Sweet roasted pumpkin seeds are the perfect Fall snack! They’re crunchy, addictive, and are one of the easiest baking gifts you can make for the holidays. Everyone will be asking you how you make your pumpkin seeds recipe!
One of my favorite ways to welcome the arrival of Fall is to embrace all things pumpkin. Seriously, all of the things: Pumpkin Crunch Cake, Harry Potter Pumpkin Juice, weekend trips to pumpkin patches (I love learning all about pumpkins!) and of course, an annual attempt at pumpkin carving. After mastering this roasted pumpkin seed recipe, I’m making it a must-have for any other pumpkin-lovers.
Pumpkin Seeds, or Pepita Seeds
What are pepitas? To put it simply, pepitas are pumpkin seeds! Pepita literally means “pumpkin seed”.
I grew up with a mother who hated seeing anything go to waste so re-purposing pumpkin seeds after carving a pumpkin is a no-brainer. Toasting pumpkin seeds is such an easy way to use up all parts of the pumpkin you are carving, and make a delicious treat to snack on while enjoying the fruits of your labor.
How to Prepare Pumpkin Seeds
If you plan to carve pumpkins this year, the answer to how you get the seeds out of your pumpkin is easy! You can collect the seeds while carving a pumpkin as usual.
There are three ways you can prepare pumpkin seeds for roasting, and they are:
- Carving a pumpkin and scooping out the seeds
- Cutting into a pumpkin for the pumpkin flesh and seeds
- Buying raw pumpkin seeds from the grocery store – these are usually shelled pumpkin seeds
Buying raw pumpkin seeds from the store will save you time carving out, cleaning, and drying your pumpkin seeds, but gathering them yourself from the pumpkin offers you the opportunity to save pumpkin flesh for baking (and what could be better than baked pumpkin recipes this time of year?).
Also, raw pumpkin seeds bought at the store will usually be shelled pumpkin seeds. If you carve them out of the pumpkin yourself, you can enjoy pumpkin seeds with shells!
Shelled Pumpkin Seeds vs. Unshelled
You do not need to shell your pumpkin seeds to enjoy them. Roasted pumpkin seeds are just as delicious with the shells on! The instructions for roasting pumpkin seeds is the same regardless of if you use shelled seeds or unshelled, so it’s a matter of preference.
How to Cut Pumpkin
To retrieve the seeds from a pumpkin, you need to either know how to carve a pumpkin or how to cut a pumpkin. Thankfully, it’s easy to learn how! You will need a sharp knife and a pumpkin to cut. Please note, this is much easier to do with smaller pumpkins, so we recommend using pie pumpkins.
Pumpkins for pies have much better flavor than pumpkins for carving, too, so if you plan on baking with them, this is a must.
Follow these steps on how to cut a pumpkin:
- While firmly holding the pumpkin, take a sharp knife to the top on either side of the stem.
- Pierce all of the way down through the pumpkin. Make sure your pumpkin is on a sturdy surface and firmly held down so there is no chance of slipping while cutting.
- Once the knife is through the pumpkin, cut down the side of the pumpkin. Remove the knife.
- Pierce all of the way through the pumpkin on the opposite side of the stem.
- Cut down the opposite side of the pumpkin.
- If your knife is sharp enough, you should be able to cut right through the stem. Cut through the stem in half to completely halve the pumpkin.
- Using your hands, pull apart the pumpkin halves.
For how to carve a pumpkin, all you need to do is cut a lid large enough to reach into the pumpkin to retrieve the seeds, then scrape the insides out with a metal spoon or scoop of some kind. See the instructions below for how to clean pumpkin seeds.
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds Seasoning
Alright, so let’s talk about this pumpkin seeds recipe! I roast pumpkin seeds with maple syrup, which adds a deep maple flavor in addition to a sweet taste. Maple is a versatile ingredient and adds a lot of flavor to sweet roasted pumpkin seeds!
You’ll want to make sure you splurge on real maple syrup for this recipe, rather than the imitation corn syrup. The flavor is worth it, and then you can enjoy it on your Pumpkin Waffles or Fluffy Pancakes!
Pumpkin Seeds Recipe Ingredients
- 2 cups dried pumpkin seeds
- 2-3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
How to Roast Pumpkin Seeds
Roasting pumpkin seeds is as easy as can be, but before you roast your seeds, you will need to clean them. If you are pulling your pumpkin seeds out a pumpkin, you are likely going to be getting a lot of pulp and pumpkin bits as well.
That is, unless you’re buying raw pumpkin seeds from the store! If so, skip the cleaning and drying instructions and proceed to roasting. Otherwise, follow these instructions for how to clean pumpkin seeds!
How to Clean Pumpkin Seeds
- Add the pumpkin seeds (pulp and all) to a large bowl in the sink and fill the bowl with enough cold water to cover everything with at least a few inches of extra space.
- Use clean hands to work the seeds underwater and remove the pulp and pumpkin pieces. Once this is done, add more cold water to fill it almost to the top of the bowl. The heavier pulp and pumpkin will fall to the bottom while the lighter seeds will rise to the top.
- Skim the seeds out of the water, drain the bowl and repeat the process until your seeds are completely clean.
Once done cleaning, you will need to dry your pumpkin seeds. Follow these easy instructions for drying pumpkin seeds.
How to Dry Pumpkin Seeds
- Lay the clean pumpkin seeds out on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper. It’s important not to use paper towel for this step as the seeds will stick to the paper towel and cause a big mess.
- Leave the seeds out at room temperature for about a day to fully dry out.
Once your pumpkin seeds are dry, it’s time to get roasting! Roasting pumpkin seeds is super easy. Follow these instructions for how to make pumpkin seeds.
How to Roast Raw Pumpkin Seeds
- Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl. Toss well to combine.
- Transfer the contents of the bowl to the parchment paper and bake for 25 minutes, or until the pumpkin seeds are just starting to get fragrant. Every 5-10 minutes check on the seeds and use a spatula to flip them around.
- Let cool on the parchment paper until ready to enjoy or store.
📌 Pin these sweet roasted pumpkin seeds to save for later!
Toasted pumpkin seeds are truly the best for Fall! We know you will love these as much as we do.
How to Store Pumpkin Seeds
Store your roasted pumpkin seeds in an airtight container for up to a week. If they lose their crunch after a few days, re-toast them at 350 for about five minutes before serving them.
What to Do with Pumpkin Seeds
There is plenty more you can do with pumpkin seeds! You can try different flavors for roasting, or add them to your favorite baked pumpkin recipes. For example, you could try these other recipes with pumpkin seeds…
How to Eat Pumpkin Seeds
- Spicy pumpkin seeds: try making your pumpkin seeds recipe with cayenne and chili powder for spicy roasted pumpkin seeds. Yum!
- Pumpkin seed brittle: bake your sweet pumpkin seeds into a brittle for a delicious snack that makes a great gift, too. You can even do this with the spicy pumpkin seeds for an interesting twist on the traditional!
- Pumpkin spice pumpkin seeds: make candied pumpkin seeds by using our easy Pumpkin Pie Spice Recipe as the seasoning. So yummy!
- Pumpkin bread topping: top your favorite Starbucks Pumpkin Loaf Recipe with these sweet roasted pumpkin seeds for extra delicious flavor!
Toasted pumpkin seeds are also one of the easiest holiday food gifts you can give, and everyone will love them! Put them in a jar decorated for Fall or festive cellophane bags and give them as baking gifts to friends and family.
The Best Pumpkin Recipes
We love all things pumpkin: sweet pumpkin recipes, savory pumpkin recipes, fresh pumpkin recipes or canned pumpkin recipes. They’re all delicious! For more easy pumpkin recipes like this one, try:
- Pumpkin Empanadas
- Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcake Recipe
- Starbucks Pumpkin Bread Recipe
- Pumpkin Cobbler with Spiced Butter Toffee
- Pumpkin Waffle Recipe
- No Bake Pumpkin Cookies
- Pumpkin Mac and Cheese
- Easy Pumpkin Muffin Recipe
- Pumpkin Pie Spice Recipe
- No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Balls
- Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
Did you enjoy this pumpkin seeds recipe? Give it a rating and let us know in the comments below what your favorite way to roast pumpkin seeds is! We love to hear from you.
Sweet Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Ingredients
- 2 cups dried pumpkin seeds
- 2-3 Tbsp. maple syrup
- 3/4 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp. salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl. Toss well to combine. Transfer the contents of the bowl to the parchment paper and bake for 25 minutes, or until the pumpkin seeds are just starting to get fragrant. Every 5-10 minutes check on the seeds and use a spatula to flip them around.
- Let cool on the parchment paper until ready to enjoy or store.
Notes
- Check the guide in our post for how to cut a pumpkin if you want to retrieve the seeds yourself.
- How to clean pumpkin seeds: Add pumpkin seeds, pulp and all, to cold water in a large bowl, working your hands to remove the pulp and pumpkin chunks. Rinse and repeat until the pulp and pumpkin pieces are removed from the seeds.
- How to dry pumpkin seeds: Line a parchment-lined baking sheet with your clean pumpkin seeds and let them dry at room temperature for up to a day, until they are completely dry.
- Use store-bought raw pumpkin seeds: To skip cleaning and drying, you can buy raw pumpkin seeds from the store.
We love to hear from you! Leave a comment to let us know what you think!