Ingredients
Equipment
Method
1 Day Before:
- Using a sharp knife, at the top of the pumpkin, carefully carve a circle around the stem of the pumpkin.
- Pull the stem up and away from the rest of the pumpkin, and scrape off the seeds and flesh that are sticking to the underside of the stem.
- With the large strong metal spoon, scoop out all of the seeds and pumpkin guts and place it in a large bowl.
- Add cool water to the bowl, and clean seeds by gently massaging the pumpkin pulp away from the seeds themselves. Place the clean pumpkin seeds in a medium glass bowl.
- Measure out the sea salt, and add it to the bowl with the pumpkin seeds.
- Add cool water to the bowl until the pumpkin seeds are thoroughly covered. Approximately 2-3 cups of water. Stir to mix the salt with the pumpkin seeds.
- Cover bowl, and let the pumpkin seeds sit in the salted water overnight or up to 24 hours.
Preparation:
- Preheat oven to 350℉ and place the oven rack onto the lower/middle shelf.
- Drain the raw pumpkin seeds into a colander, shaking the colander gently to remove any excess salt water.
- Once most of the water is removed, dry pumpkin seeds by pouring the seeds onto a clean kitchen towel, and pat gently to dry seeds.
- When the pumpkin seeds are as dry as you can make them, place seeds onto a prepared sheet pan in a single layer, using either a silicone baking sheet, aluminum foil, or parchment paper.
Baking:
- Sprinkle a generous amount of sea salt onto the seeds, and place them in a preheated oven for approximately 10 minutes. Watch closely to make sure they do not burn.
- After approximately 10 minutes, using the silicone spatula, toss the seeds gently and bake for another 5-10 minutes, or until the roasted seeds start to turn golden brown.NOTE: In my experience I end up tossing the pumpkin seeds several times, just to make sure they get golden brown on each side. Watch closely as pumpkin seeds can burn quickly.
- Once the seeds are toasted, take the prepared baking sheet out of the oven and let it cool on a cooling rack.
- When the roasted pumpkin seeds have reached room temperature, you can pour the seeds into an airtight container for storage.
Nutrition
Notes
- When you are carving out the circle around the stem of the pumpkin, I find the best way is to do so on an angle, about 1 1/2" - 2" away from the stem. This keeps the top from sinking into the pumpkin itself if you are going to continue on to carve your pumpkin into a jack o'lantern.
- In my experience, the best method for cleaning pumpkin seeds, and for removing the pulp from the seeds, is by massaging the pulp away from the seeds themselves. Eating a bit of the pumpkin pulp is not bad for you but some people get a little grossed out by all of the stringy goop!
- The hardest part is cleaning out the pumpkin guts...ha. I have seen some people use an ice cream scoop to clean out their pumpkins, versus a large spoon or a specific tool for cleaning the inside of a pumpkin. Give each method a try, and see which one works best for you.
- Instead of using a kitchen towel to dry the seeds, you can also use paper towel instead. Both work equally well.
- It is important to watch your seeds closely while they are roasting in the oven. At first, it will seem like they are not cooking but quickly they turn golden brown, so do not turn your back on them and forget about the pumpkin seeds in your oven!
- Using sea salt is the traditional purist recipe, however, you can experiment with many different spices such as black pepper, garlic powder, curry powder, cayenne pepper, and chili powder.
- For a sweeter pumpkin seed flavor, it's a great idea to use a touch of maple syrup or brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and pumpkin pie spice.
- Roasted pumpkin seeds without oil will last in an airtight glass storage container on your kitchen countertop for up to one month. These seeds also store well in the fridge for up to three months.
- Should you decide to freeze the roasted pumpkin seeds, they will last up to 6 months in a freezer-safe tightly sealed container.