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.
DO NOT BOIL THE SEEDS! Mine came out chewy and too FOREVER to cook. Just rinse salt and roast at 325!
My mom would soak the seeds in a bowl of cold water in the fridge overnight. The seeds would float while much of the guts would separate and sink to the bottom of the bowl. After soaking, she’d rub what was left of the guts off with her fingers while rinsing the seeds in a colander and then dry, spice and toast as usual.
Thanks for the great directions! It was easier for me to search online than to look through my cookbooks & I found yours right away. The seeds are great & it was simple.
Love them! I have only made good pumpkin seeds once, I always end up burning them! Tonight I tried your method of boiling first and they turned out so good! I wanted garlic and salt, but had no garlic powder, so I boiled them with minced garlic then tossed them in extra virgin olive oil that I had blended with a few garlic cloves. I like tossing them with olive oil in a bowl before roasting so they are evenly coated. I had to roast them for about an extra 5 minutes, then sprinkled with sea salt. Yum! Not sure if I will have enough to share at work tomorrow!
I can’t wait to try other flavors. I want to make a batch of smoked paprika and a batch with tajir (a mexican chili/ lime seasoning).
Thanks for the recipe, I was looking for a simple but good way to roast some pumpkin seeds after carving this years pumpkin. I tried out and loved your recipe, so I linked to it on my blog: http://paintingintrees.blogspot.com/2013/10/sunday-afternoon-project.html
Thanks Again!
I am so excited to try these, I am actually simmering the shells as I type. :) My husband has actually requested that I make a few different flavors so I am trying Cinnamon, Garlic and finally just plain sea salt. :) Thanks for this great recipe.
yummy and crunchy
I just roasted my first ever round of pumpkin seeds using your directions. I spiced mine with cayenne pepper, truffle salt, and green chili sugar. (Olive oil was my lipid of choice.) Absolutely crack-tastic. I live at about 6,000 ft above sea level, and for other high altituders- I had to bake for an extra eight minutes to get to crispy perfection, so be aware that your bake time may increase.
I bought an organic pumpkin and the amount of guts was considerably less than regular carving pumpkins. The seeds were MUCH easier to clean and the amount of gunk I had to sift through was very minimal.
Separating Pumpkin Seeds from Pulp: The last few times I roasted seeds, I squeezed the pulp to roughly separate the seeds from most of the pulp. Then I put the seeds and remaining pulp in a large bowl (in the sink) and filled the bowl with water, while spinning and agitating the seeds with my hands. The pulp sinks and the seeds float. I use a hand held strainer to skim the clean seeds off the top of the water.
amazing ideas, we tried the boiling method, it worked great. Makes a great after school snack / activity THANK YOU!!!!
Interesting method of cooking them, I must try it. My absolute favorite pumpkin seed herb is rosemary. Delicious!
This recipe does NOT work! My seeds are chewy. The seeds did not cook all the way through with such a low temperature.
The best way to get the seeds away from the goo is sticking it in a sink full of water. The seeds pop up right to the top. =)
Fantastic. I’ve only ever had other peoples and they obviously don’t boil ’em. The difference in the shell is outstanding. Must now get more seeds to roast, yummmm!
Today, was the very first time I tried to make roasted pumpkin seeds. Back in my homecountry, you can buy them at the store, but they aren’t really popular (yet).
I recently bought a pack of pumpkin seeds at the grocery store here and tried them at home. Berk, way too salty (forgot to read the label). I did not want to throw them away, so i washed them thoroughly. And I really liked the “natural” flavour.
A few days later, I made a pumpkin soup. Actually I had 3 halfs of a squash (dont know which kind though) and a small jack o lantern pumpkin. I just used all of the seeds and tried to follow your recipe.
What can I say? Wow? Thank you so much? It is just delicious. I went easy on the salt (I dont like anything too salty) and it actually tastes much different than the seeds I bought at the store (the shell were pretty chewy and hard to eat), but still, it is soo good. and crunchy. the shells are easy to eat.
it tastes like pop-corn actually.
thanks. from now on, i will never throw out pumpkin seeds again. ever.
also, i did not found it too hard to seperate flesh and seeds. i kinda squeezed them out and then put the seeds in a sieve under running water and washed and turned them.
I am boiling my pumpkin seeds as I am reading all the comments. I am using the Seminole Pumpkin which I grew in my garden. This is the second year I’ve grown them, it is a tan rather than bright orange variety, with sweet orange flesh. This year’s crop was fantastic and I am giving pumpkins away for gifts. This pumpkin is also a fabulous food crop and can last for months in storage.
Pumpkin seeds are beneficial for men especially, they are a prostate food. This has been known for a long time in Europe, where they also make an oil from the pumpkins.
Thank you so much for this! I agree with salt water boil concept. I found the easiest way to separate the seeds was to NOT scoop out the strings first. I used my fingers to “pull” the seeds off while the stringy part stayed attached to the pumpkin flesh. Then, scoop out the empty strings and use pumpkin for delicious things like cookies and soup. I had alderwood smoked sea salt and OHMYGOODNESS they were delicious. The olive oil tip was really helpful for this. I just found your site and I will be following it now for sure!
Just roasted my first batch ever! The one I tried part way through was chewy though? Tasted good though!
So I just did your recipe. Mine are very crunchy yet chewy and it cannot get it to chew up and end up spitting it out. Did I do something wrong or maybe I just do not like them? Hardly any are brown at all; did I not cook long enough? Thanks so much!