We are closing in on that wonderful time of the year that we all refer to as pumpkin mania fall! Fall is my favorite time of year. I really enjoy the cooler weather, the sound of the fall leaves blowing gently in the breeze, and all of the beautiful fall colors.
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. We love 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 there are always a lot of pumpkin seeds left for us to roast and enjoy.
You can learn all about how to harvest, cure, and store your pumpkins so they will be ready for you to process when the time is right.
As I stated before we don’t let any part of our pumpkins go to waste. The pigs 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.
Roasted pumpkin seeds are always delicious and get eaten up way too fast. 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
Preparing pumpkin seeds for roasting
After we remove the seeds from the pumpkin and separate them from the “guts” we rinse them off. We like to put them in a large bowl of water and swirl them around. After we rinse off the seeds in the bowl we place them in a strainer and give them another good rinse.
Some of the seeds are set aside to dry so that we can save them to plant for next years pumpkin crop. The remaining pumpkin 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. We prefer to use Pink Himalayan Salt or Sea Salt. Boiling the seeds helps to to ensure that the inside of the seed is permeated so that they will cook evenly when roasted.
Seasoning pumpkin seeds
After the seeds are boiled, they should be strained and dried. A hand towel or paper towels can be used to dry them 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 the seeds are drained and dried they can be placed 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, sea salt, organic black pepper, and Bragg’s organic 24 season and herb mix.
I’m sure they would be delicious seasoned many different ways. I think I might try some with my ranch seasoning mix or my taco seasoning mix. That sounds really tasty!
Roasting pumpkin seeds
Place the seeds in a bowl and add about a tablespoon of olive oil or avocado oil and add the seasoning of your choice. Toss or stir in the bowl so that the seasoning evenly coats the seeds. The amount of seasoning used is totally up to you. Simply season to taste.
Next, spread the pumpkin seeds in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake them at 325º for about 15-20 minutes. You want them to be a nice golden brown. 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!
FAQ’s
Seeds from any variety of pumpkin, gourd, or squash can be roasted.
It takes 25 to 35 minutes to boil and roast pumpkin seeds.
The exact flavor of the pumpkin seeds can vary dramatically. It really depends of the seasonings that you use on them when roasting. An unseasoned roasted pumpkin seed has a very mild nutty flavor.
Roasted pumpkin seeds last for for two weeks when stored in an air tight container at room temperature. They will last up to two months when refrigerated in an air tight container.
Yes! You can enjoy carving your pumpkin as well as roasting the seeds.
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Roasted pumpkin seeds are simple to make and delicious too.
Ingredients
- Pumpkin seeds
- 1 1/2 tsp salt for water
- 1TB olive oil, avocado oil, or melted butter to coat seeds
- Seasonings of choice
Instructions
- Clean seeds to remove any pumpkin pulp.
- Boil in water with 1 1/2 tsp salt for 10 minutes.
- Drain seeds and towel dry.
- Toss in oil or melted butter to coat seeds
- Stir in seasonings to taste
- Bake in single layer on baking sheet at 325 degrees for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.
- Serve once completely cool or store in airtight container.
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Mmmm. I love pumpkin seeds.
Simple and tasty. Thanks for sharing on the Homestead Blog Hop.
This is so interesting. Can one toast and eat the seeds of any pumpkin? What are the black seeds type?
Boiling the seeds huh? I have never done this before. I’m so excited to try this!!! Thank you so much for sharing!