These roasted pumpkin seeds are coated in butter and seasonings, then baked until golden brown. They are a perfect natural snack option and a great way to use up the insides of those Halloween jack-o-lanterns!
When the fall season rolls around, I make a variety of pumpkin dishes including pumpkin chocolate chip muffins and pumpkin cheesecake. I always keep the seeds when I’m cooking with pumpkin to make a big batch of roasted pumpkin seeds to enjoy later on.
What’s the best part of carving a pumpkin? Saving the insides to make roasted pumpkin seeds! This roasted pumpkin seed recipe couldn’t be any easier to make, and it’s always a hit with both kids and adults alike.
These pumpkin seeds are perfect fall snacks along with apple fries, pumpkin dip and apple nachos.
Table of Contents
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds Ingredients
When you are ready to make this roasted pumpkin seeds recipe you will need clean, raw, whole pumpkin seeds, melted butter, salt, pepper and garlic powder.
How Do You Make Roasted Pumpkin Seeds?
To make these baked pumpkin seeds first coat a baking sheet with cooking spray and set your oven to 300 degrees F. Place dry, clean pumpkin seeds in a bowl and coat them with the butter and seasonings. Spread the seeds on a sheet pan and roast them until they are golden brown, stir them occasionally. Take them out of the oven and once they are cool, they you have a crunchy snack!
Tips For The Perfect Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
- Make sure to stir the pumpkin seeds occasionally while they bake. I typically stir them with a spoon 2-3 times during the 45 minute baking time. You can stir them more often if you notice any seeds getting too dark.
- If you don’t want to use butter, you can use 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
- When you select a pumpkin, tap on the pumpkin. Choose a pumpkin that has a hollow sound and you will get plenty of seeds!
- The baked seeds can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- You can enjoy these roasted pumpkin seeds as a snack, sprinkle them over a Thanksgiving salad or pumpkin soup or use them in baked goods. You could even add them to homemade Chex mix for more snacking fun.
- If you use a sugar pie pumpkin, you can cut up the pumpkin flesh to make a homemade pumpkin puree!
Quick Tip
Watch the color of the seeds as they roast. You want them to be golden brown so they are crispy and delicious.
Recipe FAQs
If you scoop your seeds out of a pumpkin, you will need to clean those pumpkin seeds. Clean them by placing the pumpkin guts and seeds in a large bowl of cold water. Use your hands to remove any flesh or fibers attached to the seeds. Drain the water into a colander to separate the seeds from the water. Rinse off the seeds. You can also boil the seeds for 10 minutes to loosen and separate the squash fibers from the seeds.
Dry your pumpkin seeds on paper towels for several hours or overnight. If you need to dry the seeds more quickly, you can spread them out in a single layer on a rack over a sheet pan, then bake the seeds at 250 degrees F until they’re dry. This usually takes about 5-10 minutes.
You can eat your roasted pumpkin seeds with the shells on, or the shells removed. If you choose to remove the shells, you’ll have to use your fingers to pry open each shell to remove the seed inside. Otherwise, you can simply pop the seeds in your mouth, shell and all. I prefer to eat my seeds with the shells on, as all of the seasonings are on the outer shell.
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Roasted Pumpkin Seeds Variations
This is a basic recipe for baked pumpkin seeds, but you can customize it to your tastes by adding a variety of seasonings and spices to the mix!
- Taco: Use 1 tablespoon of savory taco seasoning instead of the seasonings listed in the recipe.
- Ranch: Toss the seeds in 2 teaspoons of ranch seasoning, reduce the salt to 1/2 teaspoon.
- Chili Lime: Add 1 1/2 teaspoons of chili lime seasoning (such as Tajin) or use a little chili powder and lime juice.
- Bacon: Add 1/3 cup finely diced bacon to the sheet pan when roasting the seeds. Cook until the seeds are browned and bacon is crispy.
- Seasonings: Feel free to add extra flavor by mixing teaspoon of some of my favorite seasoning blends in your butter like Cajun seasoning, Jamaican jerk seasoning and Italian seasoning.
- Sweet: Make a sweet version of these seeds by adding two teaspoons of maple syrup or brown sugar to your butter. If you use a sweetener, keep an eye on the seeds as they cook so they don’t get too dark. If they start to get to dark, turn down the heat.
These homemade pumpkin seeds are way better than what you’d buy at the store, and take just minutes to put together. They are perfect for topping soups and salads or enjoying as a snack. You’ll find yourself making them on repeat during the fall months!
More Fall Favorites You’ll Enjoy
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds Video
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Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Ingredients
- 2 cups pumpkin seeds raw, whole seeds
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Coat a sheet pan with cooking spray.
- Place the pumpkin seeds, butter, salt, pepper and garlic powder in a bowl; toss to coat evenly.
- Spread the seeds in a single layer on the pan. Bake for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until seeds are golden brown.
- Cool and serve, or store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make sure to stir the pumpkin seeds occasionally while they bake. I typically stir them 2-3 times during the 45 minute baking time. You can stir them more often if you notice any seeds getting too dark.
- When you select a pumpkin, tap on the pumpkin. Choose a pumpkin that has a hollow sound and you will get plenty of seeds!
- Watch the color of the seeds as they roast. You want them to be golden brown so they are crispy and delicious.
These Roasted Pumpkin Seeds are my autumn obsession! Crunchy, savory, and a touch of saltiness – the perfect guilt-free snack
Every year I promise I’ll save pumpkin seeds for roasting and I never do…but this recipe is going to change that! SO excited to try it. Thanks for the easy-to-follow instructions.
These are such tasty, healthy snack option; and so easy to make, too! (We love them with Tajin.)
I love making roasted pumpkin seeds in the fall but I usually only roast them with salt – so I’m excited to try your recipe which I think will be a lot more flavorful!
We go through a fair bit of pumpkins too, so these roasted pumpkin seed are perfect for my family.
I used your ranch flavor variation and they came out wonderful!
YES! This brings back so many memories from my childhood. Roasted pumpkin seeds are such a wonderful autumn treat! Great recipe. So delicious! Personally, I love to eat them when they’re still warm!
Pumpkin seeds are the best! Great recipe
I’m the one who usually ends up with steamed seeds so thank you for the tip about letting them dry overnight to allow them to roast. You just saved me this year!
It wasn’t until recently that I discovered my love for pumpkin seeds & these are amazing!! I am so excited to make some!!
This is perfect! We never know what to do with our seeds when cutting open then pumpkin, now we do!
This recipe has me so excited for pumpkin season!
I cannot wait to make pumpkin seeds! These sound amazing!
We love pumpkin seeds too! And we really enjoy roasted pumpkin seeds after carving! I will definitely try this!
Yummy! These are so delicious and the perfect snack! We love them here and could eat them all day! Love this recipe! I will definitely be making these again!
These roasted pumpkin seeds would disappear in our house!
Perfect timing to make some of this delicious treat!