Roasted Pumpkin Seeds, Five Ways

I tend to post all of our family  recipes on this site so as to have an easy way to access them and to send them to others for reference. Pumpkin seeds are no exception. I can’t tell you how many times we “forget the way we did it last year” when it comes to holiday-specific snacks like these. So here are our instructions for Roasted Pumpkin Seeds, Five Ways. [There’s a full recipe card at the end of the post.]

PREPARATION
You need clean, preferably dry pumpkin seeds or “pepitas” in order to roast them well. After you have separated your pumpkin seeds from the pulp of the pumpkin, place them in a colander and rinse them clean. If time is an issue, scatter the seeds on top of a dry, absorbent towel, cover with a second towel and pat dry. If you have 12-24 hours, spread the seeds onto a parchment or silpat-lined pan and air-dry.

INGREDIENTS

 
Basic Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
1.5 c pumpkin seeds
2 tbs oil or melted butter
1+tsp sea or table salt to taste

Hot & Spicy Chile Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
1.5 c pumpkin seeds
2 tbs olive oil OR 2 tbs melted unsalted butter
1-3 tsp Sriracha Chile sauce or Frank’s Red hot sauce
.5 tsp ancho chile powder (or whatever you have on hand)
.5 tsp chipotle chile powder (or whatever you have on hand)
.5 tsp sweet smoked paprika
.5-1 tsp garlic powder
.5-1 tsp onion powder
1+ tsp sea salt or salt to taste
May be served with slices of lime to be squeezed over seeds.


Savoury Garlic Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
1.5 c pumpkin seeds
2 tbs olive (or canola) oil OR 2 tbs melted unsalted butter
1-1.5 tbs minced fresh garlic or garlic in oil
1 tsp garlic powder
fresh ground black pepper to taste
1+ tsp sea salt or salt to taste

Pumpkin Pie Spice Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
1.5 c pumpkin seeds
2 tbs melted unsalted butter or 2 tbs canola oil
3 tbs brown sugar
[1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp allspice]
OR
[2 tsp pumpkin pie spice]

Honey Orange Pumpkin Seeds
1.5 c pumpkin seeds
2 tbs melted unsalted butter or 2 tbs canola oil
3 tbs honey
1-2 tsp orange zest
Optional: 1-2 tbs orange juice, to be added before or after roasting.

METHOD
Heat oven to 350 F.
In a bowl, toss seeds with oil or melted butter and all [*or most*] of the remaining ingredients.
*NOTES  re SALT: You may wish to leave out the salt until after the seeds have roasted and then salt them according to taste.
*NOTES re  SUGAR/HONEY/JUICE: You may wish to leave the sugars off until the last 5-10 minutes of roasting
Spread coated seeds in a single layer on a parchment or silpat-lined pan.
Bake 25-30 minutes.
[Feel free to toss or flip the seeds at the 15 minute point if you’d like. We don’t bother.
Sometimes the seeds smoke and the coatings get quite dark in the oven.
At least, for us, this is normal, and we like the taste of the results.
Follow *NOTES re SUGAR/HONEY/JUICE above if you have concerns about the sweeteners and browning.]
Toss with reserved or additional salt, sugar, or citrus juice if so desired.

Enjoy!
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Print Recipe

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds Five Ways: Basic, Hot&Spicy Chile, Savoury Garlic, Pumpkin Pie Spice, Honey Orange

Author: Roseanne Carrara, The Lunchbox Season

Ingredients

Basic Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

• 1.5 c pumpkin seeds
• 2 tbs oil or melted butter
• 1 +tsp sea or table salt to taste

Hot & Spicy Chile Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

• 1.5 c pumpkin seeds
• 2 tbs olive oil OR 2 tbs melted unsalted butter
• 1-3 tsp Sriracha Chile sauce or Frank's Red hot sauce
• .5 tsp ancho chile powder or whatever you have on hand
• .5 tsp chipotle chile powder or whatever you have on hand
• .5 tsp sweet smoked paprika
• .5-1 tsp garlic powder
• .5-1 tsp onion powder
• 1+ tsp sea salt or salt to taste
• May be served with slices of lime to be squeezed over seeds.

Savoury Garlic Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

• 1.5 c pumpkin seeds
• 2 tbs olive or canola oil OR 2 tbs melted unsalted butter
• 1-1.5 tbs minced fresh garlic or garlic in oil
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• fresh ground black pepper to taste
• 1+ tsp sea salt or salt to taste

Pumpkin Pie Spice Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

• 1.5 c pumpkin seeds
• 2 tbs melted unsalted butter or 2 tbs canola oil
• 3 tbs brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• OR
• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Honey Orange Pumpkin Seeds

• 1.5 c pumpkin seeds
• 2 tbs melted unsalted butter or 2 tbs canola oil
• 3 tbs honey
• 1-2 tsp orange zest
• 1-2 tbs orange juice to be added before or after roasting [Optional]

Instructions

PREPARATION

• You need clean, preferably dry pumpkin seeds or "pepitas" in order to roast them well. After you have separated your pumpkin seeds from the pulp of the pumpkin, place them in a colander and rinse them clean. If time is an issue, scatter the seeds on top of a dry, absorbent towel, cover with a second towel and pat dry. If you have 12-24 hours, spread the seeds onto a parchment or silpat-lined pan and air-dry.

ROASTING

• Heat oven to 350 F.
• In a bowl, toss seeds with oil or melted butter and all [*or most*] of the remaining ingredients.
• *NOTES  re SALT: You may wish to leave out the salt until after the seeds have roasted and then salt them according to taste.
• *NOTES re  SUGAR/HONEY/JUICE: You may wish to leave the sugars off until the last 5-10 minutes of roasting
• Spread coated seeds in a single layer on a parchment or silpat-lined pan.
• Bake 25-30 minutes.
• [Feel free to toss or flip the seeds at the 15 minute point if you'd like. We don't bother.
• Sometimes the seeds smoke and the coatings get quite dark in the oven. At least, for us, this is normal, and we like the taste of the results.
• Follow *NOTES re SUGAR/HONEY/JUICE above if you have concerns about the sweeteners and browning.]
• Toss with reserved or additional salt, sugar, or citrus juice if so desired.