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:
Joe H. says
October 2, 2016 at 3:05 amI 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.
Tonia says
October 2, 2016 at 10:17 pmThat sounds awesome! My family loves Parmesan on popcorn so I’m sure they would love it on pumpkin seeds too. Thanks Joe!
David says
October 16, 2015 at 1:11 amHave 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)?
Tonia says
October 16, 2015 at 8:51 amHi 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
Nikki Auten says
October 27, 2015 at 7:07 pmLove 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.
Rosemary says
October 8, 2018 at 8:34 pmMrs. 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!
Deb says
October 14, 2015 at 6:35 amI soaked the seeds overnight! Now do they have to dry before I roast them?
Tonia says
October 14, 2015 at 8:06 amNo, just drain them well and bake them! Enjoy!
Shannon says
October 13, 2014 at 4:12 pmWhat’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!
Tonia says
October 13, 2014 at 4:20 pmWe store them in a plastic storage container or even a plastic ziptop bag. Enjoy! ~Tonia
LeAnn says
September 29, 2014 at 10:17 amwhat is the water salt seed ratio for soaking them in?
Tonia says
September 29, 2014 at 10:48 pmHi LeAnn! I don’t think my mom ever measured, but it is about 1/4 cup of salt to 2 cups of water. Good luck! ~Tonia
Wanda Diakow says
September 27, 2014 at 2:42 pmThese look great! Does soaking them in salt water make much of a difference? Have you ever boiled them?
Thanks for the recipes!
Tonia says
September 27, 2014 at 4:37 pmHi 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
tiffany says
November 21, 2013 at 8:41 pmcan you use store bought seeds? thanks!
Tonia says
November 21, 2013 at 10:50 pmHi 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
Jennifer says
October 28, 2013 at 10:37 amMmm….I LOVE pumpkin seeds and always want to try something new with them. This sounds tasty!
Melanie says
October 28, 2013 at 9:38 amI have never made roasted pumpkin seeds before, but you make it look so easy!
Michelle says
October 19, 2013 at 6:42 pmFor the Ranch ones. Have you ever used Olive oil instead of canola oil? And did they still one out good?
Tonia says
October 19, 2013 at 9:54 pmI have not but I think they would turn out great with olive oil! Best of luck!
Lindsay @ Delighted Momma says
October 25, 2012 at 4:26 amRoasted pumpkin seeds are so good! The ranch recipe sounds like something I need to try ASAP
Tonia L says
October 26, 2012 at 4:05 amThey are so good! When you carve your pumpkins you will have to try it!
mcamcal91 says
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mcamcal91 says
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Jessica@AKitchenAddiction says
October 24, 2012 at 5:32 pmRoasted pumpkin seeds are a great snack! I love all of these variations!
Tonia L says
October 26, 2012 at 4:08 amThanks Jessica! They are a great snack. We just need to figure out how to make them year found!
Tonia L says
October 26, 2012 at 4:09 am*I mean…make them year round!
Jodi S says
October 24, 2012 at 4:42 pmmmm 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~
Tonia L says
October 26, 2012 at 4:23 amThanks Jodi! Hopefully you will get a chance to make some!
Vanessa says
October 24, 2012 at 4:31 pmThose look good! I love roasted pumpkin seeds.
Tonia L says
October 26, 2012 at 4:26 amThanks Vanessa! They are such a great snack!