Some recipes just start with a memory don’t they?! Roasted Pumpkin Seeds is one of those memories for me that followed pumpkin carving and one we always looked forward to. Recreating those memories with my own kids brings me so much joy!
My mom would roast the seeds with salt – plain and simple (which is sometimes best)! I like to branch out and explore other flavours. One spice I adore is Ras el Hanout so I use this one often. I’ve tried cinnamon sugar, maple syrup, taco seasoning, old bay, salt and pepper, hot sauce seeds, chili or cumin with fresh rosemary. Any spice you would add to roasted nuts will also work on roasted pumpkin seeds. Since we usually end up carving four pumpkins, we can some times have lots of seeds. I separate into three bowls and experiment.
The first thing you need to do is gut your pumpkin. Pull out all the seeds and the gunky strings and then try your best to separate the seeds from the gunk (you won’t get it all, trust me). Place the seeds in a large bowl and add water. Swish the seeds around with your hands to remove any additional gunk. Do the best you can – a little on the seeds never hurt anyone! Remove from water and lay on paper towels or a clean dish towel.
Let them dry a little. You don’t need them completely dry, but your seasonings will stick better if mostly dry. Do you like my terminology here?! “A little”, “completely”, “mostly dry” ha ha ha! Once at this point you are ready to follow the recipe below.
Have you experimented with pumpkin seed flavours? What is your favourite flavour?!
- 2 cups raw pumpkin seeds
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp melted butter
- 1-2 tsp spice
- salt & pepper
- Toss cleaned seeds into a bowl. Mix in olive oil, butter and your favourite spices. If not using a premade seasoning mix that already has salt (ie: taco seasoning), add a good sprinkle of salt and pepper.
- Pour onto parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake at 300F for 30-40 minutes. I stir them once at about 20 minutes.
- Store in a container with a sealed lid.
