How to Roast Pumpkin Seeds with Sweet & Spicy Options

One childhood Halloween, my friend’s mom brought us a bowl of roasted pumpkin seeds while we were carving away. At the time, I had no idea they were the remnants of the pumpkin we had just cleaned out. I simply gobbled up every last bite! It wasn’t until years later that I learned how to roast pumpkin seeds myself. It’s really quite easy, but there are some tricks to getting the best results. Below is the naturally top allergen-fee recipe that I use, plus vegan seasoned recipe options for Sweet Holiday Spice Seeds and Spicy Party Seeds.

Special Diet Notes: Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, gluten-free, grain-free, nut-free, peanut-free, soy-free, vegan, vegetarian, and optionally paleo.

How to Roast Pumpkin Seeds

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

45 mins

Boiling the seeds in salt water first tenderizes and cooks them all the way through. If you just toast them, the kernels will be less cooked and more difficult to eat. The salt does infuse some flavor into the seeds, but most of the sodium is removed with the water when drained. You can halve the recipe if you only have ½ cup pumpkin seeds or double it if you've been busy carving!

Author: Alisa Fleming

Recipe type: Snack

Cuisine: American

Serves: Depends on

Ingredients

1 cup pumpkin seeds from a fresh pumpkin
4 cups water
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons oil

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 400ºF, set the oven rack to the middle position, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Once you have cut the pumpkin and removed the insides, separate the seeds out and rinse them in cold water to remove any remaining pumpkin flesh.
Place the seeds in a medium-sized saucepan with the water and salt.
Bring the seeds to a boil and let simmer for 10 minutes.
Drains the seeds, dump them onto a tea towel or paper towels, and pat until fairly dry.
Place the pumpkin seeds on your prepared parchment paper and toss with the oil. Spread the seeds out into a single layer.
Bake the seeds for about 20 minutes, stirring halfway through, until the seeds begin to brown.
Once the seeds are cool, eat whole or crack open and eat the inner green seeds.

Notes

Sweet Holiday Spice Seeds (per 1 cup pumpkin seeds): Before roasting, toss the seeds with 1 tablespoon oil, 1 tablespoon brown sugar (can use cane sugar or coconut sugar), ½ to 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, and ⅛ teaspoon allspice. Slow roast the seeds at 300°F for 45 to 60 minutes, stirring halfway through, until nicely browned and crunchy.

Spicy Party Seeds (per 1 cup pumpkin seeds): Before roasting, toss the seeds with 2 tablespoons dairy-free buttery spread, ½ tablespoon chili powder, ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, ¼ teaspoon ground cumin, and ¼ teaspoon tabasco sauce. Slow roast the seeds at 300°F for 35 to 45 minutes, stirring halfway through, until nicely browned and crunchy.