Halloween’s just around the corner which means it’s time to start stockpiling candy and “spookifying” the house. This includes putting out fake skeletons, a bunch of spider webs, and of course carving up some pumpkins into jack o’ lanterns. However, I’ve always viewed the practice of buying pumpkins just to use as decorations as wasteful. I mean there’s got to be some way to get food out of it am I right? Luckily there is, and no I’m not talking about the flesh of the pumpkin, I’m talking about the delicious pumpkin seeds.
It’s something that most of us probably wouldn’t even think about, but by saving those pumpkin seeds and roasting them you can provide yourself with a delicious and healthy snack. Plus it’s incredibly easy to do. Simply extract the seeds from a pumpkin, wash them off, coat them in oil and spices and roast them low and slow in your oven. That’s it! And in less then 40 minutes you will have pumpkin seeds that are a hundred times better than anything you can get at your local grocery store. So if you’re ready to start a new Halloween tradition then let’s get to making our spiced pumpkin seeds
Tips, Tricks & Suggestions
- The amount of seeds that one can get out of a pumpkin varies significantly. That’s why today’s recipe is broken down in a simple ration of oil and spices based on how many cups of pumpkin seeds you have. So just harvest as many seeds as you can apply the ratio and you should be good
- Today’s spice mix is simply salt, chili powder, and cumin. However, once you get the hang of how to roast pumpkin seeds I highly suggest that you play around with other spice mixtures to get your own unique twist on it.
- While we are only using pumpkin seeds for today’s recipe it should be noted that you can apply this method to the seeds of any other type of winter squash. I.e. acorn squash, butternut squash, calabaza squash.
- While I mainly enjoy eating these spiced pumpkin seeds as a snack they are also great for adding some crunch to soups like our tomato soup, or salads like our arugula & mushroom salad.
Spiced Pumpkin Seeds Recipe
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Servings: varies depending on how many pumpkins you use
Ingredients
For every 1 cup of pumpkin seeds, you will need:
2 Teaspoons of neutral-flavored oil
½ Teaspoon of salt
½ Teaspoon of chili powder
¼ Teaspoon of cumin powder
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Extract the pumpkin seeds: Begin by cutting a large hole at the top of the pumpkins, just like how you would prepare a jack o’ lantern.
Next, we are going to want to pull out the seeds from the inside of the pumpkin, and unfortunately, the only way to do this is to use our hands. Simply sick your hand into where the seeds are and scoop, making sure that you have small spaces between your fingers so that the flesh of the pumpkin passes through.
Don’t worry if you have a hard time doing this just take your time and go slow.
- Rinse the seeds: Once you have removed all of the seeds from your pumpkins transfer them to a large colander.
Then rinse them with water to remove as much of the pulp that stuck to the seeds as you can.
Transfer them to some paper towels and lightly pad them dry.
- Get the seeds ready for roasting: Transfer the seeds to a large bowl and add the oil and spices to them. Mix everything up until all of the seeds are coated in oil and spices.
Finally, get out a large baking sheet and disperse the seeds evenly on its surface.
- Roast the seeds: Transfer the seeds to your hot oven and let them roast for 20 to 30 minutes, making sure to flip them with a spatula halfway through. You will know they are done when they become golden brown.
- Either package the seeds in a zip lock bag for later or start enjoying them immediately!
Spiced Pumpkin Seeds Recipe
Ingredients
For every 1 cup of pumpkin seeds, you will need:
- 2 Teaspoons of neutral-flavored oil
- ½ Teaspoon of salt
- ½ Teaspoon of chili powder
- ¼ Teaspoon of cumin powder
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Extract the pumpkin seeds: Begin by cutting a large hole at the top of the pumpkins, just like how you would prepare a jack o’ lantern. Next, we are going to want to pull out the seeds from the inside of the pumpkin, and unfortunately, the only way to do this is to use our hands. Simply sick your hand into where the seeds are and scoop, making sure that you have small spaces between your fingers so that the flesh of the pumpkin passes through. Don’t worry if you have a hard time doing this just go slow.
- Rinse the seeds: Once you have removed all of the pumpkin seeds transfer them to a large colander. Then rinse them with water to remove as much of pulp that stuck to the seeds as you can. Pour the seeds on some paper towels and lightly pad them dry.
- Get the seeds ready for roasting: Transfer the pumpkin seeds to a large bowl and add the oil and spices to them. Mix everything up until all of the seeds are coated in oil and spices. Finally, get out a large baking sheet and disperse the pumpkin seeds evenly on its surface.
- Roast the pumpkin seeds: Transfer the seeds to your hot oven and let them roast for 20 to 30 minutes, making sure to flip them with a spatula halfway through. You will know the seeds are done when they become golden brown.
- Either package the seeds in a zip lock bag for later or start enjoying them immediately!
Inspiration from other blogs
From Taste of Home
From Valerie’s Kitchen
