Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Table of Contents

• How to wash Pumpkin Seeds

• How to boil Pumpkin Seeds

• How to Dry Pumpkin Seeds

• How to roast Pumpkin Seeds

• How to store roasted Pumpkin Seeds

As Halloween comes and goes and you have carved up those pumpkins are you wondering what to do with those pumpkin seeds or deciding to make your pumpkin seeds for the first time and need a few ideas on how to make them? Then look no further because I will make sure to give you the best-tasting pumpkin seeds! Just remember, how you make them is on you and might come out differently than it did for me and others.

I have always wanted pumpkin seeds as a kid and always asked my mom if we could make pumpkin seeds. The answer was always maybe, they are hard to make, or if you want to take the time to separate all the seeds then we can try. I remember one year getting some seeds separated and still never got the pumpkin seeds baked for me. So, for the first time, I decided I was going to take the time to learn how to do it and finally try homemade pumpkin seeds!

There was a trial and air. I decided to just go with how I thought they were made and skip over a step because I did not think it would matter all that much. Well let me tell you now, DO NOT skip ANY step of prepping your seeds before baking because you will be missing out!

Let me tell you how the first time went for me so you do not make the same mistake as I did. I went ahead and let the pumpkin seeds dry out overnight. Then the next morning I looked up a few recipes to get an idea of what spices/seasonings to use. I saw that you needed to boil the seeds before baking; I thought well they are already dry what could go wrong? I skipped this step and started mixing all the ingredients and put it in the oven. Once they were done I gave them a try and they honestly did not taste that bad, but again how would I know if I haven't had pumpkin seeds homemade before? With my next batch of pumpkin seeds, I had I decided okay, let's do it the correct way and bowl the seeds then let them air dry for the night. Fast forward to getting them out of the oven and letting them cool for a little....... Let me tell you..... WHAT. A. DIFFERENCE! They were so much crunchier and had more of an air feeling when eating the seeds. In the first batch, the seeds felt more like biting into just a flat sunflower seed. Now take my experience and trust the process. It does not take all that much time at all and is pretty easy to make. The only time-consuming part is getting most of the pumpkin guts (pulp) out of the seeds, but can also be pretty fun to pop the seeds off from the gooshy slimy pumpkin guts (pulp).

I have also made a video demonstrating the steps. Click the link below!

Alright enough with the talking, let's get into why you are here and get started!! Whoohoo!

How to wash Pumpkin Seeds

Place your pumpkin seeds into a large bowl, and be sure to get as much of the larger pulp off to make the next task a bit easier and faster.

Then transfer the seeds into a strainer bowl and rinse well under a stream of cold water or if you do not want your hands to be super cold doing this then you can make it a little warmer.

Mix and swish with your hands around in the seeds; more pulp and stringy fibers will loosen (some will even rise to the top of the seeds) and be easier to pick out.

How to boil Pumpkin Seeds

Get your boiling water going on the stove and add some salt to the water. Once the water is boiling you can then add your washed pumpkin seeds into the boiling water. You only need to boil the pumpkin seeds for 5 minutes. After the 5 minutes, you can go ahead and turn your stove top off and pour the water and seeds back into the strainer bowl. Shake out as much as you can of all the excess water.

How to Dry Pumpkin Seeds

You have two options when drying the seeds. I place the seeds on a sheet pan with a paper towel, but when the seeds are dry they tend to stick to the paper towel which can be more of a pain and time-consuming to pick off the seeds.

Another option that I had read was leaving them in the strainer bowl overnight, to let the excess water drain and dry. Then for the rest of the day whenever you walk by the strainer bowl, swish them around a little, and pick out more pulp that is drying. Which will help them not stick together like the paper towel option.

How to roast pumpkin seeds

As the next day comes around, you now have dry and cleaned pumpkin seeds ready to be seasoned and roasted! First, get that oven heating at 350 F, so it is ready to go! Go ahead and lay the pumpkin seeds onto a baking sheet in a pile because we are seasoning them on the pan! Parchment paper is not needed for the roasting part. Now, if you do not want to do it this way, then grab yourself a bowl and mix the seeds that way.

Pour the olive oil over the seeds, then your choice of spices/seasonings. Mix them well and spread them along the baking sheet in a single layer. If you choose to mix them in a bowl then lay down some parchment paper and spread the pumpkin seeds in a single layer. (I just hate having a ton of dishes if I do not need to).

Each method uses 1 cup of seeds, so if you have cups of seeds, alter the amounts as necessary.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Ingredients

You can do any flavor that you love. For example, you could do Pickle, Salt and Pepper, Spicy, Sweet, Savory, and Italian. Be creative and have some fun with it! Below you will find some of the ingredients to the above examples given.

Classic:

• 1 Cup pumpkin seeds

• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

• 1 teaspoon Salt and Pepper or to your taste

• 3 teaspoons Paprika

• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon

Spicy:

• 1 Cup pumpkin seeds

• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

• 1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

• 1 teaspoon Cajun Seasoning (optional)

• 1 teaspoon Salt or to your taste

Italian:

• 1 Cup pumpkin seeds

• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

• 1/4 Cup grated Parmesan

• 1/2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning

Sweet:

• 1 Cup pumpkin seeds

• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

• 1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar

• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon

Yummy:

• 1 Cup pumpkin seeds

• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

• 1 Tablespoon Pumpkin pie Spice

How to store roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Once you have made your delicious roasted pumpkin seed recipe, it’s time to store them for when that tummy is calling for a healthy snack.

I like to keep them at room temperature in an airtight container. You can keep them at room temperature for up to a week and they will last up to 1-2 months being in the refrigerator.

I will provide the containers I like to use.

**Below is an affiliate link to Amazon that you can check out.**

https://amzn.to/46kBkY1

Directions

1. Start some boiling water on the stove and add salt

2. Pull away any big chunks away from the pumpkin seeds then get the pumpkin seeds in a strainer bowl to wash under water. Continue to do this until you have got most/all of the pulp out

3. Once the water is boiling go ahead and put the pumpkin seeds into the water for 5 min.

4. Prep a baking sheet with a paper towel for drying time

5. After the 5 min. pour the seeds back into the strainer bowl in the sink. Get as much water out as possible and scatter the seeds along the baking sheet with a paper towel. Add another paper towel over the top and let them sit overnight. If you choose to do it the other way as mentioned above then be sure to stir them occasionally to prevent them from sticking too much.

6. Next day Preheat to 350°F and if you are using parchment paper then line the baking sheet with parchment paper.

7. Take the pumpkin seeds off the paper towel and put them on the baking sheet.

8. Lather the seeds with Olive Oil, the choice of seasonings, and mix well

9. Scatter the seeds evenly on the baking sheet and put in the oven for 10 minutes.

10. Take them out of the oven, give the seeds a good stir, and place them back in the oven for another 5-10 min. This part depends on how crunchy/roasted you want your seeds.

11. Once the 15-20 minutes are done, pull them from the oven and the seeds should look nice and golden on the sides.

12. Set aside for 5-10 minutes before giving them a try

13. Once the seeds are fully cooled grab your air-tight container of choice and store them at room temperature for a week or in the fridge for 1-2 months.

Leave a comment below on which recipe you tried and how you liked it! Did you put your twist on any of the recipes?

Also, do not forget to check out the full video demonstration!

https://youtu.be/-SWKYvco4SM

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