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?
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 have some seeds in the fridge that I plan on roasting and will be trying the boiling method as it sounds like a good iresulting in what I’m looking for – crunchier shells and saltier seeds. I do agree, though, that the pumpkin gunk on the shells add an extra delicate element of crunchy flavor to the seeds. So hmmm … I will probably leave some guts on the seeds and gently simmer them in the salty brine. Now, I love the seeds plain with salt, but another flavor I have used is that like from the Chex Mix recipe. The seasoned salt, the worcestershire flavor and the taste of browned butter all on the outside of a tasty, toasty pumpkin seed! I’ll bet that combination with the addition of rosemary would be super good!
Omg thank u so much im a teenage girl who was bored and this was such a life saver fun easy and delish
They came out great!!! Thanks a lot. Now…how not to eat them all at once? :))
oh man, i can easily eat a whole batch in a day!
I just made these with a bit of hesitation, since I’ve never heard of boiling them until now. They are SO delicious!! But all the big, carving pumpkins were sold out so I ended up with 2 small, pie pumpkins. The only difference; they take about 8 minutes more in the oven than the recipe calls for.
new to pumpkin seeds and this recipe yielded an unexpected yummy snack. thank you for posting this. i used a toaster oven at 320F for 18 minutes. i also forgot to pat dry before adding olive oil and salt, but recovered with a dry pat after the olive oil, and adding a wee bit more salt. (it looked like it had enough oil.) thanks again!
Hello! Thank you so much for posting this easy to follow guide to perfectly roasted pumpkin seeds. I used this recipe today with slight adaptations for butternut squash seeds. They are delicious. I will mention your blog on my cooking blog =)
Thank you again.
Just saw this video on Martha Stewart – they don’t separate the pulp! They let it cook with the seeds, and when it’s done, the pulp sticks to the parchment paper and the seeds easily separate from it! Video at http://www.marthastewart.com/1038823/roasted-squash-seeds Love it when things can be even easier! Thank you for sharing your recipe! I’m about to roast my first batch of seeds! :)
Ah I love it, thanks!! :)
Thanks for posting this. I’ve just made a batch and they’re delicious. We have so many pumpkins growing (Queensland Blue) so it’s great to use the seeds like this. The flesh separates easily from the seed as the seeds are removed – maybe it’s that variety of pumpkin
Tried this recipe after purchasing a bag of raw pumpkin seeds. I can see that boiling is the secret plus seasoning my batch with popcorn salt.
Thanks for the recipe! It worked out great. I divided the pan when I seasoned the seeds: 1/4 sea salt, 1/4 salt & garlic powder and 1/2 Old Bay seasoning. Guess which one I hoped what the best? (It was)!
I just wanted to mention for your pumpkin seeds a great topping with some kick to it, is sprinkling on some Clubhouse spices in Chipotle, so delicious, i also use this on kale chips, gives you awesome taste and if you like a bit of heat with your chips.
Try soaking in vinegar! Salt and vinegar seeds! Yummy!!!
I just made these. I’ve never done them before and I must say it was very easy to do and the seeds are delicious. I will definately do them again.
How do you store them so they stay crunchy? They turned out super crunchy from the oven. I let them cool completely, and then put them into a plastic container but they were soft and chewy the next day.
Keep them uncovered. They will remain crunchy!
Turned out perfect, even my picky 6 year old loved them :)
I’ve never been able to get roasted pumpkin seeds to work…these worked and are soooo good. I agree they taste like popcorn!
Just eat the pumpkin from the outside like a big apple. Delicious!
Oh dear Lord, you are my hero. I’ve been sitting here for about 15 minutes looking up various ways to toast/roast pumpkin seeds and I’ve seen everything from “cook for ten minutes” to “cook for 45 minutes.” I don’t even want to know what those 45 minute ones will look like. But then as I’m continuing in my Google search I see, “The first time I toasted pumpkin seeds I burnt the crap out of them.” FINALLY, someone who speaks my language! Oh my, you had me laughing from the get-go. You are now a permanent bookmark, go-to, “what’s for dinner?” landmark in my computer. Thank you, thank you for making my day and keeping it real!
All squash seeds are good roasted – today I have acorn squash seeds. And cumin, garlic powder and cayenne. Yum.