These roasted pumpkin seeds are crunchy and delicious. No need to buy these from the store when you can make your own. You’ll want to roast pumpkin seeds from every jack-o-lantern you carve!
It’s autumn, which means it’s time for everything pumpkin. And not just decorative pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns. I’m talking pumpkin pie spice coffee, pumpkin pie cake, pumpkin pecan cobbler… there’s even pumpkin sweet tea!
And today we’ll be checking out how to make some really tasty homemade pumpkin seeds!
Options for this Recipe
This pumpkin seed recipe is versatile, and it’s pretty foolproof. Most of the ingredients can be switched out based on your taste and dietary preferences.
Olive oil, avocado oil, or vegetable oil can be used instead of the melted butter. You’ll get a bit of a different flavor, but your seeds will taste great either way. You can also use cooking spray to coat the seeds.
Different types of seasoning can also be used. Adding a little cayenne pepper, Cajun seasoning, or smoked paprika to the melted butter mixture gives these a nice kick. Soy sauce can also be used in a pinch, if you’re out of Worcestershire sauce.
This recipe can also be used for squash seeds. I haven’t tried this as a sunflower seed recipe, but that could be interesting to try!
Cleaning Out Your Pumpkin
First you’ll cut the “lid” off your pumpkin with a pumpkin carving knife. Whether or not you’re making a jack-o-lantern, this is generally the easiest and least messy way to proceed.
Then with your hand or a scooper, you’ll remove the pumpkin guts. Remove the large pieces of stringy pulp as you go, and place the seeds into a colander.
Rinse the remaining pumpkin pulp from the seeds under your faucet, and continue removing larger pieces of pulp with your hands. Once they’re all cleaned up, they can be brined.
Ingredients
For the Brine
- 1/4 cup salt
- 4 cups tap water
For the Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
- 2 cups fresh raw pumpkin seeds
- 1.5 tbsp butter melted
- 1.5 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
Different sized pumpkins will of course yield different amounts of seeds, so scale the recipe accordingly based on what you scoop out of your pumpkins!
Brining the Pumpkin Seeds
Brining is a quick way to avoid the soaking method – that takes hours. This step plumps up the seeds and also gives them a nice flavor.
You’ll pour 4 cups of water and 1/4 cup of salt into a pot. Stir while bringing the water to a boil on your stovetop to make a brine solution. Add the rinsed pumpkin seeds and let them boil for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove the seeds by straining the water, and then pat the seeds dry with a paper towel. You’re now ready to roast!
Roasting the Pumpkin Seeds
Preheat your oven to 275 degrees F.
Melt your butter in a small pot on the stovetop, and stir in the salt and garlic powder. Once melted, turn off the heat and stir in the Worcestershire sauce.
Mix the seeds together with the melted butter mixture, until coated.
Pour the seeds onto a cookie sheet or other rimmed baking sheet lined with foil, and bake for 1 hour or until crunchy and light golden brown. Stir the seeds 2-3 times during the baking process.
We hope you’ll enjoy our Roasted Pumpkin Seeds recipe!
And be sure to save your pumpkin flesh for our favorite desserts — pumpkin pie cake or pumpkin pecan cobbler.
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh pumpkin seeds
- 1.5 tbsp butter melted
- 1.5 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
Brine
- 1/4 cup salt
- 4 cups tap water
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 275 degrees F.
- Pour the 4 cups of water and 1/4 cup of salt for the brine into a pot. Bring to a boil on your stovetop. Add the pumpkin seeds and let boil for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove the pumpkin seeds by straining the water, and then pat the seeds dry.
- Melt your butter in a small pot on the stovetop, and stir in the garlic powder and the 1 teaspoon of salt. Once melted, turn off the heat and stir in the Worcestershire sauce.
- Mix the seeds together with the butter mixture, until coated.
- Pour the seeds onto a baking sheet lined with foil, and bake for 1 hour or until crunchy and light golden brown. Stir the seeds 2-3 times during the baking process.
