Spicy roasted pumpkin seeds are crunchy, salty, smoky, and just a wee bit spicy. They’re also nutritious and make a super tasty snack!
If you’ve visited our post on how to make homemade pumpkin purée, don’t toss away those nutrition-packed seeds! A quarter cup of spicy roasted pumpkin seeds has 25% of your daily iron intake, and roughly 20% of your daily protein. They’re an excellent source of manganese, magnesium and tryptophan, and a good source of phosphorus, copper, and protein. Sure, adding oil and salt may make them slightly less nutritious, but they still beat a bag of chips or crackers any day.
Use the JUMP TO RECIPE button at the top, or scroll to the bottom of the post to see the printable recipe card with full ingredient measurements and complete instructions.
Ingredients
- Raw seeds of one sugar pumpkin (also called pie pumpkin)
- Neutral-tasting oil like olive, vegetable, or coconut
- Hot smoked paprika
- Onion powder
- A few pinches of salt
Method
Preheat the oven and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
Half fill a large bowl with fresh cool water.
Separate the seeds from the flesh from the inside of one sugar pumpkin. Removing the seeds from the flesh is pretty simple once you get going. First, remove any big chunks of pumpkin, then use your fingers to rub or comb the seeds out.
Place all of the separated seeds into the bowl of water. Swish them with your hands and rinse them a couple of times to remove any remaining pumpkin.
Once the seeds are well washed, place them in a sieve over the bowl and shake off as much excess water as you can.
At this point you can roll the seeds up in a clean kitchen towel to absorb more of the water and pat them dry if you want. This step is optional.
Place the clean, drained seeds in a bowl with the oil, spices, and a pinch or two of salt. Stir well to coat.
Spread the pumpkin seeds out evenly on the prepared baking sheet. Bake the seeds until they’re just starting to brown.
If you’re not sure if the seeds are done, let one cool for a minute and give it a taste. It should be crunchy with a slight chew. If it isn’t crunchy, return the pan to the oven and continue to cook the seeds for another few minutes.
Give the spicy roasted pumpkin seeds another sprinkle of salt after removing them from the oven, then place the pan on a wire rack to cool. Once cool, store the seeds in an air-tight container on the counter for up to 4 days.
Tips & Notes
The baking time and crunchiness factor of your seeds is dependent on how dry the seeds are. If they are quite wet, they will take longer to turn crunchy and brown.
You can use this method for any variety of pumpkin, or even squash.
Take the seed-drying process a step further by patting the seeds dry with a kitchen towel, then letting them sit overnight. Some say the extra drying time yields a crunchier seed.
Substitutions
Swap in any oil or spices you like. A teaspoon of brown sugar is also lovely if you like a sweet and spicy combo!
More Seedy Goodness
Multi-Seed Oat Flour Crackers (gluten-free)
Tahini Banana Bread With Sunflower Seeds
Recipe
Spicy Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Description
Equipment
- Measuring spoons
- baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Mixing bowl
- Tea towel
Ingredients
- 1 sugar pumpkin, also called pie pumpkin
- 1 tablespoon neutral-tasting oil, olive, vegetable, coconut
- ½ teaspoon hot smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- A few pinches of salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºC (180ºC) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Half fill a large bowl with fresh cool water.
- Separate the seeds from the flesh from the inside of one sugar pumpkin. Removing the seeds from the flesh is pretty simple once you get going. First, remove any big chunks of pumpkin, then use your fingers to rub or comb the seeds out.
- Place all of the separated seeds into the bowl of water. Swish them with your hands and rinse them a couple of times with fresh water to remove any remaining pumpkin.
- Once the seeds are washed, place them in a sieve over the bowl and shake off as much excess water as you can.
- At this point you can roll the seeds up in a clean tea towel to absorb more of the water and pat them dry if you want. This step is optional.
- Place the clean, drained seeds in a bowl with the oil, spices, and a pinch or two of salt. Stir well to coat.
- Spread the pumpkin seeds out evenly on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake the seeds for 20 to 25 minutes, or until just starting to brown. If you're not sure if the seeds are done, let one cool for a minute and give it a taste. It should be crunchy with a slight chew. If it isn't crunchy, return the pan to the oven and continue to cook for another few minutes.
- Give the spicy roasted pumpkin seeds another sprinkle of salt after removing them from the oven, then place them on a wire rack to cool. Store the seeds in an air-tight container on the counter for up to 4 days.
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