Making your own Roasted Pumpkin Seeds is easy! Plus they're a high-fiber healthy snack that's crunchy and delicious.
My kids love to make Jack-o-Lanterns at Halloween time. They typically start asking me several weeks before Halloween if it's time to buy a pumpkin yet.
But what I think they love even more than choosing which scary face to carve into their pumpkin, is eating the homemade pumpkin seeds that we make after the pumpkin carving is all done.
Roasted pumpkin seeds are delicious. They're a crunchy, lightly salty snack and are high in fiber, healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals. They can be eaten with, or without the shells (eating the shells increases the amount of fibre you get)
Making them is easy, and reduces the waste that comes with pumpkin carving. Now instead of throwing out the whole pumpkin after Halloween, at least you get to make use of the seeds!
How to make roasted pumpkin seeds:
The first step in making roasted pumpkin seeds is removing the seeds from the pumpkin.
If you're using a small pumpkin (the kind used for cooking or baking), cut the pumpkin in half with a large, sharp knife and scoop out the seeds with a metal spoon.
If you're using a large pumpkin for carving, cut a circular hole in the top of the pumpkin and scoop out the seeds with a metal spoon.
Cleaning the pumpkin seeds:
Cleaning the pumpkin seeds takes the most work of this project, but isn't that difficult once you get the hang of it.
Start by putting the seeds in a medium bowl and removing any large pieces of pumpkin. Remove also any large clumps of stringy bits. Separate any seeds that are stuck together.
Cover the seeds with water, stir them around gently and let them soak for a few minutes. Then come back and remove any other remaining bits of pumpkin.
Drain the seeds, add fresh water, and repeat the above step.
Note that you don't have to remove ALL the pumpkin. It's ok to leave some small bits of pumpkin, and in fact this adds a little flavor. See the picture below to see how much pumpkin I typically remove.
Once the seeds have been cleaned, you have the option to leave them uncovered in the sieve to let them dry, which helps reduce the roasting time.
Then simply toss them with a little olive oil and salt and bake them until they're golden brown.
Can you roast other types of squash seeds?
Yes! Just like you can make pumpkin pie from other types of winter squash, you can also roast and eat other types of winter squash seeds.
Some may have slightly thicker shells than others, but in that case you can always remove and discard the shells just like you would with sunflower seeds.
The seeds pictured in this post actually aren't really pumpkin seeds at all, they're kabocha seeds, and they were delicious!
Want more healthy snacks?
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds Nutrition Notes:
Pumpkin seeds are a healthy snack. They're high in fiber and healthy fats and provide minerals like magnesium, iron, phosphorus, and manganese.
Note that eating the shell of the roasted pumpkin seeds increases the amount of fiber you will get.
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups pumpkin seeds or other squash seeds
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Clean the pumpkin seeds by placing them in a medium bowl and covering with water. Sift through the seeds with your hands, removing any large or very stringy pieces of squash and separating the seeds. Change the water 1-3 times during cleaning. Note that small bits of pumpkin that are clinging to the seeds are fine and will add flavor.
- Heat oven to 300°F. Toss the drained seeds with the olive oil and salt. Spread the seeds on a baking sheet and place in the oven. Bake for 45-60 mintues, stirring every 10-15 minutes. When seeds are crunchy and golden brown, remove from the oven to cool. Place cooled seeds in an airtight container and store at room temperature.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer: I try my best to make sure the nutrition information I provide is accurate to provide you with the best information possible. However, due to ingredient discrepancies and other factors, the above nutrition information should be considered an estimation only.
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