Savory Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Sweet or savory, simple or fancy, roasted pumpkin seeds are an irresistible snack or garnish. Here's how to make them great. See the notes section for flavor variations. Recipe can be scaled up or down to accommodate the size of your pumpkin.
Servings: 1 cup
Calories: 25kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup pumpkin seeds
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon fine sea salt divided
Instructions
- Scoop seeds from a sugar pumpkin, carving pumpkin, or other winter squash.
- Remove as much of the stringy pulp as possible.
- Place seeds into a large bowl of cool water and leave to soak for two hours. This helps to both clean the seeds and increase their digestibility. Drain seeds.
- Pour two cups of water into a small pot. Bring to a boil and add the one tablespoon of salt.
- Add seeds and boil for 10 minutes, then drain. Dry well with paper towels.
- Preheat oven to 350°F with a rack in the center.
- Place dried seeds onto a rimmed baking sheet. Add olive oil and remaining teaspoon of salt. Toss to coat well.
- Spread into a single layer.
- Roast, checking and stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and crisp, about 20 minutes. To test for doneness, you can remove a few seeds from the oven and let cool. Taste to ensure they are crisp throughout rather than chewy in the center.
- Let cool before serving.
Notes
You can substitute seeds from other varieties of winter squash. Seeds from butternut, kabocha, dumpling, red kuri, delicata, and more have a very similar texture and flavor. Some varieties (like many delicata) may have slightly more diminutive seeds, so you may need to reduce the roasting time a little bit. To check for doneness, you can remove a few seeds from the pan, let them cool, and taste to see that they're crunchy throughout rather than chewy in the center.
Flavor variations
Favorite savory flavors As you can probably tell from the name of this website, I love love love savory flavors. Here are a few fabulous umami-forward ways to season your seeds. Follow the basic recipe in the recipe card below, but with the noted additions or substitutions.Ranch pumpkin seeds
If you love ranch, this is a great, reasonably good-for-ya way to add it to your life. For each cup of seeds, omit the teaspoon of salt before roasting and toss instead with one tablespoon of either a ready-made powdered dip/salad dressing packet or a homemade version. To make your own, stir together:- ½ cup buttermilk powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons dried chives
- 1 teaspoon dried dill
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Salt and vinegar pumpkin seeds
At the boiling stage, rather than two cups water, use 1 cup distilled white vinegar and 1 cup water to boil the seeds for 10 minutes. You don't need to make any further changes to the recipe.Tamari roasted pumpkin seeds
Before roasting, toss the seeds with one tablespoon tamari (along with the oil) and omit the teaspoon of salt. If you like, you can substitute toasted sesame oil for the olive oil, since it complements the tamari even better. You don't need to make any further changes to the recipe.Old Bay pumpkin seeds Before roasting, toss the seeds with one tablespoon Old Bay seasoning. Omit the teaspoon of salt, since this spice blend contains plenty of it.Salt and pepper pumpkin seeds
Make the recipe as directed, adding ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper when tossing with the oil and salt before roasting.Favorite sweet flavors
Both for snacking and for garnishes, these are our favorite sweet variations. When making sweet seeds, reduce the salt in the boiling water to 1 teaspoon, and omit the salt when tossing before roasting.Honey roasted pumpkin seeds
Boil the seeds with one teaspoon salt instead of one tablespoon. Then, before roasting, toss with one tablespoon of a neutral-tasting oil such as safflower and one tablespoon of an easily pourable honey. I like to use a mild-flavored, standard honey that you'd get from the supermarket. Omit the salt when tossing.Cinnamon sugar pumpkin seeds
Boil the seeds with one teaspoon salt instead of one tablespoon. Then, before roasting, mix together one tablespoon granulated sugar and one teaspoon ground cinnamon. Toss with one tablespoon of a neutral-tasting oil such as safflower and the cinnamon sugar mixture. Omit salt when tossing. Seeds are a wonderful, intact food, which means they're packed with nutrition but also unrefined oils that can spoil. I find that, once completely cooled, roasted seeds keep very well in an airtight container at room temperature for about two weeks. For longer-term storage, pop them in the freezer for up to a year. Pumpkin seeds make a great snack on their own. You can also use them to garnish pumpkin soup, butternut squash soup, or pumpkin risotto.Nutrition
Serving: 1 | Calories: 25kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 133mg | Fiber: 1g