how to perfectly roast pumpkin seeds
If you’re looking to roast crispy pumpkin seeds, this post is for you! You will get all the instructions on how to PERFECTLY roast CRISPY pumpkin seeds and I’ve added a video for you to see all the steps.
I’ll give you the time and temperature I use and the “secret” method to crispy roasted pumpkin seeds. Never have soft or soggy pumpkin seeds again!
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?
Grab your pumpkins and get CARVING… then scoop our all the seeds and separate the pulp from the seeds…
then the magic happens…
You boiling them the pumpkin seeds!
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.
Once you make pumpkin seeds you’ll never go back to just baking them.
By boiling the seeds first you are par cooking them, this allows the roasting process to make the pumpkin seeds extra crispy.
If you like the pumpkin dish, you may love this, this and even THIS, I love it filled with candy corn in the fall.
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.
(If you prefer to add an additional flavoring to the pumpkin seeds now would be the time, some people like adding a spicy dry pepper, like cayenne, some prefer garlic, or onino powder)
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 overcrowd 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!
If you love pumpkin you may want to pick up my PUMPKIN EBOOK HERE! There are many do not miss recipes you’ll want to make.
keep scrolling after the recipe, there is a lot more info you won’t want to miss.
how to perfectly roast pumpkin seeds
Ingredients
- seeds from a pumpkin 4-6 cups
- water
- sea salt
- olive oil
Instructions
- 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 a 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 a 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.
You’ll find my ROASTED PUMPKIN RECIPE HERE, which is to make after you roasted the seeds. So SAVE your pumpkin don’t throw it away, there is plenty to enjoy!
I look forward to roasted pumpkin seeds each year.
Some years I buy extra pumpkins just so I can roast seeds!
If you LOVE pumpkin as much as me I have a GREAT PUMPKIN EBOOK for sale for $5. it’s full of pumpkin recipes you’ll make all year long!
You heard me right, just be sure to have some canned pumpkin on hand and all year long you’ll be enjoying delicious pumpkin recipes.
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.
You may also like these posts:
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How to ice cookies the EASY WAY!
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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Love home roasted pumpkin seeds! So easy and good for you.
Yum, I can’t wait to try out your method 🙂
They are so crispy, you’ll have to let me know how you like them 🙂
How long do you boil the pumpkin seeds for?
10 minutes, all the instructions are on the recipe card, you can print it out.
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!
Good tip, I’ve tried the boiling trick before and it works great!
LOVE pumpkin seeds! Great tutorial, Diane! Thanks! 🙂
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!
I am baking pumpkins this week for pumpkin pie season, and I know exactly what I’ll be doing with the seeds.
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!
awesome, I can’t wait to try your tips!! Do you need to dry them really thoroughly after boiling?
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.
If you boil them first does that take change nutritional value?
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 🙂
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.
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.
I’ve never had pumpkin seeds before and wanted to try. Do you eat shell and all or crack seed like sunflower seeds?
You can eat the shell and all. They are crispy and salty and yummy!!! Enjoy.
These turned out so good for me, I’m not going to share them! I will even buy more pumpkins next year!
LOVE! LOVE! this recipe. Once done roasting , I devoured them!! I should have been doing this process a long time ago. Thanks for posting this recipe. 😃
What about using veggie oil?
yes you can use vegetable oil
How do you toss the seeds? And where’s a good place to get parchment paper – it’s not the same as butcher paper, right?
You can toss the seeds with oil and salt in a bowl or on a baking sheet whatever you prefer. I purchase parchment sheets that fit my baking sheets from King Arthur Flour, I bake a lot and prefer their thicker parchment sheets to the type of parchment I find at a lower price, if you don’t bake weekly, then I’d say you can pick up parchment in the US in grocery stores on a roll, or order them online at a baking supply store. Parchment is not the same as butcher paper. Parchment paper is for baking, butcher paper is often waxed on one side and even if not it’s not oven safe at a high temp, it’s primary use in the US is to wrap raw meets or sandwiches with, but not for cooking/baking.
Found this post via Pinterest and so glad that I did! I’ve never boiled them before, but doing that took off the weird goopy film around the seeds and this has absolutely been the best batch of roasted seeds that we have ever made. Thank you for sharing this!!
YAY! Happy to hear they turned out well for you. No better way to make them if you ask me 🙂
I am on my second batch in the oven right now and these are SO GOOD!!! Thank you for this recipe!
So delicious! I will be roasting pumpkin seeds every year now, not to mention it made the kitchen smell so good as they were roasting in the oven!
Oh my. These are so addictive. I wanted my a little browner, so I left them in for 35 minutes, checking them every 5 minutes. I will definitely make these a new fall cooking tradition.
Thank you so much for recipe.
Happy fall y’all.
I tried your recipe and instructions. Best ones I’ve ever made!!! Love this method.
Wonderful recipe, thanks so much. I can’t wait to get your emails, I just signed up.
Why do you simmer the pumpkin seeds for 10 minutes? What’s the purpose of boiling it?
Boiling the pumpkin seeds make the outer shell easier to digest and when roasted make them crispier.
Sorry if I missed this but wondering if you had a suggestion: I always slow cook my squash, (so not a giant pumpkin, more like butternuts, kabkchas and butterkins, etc). Because it is already cooked do you think I should reduce boiling time?
I have been stashing seeds from my slow-cooked squashes in the fridge and I finally have enough to make a batch and I am excited to try!
Thank you.
I’m not sure, you could try a few in the oven first before baking the whole batch to see if they turn out the way you’d like.