Updated 29 Oct 2010
Originally posted 14 Oct 2009
Roasted pumpkins seeds are a popular snack food here in Asia (as well as Mexico, where they’re called “pepitas“) . The recipe is quite easy to make at home. All you need is a pumpkin.
Fall is the time for cooking and baking with lots of pumpkins and other hard, Winter squashes. Soups, braises, and pies signal the beginning of the holiday season. Last year, I made a pumpkin swirl cheesecake using a Halloween pumpkin that the kids had decorated. It wasn’t carved, so the pumpkin was still intact and unspoiled.
I cut the pumpkin up, roasted it, and pureed the flesh to use in my cheesecake. But I didn’t just throw the seeds away. Oh no. I had plans for them.
After first sectioning the pumpkin, I scraped out the pulp and the seeds.
Then I put the seeds and pulp in a colander and rinsed them off while the kids picked out any stray bits of pulp.
After the seeds were cleaned off, I spread them out onto a sheet pan to dry. The kids were kinda impatient, so I broke out the hair dryer. Daniel did the “heavy lifting” as he diligently dried those seeds. With the mechanical help, the seeds dried off quickly.
After they were dried, I drizzled a couple tablespoons of olive oil onto the seeds and tossed them to coat. Daniel and Esther then stepped in to grind some sea salt onto the seeds. That’s all there is to it – a very simple “dressing” on these seeds.
How do you like to “dress up” your roasted pumpkin seeds? With some honey or cinnamon, maybe? Leave us a comment!
They went into a 300*F oven for 30-35 minutes until they started turning brown.
After cooling, we started snacking. And we didn’t stop. The nutty, toasted flavors were so addictive!
The best thing about them is, these seeds are a healthy, nutritious snack – not like all the overly sugary sweet candies that are being given out this time of year. Pumpkin seeds are low in cholesterol, high in protein, and are a good source of Magnesium and Zinc. So go get your pepitas on!
Aloha, Nate.
Other pumpkin seed recipes: Simply Recipes, 101 Cookbooks, Andrea’s Kitchen, Teczcape, Joy the Baker
>Perfect timing for this post as I see lots of pumpkins being gutted for Halloween! I personally am a lazy snacker so I hate having to eat anything that requires shelling, which is why I also don't like sunflower seeds. (And not just because people throw it all over the ball park.) Oh, but I do love crab. So I guess I do shell some things for the meat! 🙂
>@Ben – I don't bother with shelling the seeds. Just chew up the whole thing! 😉
>Thanks for sharing, next time I will not throw away the pumpkin seeds..
>Yea… I'll just chew up the whole thing too.
>This works for kabocha seeds too, right? I remember I used to suck on those green tea pumpkin seeds all the time on New years!
>First off, gorgeous photos like your opener– move me. I have been nominated as Best Photo at Food Buzz (undeserved!!) so a photos like that prove the system is not fair. Great job. GREG
>Fresh ones are so much better than the ones you buy at the corner store, too. So much more flavor to them.
>@all – thanks for your comments!
@Sophia – I don't see why kabocha seeds wouldn't work. You got a kabocha you're gonna cook? We've got a couple recipes for that!
@Greg – I guess it's all about who you know and who knows you. Good luck on the vote! You going up to the Foodbuzz festival in November?
@Carolyn – totally agree. The packaged ones are too salty and taste kinda stale.
>Cool! I was just thinking how to process the seeds for snacking and I saw your post!
>I love the hair dreyer trick! and the salt crystlas in the close-up ghoto!
>A super way of making use of the pumpkin seeds…definitely a snack that keeps you munching 🙂
>Great post, and yes we ate all the pumpkin seeds way before the pie was done, they were gone in about 5 minutes. I actually have never washed them before, let alone dry them with a hair dryer, great tips, although I don't know how they can get any better, they are so tasty!
>Neat post, the photos of Daniel and Ester are adorable!
>@Nurit – thanks!
@Fresh – not often they get to help out in the kitchen but they really took to this task! 🙂
Thanks! We are indeed carving pumpkins this year and I’ve burned my share of batches of pumpkin seeds. The ones I didn’t burn weren’t very crisp, but I think I didn’t let them dry enough before roasting. I will have to try the hair dryer trick, but I have no cute little boy to help me hold the dryer! :0
Jenny –
how’d the roasted pumpkin seeds turn out for you?
They were quite ono! I followed your hairdryer technique (which my daughter enjoyed doing) and sprinkled on sea salt, pepper, paprika and garlic powder. I also learned from you that I didn’t need to shell them, which had been my big hangup. (Like Ben, I’m too lazy to bother with shells.)
Funny, I thought eating them whole was such a new concept but then I mention it to a friend of mine and she said, “Well, yes, I’ve always eaten them whole. Have you been shelling them all this time?” 😉
Jenny –
too funny. 🙂
I forgot to mention that one year I sprinkled some garlic powder and pepper on my seeds and that was a tasty combo.
yes, that does sound tasty!
I wonder what wasabi powder would do to it…
This I must try, I love sunflower seeds so this must be good too!
Jeannie
great, let us know how they turn out for you!