Last week I shared with you how I made my own homemade pumpkin purée using a large 25 pound pumpkin. It was actually really fun for me to make such a ridiculously large amount of purée and I’m looking forward to finding out how many different recipes I can make with that one pumpkin.
In this post I’m going to show you how I turned the seeds from that big ol’ pumpkin into a delicious snack of roasted pumpkin seeds. 🙂
Roasting pumpkin seeds is actually very easy – I promise!
After I’ve taken my pumpkin apart, I place the seeds into a colander with any of the “pumpkin guts” that are still attached.
While I’m on the subject, do you call the insides of the pumpkin – “pumpkin guts”?
Maybe it’s just me, but I haven’t heard too many other people call it that. To me, the insides have always been pumpkin guts. lol
Running some cold water over the pumpkin guts and seeds while I pull them apart with my hands makes it much easier to separate them.
Once my seeds have been rinsed off and separated from the pumpkin guts, I simmer them in some hot water for about 10 minutes. I find that this helps tenderize the seeds a little bit and gives them a nice texture after the roasted.
You can skip the boiling of the seeds if you’d like to, but I find that boiling them before roasting really improves the texture.
After I drain the seeds of any excess water, I mix them up in a mixing bowl with some oil, salt and some pumpkin spice.
One of the great things about roasting your own pumpkin seeds is how you can customize the flavours to suit your tastes. I really enjoy using spices like cinnamon and even some good old pumpkin spice but feel free to use whatever seasonings you like.
After seasoning them, I spread them out on a cookie sheet I roast them in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes or until they reach a nice golden colour.
And then once they're cooled, we gobble them up!
How to Roast Pumpkin Seeds
Ingredients
- Fresh pumpkin seeds, it’s okay if some of the insides of the pumpkin are still attached
- Vegetable oil or olive oil
- Salt
- Any desired seasonings to flavour the pumpkin seeds – I enjoy using a bit of cinnamon or some pumpkin spice
Items Needed: - A pot of boiling water
- Colander or mesh strainer
- Cookie sheet
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F
- Place the pumpkin seeds in a colander and set it in the sink.
- Turn on the faucet and rinse the pumpkin seeds with cold water. Use your hands to remove the seeds from any of the insides of the pumpkin that might still be attached. Running the pumpkin seeds under the water will make it much easier to remove any of the excess “pumpkin guts”. Lol
- Remove the excess pumpkin guts from the colander and discard.
- Give the seeds another quick rinse and place them in a pot of water. Bring to a boil.
- Once the pot of water has reached a boil, turn down the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.
- After the seeds have finished boiling, remove them from the pot and drain using the colander. It might be a good idea to let them drain in the colander for about 10 minutes to get rid of some of the excess liquid.
- Once the seeds have drained, place them into a mixing bowl add some oil, salt and any other seasonings you might like to use for flavouring. Stir them around to make sure all the seeds are coated.
- Spread the seeds out on the cookie sheet and bake in the oven for about 20 – 30 minutes or until they start to look golden. About halfway through roasting, stir the seeds around to make sure they roast evenly.
- Once your seeds are done roasting, take the cookie sheet out of the oven and allow to cool to room temperature.
- The pumpkin seeds can either be eaten whole (like I like them!) or you can crack the shells to eat the inner part.
Notes
The amounts of the ingredients needed for roasting the pumpkin seeds depends on how many seeds you are roasting. Use amounts you are comfortable with. I usually start with a little less than I think I need, then add more of an ingredient if I think it needs it. You can always add more if you need to! 😀
I'd love to hear from you so please feel free to leave a comment in the comment section below! 🙂
