Make roasted pumpkin seeds your new fall family tradition – easier than you think and totally worth the mess!
Pumpkin seeds are the hallmark fall snack. While at first thought it might feel like it’s too messy, gross or time consuming to roast pumpkin seeds, the reality is, they are easy to make even if a little messy!
It’s really a great activity to add to the pumpkin carving day for your family to create a whole new tradition. Honestly, the hardest and most time-consuming part is scooping out the pumpkin seeds. After that, it’s a breeze to make this simple fall treat!
Ingredients
The best part of this recipe is it requires so few ingredients – three to be exact!
- Pumpkin
- Salt
- Olive oil
Directions
The nine easy steps below lead you to your very own roasted pumpkin seeds!
- Scoop out all the seeds from the pumpkin, and place them into a bowl.
- Fill the bowl with water, and let it sit for a couple hours – this helps most of the “pumpkin gunk” come off.
- Scoop all the seeds out, and place them into a colander.
- Thoroughly rinse seeds.
- Place onto paper towels, and let dry for several hours.
- Transfer seeds to a baking sheet after they are completely dry.
- Mix salt and olive oil in a small bowl.
- Pour over seeds on the baking sheet, and make sure all are evenly coated.
- Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 20 minutes.
Tips
Here are a few tips and tricks I picked up while roasting pumpkin seeds.
- Put broken down cardboard boxes or newspapers on the floor (or table) where you plan to scoop out the pumpkin.
- Even with the above measure, just accept scooping out the pumpkin will get messy!
- Use the sink sprayer while rinsing in the colander.
- Let seeds dry overnight vs. several hours.
- Store them in an airtight container.
- They do not need to be refrigerated and typically last around two weeks, which tends to be about the time everyone gets tired of them!
- However, you can extend their life by several weeks when you put them in the refrigerator.
Mix It Up
Try out sweet, savory and various spices for different flavors when roasting your pumpkin seeds. You can try adding them prior to or just after roasting depending on the ingredient. Some options include:
- Cinnamon
- Sugar
- Garlic powder
- Ranch dressing mix
- Pumpkin pie spice
- Maple syrup
- Parmesan cheese
- Chili powder
- Honey
You can also add them to salads to give it a fun, delicious crunch texture.
No matter whether you make classic roasted pumpkin seeds or try out a new flavor, it’s sure to be a fun, quick and delicious snack for your family.
