Don’t throw away the pumpkin seeds from your pumpkin! Fry them up for a delicious healthy Halloween snack.
Fall is here and with it pumpkin season! There are always lots of pumpkins to carve around Halloween time, and a great way to use the pumpkin seeds is to toast them for an easy, healthy snack.
I love eating them with clams and all. When properly roasted and small to medium in size, they are wonderfully crunchy and easy to eat.
Don’t throw away your pumpkin seeds!
Video: Roasting pumpkin seeds
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How to Roast Pumpkin Seeds
How to get the threads of pumpkin seeds
When you first scoop the seeds out of the squash, it may seem impossible to separate the sticky, clinging threads from the seeds. Not so!
Just rinse the mass of seeds and threads under cold water and the seeds will easily separate. The leftover strings can be disposed of or composted.
The best way to salt pumpkin seeds
The challenge is how do you get the salt in the shells to the seeds? Salting the outside of the shells is easy enough, but if you want the salt to penetrate the seeds, the method I learned from my mom years ago will do.
Boil the seeds in salted water first, then toast them in the oven. This is how the salt gets in. And you can control the amount of salt by adding a lot of salt to the water and how long you cook the seeds.
How long to bake pumpkin seeds
Regardless of the size or number of your seeds, bake them at 400°F. Watch them closely—they’re done when they start to lightly brown. Small pumpkin seeds can be roasted in about 5 minutes, while large pumpkin seeds can take up to 20 minutes.
More ways to flavor your pumpkin seeds
These seeds are awesome simply seasoned with salt, but if you’re feeling adventurous you can certainly add other spices. Add a few teaspoons of your favorite herb or spice blend after tossing the seeds in the oil and before toasting them.
- For a hearty snacktry mixing the pumpkin seeds with a few teaspoons of chili powder, curry powder, or Herbes de Provence.
- For a sweet and salty varianttry a pumpkin spice mix (of course!) or cinnamon and sugar.
Fancy pumpkin? Try these recipes!
- Pumpkin-chili
- Old fashioned pumpkin pie
- Pumpkin Gingerbread
- pumpkin cream soup
- pumpkin bread
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
If you want to jazz up your pumpkin seeds, sprinkle them with spices like smoked paprika, cumin, or chili powder before they go in the oven.
ingredients
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one Middle pumpkin
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Salt
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Extra virgin olive oil
method
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Cut the pumpkin, scrape out the seeds and wash
Cut the squash open by making a circle around the stem end with a sharp knife (knife blade facing in) and peeling off the top.
Use a strong metal spoon to scrape out the inside of the squash and scoop out the seeds and threads.
Put the mass of pumpkin seeds in a sieve and run it under water to rinse the seeds and separate them from everything else.
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Boil the pumpkin seeds in salted water for 10 minutes
Measure the pumpkin seeds in a cup measure. Place the seeds in a medium-sized pot. For every 1/2 cup of pumpkin seeds, add 2 cups of water and 1 tablespoon of salt to the pan. Add more salt if you want your seeds to be saltier.
Bring salted water and pumpkin seeds to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from stove and let drain.
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Bake the seeds in the oven at 400°F until browned
Preheat oven to 400°F. Brush the bottom of a skillet or thick baking sheet with about a teaspoon of olive oil.
Spread the seeds out in a single layer on the skillet, tossing them a bit to coat them with the oil on the skillet.
Bake on top rack until seeds begin to brown, 5-20 minutes depending on seed size.
Small pumpkin seeds can be roasted in about 5 minutes, large pumpkin seeds can take up to 20 minutes. Keep an eye on the pumpkin seeds to avoid over-roasting them. When lightly browned, remove the pan from the oven and let cool on a wire rack. Allow the pumpkin seeds to cool completely before eating.
Either crack to remove the inner seed (a lot of work and unnecessary in my opinion) or eat whole.
Links:
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds: Three Ways by Heidi from 101 Cookbooks.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 81 | calories |
| 4g | Fat |
| 9g | carbohydrates |
| 3g | protein |
