Roasted Pumpkin Seed Recipe
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Recipe
Resharing one of my absolute favorite things to make around this time of year, 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 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 keep it simple and use a little coarse Kosher salt and butter flavored cooking spray or butter 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.
If you’re not sold yet, let me tell you all the good things about pumpkin seeds! They are rich in healthy fats, protein, magnesium, potassium, iron, zinc, copper, and various antioxidants. So you can feel good about snacking on them and enjoy your carved pumpkin, a win-win in my book.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Step #1 Cut Your Pumpkin
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. This year we tried a hand mixer, and it worked well and cut the time in half! 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.
Step #2: Arrange Seeds
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 the oil/butter of choice and season with Kosher salt or whatever spices you’re using.
Step #3: Roast
Roast in the oven for 30-45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes with a spatula, until golden brown. Oven times may vary. Mine took a bit longer, so keep an eye on them. They may be soft when they come out, but they get crispy and crunchy once cooled.
Step #4: Enjoy
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. I love to eat them on their own, throw them on a cheese board or tossed into a salad.
Bake in the oven for 30min, tossing every 10min.
Let cool for 5min. Enjoy!
And that’s it!
They’re really easy, once you get through the carving process. 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 craved the simpler way. Maybe next year…
Have you ever tried roasting your seeds? How do you like to season them? Feel free to leave any of your other favorite pumpkin traditions or recipes below. Thank you so much for reading! xx CMK
Photos by Ryan Kell