black beans
- Creamier when smashed, with a milder, earthier flavor.
- Chipotle chili powder instead of regular chili powder
- Smoky, noticeably hotter squash; start with 1 tsp.
The numbers
Nutrition per serving
498kcal per serving
Everything else · 4 servings per recipe
- Saturated fat
- 2 g 10%
- Sugars
- 15 g
- Sodium
- 653 mg 28%
- Potassium
- 1198 mg 25%
- Calcium
- 284 mg 22%
- Iron
- 4.9 mg 27%
- Vitamin C
- 72 mg 80%
- Vitamin B12
- 0 µg 0%
% Daily Value on a 2,000 calorie diet. Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for each ingredient; optional ingredients are excluded. Estimates vary with brands and portions.
Sources: Squash, winter, butternut, raw, Oil, olive, salad or cooking, Spices, chili powder, Spices, cumin seed, Spices, paprika, Salt, table, Syrups, maple, Beans, black, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt, Garlic, raw, Beverages, water, tap, drinking, Lime juice, raw, Cabbage, red, raw, Apples, raw, with skin (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program), Peppers, jalapeno, raw, Coriander (cilantro) leaves, raw, Tortillas, ready-to-bake or -fry, corn, without added salt
Method
Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C) and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Toss the squash cubes with 2 tbsp olive oil, chili powder, 1 tsp cumin, smoked paprika and 1/2 tsp salt, then spread in a single layer with space between the pieces.
Roast for 20 minutes, flipping once halfway, until the squash is browned on the undersides and a knife meets only slight resistance.
Drizzle the 1 tbsp maple syrup over the squash, toss on the pan, and roast 6–8 minutes more, until fully tender and the edges look glossy and caramelized. Watch the last couple of minutes, since maple scorches fast.
While the squash roasts, make the slaw: whisk 2 tbsp lime juice, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp maple syrup and 1/4 tsp salt in a bowl. Add the cabbage, apple, jalapeño and cilantro, toss well, and set aside so the cabbage softens slightly.
Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and 1/2 tsp cumin and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the black beans and water and simmer 4–5 minutes, until hot and the liquid has mostly cooked off.
Take the skillet off the heat, stir in 1 tbsp lime juice and 1/4 tsp salt, and roughly smash about half the beans with a fork or potato masher so the mixture holds together.
Warm the tortillas one at a time in a dry skillet over medium-high heat, 30–45 seconds per side, until soft and lightly spotted. Stack them in a clean towel to keep warm.
Build each taco with a spoonful of smashed beans, a few pieces of roasted squash and a pile of slaw. Top with avocado and pumpkin seeds if using, and serve with lime wedges.
Storage: Store the roasted squash and smashed beans in separate airtight containers in the fridge for up to 4 days; reheat in a skillet or at 400°F until hot. The slaw keeps up to 2 days but loses some crunch, so it's best dressed the day you eat it. Warm the tortillas just before serving.
Questions
- How much protein is in maple chili butternut squash black bean tacos with apple-jalapeño slaw?
- Each of the 4 servings has 13 g of protein, 16 g of fiber and 498 calories, calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for every ingredient.
- Is maple chili butternut squash black bean tacos with apple-jalapeño slaw vegan?
- Yes. It contains no dairy, eggs, honey or other animal products.
- How long does maple chili butternut squash black bean tacos with apple-jalapeño slaw take to make?
- 20 minutes of prep and 30 minutes of cooking, so 50 minutes of hands-on time.
- Can you make maple chili butternut squash black bean tacos with apple-jalapeño slaw ahead?
- Store the roasted squash and smashed beans in separate airtight containers in the fridge for up to 4 days; reheat in a skillet or at 400°F until hot. The slaw keeps up to 2 days but loses some crunch, so it's best dressed the day you eat it. Warm the tortillas just before serving.
- What can I substitute in maple chili butternut squash black bean tacos with apple-jalapeño slaw?
- Sweet potato instead of butternut squash — similar sweetness and a slightly denser, starchier bite; roasts in about the same time.. Pear instead of apple in the slaw — softer and more floral; add it just before serving so it stays crisp.. Pinto beans instead of black beans — creamier when smashed, with a milder, earthier flavor.. Chipotle chili powder instead of regular chili powder — smoky, noticeably hotter squash; start with 1 tsp..
- Does maple chili butternut squash black bean tacos with apple-jalapeño slaw contain gluten or nuts?
- None of the ingredients are a source of gluten, tree nuts or peanuts. That is a statement about the ingredient list, not a guarantee about the brands you buy — always read the labels if you're cooking for an allergy.
Nutrition is calculated from USDA data for every ingredient — how we work it out.
Published September 28, 2026 ·Mexican-inspired
