The best guide on how to oven roast pumpkin seeds! Worcestershire sauce and garlic powder make these pumpkin seeds a crunchy, savory and addictive snack.
I love the month of October for so many reasons but carving pumpkins with my dad definitely ranks up there. Every fall, some time between my birthday (October 20th) and Halloween, he would gather me and my sisters and we would all head out to the driveway. When we saw the big round pumpkins and the piles of newspapers, we knew it was time.
We would lay the paper out on the ground to collect all of the seeds and grab the biggest metal spoon we could find in the kitchen for scraping. My younger sisters would use the protective kiddy knives and eventually I was able to use a real chef’s knife. The leaves were bright orange, the air smelled like wood-burning stoves and it was cool enough to wear a jacket but not too cold that you needed gloves. It was perfect.
Of course, in case you haven’t figured it out by now, I am not crafty and I do not come from a crafty family. We are foodies, thru and thru. At the end of the day, we carved pumpkins with one goal in mind: roasted pumpkin seeds.
Over the years, I’ve perfected the crunchy, savory, addictive snack.
How do you make the best pumpkin seeds?
- Heavier pumpkins = more seeds. It’s a labor of love and these crunchy, salty seeds will be eaten in no time so I always suggest getting the heaviest pumpkin you can carry.
- Boil the seeds first to ensure even baking. Since the inside of the pumpkin seed takes longer to cook than the shell, boiling them in a bit of salty water ensures a crispy pumpkin seed that won’t be burnt.
- Season them any way you wish. We grew up tossing them in a few splashes of Worcestershire sauce and garlic powder. You can use just salt and pepper or kick them up a notch with curry powder and cayenne. The options are endless.
Do pumpkin seeds need to try overnight before roasting?
No. I would just pat them down with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture.
What toppings can I add to pumpkin seeds?
If you’re not a fan of garlic powder and cayenne you could try these combinations:
- Cinnamon and sugar
- Salt and Pepper
- Onion Powder and Seasoning Salt
- Chili powder with some lime and salt
How do I get the slimy stuff off the pumpkin seeds?
Soak them in water and it comes off pretty quickly.
How long can pumpkin seeds be stored for after roasting?
Up to 7 days
Are pumpkin seeds good for you?
Yes! They are a good source of fiber and an other minerals.
Whatever you do, I encourage you to grab the family, head out to the driveway and make some delicious memories.
No forks required.
How To Roast Pumpkin Seeds
Ingredients
- seeds from one large pumpkin
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne optional
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Bring a small pot of salty water to a boil and add pumpkin seeds. Boil for 9-10 minutes then drain. Carefully pat pumpkin seeds with paper towel to remove any excess moisture.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together all remaining ingredients (olive oil through cayenne). Add pumpkin seeds to the bowl and toss until evenly coated.
- Spread seeds in an even layer on a large baking sheet. Roast in the oven until crispy, 15-20 minutes depending on oven.
Recipe Notes:
Christine
November 3, 2018 at 10:18 pmI have yet to try it but many say that they have to be completely dry even left overnight to do so before roasting. How dry should they be when it is stated pat dry…and if i wanted to leave them sit for awhile in between since they can be hard to pat dry, what would you reccommend?
Liz DellaCroce
November 4, 2018 at 9:16 amI make these all the time and I never let them dry overnight. I just pat them dry with paper towel. :)
Andrea
October 23, 2018 at 10:58 pmWow great recipe! My husband likes them, he was hesitant at first but can’t keep his fingers out of the bowl now! Thank you! i’ll remember this recipe.
Liz DellaCroce
October 25, 2018 at 4:37 pmI’m so happy to hear that!! :)
Jane
November 2, 2014 at 7:34 pmthank you for making this seem easy enough to try. I’m going pumpkin shopping and look forward to trying these.
Liz DellaCroce
November 3, 2014 at 11:44 amI hope you love them!
Stacey
October 30, 2014 at 8:26 pmwhat is the olive oil used for? I don’t see you reference it in the instructions. Is it used in the worstershire mixture. It says to mix from worstershire to cayenne pepper. The olive oil is listed before the worstershire.
Liz DellaCroce
October 30, 2014 at 9:07 pmMy apologies, Stacey! It’s mixed with the Worcestershire and the other spices. I’ve updated the recipe – so sorry for the confusion. :) Happy Halloween!
Erin Black
October 26, 2014 at 6:56 pmMy son and I cleaned out the pumpkin tonight and he has never tried the seeds. I am going to make them with salt and with cinnamon and sugar to see how he likes them best, if at all. I am also taking the rest to my preschool class for a taste testing. Thank you so much for the step by step. I have always just winged it.
Liz DellaCroce
October 26, 2014 at 9:48 pmOh I can’t wait to hear what he thinks!! Sounds so tasty!
Maureen Coffey
October 24, 2014 at 4:34 pmThe very first pumpkin seeds I proudly “harvested” as a child I discovered got moldy soon after although I had thought I had dried them enough in the sun before putting them in a jar. Never thought of roasting them nor did I know one could eat them …
Liz DellaCroce
October 26, 2014 at 7:30 amNo way!! Too cool!
Diana
October 16, 2014 at 9:39 amYum! We love pumpkin seeds! Super idea of worcestershire with garlic powder–kind of a Chex Mix-y flavor.
Question: has anyone ever tried roasting them in a microwave? I put a bowl of acorn squash seeds to soak one night (I was trying soaking them in salt water before roasting to see if it made them crispier) and that night our oven door ended up breaking so we don’t have a functioning oven currently. Or maybe a flat electric griddle? Would love any tips from someone who’s tried a non-oven method!
Liz DellaCroce
October 19, 2014 at 10:07 amI’ve never done the microwave but that’s a great question!! I’m thinking it might work but I really don’t know?
rachel
October 13, 2014 at 8:43 pmawesome post! never tried to roast my own seeds but I will def now!
Liz DellaCroce
October 14, 2014 at 5:03 pmI hope you like it!
Joanne
October 8, 2014 at 3:50 pmthis is going to sound crazy…but I’VE NEVER ROASTED PUMPKIN SEEDS. That feels a little bit like a blogger fail.
Liz DellaCroce
October 12, 2014 at 4:02 pmWhat in the heck!?!?!?! ROAST THEM NOW!
Sophia @ NY Foodgasm
October 8, 2014 at 11:09 amWhat irks me about pumpkin seeds is the slimey insides that get stuck to all of them! Suck a pain in the butt! Do you get all the slimey stuff out?
Liz DellaCroce
October 12, 2014 at 4:02 pmIf you soak them in water it really comes off quickly!! Try it!
Dave Richey
October 8, 2014 at 7:50 amA few minutes of proof reading would have been worthwhile…
Liz DellaCroce
October 12, 2014 at 4:42 pmHi Dave – Forgive me for missing it but I don’t seem to see any type-o’s in this post. Can you be more specific so that I can edit the post? Thanks so much!
Guest
October 29, 2014 at 8:05 pmI’m not Dave, but under tip #2 it does say “slaty” instead of salty. He could have been a little more helpful and pointed it out specifically so you could correct it.
Liz DellaCroce
October 30, 2014 at 9:15 amThanks so much – I corrected it. :-)
Annie @ ciaochowbambina
October 8, 2014 at 5:08 amYou brought me back with this one! I’ve always only salted my pumpkin seeds…will be trying the Worcestershire sauce and garlic powder!
Liz DellaCroce
October 12, 2014 at 4:42 pmWoohoo!! Let me know what you think Annie!!
Stephanie @ Eat. Drink. Love.
October 8, 2014 at 1:14 amPumpkin seeds are one of my favorite snacks this time of year!
Liz DellaCroce
October 12, 2014 at 4:42 pmMine too Steph – I wish I had some more right now!
Phi @ The Sweetphi Blog
October 7, 2014 at 9:29 pmOMG! LOVE this step by step guide…there’s nothing better than roasted pumpkin seeds after carving pumpkins!
Liz DellaCroce
October 12, 2014 at 4:42 pmThere is seriously nothing better!! Can’t wait to see you soon!!
Ashley Morgan
October 7, 2014 at 2:57 pmI love pumpkin seeds and have just realized that I have never made them for my husband. I am going to buy a pumpkin today!!
Liz DellaCroce
October 12, 2014 at 4:44 pmDid you get the pumpkin?? :)
Amanda
October 7, 2014 at 2:15 pmGreat post! Your pictures are so pretty!
Liz DellaCroce
October 12, 2014 at 4:43 pmAww thank you my friend.
Jessica | Saucy Pear
October 7, 2014 at 12:23 pmBoiling them?! Is that what I’ve been missing? Headed to the pumpkin patch this weekend, so we’ll have to give this a try with the littles!
Liz DellaCroce
October 12, 2014 at 4:43 pmYES!! Let me know if you try it and what you think!!