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Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Our favorite part of carving pumpkins is being able to have roasted pumpkin seeds! There have been years where we bought the pumpkins but never carved them. Instead, we just cut them open for the seeds! We’ve tried many different spices on the seeds and this year we did three kinds: garlic, seasoned salt and ranch.

Garlic Pumpkin Seeds

2 1/2 cups pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tsp garlic powder

Seasoned Salt Pumpkin Seeds

2 cups pumpkin seeds
About 3 tablespoons canola oil
Sprinkle seasoned salt until lightly coated

Ranch Pumpkin Seeds

2 cups pumpkin seeds
About 3 tablespoons canola oil
1 packet powdered ranch dressing mix (like Hidden Valley)

Directions:

{Optional: Soak seeds in salt water overnight before roasting.}

Preheat oven to 375°F. Stir pumpkin seeds, oil and seasoning until the seeds are evenly coated. Pour seeds onto a greased baking sheet with sides. Roast seeds for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, or until golden and crunchy.

Also, be sure to check out my recipe for Bacon Roasted Pumpkin Seeds:

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds With Bacon

Comments

  1. I always roast the pumpkin seeds when I scoop out the guts to start carving. My favorite recipe is butter/Parmesan cheese. I line a couple of cookie sheets with parchment paper, spread out the seeds and drizzle melted butter on them, then sprinkle generously some dry Parmesan cheese (like Kraft) on them. Mix them up about half way thru baking time. They are delicious. I always take a mini shaker of Parmesan cheese to the movies, it’s great sprinkled on buttered popcorn.

    Reply

  2. Have you tried nonstick aluminum foil? How do you separate the seeds from the strings? Does this work well with squash seeds too? How much sodium does the soaking add (for those of us on salt restricted diets)?

    Reply

    • Hi David,
      ~No, I have not tried nonstick aluminum foil. It would help with clean up though.
      ~I separate the seeds by hand and then put them in a colander to rinse and separate them more.
      ~I’ve never roasted squash seeds, but yes the method should be the same although the cooking time would probably be shorter due to the smaller size of the seeds.
      ~I’m not sure how much sodium the soaking adds. If there is a concern, I would suggest not soaking them and just roasting them instead.
      Best of luck!
      ~Tonia

      Reply

    • Love your tips. Super helpful this year. Suggestion to David, you could try non-salt spices such as garlic powder, cajun spice, curry spice perhaps like that. If you are on a restricted sodium eating plan you will likely know which ones are acceptable to you.

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      • Mrs. Dash, among others makes very tasty spice combos without salt that are very tasty! My favorite is a Garlic & Herb Salt Free Seasoning that I use often. It’s incredible! I don’t miss the salt at all!

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  4. What’s the best way to store these….assuming you don’t eat them all right off the pan (which I’m well on my way to doing with the ranch flavored).

    So yummy! Thanks for the tips!

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  6. These look great! Does soaking them in salt water make much of a difference? Have you ever boiled them?
    Thanks for the recipes!

    Reply

    • Hi Wanda, I’ve never tried boiling them but my mom always soaked them in salt water. I think it is supposed to make them more crispy when you roast them but I’m not sure! Thanks! ~Tonia

      Reply

    • Hi Tiffany,
      As far as I know, the store bought seeds are already roasted. I think that you could still add the flavoring in the same way but you would cook them for only a short period of time. Thanks for stopping by!
      ~Tonia

      Reply

  15. mmm I havent carved a pumpkin this year, but I think I will scoop out the seeds anyway to make some of these. nothing like pumpkin seeds 🙂 I think my favorites are the ranch~

    Reply

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