Halloween is almost a week away which means it’s time to start carving those pumpkins. We love heading out to the pumpkin patch, enjoying all the fall activities and wandering around the pumpkin patch to find the perfect pumpkin to carve. Now we know that all sounds like fun, but our favorite part is after all the activities and carving is done. We get the most excited about the tiny seeds inside those pumpkins. Roasting pumpkin seeds may be one of our favorite fall activities.
Prepping the Seeds
Roasting fresh pumpkin seeds is not for the impatient, ha. Funny to say because we are both pretty impatient people, but the end result is worth it so we don’t mind. First you need to separate the seeds from the pumpkin pulp. Yep, we’re talking about the gross pumpkin guts. Once you’ve picked out all the seeds, soak them in a bowl of water to help remove any small pieces of pulp still on the seeds. After the seeds have soaked for a few minutes, transfer to a colander to rinse.
Drying the Seeds
Drying the seeds is a very important step if you want crispy crunchy seeds. If your roasted pumpkin seeds are chewy it’s most likely because they were not fully dried or were not cooked long enough. After you rinse the seeds, let them sit for a bit to allow excess water to drain then wrap a paper towel around your hand and stir the seeds with your hand. The paper towel will absorb even more water. Spread the seeds on a rimmed baking sheet in an even layer. At this time you can use another paper towel to pat more water off the seeds. Whatever you do, do not line the baking sheet with paper towels. This may sound like a good idea since the paper towel will absorb the water, but as the seeds dry they will stick to the paper towel and it is a pain to get them off. Let the seeds sit for 24 hours to fully dry before you roast them. Every few hour you can pat with a paper towel and mix the seeds to assist the drying process.
Roasting the Seeds
Now that you have allowed the seeds to dry it’s almost time to enjoy them! There are so many ways to flavor pumpkin seeds. You can go sweet like we are today or savory. Prior to adding any seasoning you will need to coat the seeds in butter or oil. If you prefer not to use butter just swap out the butter in the recipe for your preferred oil. Once the seeds are coated in butter, add the dry ingredients and stir until fully coated then evenly spread on a parchment lined baking sheet. While the seeds are roasting, stir them about every 10 minutes so they roast evenly. Towards the end make sure to keep an eye on the pumpkin seeds so they don’t burn. The seeds are done when they are lightly browned.
Roasted pumpkin seeds are the perfect fall snack. They can also be added to salads, granola, trail mix, oatmeal and more or garnish your favorite fall dinner or soup. If you made this recipe we would love to know what you thought by leaving a comment below. Thank you for stopping by and have a fun and Spooktacular Halloween. Happy baking!
More Flavor Options:
- Traditional: olive oil, salt and pepper
- Pumpkin Spice: butter and pumpkin pie spice
- Taco: oil/butter and taco seasoning
- Garlic and Onion: oil/butter, garlic powder, onion powder and salt
Cinnamon Sugar Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Ingredients
- 1 cup pumpkin seeds dried
- 1 tbsp butter melted
- 1 1/2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Remove seeds from the pulp of the pumpkin, rise well and lay in an even layer on a cookie sheet to dry 24-48 hours.
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line a baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Place dry pumpkin seeds in a medium bowl and coat with the melted butter.
- Add the sugar, cinnamon and salt and stir until evenly coated.
- Spread seeds on the prepared baking sheet in a even layer and bake for approximately 35 minutes. Stir the seeds every 10 minutes. The seeds are done when they are lightly browned. After they cool a few minutes try a seed, if they are still chewy place back in the oven and check every few minutes until done.
