October is one of my favorite months for many reasons. It’s the official start of Fall. It’s the start of Halloween Month. My favorite color is October. Pumpkins are ready for carving and the seeds are ready for roasting. Throughout the years I have eaten many different flavors of pumpkin seeds. My mother always made a sweet version of them, my Nana made a zesty version and I’ve continued to make them both of these ways. I’ve also added a third version based off my absolute most favorite seasoning in a jar: Thanksgiving by the Hippy Pilgrim company which gives the pumpkin seeds a savory, delicious flavor. Roasted pumpkin seeds are a healthy snack choice for everyone and the fact that we only enjoy them in October makes them something my family looks forward to every year. With just a little prep work, your family can enjoy our favorites as well!
First, start with a pumpkin. You can use sugar pumpkins or large Jack-O-Lantern pumpkins. It’s only a matter of preference and what you have available. Start by cutting the top of the pumpkin off. Now a key point to remember if you are going to be turning your pumpkin into a jack-o-lantern is that you must cut the top off at a 45* angle. If you just cut straight up and down into the top it will just fall into the pumpkin when you try to put the top back on. Make sure you go in at the angle to ensure that the top will be able to go back on the pumpkin and stay in place. Next, remove the pulp from the inside of the pumpkin. You can use the edge of a spoon to separate it from the pumpkin wall. I like to dump mine into a bowl for the separation process, but that’s just a personal choice. Now separate the seeds from the pulp. This is slimy and slippery. If you don’t like that type of a feeling on your hands you can wear some food grade rubber gloves for this task.
Now, I like to rinse the membrane off the pumpkin seeds. It contains an enzyme that can be hard to digest, and it also makes the pumpkin seeds roast better when you remove that coating. I just place the seeds in a colander and run cold water all over them. I use my hands to swish and move the seeds around to be sure that I am removing that enzyme from them all. Now you’ll need to dry the seeds. You can do this several ways:
- Place the pumpkin seeds on a clean tea towel outside the sunshine for the day. The sun will dry them our naturally.
- You could place them in a dehydrator in a single layer at 170* for a couple hours.
- You can place them in a warm oven (170*-200*) for 3 hours. If you do this process, then make sure you stir the seeds up several times throughout the drying time to ensure that all the seeds get dry and not just the top layer.
I like to dry them using the oven method. That’s just my personal choice but all alternative ways are just as good. When the seeds are dry, I remove them from the oven and allow them to cool. They won’t be hot because the oven isn’t hot. It’s just warm, but nonetheless I prefer to let them cool before seasoning them for roasting. There are endless flavor combinations you could put on them. Anything goes. It just depends on what you like. My family likes to enjoy them mainly three specific ways:
- Candied Pumpkin Seeds
- Thanksgiving Pumpkin Seeds
- Parmesan-Ranch Pumpkin Seeds
Now the candied version as well as the parmesan ranch ones have been in my world for well over 40 years, and with the printable recipes below they can now be a tradition in your family as well. If none of these sound like the flavors your family would enjoy, then by all means get in your kitchen and start experimenting with flavor and spice combinations. Remember, there are no right or wrong ways to enjoy these. The point is to simply enjoy them!
[recipe title = "Thanksgiving Flavored Roasted Pumpkin Seeds" time = "20 minutes" difficulty level = "easy peasy"]
- 1 c. Dried Pumpkin Seeds
- 2 Tbsp. Melted Butter. Unsalted or Salted. It’s up to you. *I prefer salted.
- 2 Tbsp. Hippy Pilgrim Thanksgiving Flavored Garlic Salt
Preheat over to 325*.
Melt butter on stovetop or in microwave. place dried pumpkin seeds in a small mixing bowl. Add melted butter to them and stir to coat evenly. Add seasoning and stir to coat evenly again. Transfer to a parchment paper lined baking sheet and lay them out in a single layer. Bake for 12-15 minutes. My rule of thumb is when you can smell them roasting, they’re done. Let them cool before enjoying. Store the remaining pumpkin seeds in an airtight vessel such as a mason jar. They will keep for about 2 weeks.
[/recipe]
[recipe title = "Roasted Candied Pumpkin Seeds" time = "20 minutes" difficulty = "easy peasy"]
- 1 c. Dried Pumpkin Seeds
- 2 Tbsp. Melted Butter. *I prefer sea salt butter for mine.
- 1/3 c. Packed Brown Sugar
- 1 tsp. Cinnamon
- Dash of Freshly Grated Nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp. salt *Can be omitted but I prefer it with the salt added.
Preheat oven to 325*.
Melt butter on the stovetop or in the microwave. Place the dried pumpkin seeds in a small mixing bowl. Add the melted butter to the seeds and stir to coat evenly. Add the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt to a bowl and stir to combine. Add combined mixture to the seeds and stir to coat evenly. Spread seeds out in a single layer on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes.
*Allow these to completely cool before enjoying. The sugar has melted and is very hot creating the candied effect. You’ll burn your mouth if you don’t wait. Melted sugar is very, very hot. Store remaining seeds in an airtight container such as a mason jar for up to 2 weeks.
[/recipe]
[recipe title = "Parmesan-Ranch Roasted Pumpkin Seeds" prep time = "5 minutes" cook time = "15 minutes" difficulty = "Easy Peasy"]
- 1 c. Dried Pumpkin Seeds
- 2 tbsp. Melted Butter. Salted or Unsalted. It’s a Preference
- 1 1/2 Tbsp. Ranch Seasoning
- 1 tsp. Ground Mustard
- 2 Tbsp. Grated Parmesan Cheese. * I Like the parmesan Reggiano blend.
- Optional: You can spice this up with some chili pepper flakes if you’d like. My husband enjoys them in there and the grandkids like them without.
Preheat oven to 350*
Melt the butter on the stovetop or in a microwave. Add dried pumpkin seeds to a small mixing bowl and pour melted butter over them. Stir to coat evenly. Add the ranch seasoning, the ground mustard, the grated cheese and the pepper flakes if you’re using them to a small bowl and stir to combine. Add to bowl with the seeds and stir to coat evenly. Lay the seeds out on a parchment paper lined baking sheet in a single layer and bake for 12-15 minutes. Let cool. Store remaining seeds in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
[/recipe]
If you’d like to watch me make all three of these amazing pumpkin seed recipes on my You Tube channel, you can do so by clicking here.
Leave a Reply