I look forward to our family pumpkin carving night every year. Not because of the actual pumpkin carving, my artistic abilities are nonexistent so mine always ends up looking like a child or a monkey got ahold of the knife. I just really love homemade roasted pumpkin seeds. They are the perfect salty, crunchy, healthy fall snack!
This recipe for How to Roast Perfect Pumpkin Seeds is the way my mom always roasted them growing up. Boiling the seeds first helps cook them through without burning and helps give them that perfect crunchy shell. The whole thing takes less than 30 minutes and is totally worthy the extra effort. These delicious bad boys are usually gone by the time we’ve all finished carving up our pumpkins.
Plus, they make an awesome healthy snack to have around! 1/4 cup has less than 200 calories and has 7g of protein, plus 25% of your daily iron needs, magnesium, zinc, healthy fats, and a gram of fiber. Perfect when you are craving a crunchy and salty snack!
- 2 cups fresh raw pumpkin seeds
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- sea salt to taste
- Clean the seeds. My kids love cleaning the guts out of the pumpkins and pulling off the seeds. Then I just rinse them in a colander. If you don't have happy little pumpkin seed sorters, just put the whole thing in a large bowl of water. Most of the seeds will float to the top and you can just skim them off.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the seeds and boil for 8-10 minutes. While seeds are boiling, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Drain the seeds in a colander and then pat dry with a paper towel. They don't have to be perfectly dry, just try to get rid of some of the moisture.
- Spread the seeds on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and then use your hands to make sure they are evenly coated. Make sure the seeds are evenly spread out on the sheet. If the seeds overlap, they won't be as crunchy, so use two baking sheets if needed. Sprinkle generously with sea salt.
- Roast seeds in the preheated 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and stir. Then roast for another 5-10 minutes. You'll want to watch them carefully because they can burn easily. If the outsides start to brown the insides will already be burned. 5 minutes into this last roasting time start testing a few seeds. They are ready when the shell is crispy and easy to chew.
- Enjoy! When they are done, remove from oven, add another sprinkle of salt and eat! They are the best fresh out of the oven, but they will keep in a ziplock baggie for a few days.
- Consider carving more pumpkins, just so you can roast more seeds. 🙂
179 calories, 1g fiber, 7g protein
*Actual nutrition info may vary based on exact ingredients used. Find complete nutrition info on MyFitnessPal by searching FG8 Homemade Roasted Pumpkin Seeds.
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