How To Roast Perfect Pumpkin Seeds

We approaching that wonderful time of the year that we all refer to as fall! Fall is my favorite time of year (well, one of them). I really enjoy the cooler weather, the sound of the fall leaves blowing gently in the breeze, and all of the beautiful fall colors. I especially enjoy all things pumpkins which includes roasting pumpkin seeds for a delicious snack!

Fall means pumpkins are everywhere you look, you can find pumpkin anything. There are so many things you can do with pumpkins, they are very versatile. One of my favorite parts of the pumpkin is the part that most people seem to throw away. That is the seeds! So when fall rolls around, I automatically start thinking about harvesting and roasting those delicious pumpkin seeds!

Part of the joy of roasting pumpkin seeds is growing the pumpkins and harvesting those seeds. Our family loves to grow and harvest our own pumpkins. We try to use all of the pumpkin and not let anything go to waste. We like to freeze pumpkin puree’ in mason jars. After harvesting pumpkins, I always have a lot of pumpkin seeds left for us to roast and enjoy.

As I stated before we don’t let any part of our pumpkins go to waste. We utilize the meat of pumpkins for pie or other goodies. The livestock eat the innards and outer peels. We clean off the seeds to save some for next year’s crop. The pumpkin seeds that we don’t need for next year’s crop we use for roasting.

Im my opinion, roasted pumpkin seeds are always delicious and get eaten up way too fast in our home. I’m thinking that I should start stashing a little away so that I can enjoy a midnight snack. I don’t think my family would appreciate that much though.

How to roast pumpkin seeds at home

Removing the seeds from the pumpkin

The first course of action requires getting those seeds out of the pumpkin itself. Pumpkins can be a little tough to cut open so I use a large, sharp knife to split the pumpkin in half.

Once I have the pumpkin halved, I simply use a large spoon and scrape the seeds out into a bowl. Sometimes I use my hands to fully remove the last bit of seeds and “guts” of the pumpkin.

Preparing pumpkin seeds for roasting

After I remove the seeds from the pumpkin and separate them from the “guts”, I rinse them off. Then I put them in a large bowl of water and swirl them around. After I rinse off the seeds in the bowl, I place them in a strainer and give them another good rinse.

Some of the seeds are set aside to dry so that I can save them to plant for next years pumpkin crop. The remaining seeds are placed in a pot of boiling salt water. They need to be boiled for ten minutes with about 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt per quart of water. You want the water level to fully cover the pumpkin seeds.

We prefer to use Redmond Real Salt, not only does it contain many minerals, it tastes amazing too!. Boiling the seeds helps to ensure that the inside of the seed is permeated so that they will cook evenly when roasted.

Seasoning pumpkin seeds

After I boil the seed, I strain and dry them. I find that a hand towel or paper towels works well to dry the seeds off more quickly than if they were just left to air dry. They don’t have to be completely dry, just not dripping with water. Once I drain and dry the seeds, I place them in a bowl to be seasoned.

This is where you can get creative and season them to your taste preference. We like to use olive oil, Redmond Real Salt, organic black pepper, and Bragg’s organic 24 season and herb mix. You can use any type of oil or fat you like, we just have enjoyed using olive oil to roast our pumpkin seeds.

I’m sure pumpkin seeds would be delicious seasoned many different ways and my family would really enjoy eating them. I think I might try some with my ranch seasoning mix or my taco seasoning mix. I’ve even heard of people making a sweet version with cinnamon and sugar. These all sound really tasty!

Once I’ve gathered my seasoning ingredients, I place the seeds in a bowl and add about a tablespoon of olive oil (or oil of your choice) and add the seasoning I’ve chosen. Next, I toss or stir in the bowl so that the seasoning evenly coats the seeds. For our family, we use about 3/4 teaspoon of seasoning per cup of pumpkin seeds. The amount of seasoning used is totally up to you and your preference. Simply season to taste.

Roasting pumpkin seeds in the oven

Next, I spread the pumpkin seeds in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake them at 325º for about 15-20 minutes. They should be a nice golden brown when cooked. Perfectly roasted pumpkin seeds are hard to beat.

This is one of our family’s favorite snacks. We look forward to roasting pumpkin seeds every fall. Not only is it a delicious snack but it is a great time of making memories together.

There you have it! So simple and delicious!

That’s it! That’s how simple and easy it is to roast pumpkin seeds for a delicious and healthy fall treat!