Make garlic roasted pumpkin seeds with all of the leftover seeds from carving jack-o-lanterns for Halloween. They are a delicious, nutritious snack!
Of all the flavors of roasted pumpkin seeds, garlic is my kid’s favorite. We’ve been roasting pumpkin seeds every year since they were little.
Now they are teenagers and they want me to buy extra pumpkins just for making more garlic roasted pumpkin seeds!
Where is the recipe for garlic roasted pumpkin seeds? In this post, I will share step-by-step instructions with photos for how to roast pumpkin seeds, as well as answering FAQs about the recipe and showing a video of the recipe. But you can go directly to the recipe by scrolling down to the bottom of the post.
Disclaimer: This post contains links to products for making this recipe. If you use those links, I may earn a commission. Learn more here.
How to Make Garlic Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Step One:
Start with a large pumpkin or a few small pumpkins.
The perfect time for making garlic roasted pumpkin seeds after carving pumpkins for Halloween. Just ask everyone to set the seeds aside!
Step Two:
If you don’t have an army of pumpkin carvers to do the work for you, you’ll have to do it yourself.
Cut the top or bottom off of the pumpkins using a sharp kitchen knife or a serrated knife meant for cutting pumpkins.
Or if you are handy with power tools, pull out your SAWZALL like my brother-in-law does and get it done in a flash.
Step Two:
Now comes the dirty part that some kids hate and others relish!
Use the flat edge of a sturdy spoon or spatula to scrape the pulp away from the pumpkin. We’ve even used plastic ice cream scoops to do the scooping and scraping.
Step Three:
Scoop out the pumpkin seeds.
Step Four:
Put the pumpkin seeds in a large colander. Place the colander in an empty sink and rinse under running water.
Separate the bits of remaining pulp and discard. Drain well.
Step Five:
Pour the pumpkin seeds into a large pot. Add water and salt.
Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Drain well.
Step Six:
Pour the pumpkin seeds into a bowl.
Add olive oil and garlic powder. Stir to coat.
Step Seven:
Spread in a rimmed baking sheet.
Bake at 375˚F for 25-30 minutes, stirring and turning every 5 minutes, until golden and crunchy.
Store in an airtight container.
Garlic Roasted Pumpkin Seeds FAQs
1. Do I have to boil the pumpkin seeds prior to roasting? No, you don’t have to but doing so will result in crunchier, more flavorful pumpkin seeds. You can skip that step and go directly to coating the rinsed and drained pumpkin seeds with olive oil and garlic powder.
2. Can I soak the pumpkin seeds overnight in salt water instead of boiling them? Yes. Pour the seeds into a large pot. Add water and salt. Soak in salt water overnight. Drain well before roasting.
3. Will another oil work instead of the olive oil? Yes, you can use melted butter, vegetable oil, canola oil, or even coconut oil.
4. Can garlic salt be used instead of garlic powder? Yes, but they will be saltier and less garlicky. Galic salt has 3 parts salt to 1 part garlic powder.
5. Does this work with squash seeds? Yes, but the cook time will vary since they are smaller seeds. Since you are stirring every five minutes during roasting, watch them carefully and remove when they are toasted.
Wondering what else to do with pumpkin seeds?
Butternut Squash Soup: Make this delicious butternut squash soup and sprinkle it with roasted pumpkin seeds before serving.
Bacon Roasted Pumpkin Seeds: This crave-worthy Bacon Roasted Pumpkin Seeds recipe makes the best toasted pumpkin seeds EVER! Everyone will love this easy snack or appetizer with bacon!
Pumpkin Seed Trail Mix form Martha Stewart: Bursting with contrasting textures and flavors– salty pumpkin seeds, spicy ginger, crunchy almonds, chewy cranberries, rich coconut–the blend will dazzle your taste buds.
Pumpkin Seed Spinach Salad from Taste of Home: Top your salad with roasted pumpkin seeds from some extra crunch!
Ranch Roasted Pumpkin Seeds: Don’t throw out the pumpkin seeds. Save them to make Ranch Roasted Pumpkin Seeds. They are so good that they are hard to stop eating!
Make garlic roasted pumpkin seeds with all of the leftover seeds from carving jack-o-lanterns for Halloween. They are a delicious, nutritious snack!
- 1 large pumpkin (about 2 cups of seeds)
- 2 cups water
- 2 tbsp salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp garlic powder
Cut the top or bottom off of the pumpkin.
Scoop out the pumpkin seeds and place them in a colander under running water. Separate the bits of remaining pulp and discard. Drain well.
Transfer the pumpkin seeds into a large pot. Add water and salt and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Drain well.
Pour the drained pumpkin seeds into a bowl. Add olive oil and garlic powder. Stir to coat.
Spread the coated pumpkin seeds out in a large rimmed baking sheet. Bake at 375˚F for 25-30 minutes, stirring and turning every 5 minutes, until the seeds are golden and crunchy.
Store in an airtight container.
Cat919 says
These garlic pumpkin seeds look delicious. I’ve seen so many different ways to prepare the pumpkin seeds before baking/roasting. One way was to boil, and then let the seeds dry overnight. Would your recipe still work well if I dried my seeds overnight? I don’t want to burn them or mess them up. Thank you.
Tonia says
Hi Cat,
Yes, it would work to dry them overnight. The roasting time will most likey be less. But since you have to stir the pumpkin seeds every five minutes, you can stop roasting them as soon as they are done.
Best of luck!
~Tonia