When it's time to carve pumpkins, don't forget to save the seeds! Pumpkin seeds are a healthy, crunchy and delicious snack that can easily be made at home after the Jack-O-Lanterns are carved! Keep reading to learn how to roast pumpkin seeds!
Whether you have grown a pumpkin patch at your house or bought pumpkins from the farmers market or store, harvesting the pumpkin seeds and roasting them for a nutritious snack is easy!
The steps involved are removing the seeds, washing the seeds, seasoning with butter and spices and baking. Learning how to roast pumpkin seeds is a great project to do with kids!
a few tips before beginning
Recipes for roasting pumpkin seeds are tricky due to the varying sizes of pumpkins. For the purpose of this recipe, think in terms of cups. One and a half cups of seeds is the average amount of seeds in a Jack-O-Lantern, so this will be the batch size for this recipe. Feel free to double or triple this recipe as needed!
Only roast pumpkin seeds that come from healthy pumpkins. If your pumpkin is mushy or moldy, I would advise against using it.
The flesh of the pumpkin can also be saved to make homemade pumpkin puree! If you love fall pumpkin desserts, you will love my Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars! Who can resist this amazing duo? Certainly not me! These silky bar cookies are a delicious dessert for any fall party! Oh, and did I mention they are naturally gluten free? YAY!
ingredients you will need:
- seasoned salt (or see variations below)
- butter
- pumpkin seeds
how to make roasted pumpkin seeds
1. remove the seeds
Carve the Jack-O-Lantern and save the seeds! Pumpkin seeds are covered in stringy, orange pumpkin pulp, what most kids call the 'guts,' and need to be cleaned up before roasting. We do our best to separate the seeds from the pumpkin pulp and put the seeds into a bowl or colander. Generally speaking, it takes about one large pumpkin to make one sheet pan of pumpkin seeds.
If you are carving a pie pumpkin, you can also save the pumpkin flesh to roast or can for later!
2. wash the seeds
Once the pumpkin seeds have been removed from the pumpkin, it's time to remove all of the pulp and flesh. This includes both the firm pieces of pumpkin as well as the stringy parts. The seeds should be a solid beige color without any orange pulp.
Soak the pumpkin seeds in a bowl of water for a few minutes. If any orange pulp floats to the top, strain it off. Swirl the seeds and use your fingers to remove the remaining pulp. I like to do this in a metal colander. The cleaner the seeds, the more evenly they will roast.
Once the seeds have been thoroughly washed, transfer them to a tea towel or paper towel and spread them out to dry for a few minutes. Once they no longer feel wet, damp is fine, transfer them to a medium sized mixing bowl.
3. season the seeds
The seeds should feel fairly dry at this step. Mix the butter and seasonings together and pour it over the pumpkin seeds. Toss to coat evenly. See the variations a little further down in the post for different flavor ideas! My family always likes the original recipe for the first batch, but then we usually switch it up and go spicy for the next round!
4. roast pumpkin seeds
Spread the seasoned pumpkin seeds in an even layer on a parchment lined sheet pan. Place the seeds in an oven preheated to 350 degrees and set a timer for 45 minutes. Every 15 minutes, toss the seeds to allow them to roast evenly. I recommend keeping an eye on it to prevent over browning.
how to tell if the roast pumpkin seeds are done
The finished roast pumpkin seeds will have a medium brown appearance and a crispy texture. Release the seeds by pushing a wooden spoon under them or lifting the parchment paper and giving it a gentle bend. If an of the seeds are stuck together, I try to break them apart before transferring them to the storage container.
How to store roasted pumpkin seeds
The trick with roasted pumpkin seeds is to let the fully cool before transferring them to the storage container. If there is moisture left in the seeds, they won't last as long and will develop a soggy texture.
Here is my exact method, and I'm also going to share with you why this is sometimes a bad idea. I take the seeds out of the oven and let them sit for about ten minutes without disturbing them. Once they are cool enough to handle, I use a wooden spoon or clean hands to stir the seeds and then spread them back out in a single layer.
Now for the hard part: leave them just like this on the counter for a few hours to finish drying. I know, it's nearly impossible not to walk by and grab a few! Sometimes they don't make it to the mason jar...
Choose an airtight container to store the roasted pumpkin seeds. It can be a mason jar, Tupperware, pyrex, just anything that keeps it airtight. Treat these like you would a bag of potato chips. If you leave them sitting out, they will gradually loose their texture.
Variations for this roast pumpkin seed recipe
This is the fun part! My family likes the standard seasoned salt version, but there are so many others!
Make sweet pumpkin seeds by substituting the seasoned salt for two teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice and a pinch of salt. During the last five minutes of baking, sprinkle a tablespoon of sugar over the seeds.
Another favorite at our house is ranch favored pumpkin seeds. I season the seeds with, you guessed it, a ranch packet. I toss the seeds in butter, then sprinkle about a half of a packet over the seeds and give it a stir.
For a little hot and spicy kick, season the seeds with the standard seasoned salt but add a half of a teaspoon of cayenne pepper. These will definitely kick the flavor up a notch!
If you make this recipe, please leave a comment below! This provides helpful feedback to both me and other readers. For more delicious recipes from scratch and homesteading tips, follow me on instagram @NinnescahHomestead
How to Roast Pumpkin Seeds
Equipment
- baking sheet parchment lined
- Mixing bowl
- pumpkin carving tools
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup pumpkin seeds
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon seasoned salt
Instructions
- Remove the pumpkin seeds.
- Rinse the pumpkin seeds. Pumpkin seeds are often coated in orange pulp that is stringy and sticky. I like to put the seeds in a colander under running water and use my fingers to pick off the pulp.
- Season the pumpkin seeds. In a mixing bowl, melt the butter and stir in the seasoned salt. Add the pumpkin seeds and toss to coat.
- Roast the pumpkin seeds. Spread the seasoned pumpkin seeds in an even layer on a parchment lined sheet pan. Place the seeds in an oven preheated to 350° and set a timer for 45 minutes. Every 15 minutes, toss the seeds to allow them to roast evenly. I recommend keeping an eye on it to prevent over browning.
- The finished roast pumpkin seeds will have a medium brown appearance and a crispy texture. Release the seeds by pushing a wooden spoon under them or lifting the parchment paper and giving it a gentle bend. If an of the seeds are stuck together, I try to break them apart before transferring them to the storage container.
- Store the roasted and fully cooled pumpkin seeds in an airtight container. Pumpkin seeds are best eaten within one week.
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