Perfect Pumpkin Seeds
I have fond memories of carving pumpkins with my big brother. He would carve marvelous artistic things while I carved out triangle eyes and square teeth. Often, he would help me out and make mine look a little better. But the best part of the whole process was roasting the pumpkin seeds for a tasty snack afterward.
A few years ago, I thought I would try roasting seeds with my girls. The pumpkin carving was messy and retrieving the seeds was more difficult than I remembered. I did salvage enough seeds to roast, and they were not nearly as delicious as in my memory. They were a lot of work for a tough and chewy mouthful.
This weekend, my oldest daughter had a friend staying with us, so we did the whole pumpkin thing. We went to a local field and stomped through the dust and burs to pick our very own pumpkins to turn into jack-o-lanterns.
After about an hour or so, walking up and down each row, everyone finally had their perfect pumpkins. We had 5 altogether. I have to tell you, this pumpkin carving thing is so much more pleasant with teenagers. I supplied the knives, spoons and bowls and they did their own thing.
As you can imagine, we had lots of seeds from all the pumpkins, and our friend was great at cleaning off the pumpkin goop. They were just beggin’ to be roasted.
So, I did a little research into making them crispy, hoping for a more enjoyable snack this time around. Some people suggest letting the seeds dry out overnight. Others suggest boiling the seeds a bit before roasting. Because we wanted to snack on them that same evening, this is the method I chose to try.
When boiling the seeds, the secret is to salt the water, just like you do with pasta. The boiling softens the hard outer shell of the pumpkin seeds and the salt adds flavor.
After they are done boiling, drain the water off and mix the pumpkins seeds with a tablespoon of olive oil and a generous sprinkle of kosher sea salt or other seasonings, if you desire.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread out the seeds into a single layer. Many recipes suggest lining a baking sheet with aluminum foil, but I prefer parchment paper. I have tried to sell you on parchment paper before. I tell you, it makes life in the kitchen so much easier. If you haven’t picked up a roll yet, here is a link to order some on Amazon.*
In an oven heated to 350ºF, roast the seeds for 10 minutes, remove and stir. Roast for another 10 minutes, then stir again. Another trick to help crisp them up is to turn off the heat to your oven, but keep the pumpkins seeds in the oven for another 10 minutes or until pleasantly golden brown.
It turns out, if you roast the pumpkin seeds this way, they are quite tasty and worth the effort. They do taste best when they are still fresh and warm, but you can keep them in an airtight container for up to a week. Chances are you will not have them around long enough to worry about that.
There are many flavor variations you can try, but our gang preferred these simple salted pumpkin seeds the best. If you have more tricks to share for roasting your seeds, please share them with me and we’ll try them out next time.
AuthorMelissa JoyDifficultyBeginnerSoak the pumpkin seeds in a bowl a bit to remove the extra pumpkin bits. While soaking them, preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Drain the seeds in a colander, spray with more water to remove any last bits of goo.
Add 2 cups of seeds to 4 cups of water in a medium pot. Stir in the salt and drizzle 1 tbsp of oil on top. Bring to a boil, then lower to simmer for 10 minutes.
Drain the seeds and toss them with the other tbsp of olive oil and sprinkle with more salt or additional spices, if so desired.
Spread the seeds out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and place in the oven for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, pull out the pan and stir the seeds. Return to the oven for 10 more minutes. Remove, stir once more, then return to the oven, but turn off the heat. Keep the seeds in the oven for up to 10 more minutes, or until golden brown.
Remove the seeds from the oven for good and allow them to cool before storing in an air tight container. They will keep for a few days, but they do taste best when fresh.
Ingredients
Directions
Soak the pumpkin seeds in a bowl a bit to remove the extra pumpkin bits. While soaking them, preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Drain the seeds in a colander, spray with more water to remove any last bits of goo.
Add 2 cups of seeds to 4 cups of water in a medium pot. Stir in the salt and drizzle 1 tbsp of oil on top. Bring to a boil, then lower to simmer for 10 minutes.
Drain the seeds and toss them with the other tbsp of olive oil and sprinkle with more salt or additional spices, if so desired.
Spread the seeds out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and place in the oven for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, pull out the pan and stir the seeds. Return to the oven for 10 more minutes. Remove, stir once more, then return to the oven, but turn off the heat. Keep the seeds in the oven for up to 10 more minutes, or until golden brown.
Remove the seeds from the oven for good and allow them to cool before storing in an air tight container. They will keep for a few days, but they do taste best when fresh.
*As an Amazon associate, I earn a small percent of qualifying purchases made from some links in this blog.
