Besides being incredibly tasty, pumpkin seeds are a good source of antioxidants, magnesium, zinc, and fatty acids — all of which may help keep your heart healthy.
Roasting Pumpkin Seeds Instructions:
- After removing the seeds from the pumpkin place them in a bowl, fill with water and add a tsp of salt. Let soak for 10-15 minutes and use the water to get any remaining pumpkin pulp off.
- Place on a clean kitchen towel to dry out for an hour. Allowing the seeds to dry first ensures they’ll crisp—not steam—in the oven.
- Preheat over to 325° F with your rack placed in the middle.
- Add your dry pumpkin seeds to a rimmed baking sheet toss with a few tablespoons of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Add approx. 2 tsp of preferred spices per pumpkin worth of pumpkin seeds.
- Roast for 10 minutes, shake ( or use a spatula to flip), and roast an additional 10 minutes. If your seeds are larger or not fully dry before roasting they might need additional time to toast to a golden brown color. Keep shaking ( or flipping) every 10 minutes to ensure an even bake.
- Remove from the oven and let cool. Store in an air-tight container.
Notes:
- The bigger the pumpkin, the bigger (and tougher) the seeds. Pie pumpkins have nice sized and tender seeds.
- Stored in an airtight container, your pumpkin seeds will keep for 1-2 months in the refrigerator, or at room temperature for up to a week.
Flavors:
- Sweet: use 2 tsp of cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice at roasting and sprinkle with sugar after removing from oven.
- Smokey: mix equal parts smoked paprika and cayenne pepper at roasting.
- Cheesy: upon removing from the oven immediately toss seeds with a drizzle of olive oil and a few shakes of nutritional yeast.
- Garlic Parmesan: use 1/4 c. freshly grated Parmesan and1-2 cloves crushed garlic at roasting and sprinkle with additional parmesan after removing from oven.
- Ranch: use 1 1/2 tbsp. ranch seasoning mix at roasting.
- Taco Lime: use 1 tsp. fresh cilantro and 1 tbsp. Taco Seasoning at roasting and 1 tbsp. lime juice after removing from the oven.
- Pumpkin Pie: use 1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice at roasting, and 3 tbsp. brown sugar after removing from the oven.
- Rosemary-Parmesan: use 1/4 c. freshly grated Parmesan, 1 tsp. dried rosemary, and 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes at roasting and sprinkle with additional parmesan after removing from oven.
- Buffalo Ranch: use 1 tbsp. buffalo sauce and 1 1/2 tbsp. ranch seasoning mix at roasting.
- Smoky BBQ: Mix 1 1/4 teaspoon onion powder, 1 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon ground mustard together and dust seed before roasting. Sprinkle with1/4 teaspoon light brown sugar after removing from oven.
- Spicy Turmeric: use 1/8 teaspoon (2 drops) sriracha or hot sauce and 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper, 1 teaspoon turmeric at roasting and sprinkle with additional sea salt after removing from oven.
