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.
Great tips for roasting the pumpkin seeds. I boiled the seeds, but did not use oil when I baked them. They turned out great.
Thank you so much for your Pumpkin Seed Recipe. You asked about cleaning the seeds. Try placing them in a deep pot (I use a spaghetti Pot), filling it 1/2 – 3/4 full. Using your hands rub the seeds together like your washing your hands. Let them sit for a minute. The Pumpkin guts will sink and you can skim the lighter seed from the top.
I like the salt and boiling method as well.
These were ok…I did some with the oil and some without. Definitely liked the ones without better. Tried some with seasoned salt, some with garlic salt & parsley and some with a greek seasoning…preferred the garlic salt & parsley. Thanks for sharing!
I think the seeds float to the top when covered in water, making it easier to separate them from the guts.
I use old bay seasoning! A little spicy kick!
to separate the seeds from the guts i put all of the crap into a bowl and fill it with water, the seeds will float and you can just skim them off the top with your hands. then just go through the rest of the innards to check for remaining seeds! hope that helps
what i do is after everything is scooped out, i squish the mass of glop in a large bowl until i feel the seeds have separated from it, then i add a lot of water until the seeds significantly float on top and the pumpkin sinks to the bottom; that should help with separating, and you can do it as much as needed
i musta had a shiddy pumpkin. or maybe my extra virgin olive oil wasn’t really a virgin. followed recipe to a tee , but they just did not get crisp. could have been chewing a shoelace.reached for a pizza , instead.
I only do this with my carved halloween pumpkin goop but I separate the seeds the night of halloween and let them soak overnight. This doesn’t make step 1 faster but it’s less fussy than rinsing multiple times and you’re sleeping anyway. This is a great healthy snack and rumour has it that pumpkin seeds are a great weight control food because of the magnesium it contains which boosts your adiponectin levels. This boosts your metabolism without making you feel hungry. Great recipe Angela, thanks!
About cleaning the seeds… When I looked up how to roast them many years ago it said don’t worry about getting them really clean. So while I clean out the pumpkin I separate them from the goop but don’t clean them super clean. It adds flavor & I do them this way all the time.
I surprised myself. These came out quite tasty on my first try. I don’t keep any sort of seasoned salt on hand, so I used fine sea salt. Nice to have something to do with what would otherwise be tossed.
I found the easiest way to clean the seeds is to put them in a huge bowl of water along with all of the attached pumpkin parts. The seeds will float to the top and most of the pumpkin will sink. Then you can strain out the seeds a bit easier. I had to do it a couple of times. The bigger the bowl – with more room for the pumpkin to fall to the bottom – the easier it is.
I soak my seeds in salt water over night in the fridge. The pulp pulls off the seeds and I then head to the boiling stage using fresh water.
I’ve been roasting pumpkin seeds for many many years. Although I never boiled them, I have never had a problem with them being crispy. I used to use just Olive oil and Salt. Since then,, I have been blending my own seasonings and have some wonderful combinations. I replaced the Olive Oil with Sesame Seed Oil. For seasoning, I use Chef or the Future’s Original Cajun, Floribbean or SouthWestern blends. All I can say is that the preparation takes longer that the consumption, Cheers!
To get only seeds out. The first thing I do is use a whisk. A few twirls around separates all the seeds from the “guts”. Then they just fall out of the pumpkin, ready to rinse.
I’m sorry I didn’t read all the comments but an easy way to clean the pumpkin seeds is putting them in a bowl of water. The good seeds float and most of the matter from the pumpkin sinks so easy pickings. Good luck thanks for the temp reminder
I have made pumpkin seeds many years at Halloween, and by far this recipe produced the best I have ever made and eaten. This was also confirmed by many family members and friends. Thanks so much!!
Mark
When cleaning the pumpkin, I put the the seeds, stingy stuff and all, into a bowl of water and soak for a bit. The seeds will seperate from the stringy stuff. No more picking them clean! Just remove the bulk of pumpkin from the water, drain and rinse!
We let the boys choose from different popcorn flavorings. Buffalo, kettle corn, nacho, etc. Very easy to do!
Someone may already have suggested it, but I just put the pumpkin guts and seeds directly from pumpkin into a big bowl and run water over it to cover generously. After it sits for a little while, the seeds float to the top and can be skimmed off. (Some of the pulp floats too, but is easily pushed aside.) A quick rinse and the seeds are ready to go!