PERFETLY roasted pumpkin seeds!
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Every Fall tons of pumpkins are carved and for some there is the BIG question of throwing out the pumpkin seeds or try to roast them.
Today I’m sharing my secrets with you on how to roast them perfectly.
Are you ready?
You start by boiling them.
You heard me right.
You boil them before you bake them.
That results in CRISPY pumpkin seeds that you will want to hide from everyone and keep them all to yourself to enjoy.
You heard me, these will be crispy and delicious.
Start by cleaning the pumpkin seeds.
Really, take the time to clean them off VERY well.
You will end up with crispier seeds when you are finished.
If they are covered in pumpkin they won’t crisp up in the oven as nicely,
Then all the time and effort will be wasted on soggy pumpkin seeds and NO ONE wants that.
Cover the pumpkin seeds with water and bring them to a boil.
I think they look so pretty all swirled around in the pot.
If you see any particles of pumpkin you may have missed skim them off with a slotted spoon.
Next, you will drain the seeds.
Place them in a bowl and coat them with a little olive oil and sea salt.
Then lay them on baking sheets in a thin layer. I had about 6 or 7 cups of seeds and used 2 half sheet pans lined with parchment paper.
They will bake up crispier if you don’t over crowd the pan or overlap them.
These are all done and they have a crinkly crispy sound when you move them around on the try, that is a key sign they are dry and done being roasted. Test some to be sure they are seasoned with enough salt and then hide them … I mean enjoy them!
- seeds from a pumpkin (4-6 cups)
- water
- sea salt
- olive oil
- Clean pumpkin seeds and throw out all pumpkin residue.
- Soak pumpkin seeds covered in water and swish around until all loose particles float and scoop them off and discard.
- Just when you think you've rinsed them enough, place them on a baking sheet and sort through them to remove any more pumpkin pieces or residue.
- This takes time, but the cleaner the pumpkin seeds are the nicer they will look and the crispier they will bake up.
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. ( you will bake them after you boil them)
- Place pumpkin seeds into saucepan and cover with water and a teaspoon salt and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and cook on at a medium-low temperature for 10 minutes.
- Strain seeds and then place seeds in a bowl with a teaspoon or two of olive oil to lightly coat the seeds and sprinkle them with salt.
- Pour them out onto baking sheet(s) in a thin layer.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes tossing them every 10 minutes and being careful not to brown them.
- Test the pumpkin seeds to check for doneness.
- They should be dry, crisp and the inside seed should not be brown, it should be a green color.
I look forward to roasted pumpkin seeds each year.
Some years I buy extra pumpkins just so I can roast seeds!
CLICK HERE to see my post for these Halloween and Fall Recipes.
You won’t want to miss them, they are so delicious!
Hope you all have a GREAT Halloween and enjoy snacking on crispy pumpkin seeds. That is until you start snacking on some Halloween candy…if you haven’t already.
I rounded up all my posts from October into one convenient post, check it out to see if you missed anything here.
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Pin this post to revisit it each year when you are carving pumpkins, print out the instructions and PLEASE Share this post with your friends. There are sharing options at the top and bottom of this post.
THANKS!
~Diane
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Jeanette says
Love home roasted pumpkin seeds! So easy and good for you.
Nutmeg Nanny says
Yum, I can’t wait to try out your method 🙂
Diane says
They are so crispy, you’ll have to let me know how you like them 🙂
Debbie says
How long do you boil the pumpkin seeds for?
Diane says
10 minutes, all the instructions are on the recipe card, you can print it out.
Rachel @ Baked by Rachel says
What a great idea! I’ve honestly never remembered to roast my seeds after carving. If we had carved real pumpkins this year, I’d be absolutely doing this!
Sylvie @ Gourmande in the Kitchen says
Good tip, I’ve tried the boiling trick before and it works great!
Sommer @ ASpicyPerspective says
LOVE pumpkin seeds! Great tutorial, Diane! Thanks! 🙂
Dionne Baldwin says
Oh wow I never tried boiling the seeds! I may try that when I take apart these pumpkins that never got carved before Halloween. 🙂 And I LOVE your MIKE WaZOWski cookie! That is way too cute, but I love the ghosts too. I’m glad I don’t have to pick a favorite. Thank you for sharing this tip with us!
Shaina says
I am baking pumpkins this week for pumpkin pie season, and I know exactly what I’ll be doing with the seeds.
Georganne says
I have some sunflower seeds I need to roast and I’ve been trying to figure out the best way to do it. THIS sounds perfect for them!! Thanks!
Sarah P says
awesome, I can’t wait to try your tips!! Do you need to dry them really thoroughly after boiling?
Diane says
No, I didn’t dry them. I just drained them and put them on lined baking sheets. You can see in the photos they are still wet. They dried out nicely in the oven so pre drying them was not necessary.
Sara says
If you boil them first does that take change nutritional value?
Diane says
Sara, that is a great question, unfortunately that area is not in my expertise. I did a little searching on the internet but wasn’t able to locate exactly what nutrients would be removed. Sorry I couldn’t offer the information you asked for. They really are crispier when boiled I’ve found and I’m looking forward to carving some pumpkins this weekend 🙂
rina jarosh says
In your description of how to make these you say to boil them but in the ingredients/instruction part you do not. Not sure if I should or not.
Diane says
I does say in the instructions to boil them, it’s right after the step of preheating the oven. You rise and clean the pumpkin seeds in water, then preheat the oven, then boil the seeds, then bake them.
Mar says
These turned out so good for me, I’m not going to share them! I will even buy more pumpkins next year!