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If you’ve ever wondered how to roast raw pumpkin seeds or how to prepare pumpkin seeds for eating, I think you’ll be surprised at how easy it is! Here is a pumpkin seeds recipe and how to roast pumpkin seeds step-by-step. We’ve also included roasted pumpkin seeds seasoning to give you the best pumpkin seed recipe tailored to your tastes! File under: healthy pumpkin seed recipes!
I love roasted pumpkin seeds straight from our Halloween pumpkin.
It’s one of my favorite snacks for Halloween—not to mention, they’re healthy snacks for kids!
However, my husband and daughter don’t share that same love of those toasted, crunchy seeds with salt, which means that they aren’t that excited about sifting through the pumpkin guts to get the seeds out when we do our jack-o-lanterns.
So, one year, I decided to try different pumpkin seed flavors.
My family likes flavored popcorn, so I decided to try flavored pumpkin seeds to see how they like those, too!
And, guess what?
They loved the flavored pumpkin seeds!
I’ve given you the basic pumpkin seeds recipe for salted pumpkin seeds, but I’ve also included different pumpkin seeds seasoning ideas if you want a little more flavoring.
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How To Prepare Pumpkin Seeds For Eating
Preparing pumpkin seeds for eating is very simple (if not a little messy).
You’re going to have to get in there and get messy, so prepare yourself (and kids usually have a lot of fun with it, so just put some plastic down and go with it!).
TRY THIS NEXT:
To prepare pumpkin seeds for roasting:
1. If you’re using the pumpkin to carve a jack-o-lantern, carefully cut a round “lid” around the stem at the top of the pumpkin.
If you’re not using the pumpkin for a jack-o-lantern, just cut the pumpkin in half.
Using a large spoon or your hands, scoop out the inside of the pumpkin (“guts” and seeds) into a large bowl.
(Save the pumpkin to make a jack-o-lantern if it’s close to Halloween or discard/compost the pumpkin if you’re not going to use it for anything else.)
2. Once the “guts” are in the bowl, separate the seeds from the guts the best you can. Place the seeds into a colander and discard the guts (or compost them).
3. Rinse the seeds until the majority of the pumpkin has been rinsed off.
4. Spoon the seeds onto a paper towel in a single layer. Pat with another paper towel to dry. Let seeds dry overnight.
5. Roast the seeds according to the recipe(s) below.
— Jump to Recipe —
Pumpkin Seeds Recipe paired with From Seed to Pumpkin Children’s Book
This time we chose From Seed to Pumpkin (Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science 1) by Wendy Pfeffer
The book uses simple language to describe how a farmer uses a pumpkin seed to grow pumpkins.
At the end, there’s a recipe (roasted pumpkin seeds!) and a science experience.
It’s also an excellent illustration of how plants grow in general.
Listed Book Age Range:4-8 years
DON’T MISS MORE AWESOME PUMPKIN CHILDREN’S BOOKS AFTER THE RECIPE!
Now, back to the food!
Here are my favorite roasted and flavored pumpkin seed recipes.
I’ve given you the basic pumpkin seeds recipe and then followed it with the pumpkin seeds seasoning recipes if you want to make some of those, too!
HOW TO ROAST RAW PUMPKIN SEEDS
Best Pumpkin Seeds Recipe
Salted Pumpkin Seeds Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Pumpkin seeds from a fresh pumpkin
- 2 Teaspoons Butter (melted) (Or olive oil)
- Sea salt (to taste)
Instructions
- Rinse fresh pumpkin seeds and remove all pumpkin pulp ("guts" and strings). Pat dry with a paper towel. Let dry overnight.
- Heat oven to 325° F.
- Place clean, dry pumpkin seeds in a bowl and toss with melted butter (or olive oil).
- Spray a baking sheet lightly with cooking spray. Spread seeds onto a baking sheet in a single layer. Sprinkle with sea salt.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes or until light brown and crisp, stirring halfway through.
- Sprinkle with sea salt. Cool before serving.
ROASTED PUMPKIN SEEDS SEASONING
- SPICY ROASTED PUMPKIN SEEDS: To the melted butter (or olive oil), add ½ teaspoon Cajun seasoning, 2 dashes of Worcestershire sauce and toss with pumpkin seeds. Bake according to directions. After roasting, zest lime on top before serving. Sprinkle with sea salt and a little more Cajun seasoning before serving.
- SWEET ROASTED PUMPKIN SEEDS: To the melted butter (or olive oil), add 1 tablespoon brown sugar and ½ teaspoon cinnamon and toss with pumpkin seeds. Bake according to directions. Sprinkle with a little more cinnamon and sugar before serving, if desired.
- DILL ROASTED PUMPKIN SEEDS: To the melted butter (or olive oil), add 1 teaspoon dill, 1/4 teaspoon onion powder, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder and toss with pumpkin seeds. Bake according to directions. Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper before serving.
Notes
- Nutrition information is estimated. Changes to the recipe and use of different brands may cause changes to the nutritional information to vary slightly from the ones provided here.
