If you’re carving a Jack-O-Lantern, hold on to those seeds and roast them in the oven to make this delicious roasted pumpkin seeds recipe. It’s easy, healthy, and delightfully crunchy. You won’t believe how simple it is to roast the pumpkin seeds and after you give it a go, you’ll probably want to carve a few extra pumpkins just for a tasty snack.
I love how toasty and nutty these seeds are. But don’t feel like pumpkin seed is all you can roast. You can also use this technique on butternut, acorn, delicata, and spaghetti squash seeds. You simply have to adjust the roasting time based on how small or large the seeds are. You can’t go wrong with this snack recipe. Want another delicious fall treat? Try my pumpkin whoopie pies recipe, pumpkin snickerdoodle recipe, or pumpkin bars recipe.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Raw pumpkin seeds — you can use any winter squash seeds with this recipe! So, if you’re making butternut squash soup along with your next pumpkin recipe, save the seeds and roast them.
Oil — I use olive oil, but you can use any type of neutral oil.
Salt — salt helps keep the roasted seeds from tasting bland. You don’t need a ton to add flavor.
How to Make Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
1. Cut open the pumpkin, scrape the pumpkin seeds out of the center, and place the scrapings in a large bowl. Fill the bowl with cold water. Swirl them around in the water with your hands to help release any of the strings or flesh from the pumpkin. Scoop up the seeds with your hands and place them in a colander to drain.
2. Pick through and discard any pumpkin flesh that is still attached. Run cold water over the seeds, and drain well. Pat the seeds mostly dry with paper towels or spread them out on a baking sheet to air dry for several hours.
3. Once the seeds are mostly dry, drizzle with 1 teaspoon of olive oil and ¼ teaspoon salt per ½ cup (80g) of seeds. Stir to coat. Spread the seeds out on the baking sheet.
4. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, or until the seeds are lightly browning and crisp. Let the roasted pumpkin seeds cool completely on the baking sheet.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
- When you spread the seeds onto the baking sheet, make sure you spread them out into one layer so they can crisp up nicely in the oven.
- Don’t skip stirring the seeds in the oven, as it helps prevent them from burning.
- Sprinkle the roasted pumpkin seeds with your favorite spice blend for a tasty snack!
- Make sure you stir them in at the end of roasting, so they don’t burn in the oven.
- Sweet spices like cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice are great for flavoring the seeds when adding them to baked goods or sprinkling over ice cream. Savory spices like curry powder, smoked paprika, or chili powder make the roasted seeds an excellent salad topper.
- Don’t rush the drying process. While the seeds can have a bit of moisture on them, it’s best to let them dry as much as possible before you start roasting them, or they won’t crisp up as they bake.
- Small pumpkin seeds may take much less time to roast in the oven. It’s hard to control the size of your seeds, so keep a close eye on them as they bake. When the smaller seeds begin to brown lightly, remove them from the sheet pan.
- A large serving spoon or ice cream scoop helps remove the seeds from the pumpkin much easier.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, you do not have to boil the pumpkin seeds. However, you can add more flavor by boiling the seeds in salted water for a few minutes. If you boil them ahead of time, you’ll have to cut down on the roasting time by around 10 minutes. Again, make sure the seeds are dry before roasting.
Once cooled, store the pumpkin seeds in an airtight container for up to 1 month at room temperature.
When your pumpkin seeds are straight out of the oven, they can be a bit chewy. Once the seeds cool, they’ll crisp up more. However, if they’re still chewy after cooling, you can roast them for an additional 5 to 10 minutes.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this Roasted Pumpkin Seeds recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Equipment
- Baking Sheets
Ingredients
- Raw pumpkin seeds
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Optional seasonings black pepper, cinnamon, curry powder, etc.
Instructions
- Clean the pumpkin seeds by scraping them out of the center of the pumpkin or squash, and place the scrapings in a large bowl. Fill the bowl with cold water. Swirl them around in the water with your hands to help release any of the strings or flesh from the pumpkin. (The seeds will float and the flesh will sink.) Scoop up the seeds with your hands and place them in a colander to drain. Pick through and discard any pumpkin flesh that is still attached. Run cold water over the seeds, and drain well. Pat the seeds mostly dry with paper towels or spread them out on a baking sheet to air dry for several hours.
- Preheat the oven to 325F.
- Once the seeds are mostly dry (a little bit of moisture is fine), measure their volume or weight and then place them on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon of olive oil and ¼ teaspoon salt per ½ cup (80g) of seeds. Stir to coat. (If using additional seasonings, add ½ teaspoon per ½ cup of an herb or spice blend of your choice.) Spread the seeds out on the baking sheet.
- Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, or until the seeds are lightly browning and crisp. Let cool completely on the baking sheet. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 month.
Notes
- When you spread the seeds onto the baking sheet, make sure you spread them out into one layer so they can crisp up nicely in the oven.
- Don’t skip stirring the seeds in the oven, as it helps prevent them from burning.
- Sprinkle the seeds with your favorite spice blend for a tasty snack! Make sure you stir them in at the end of roasting, so it doesn’t burn in the oven. Sweet spices like cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice are great for flavoring the seeds and adding them to baked goods or sprinkling over ice cream. Savory spices like curry powder, smoked paprika, or chili powder make the roasted seeds an excellent salad topper.
- Don’t rush the drying process. While the seeds can have a bit of moisture on them, it’s best to let them dry as much as possible before you start roasting them, or they won’t crisp up as they bake.
- Small pumpkin seeds may take much less time to roast in the oven. It’s hard to control the size of your seeds, so keep a close eye on them as they bake. When the smaller seeds begin to brown lightly, remove them from the sheet pan.
- A large serving spoon or ice cream scoop helps remove the seeds from the pumpkin much easier.
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