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Roasted Pumpkin Seed Recipes
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5 from 4 votes

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Roasted pumpkin seeds are a delicious old-fashioned fall treat, and they're the perfect way to create autumn memories with your family.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Author: Ashley Adamant

Ingredients

  • 1 cup pumpkin seeds
  • 2 tsp olive oil or melted butter
  • ¼ to ½ tsp salt

Instructions

  • Cut into the top of a pumpkin and use a large spoon or scraper to remove the seeds and strings. Reserve the pumpkin for Jack-O-Lantern carving or baking.
  • Remove the seeds from the strings and discard the strings. Stirring the seed/string mass using a stand mixer for 20-30 seconds on low is a quick way to separate the seeds, but it can also be done by hand.
  • Wash the seeds and pat dry.
  • Measure the total amount of seeds, and adjust the recipe accordingly. An average pumpkin will contain 1 to 2 cups of seeds once cleaned, but may have a lot more or less depending on size and variety. This recipe is scaled to 1 cup.
  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Toss the seeds in oil and salt and spread out in a single layer on a baking tray. Do not overcrowd the baking tray, and ensure that there's space between the seeds.
  • Roast the pumpkin seeds for 25 to 35 minutes, stirring every 5 to 10 minutes to ensure even browning. Cook times vary, but they're done when they're golden brown and crisp.
  • Remove the seeds from the oven and allow them to cool completely before storing in an airtight container.
  • Roasted pumpkin seeds will keep at room temperature if kept in an air-tight container for about a month, but past that they may begin to go stale. For a longer shelf life, store them tightly sealed in the refrigerator for up to 3 months, or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
  • See notes for other seasonings and 12+ additional recipes. Keep in mind that recipes including cheese powder or sugars need to be cooked at a slightly lower temp (325 F) to prevent scorching. Those recipes are noted below.

Notes

I've included over a dozen recipes for roasted pumpkin seeds, including sweet, savory and spicy. When the recipe includes sugar or any kind, or cheese powder, they're cooked at a lower temperature for a longer time so that they don't burn.
In general, savory recipes without cheese or sugar are cooked at 350 F for 25 to 35 minutes, and sweet or cheesy recipes are cooked at 325 for 35 to 45 minutes.
Be sure to turn them every 5 to 10 minutes so they cook evenly, and watch them carefully. Every variety of pumpkin has seeds that will cook slightly differently, so you'll need to stay on top of these to make sure they don't burn.
My personal favorites are the savory garlic as well as the sweet brown sugar and vanilla. The curry pumpkin seeds are amazing too.

Sweet Recipes

For sweet pumpkin seed recipes, you generally use the same amount of oil and seeds, but add about 1 Tablespoon of sweetener per cup of seeds. 
When working with liquid sweeteners like maple or honey, it's helpful also to add 1 tsp of granular sugar (white or brown), which helps the maple or honey carmelize on the outside of the seeds and gives a nice sweet coat.  That's optional, but the results were much better with just a bit of regular sugar too.
Sweet recipes often add cinnamon and other pumpkin spice-type elements, which is delicious, but go easy on the cinnamon.  Cinnamon tends to get bitter in roasted pumpkin seed recipes.  Opt for nutmeg, allspice, ginger or mace in higher proportions, and keep the cinnamon to 1/8 to 1/4 tsp per cup of seeds.
All of these sweet pumpkin seed recipes are cooked at 325 F for 35 to 45 minutes, until golden brown and crisp.

Maple Cinnamon Pumpkin Seeds

  • 1 cup seeds
  • 2 tsp. melted butter
  • 1 Tbsp. Maple Syrup
  • 1 tsp. Brown sugar (optional, but recommended)
  • ¼ tsp cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp salt
Roast at 325 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes, until golden brown and crisp.

Honey Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

  • 1 cup seeds
  • 2 tsp. melted butter
  • 1 Tbsp. honey (liquid and runny)
  • 1 tsp. Granular sugar (optional, but recommended)
  • ¼ tsp salt
Roast at 325 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes, until golden brown and crisp.

Pumpkin Spice Pumpkin Seeds

  • 1 cup seeds
  • 2 tsp. melted butter
  • 1 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
  • ½ tsp. Pumpkin pie spice
  • ¼ tsp salt
Roast at 325 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes, until golden brown and crisp.

Brown Sugar Vanilla Pumpkin Seeds

  • 1 cup seeds
  • 2 tsp. melted butter
  • 1 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
  • ½ tsp vanilla
  • ¼ tsp. salt
Roast at 325 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes, until golden brown and crisp.

Savory Recipes

When using savory seasonings, olive oil tends to work best, and garlic is amazing! 
All of my savory recipes cook at 350 degrees F, with the exception of the honey tamari and the pizza spice recipes.  The tamari needs a lower temperature so it can cook into the seeds without burning, and the parmesan powder in the pizza spice recipe can scorch at higher temps.  Go with 325 for those two, as noted.
These recipes for savory roasted pumpkin seeds were the best we tried:

Garlic Pumpkin Seeds 

  • 1 cup seeds
  • 2 tsp. Olive oil
  • ½ tsp. Garlic powder
  • ¼ tsp salt
Roast at 350 degrees for 25 to 35 minutes, until golden brown and crisp.

Ranch Pumpkin Seeds

  • 1 cup seeds
  • 2 tsp. Olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp buttermilk powder (optional, but nice)
  • 1/4 tsp onion powder
  • 1/4 tsp parsley
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp dill
Roast at 350 degrees for 25 to 35 minutes, until golden brown and crisp.

Garlic Pepper Pumpkin Seeds

  • 1 cup seeds
  • 2 tsp. Olive oil
  • ½ tsp. Garlic powder
  • ¼ tsp. Paprika
  • ¼ tsp. Black pepper
  • ¼ tsp salt
Roast at 350 degrees for 25 to 35 minutes, until golden brown and crisp.

Curry Pumpkin Seeds

  • 1 cup seeds
  • 2 tsp. Olive oil
  • 1 tsp. Curry powder
  • ¼ tsp salt
Roast at 350 degrees for 25 to 35 minutes, until golden brown and crisp.

Smoked Paprika

  • 1 cup seeds
  • 2 tsp. Olive oil
  • 1 tsp. Smoked paprika
  • ¼ tsp salt
Roast at 350 degrees for 25 to 35 minutes, until golden brown and crisp.

Tamari Pumpkin Seeds

  • 1 cup seeds
  • 2 tsp. toasted sesame oil
  • 1 Tbsp. Tamari (or soy sauce)
  • 1 tsp. honey
Roast at 325 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes, until golden brown and crisp.

Cheddar Pumpkin Seeds

  • 1 cup seeds
  • 2 tsp. olive oil or melted butter
  • 1 Tbsp. dried cheddar cheese powder (ie. popcorn cheese)
Roast at 325 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes, until golden brown and crisp.

Pizza Spiced Pumpkin Seeds

  • 1 cup seeds
  • 2 tsp. Olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp. dried parmesan powder (like kraft)
  • 1/2 tsp. paprika
  • ½ tsp. dried basil
  • ½ tsp dried oregano
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
Roast at 325 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes, until golden brown and crisp.

Spicy Recipes

If you're going to have sweet, you might as well have spicy options too!
The amount of heat here is totally up to you, and you can add as much heat as you like based on your tastes.  Thai chili oil in place of olive oil really packs a punch, and is a good option if you want things really spicy.
The sweet and spicy recipe cooks a bit lower at 325 F, but the rest cook at 350 F as noted.

Basic Spicy Pumpkin Seeds

  • 1 cup seeds
  • 2 tsp. Olive oil
  • ½ tsp paprika
  • ½ tsp garlic
  • ¼ to ½ tsp cayenne powder
  • ¼ tsp salt
Roast at 350 degrees for 25 to 35 minutes, until golden brown and crisp.

Sweet and Spicy Pumpkin Seeds

  • 1 cup seeds
  • 2 tsp. Olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp. granulated sugar or brown sugar
  • ¼ to ½ tsp cayenne powder
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
  • ¼ tsp salt
Roast at 325 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes, until golden brown and crisp.

Red or Green Chili Pumpkin Seeds

  • 1 cup seeds
  • 2 tsp. Olive oil
  • 1 tsp. Red or Green Chili Powder
  • ¼ tsp salt
Roast at 350 degrees for 25 to 35 minutes, until golden brown and crisp.