Homemade roasted pumpkin seeds are the highlight of pumpkin carving day. Save your pumpkin seeds and make a frugal, crunchy snack with plenty of flavor options!
Growing up, carving pumpkins was a REALLY big deal in our house. My mom would spread newspapers over our kitchen table, place several big spoons and a few knives on the table, and we’d all get to work.
Everyone in the family carved at least one pumpkin. One of my parents would take care of the stem, but then leave us to scoop out the “gunk,” as my sister and I so affectionately called it.
We’d place the pumpkin guts in a big bowl on the table and my mom would go through it, clean off all the seeds, and roast them in the oven for us to eat.
I don’t remember which I looked forward to more: carving pumpkins or eating the roasted pumpkin seeds.
ROASTED PUMPKIN SEEDS RECIPES
My first attempt at making roasted pumpkin seeds on my own was a few years ago. I never paid attention to the methods my mom used, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that my off-the-cuff roasting produced seeds that tasted AWFUL.
They were burned and soft at the same time… Sound impossible? Trust me. It’s possible.
After that pumpkin seed disaster, I got a bit smarter.
I started reading a few pumpkin seed recipes with different roasting methods (and all the flavors!). And I came up with a way that I thought would best re-create the roasted pumpkin seeds I remember from my childhood.
The roasting was a clear success! I even ruined my dinner snacking on them! Fresh out of the oven, these perfectly roasted pumpkin seeds are very hard (or impossible) to resist.
WHY MAKE ROASTED PUMPKIN SEEDS
Aside from being a super yummy snack, here’s why you should make roast pumpkin seeds too.
- They’re mostly free. If you’re already carving pumpkins or making Homemade Pumpkin Puree, it’s like having a free snack handed to you!
- Avoid food waste. Along those same lines, why throw out something perfectly edible?
- Fun tradition. I remember the fun of carving pumpkins and eating the seeds as a kid, and now my kids are making those same memories.
- Perfectly crunchy. And of course, the result is a perfectly crispy, crunchy snack.
HOW TO PREPARE PUMPKIN SEEDS FOR ROASTING
Cutting open your pumpkin and scooping the fresh pumpkin seeds is the messy part of carving pumpkins. But instead of tossing them in the trash, set them in a large colander. Wash them until all the pulp is removed from the seeds.
This can be somewhat tedious, but it’s well worth the effort. The pulp is rather stringy and sticks to the seeds! And the seeds are slimy to the touch. Rinsing the seeds is an odd combo but kind of fun to get the pulp off.
HOW TO MAKE ROASTED PUMKIN SEEDS
Follow these instructions to learn the best method for how to make roasted pumkin seeds.
Step 1. Wash your seeds. This is the hardest part of the whole process!
Step 2. Boil your seeds in salted water. Boiling your seeds in saltwater helps the salt get into the inner part of the seed and gives it a more well-rounded flavor. Boiling before roasting also helps the seeds roast more evenly.
Step 3. Strain and dry the seeds. You don’t need them to be super dry, but use a towel to get the excess moisture off. Preheat the oven to 300F.
Step 4. Place your seeds in a bowl and toss the seeds with olive oil and salt. This is also when you can add additional spices.
Step 5. Spread the seeds in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and roast until golden brown, stirring every 10 minutes. It will take 40-55 minutes – check every 5 minutes after the 40-minute mark.
Store seeds in an airtight container in the pantry. They’re best the day they are roasted but will keep for about a week.
FLAVORED ROASTED PUMPKIN SEEDS RECIPES
Honestly, the pumpkin seed flavor variations are endless! Look through the spices in your cabinet and mix it up. Use about 1 teaspoon of spice blend per cup of raw pumpkin seeds to come up with your favorite pumpkin seeds recipes.
- I’m a fan of simply salt and black pepper.
- For savory flavors use chili powder, garlic powder, paprika, cumin, or curry powder.
- For a sweet-salty flavor mix, try cinnamon or Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice.
- Homemade Ranch Mix or Taco Seasoning might be good too!
- Drizzle the roasted pumpkin seeds with melted butter when they’re done roasting for EXTRA tasty goodness!
TIPS FOR ROASTED PUMPKIN SEEDS RECIPE
- The cleaner and drier your seeds are before roasting, the better they’ll turn out. Excess moisture creates steam in the oven and makes the roasted pumpkin seeds take longer to crisp up. Dried pumpkin seeds roast faster!
- Boiling your seeds in saltwater helps the salt get into the inner part of the seed and gives it a more well-rounded flavor. Boiling before roasting also helps the seeds roast more evenly.
- Look for a golden color. Dark brown pumpkin seeds taste burned, so you don’t want them to get any darker than a medium golden brown.
- This method for roasted pmpkin seeds also works for other winter squash seeds! Try making roasted butternut squash seeds or acorn squash seeds the next time you’re cooking with those vegetables.
PUMPKIN SEED RECIPES
Typically, when you see pumpkin seed recipes, they’re referring to the inner parts of the seed or the pepitas. I like eating whole pumpkin seeds with the outer shell intact as a snack. They would also go well in these recipes:
HOW TO COOK PUMPKIN SEEDS IN OVEN FAQS
Are pumpkin seeds good for you?
Can you roast seeds from other squash?
Once you learn how to cook pumpkin seeds in oven, you can repeat the process for any of the seeds from large winter squash, like butternut, acorn, or spaghetti squash. The flavors are a little different, but you can roast the seeds from any of them!
Can you make pumpkin seeds in the dehydrator instead?
Probably, but I haven’t tried that. Making oven roasted pumpkin seeds is so simple that I haven’t experimented with other cooking methods.
MORE YUMMY PUMPKIN RECIPES
Here are some of my favorite ways to use pumpkin!
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Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Homemade roasted pumpkin seeds are the highlight of pumpkin carving day. Save your pumpkin seeds and make a frugal, crunchy snack with plenty of flavor options!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Category: Snacks
- Cuisine: American
Instructions
- Clean as much of the pumpkin flesh from the seeds as possible. Reserve the flesh for homemade pumpkin puree, or add to the compost pile.
- In a colander, rinse the cleaned pumpkin seeds very well, removing any additional strings or flesh. This is tedious, but the cleaner the seeds, the better the end result.
- Over the stove, bring a pot of water to a boil. The size of the pot depends on how many seeds you have, but you want something big enough to hold the seeds, plus some wiggle room.
- Preheat oven to 300F.
- Add the cleaned seeds to the pot of boiling water and cook for 10 minutes.
- Remove seeds and strain well. Place seeds on a dish towel and pat dry. They won’t be completely dry – you just want to remove the excess moisture.
- Place seeds in a large bowl and add 1-2 tsp of olive oil, depending on how many seeds you’re roasting.
- Spread seeds evenly on a large cookie sheet. Some of the seeds will overlap, but try to make a single layer if at all possible. Sprinkle with salt – liberally if you’re like me.
- Roast in the oven for 40-55 minutes, stirring and flipping after the first 15 minutes, and then every 10 minutes until they are done.
- Seeds are done when they are crispy and lightly browned. Be careful to not let them cook too long. Dark brown seeds taste burned, so you don’t want them to get any darker than medium brown.
- Store seeds in an airtight container in the pantry. They’re best the day they’re roasted, but will still be good for a day or two.
Notes
- The cleaner and drier your seeds are before roasting, the better they’ll turn out. Excess moisture creates steam in the oven and makes the roasted pumpkin seeds take longer to crisp up. Dried pumpkin seeds roast faster!
- Boiling your seeds in saltwater helps the salt get into the inner part of the seed and gives it a more well-rounded flavor. Boiling before roasting also helps the seeds roast more evenly.
- Look for a golden color. Dark brown pumpkin seeds taste burned, so you don’t want them to get any darker than a medium golden brown.
- This method for roasted pmpkin seeds also works for other winter squash seeds! Try making roasted butternut squash seeds or acorn squash seeds the next time you’re cooking with those vegetables.
