Crispy Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

close up of a bowl of whole roasted pumpkin seeds.

Crispy Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Learn how to roast pumpkin seeds until golden, crunchy, and perfectly toasted with this easy oven method. Season them your way for the ultimate fall snack!

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 45

Total Time 55

Servings Cup

Ingredients

fresh pumpkin seeds cleaned
1-2 tbsp butter, ghee, or oil per 1 cup pumpkin seeds
salt and black pepper to taste
additional seasonings of choice optional

For the Optional Salted-Water Boil

1 tbsp salt per ½ cup pumpkin seeds
water enough to cover

Instructions

Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C) and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Cut the pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds. Use your hands to separate them from the larger pieces of pumpkin pulp and stringy fibres.
Transfer the pumpkin seeds to a fine mesh sieve and rinse well under cold running water, using your fingers to remove any remaining pulp or fibres.
Optional salted-water boil: For extra salty, flavourful seeds, place the cleaned seeds in a pot and cover with water. Add 1 tablespoon salt for every ½ cup pumpkin seeds. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes. Drain well.
Pat the pumpkin seeds as dry as possible with a clean kitchen towel or paper towel. The drier the seeds, the crispier they'll roast.
Add the seeds to a bowl and toss with 1 to 2 tablespoons butter, ghee, or oil per cup of seeds, along with salt, pepper, and any additional seasonings you like.
Arrange the seasoned pumpkin seeds in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Avoid piling or heavily overlapping the seeds.
Bake for about 45 minutes, stirring the seeds and rotating the pan every 15 minutes, until golden, dry, and crunchy.
Let the roasted pumpkin seeds cool directly on the baking sheet. They'll continue to crisp up as they cool. Taste, add additional seasoning if needed, and enjoy.

Notes

Any fresh pumpkin works: Use seeds from carving pumpkins, sugar pie pumpkins, or whatever fresh pumpkin you're cooking with.

Choose your fat: Butter and ghee add richness, while avocado, olive, or coconut oil are my go-to oil options.

The salted-water boil is optional: Simmering the seeds in salted water helps the salty flavour penetrate the seeds, but you can skip this step and still get a great batch.

Dry them really well: Remove as much moisture as possible after rinsing or boiling. Drier seeds roast up much crispier.

Yield will vary: The amount of seeds depends on the size and type of pumpkin. As a rough guide, one small sugar pie pumpkin gives you about 1 cup of seeds.

Cool completely before storing: Keep cooled roasted pumpkin seeds in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week, or refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

Nutrition