The first time I roasted pumpkin seeds, I burned the crap out of them.
It was heart-breaking, especially since I wasn’t convinced it was even worth the effort in the first place. All that seed cleaning and pumpkin de-stringing – I didn’t even get to enjoy the fruits of my labour. Hrmph.
Here is the part that no one told me about: The inner seeds cook much faster than the outer shell. I kept peeking in the oven and everything looked fine on the outside. Little did I know, the inner seeds were burnt to smithereens.
Well, thank goodness I didn’t give up after that first miserable attempt! My life just wouldn’t be complete without roasted pumpkin seeds.
I’m happy to say, the second batch didn’t just work, it blew my mind! The cup of seeds I roasted did not last long between the two of us. Every pass by the kitchen was an excuse to grab a crispy handful off the pan.
Today, I’m sharing my secrets for a fantastic batch of roasted pumpkin seeds. If you’ve ever doubted they were worth the effort or had so-so results, I beg you to try this one last time. Only I know it won’t be the last time, but the start of a life-long obsession. Watch out pumpkins, we’re coming for ya!
How To Roast Pumpkin Seeds:
1. Clean the seeds. The annoying-but-necessary task is that you have to meticulously clean the seeds until there are no signs of pumpkin guts. The best way to do this (that I have discovered from your comments!) is to plunk the seeds + guts into a big bowl of water and use your hands to break it apart. The seeds will float to the top of the water! They clean much faster this way.
Note: Some of you say that sugar pumpkin seeds yield much crispier seeds than carving pumpkins. I used sugar pumpkin seeds and mine were certainly super crispy!
2. Boil for 10 minutes in salt water. Using Elise’s method for inspiration, I added the pumpkin seeds to a medium-sized pot of water along with 1 tsp salt. Bring it to a boil and reduce the heat to simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes over low-medium heat. Apparently, this method helps make the pumpkin seeds easier to digest and produces a crispy outer shell during roasting. If you are short on time, you can totally skip this step! They will still turn out lovely.
3. Drain the seeds in a colander and dry lightly with a paper towel or tea towel. The seeds will stick to the towel, but just rub them off with your fingers. Don’t worry, they don’t have to be bone dry – just a light pat down.
4. Spread seeds onto a baking sheet and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil (I only needed to use about 1/2-1 tsp). Massage oil into seeds and add a generous sprinkle of Herbamare (or fine grain sea salt will do). Try to spread out the seeds as thin as possible with minor overlapping.
5. Roast seeds at 325°F for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and stir. Roast for another 8-10 minutes (if your oven temp is wonky, this bake time could vary a lot!). During the last 5 minutes of roasting, remove a few seeds and crack open to make sure the inner seeds are not burning (you don’t want the inner seed brown). Cool a couple and pop them into your mouth to test. They are ready when the shell is super crispy and easy to bite through. The inner seed should have only a hint of golden tinge to it. They should not be brown.
6. EAT! Remove from oven, add a bit more Herbamare, and dig in! Ah, so good, so good! There is no need to remove the outer shell; it’s quite possibly the best part.
I had no idea I was going to love freshly roasted pumpkin seeds so much. I love how crispy the outer shell is and how fun it is to crunch. They taste a bit like popcorn, but they are much crunchier, filling, and of course packed with nutrition.
Yes, pumpkin seeds are super healthy for you! They are packed with iron, magnesium, fibre, zinc, potassium, healthy fats, protein, and tryptophan (which can boost your mood and help you sleep). Vegans & vegetarians have been using pumpkin seeds for years as a natural source of iron. I think it’s just about my favourite way to get iron, next to Iron Woman Gingerbread Smoothies, of course. Be sure to pair it with Vitamin C to absorb the most iron you can.
7. Share with some very lucky people! (but chose them wisely…)
I promise you’ll never throw the seeds out again.
I want to buy pumpkins just to be able to roast another batch of seeds. And of course, make homemade pumpkin puree. I’m already looking forward to making some different flavour combos – maybe garlic powder, cayenne, rosemary, brown sugar or cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, etc would both be nice to try out? I can’t wait to experiment…many ideas are a-swirlin’ in my…stomach.
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What spices would YOU put on your roasted pumpkin seeds?
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How to Roast Pumpkin and Seeds
Yield
4 cups flesh, 3/4 cup seeds
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
This is my go-to method for roasting a sugar pumpkin and its seeds at the same time! Most recipes tend to provide instructions on roasting them separately, but I wanted to come up with directions on how to roast them both simultaneously. And, luckily, I've discovered it couldn't be easier.
Ingredients
- 1 sugar pumpkin (2 1/2 to 3 pounds)*
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Pink salt, fine sea salt, or Herbamare
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C) and place two racks near the centre of the oven. Grab two rimmed medium-sized baking sheets and line one of them with parchment paper.
- Fill a medium-sized bowl with water and set aside. Lie an absorbent towel onto the counter next to the bowl.
- Slice off the pumpkin stem and discard.
- Place the pumpkin, cut side down, onto a cutting board. Carefully slice the pumpkin in half.
- Scoop out the pumpkin seeds and flesh/strings and place it all into the bowl of water. The seeds will float to the top (like magic!). Using your hands, grab the big chunks of flesh and pick off any attached seeds. Place the seeds back into the bowl of water. Discard/compost the chunks of flesh.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove the seeds. Let excess water drip off and then place the seeds onto the towel. Blot dry (the seeds don’t have to be bone dry and it’s okay if there are some strands attached—they add flavour!).
- Spread the seeds onto the baking sheet without the parchment and toss with 1 teaspoon of oil. Spread the seeds out into a single layer and sprinkle with salt.
- Mist or spread oil all over the inside of each pumpkin half and then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place each half cut-side down onto the lined baking sheet.
- Place both sheets into the oven with the seeds on the lower rack. Roast at 325°F (160°C) for 20 minutes then remove the seeds and taste test a couple. As long as the inner seeds aren't tasting burned, you can keep roasting them. I usually return the seeds to the oven for another 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the seeds and cool.
- Leave the pumpkin in the oven and increase the oven temp to 350°F (180°C). Continue roasting the pumpkin for another 12 minutes or so, until fork-tender. (The timing may vary based on how large and fresh your pumpkin is.) At this point you can slice it up and serve it as a side vegetable with your meal, or process/blend the flesh to make homemade pumpkin purée.
Tip:
- * One sugar pumpkin (roughly 2 3/4 pounds) yields about 4 cups (720 g) of roasted pumpkin flesh and 3/4 cup (75 g) seeds.
I took a cue from “Produce Pete” and his method of harvesting seeds from pomegranates–once you remove most of the pumpkin, fill a large bowl with water and the seeds will float and the pumpkin will sink!, use a slotted spoon to retrieve your seeds!!
I used your recipe on acorn squash seeds and they were perfect!
I love pumpkin seeds! This was a great tutorial but I want to add cinnamon. At what step would I do that?
I’d never heard of boiling pumpkin seeds before. Best recipe ever! Perfectly cooked, perfectly seasoned. Instead of patting the seeds dry, I tossed them in my salad spinner – same results, less effort :}
Here’s a fast way to clean pumpkin seeds: Put the seeds in the colander FIRST, then turn the water on. Take guts off of seeds as you rinse them. The guts come off easily and effortlessly.
Easier way to clean seeds–put water in the bowl with the pumpkin guts. The seeds float to the top, so you can grab them with your hands or a slotted spoon.
My first time making roasted pumpkin seeds and it was awesome. I went for a traditional blend of salt and cracked black pepper. My boyfriend loves it! I’m just not sure if I can eat the shells but I would guess not lol. Thanks for the recipe :)
I KNOW HOW TO GET THE PULP OFF THE SEEDS QUICKLY! Just put all the seeds in a big pot full of water. Then massage the seeds. The pulp is slightly heavier than water so it will just sink to the bottom while the seeds just float.
I made a delicious batch of pumpkin seeds just last night. The best way I have ever found for easy removal of seeds from the pumpkin is I wash the pumpkin while whole and put it on a cookie sheet and bake it whole until soft when pierced with a knife. Cut it in half and cool for a few minutes. The seeds have naturally seperated from the pumpkin. I give them a little rinse then in a small saucepan melt equal parts of butter and coconut oil a little salt and hot pepper sauce to taste. Cook seeds in the mixture for a few minutes then pour out onto parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for about 45min at 275-300 degrees. So delicious!
I found a good way to remove the seeds without much of the gunky stuff. It was by accident. I was trying to find something to scoop out the seeds without getting my hands all gooy and sticky. I tried everything from my hands (yucky!) to a big spoon, but still had a lot of pulp. I finally decided to try a 1/3 measuring cup, and yipee it works pretty good, if you scrape the side of the pumpkin. I got more seeds in the cup and less of the pulp. The seeds that I couldn’t get out with the cup I used my fingers. Try it and hope it works for you.
My colander has wider slats instead of holes, wide enough to let the strings go through but not the seeds. After I get most of the bulk off, I turn the cold water up on high, and use the sprayer to hose the seeds down real hard. It blows off almost ALL but a couple of stubborn strings. :D Easy and pretty fast!
I am wondering about boiling the nutrients out too
Just read this trick on facebook today and it worked great! Take all the seeds, pulp and all and soak it all for about 45 mins. Stir occasionally – the seeds fall right off.
I just tried these (just found the recipe online) and they are the BEST pumpkin seeds I have ever made! I made one batch with sea salt and one batch with cinnamon and sugar (good, but not as good as the sea salt). Thanks! :)
I’ve found the best way to clean the seeds is that when you go to remove them from the pumpkin, put your hand inside and comb the inside with your fingers. This will loosen all the seeds up then you can just dump them right out and scope out the rest. Then simple remove all the gooey stuff and discard. Then place the seeds in a colander and just keep rinsing until there are no more remains on the seeds.
I just sat everything in a strainer and let really hot water run on it for five min. The pumpkin guts just slid off…
Thank you sooo much, I have been looking for days and was unable to find anything, unless I download stuff on my computer that I didn’t want. I also loved reading everyone’s comments.
Now I think I am ready to take the leap and go give it a try. My son is obsessed with sunflower seeds, I think he is going to love this. He is the one who said, “Mom you got to roast the seeds, their bigger than sunflower, so they go to be better!”
Now I’m afraid if they are as great as everyone says, I will have to go buy more pumpkins, I hate to waste, so I’ll be looking at your site to see what to do with the pumpkins themselves.
Wish me luck!! lol
Gena
To clean super easy: remove seeds first from pumpkin, do not just scoop out with the guts. It is easier to get just seeds with the guts still intact. Place seeds in double boiler, it has bigger holes than a colander so works better. Spray seeds with hot water with a spray nozzle. Seeds tumble around and get nice and clean! Pick out any strands that didn’t make it through the holes, spray one more time, and you’re done.
I am a teacher of special needs students and today we will roast the pumpkin seeds, which I have never done before. Thanks to your recipe and tips, it looks as if we can do it. We will also be making pumpkin bread, pie, cookies, rolls, and whatever we have left over to do! Wish us luck!!
LOVE this technique! Its the only one that works!! Thanks for sharing – I’ll link from my blog!