Whether you are carving pumpkins or baking fresh pumpkin recipes, there is no reason to throw away perfectly good pumpkin seeds that can be eaten as a snack. In my household, we believe that no food should go to waste. Pumpkin seeds are packed with nutrients, and with a little seasoning, you can turn them into delicious and healthy snacks that you won't stop eating. If you want the maximum health benefits, you can enjoy them raw! That is right. You can clean the pumpkin seeds and just enjoy them as they are.
Cleaning pumpkin seeds is super easy, and it is totally worth it. To clean pumpkin seeds, you only need 5 to 10 minutes. Once you learn how to clean pumpkin seeds and turn them into delicious snack, you will never toss them out again. In this post, you will learn how to clean pumpkin seeds so you can turn them into delicious and healthy snacks this season. At the bottom of my post, you will also find some delicious pumpkin seeds recipes.
Health Benefits Of Pumpkin Seeds
Pumpkin seeds are packed with good for you nutrients and health benefits. Therefore, you should never toss them out.
- Packed with iron, zinc, magnesium, calcium, and many other nutrients.
- Pumpkin seeds are also rich in antioxidants.
- Like all seeds, pumpkin seeds contain omega 3 and 6 fatty acids.
- These little seeds are packed with healthy fats, protein, fiber, and carbohydrates.
How To Clean Pumpkin Seeds
1. Scoop the pumpkin seeds out of the pumpkin.
Scoop out the pumpkin seeds and place them in a large bowl. Pinch away any pumpkin pulp and flesh and strings. Some people prefer not removing the string because it adds more flavor when roasted, so this is a personal preference. Regardless, don't get too obsessive about removing the strings. If you see any flat seeds, also remove them because they are inedible.
2. Run under cold water
Once the seeds are loose, they will float. Scoop the floating seeds out and place them in a colander. You will only want to take out the ones that are hard and filled with seeds. The flat ones are entirely inedible and should be thrown away. Once you have all the seeds in the colander, rinse the water over it one more time.
3. Drying
Once you are done washing your pumpkin seeds, transfer them on a clean dishtowel. Pat them dry to get rid of as much moisture as possible, and there is no need to let it dry overnight. At this point, you can decide if you want to enjoy them raw, roasted, or boiled.
How To Roast Pumpkin Seeds And Turn Into Delicious Snack
There are many roasted pumpkin seeds recipes out there. From savory to sweet, it is up to you how you want to flavor it.
- To roast your pumpkin seeds, toss your cleaned seeds with a little avocado oil and add any spices you like. I usually like to use some salt and cayenne pepper but feel free to get as creative as you want.
- Once you seasoned your pumpkin seeds, place the baking sheet in a large pan and place your pumpkin seeds in the baking pan. Make sure the pumpkin seeds are next to each other and not on top of each other, so they can be roasted evenly.
- Then bake at 300F for about 20 to 25 minutes. If it is baking unevenly, be sure to stir midway and flip the seeds with a spatula.
- Once they turn slightly brown, remove the pumpkin seeds from the oven and let them cool down.
- Store your roasted pumpkin seeds at room temperature.
Roasted pumpkin seeds recipe
It depends on how you feel, you can make sweet or savory pumpkin seeds. You can be as creative as you want or as simple as just a pinch of salt. If you aren't in the mood to roast, you can enjoy them raw.
Sweet pumpkin seeds combinations
- Brown sugar and salt
- Maple Syrup and cinnamon
- Brown sugar, cayenne pepper, and salt.
- Pumpkin pie spices with salt
Savory pumpkin seeds combinations
- Garlic and salt
- Chipotle chili powder, cumin, and salt
- Oregano, Parmesan cheese, and salt
Everyone will get a different harvest amount of pumpkin seeds from their pumpkin, but here is a general roasted pumpkin seeds recipe that you can use as a reference.
General Roasted Pumpkin Seeds recipe
1 Cup Of Raw, clean Pumpkin Seeds
2 teaspoon avocado oil or olive oil
1/4 teaspoon Himalayan salt
Tip: If you are unsure how much to use to season your clean pumpkin seeds, you can roast it with some and then sprinkle more seasoning on top at the end. This way, you can adjust the flavor to your liking.
Boiling Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Another method to enjoy the pumpkin seeds is to boil them with spices—this way, the pumpkin seeds are infused with flavor. If you plan to boil it, note that the seeds will not come out crunchy, but it is just as delicious as seeds infused with spices and flavor. If you are boiling them, you can enjoy them as is once it is done. Or if you changed your mind, you could still roast pumpkin seeds in the oven. If you roast them after boiling, you don't need to add as many spices to them since they have already been infused with flavor.
To boil then, simply add salt and any spices you want and let it boil for about 10 minutes. Once they are done, drain the water, place the pumpkin seeds on a clean towel, and pat dry. Once they are dried, store them in an airtight container and store at room temperature.
How To Store Pumpkin Seeds
To store your roasted or boiled pumpkin seeds, put them in an airtight container and leave it at room temperature. Before putting them into the container, make sure the pumpkin seeds cool down because you don't want to introduce moisture into your container. If you boiled them, make sure they are dried before putting them into a container.
