Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
One of my absolute favorite things to make around this time of year are roasted pumpkin seeds. I have vivid memories as a child on Halloween carving pumpkins and baking the seeds, snacking on them all week long. The store bought ones just don’t taste the same, trust me on this one. You can keep them super simple or jazz them up as much as you’d like. I like to use a little coarse Kosher salt and butter flavored cooking spray but feel free to experiment with sprinkling garlic powder, ranch seasoning, cinnamon sugar or other spices you enjoy (like Tajin)! If you plan on carving pumpkins this week, be sure to bake the seeds and let me know what you think.
instructions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Carefully cut open your pumpkin and scoop all your pumpkin guts and seeds out and into a strainer in the sink. You can use your hands or a spaghetti spoon, I prefer my hands! Rinse the seeds in the sink, separating the seeds and picking any large chunks of pumpkin out. I like to leave a few bits of pumpkin in with the seeds because they get crispy and delicious in the oven but take out as much or as little to your liking. After rinsing, give your seeds a good shake to remove any excess water.
Spray a baking sheet (with parchment paper for easy clean up) with non-stick cooking spray and pour your seeds evenly onto the sheet. Gently toss / spritz your pumpkin seeds with oil / butter of choice and season with Kosher salt or whatever spices you’re using.
Roast in the preheated oven for 30-45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes until golden brown. Oven times may vary, mine took a bit longer so definitely keep an eye on them. They may be a bit soft when they come out but they get crispy and crunchy once cooled.
Enjoy and store in an air-tight container!. I think they stay fresh for about a week but to be honest, they never last that long in our house.
As I mentioned above, feel free to mix and match whatever spices and oils you have or like! The butter spray may sound weird but it’s how my dad used to make it growing up so it’s super nostalgic for me. In previous years, I’ve always thought about jazzing them up but always crave the simpler way. Maybe next year…
Have you ever tried roasting your seeds? How do you like to season them? Feel free leave any of your other favorite pumpkin traditions or recipes below. Thank you so much for reading! xx CMK
