10 Pumpkin Seed Recipes | Swanky Recipes - Simple tasty food recipes (2024)

The BEST 10 Pumpkin Seeds Recipes. You’ll want this ultimate pumpkin seed list for all your Halloween and fall plans. Includes traditional roasted pumpkin seeds, plus a guide on how to pick the perfect pumpkin, carve it, and roast the seeds. Other recipes include ranch, honey roasted, chocolate, pumpkin spice, everything spice, vanilla nutmeg, maple chili, maple bacon, honey sriracha, and spicy jalapeno.

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Fall is in full swing here and now is the perfect time to purchase pumpkins. This last weekend was very nice and sunny outside. I set out on Sunday to visit a few local farms and pick up my seasonal fall favorites. I just love fresh apple cider this time of year. Also, I can’t resist picking out a fresh apple pie or two.

When I went out on the field to pick the best pumpkins from the crop, I discovered from a local that in order to make fresh pumpkin pie, you need a “pumpkin pie” pumpkin. So begun my journey searching for the best pumpkins. Here are my picks for the season.

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** Note that there are three different sizes. The only medium pumpkin {front, left} in the picture is the pumpkin that is needed for pumpkin pie.

I picked up 8 pumpkins from the pumpkin patch. Also, a few gourds, squash, small pumpkins, pumpkin pie pumpkins and corn. The pumpkins were taken to a friend’s house where we carved them. We used cookie cutter shapes and applied pressure to the hammer to make designs once they were gutted. The seeds were washed and oven dried. We made about 12 batches of pumpkin seeds.

The pumpkins are on the porch. At night I light tea candles inside the pumpkins. Also, to preserve the pumpkins from rotting faster, I use a mixture of 2 parts water and 1 part bleach. The pumpkins are sprayed daily with the mixture to ensure that they last as long as possible outside.

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Preparing Pumpkin Seeds from Scratch Using a Fresh Pumpkin

Choosing a pumpkin

  1. You can use the seeds from either a carving pumpkin or a pie pumpkin, but avoid seeds from decorative white pumpkins. For 1 cup of seeds, purchase a 10- to 14-pound pumpkin. Smaller seeds work best; larger seeds tend to pop in the oven and get tough.

Removing the Seeds

  1. After you have the pumpkin picked out, lay news paper down for a work area. Then, cut a hole in the top of the pumpkin. For smaller pumpkins the pumpkin can be sliced in half. Use the pumpkin stem as the handle to finish removing the top. Next, use a long handle spoon to scoop the gut and seeds out or your hands.
    Rise the seeds under running water until all the guts and strings are washed off. Drain and pat with a paper towel until dry.

Drying the Seeds

  1. Use a baking sheet that is lined with parchment paper or foil. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Allow the seeds to dry out in the oven for 1 hour. The seeds can be dried at room temperature for 24-48 hours instead of oven drying. **This step needs to be completed before continuing to the below recipes**

Pumpkin seeds are so versatile you can eat them for breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner.

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Cinnamon Maple Pumpkin Seeds

  • 1 c of roasted, unsalted pumpkin seeds
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 pinch of allspice
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pure maple syrup

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat your oven to 300-350 degrees and line a baking pan with foil. Spray the foil with non-stick spray.
  2. In a bowl, combine the pumpkin seeds, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, vanilla, salt and maple syrup and toss to coat. Spread the nuts onto the baking pan and bake at 350degrees for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Watch to make sure they don’t burn because every oven is different.
  3. Let the seeds cool before removing from pan and store in an air-tight container.

Traditional Pumpkin Seeds

  • 2 cups pumpkin seeds, washed
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp salt, more or less to taste
  • 1/2 freshly ground pepper – peppercorn is also great to use

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 300*F.
  2. Line cookie sheet with foil or parchment paper.
  3. Combine all ingredients and spread in a single layer on prepared sheet pan.
  4. Bake for 20 minutes, mixing seed mixture after 10 minutes.
  5. Seeds should be golden and crunchy. Bake longer if needed
    **Store in an air tight container for up to 3 months.

RANCH PUMPKIN SEEDS

If you love ranch seasoning, try these seasoned ranch pumpkin seeds – Click here to get the recipe!

  • Ranch powder
  • Melted butter
  • pumpkin seeds
  • mustard powder
  • Paprika
  • Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS – Get the full directions to make Ranch Pumpkin Seeds here.

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Pumpkin Pie Spice Seeds

  • 2 cups pumpkin seeds
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 2 ½ Tbsp brown sugar
  • 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/2 tsp fine salt

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 300*F. Line cookie sheet with foil or parchment paper.
  2. Combine all ingredients and mix. Spread in a single layer on prepared sheet pan.
  3. Bake for 20 minutes, mixing mixture after 10 minutes.
  4. Seeds should be golden and crunchy. Bake longer if needed.
    **Seeds can be stored for up to 3 months in an air tight container.

Pumpkin Pie Spice

Chocolate Pumpkin Seeds

  • 2 cups pumpkin seeds
  • 2 Tbsp honey
  • 1 Tbsp natural unsweetened cocoa
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp sea salt or table salt
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Spread out the pumpkin seeds on a parchment lined baking sheet, and toast them in the oven for 3-4 minutes.
  3. In a small mixing bowl, combine the honey, cocoa, cinnamon, sea salt, and oil.
  4. Add the toasted pumpkin seeds to the bowl, and stir to coat them.
  5. Spread the pumpkin seeds out on a parchment lined baking sheet, and bake for 12-13 minutes.

Honey Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

  • 2 1/2 cups pumpkin seeds 1 tablespoon butter, melted
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 teaspoon brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked salt
  • kosher salt for sprinkling

DIRECTIONS

  1. In a large mixing bowl, mix butter, honey, brown sugar and smoked salt until well combined,
    Add pumpkin seeds to mixing bowl and mix well until all of the seeds are thoroughly coated.
  2. Grease cookie sheet with butter and spread pumpkin seeds in a single layer. Sprinkle with a little more salt.
    Bake pumpkin seeds until brown and crispy, stirring every 10 minutes or so. (Confession: it said online this would take anywhere from 20 to 60 minutes. I got impatient after 40 and turned the heat up to 275 (with the pumpkin seeds still in the oven) and they were done in 10 after that)
  3. Remove from oven, sprinkle with a teensy bit more salt, stir, cool on the pan and enjoy.
    Store in an airtight container up to a week, but I bet they won’t last too long.
  4. The salt and sweetness can be to taste. These were mild flavored, but I liked them that way. For more flavor, up the honey before the brown sugar and add in a little more smoked salt.

MAPLE BACON PUMPKIN SEEDS

Sweet and salty roasted pumpkin seeds. A candied, crunchy version with bacon, bacon salt and real maple syrup.

Maple Bacon Pumpkin Seeds RECIPE

  • Bacon
  • Bacon grease
  • maple syrup
  • pumpkin seeds
  • salt

DIRECTIONS – Get the directions and full ingredients list here.

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Vanilla Nutmeg Pumpkin Seeds

  • 1 ½ cups dried pumpkin seeds
  • 1 Tbsp butter
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ tsp white sugar
  • 1 ½ tsp light brown sugar
  • ¼ tsp nutmeg
  • 1/8 – ½ tsp salt

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat your oven to 300 degrees.
  2. Melt the butter in a dish. Mix in the vanilla.
  3. Pour the butter and vanilla into a bowl containing the seeds and mix well.
  4. Add in 1 teaspoon white sugar, 1 teaspoon brown sugar, the nutmeg, & the salt.
  5. Spread seeds onto a foil covered cookie sheet.
  6. Bake for 10 minutes, remove seeds, stir, & place back in oven.
  7. Mix the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of each sugar together in a bowl.
  8. After the seeds have baked for 20 minutes, remove from the oven, stir, and sprinkle the extra sugar over the seeds.
  9. Bake for 10 more minutes or untilseeds are brown and crispy (about 30 minutes total).
    **Second batch will cook faster due to the sugar mixture left over

Honey Sriracha Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

  • 1 cup pumpkin seeds
  • 1 tablespoon sriracha
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1/4 teaspoon pimenton (smoked paprika)
  • 1/4 teaspoon ginger powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • a couple of drops of apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 teaspoon olive oil

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven 300°F
  2. Spread out seeds on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden.
  3. Meanwhile, whisk together the remaining ingredients in a medium bowl. Pour the hot seeds into the sriracha mixture and stir to coat well.
  4. Return the seeds to the baking sheet, spreading them out as best you can – they’ll be sticky. Bake for 5-10 additional minutes to caramelize the sauce on the seeds.
  5. Remove from the oven and cool.
  6. If not consuming immediately, spread out the seeds on a cooled baking sheet and allow to set up a bit before packaging. (Otherwise, they’ll tend to stick together in all of their caramelized goodness.)
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Everything Pumpkin Seeds

  • 1 ½ cups dried pumpkin seeds
  • 1 Tbsp butter
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • ¼ tsp onion powder
  • ½ tsp fresh cracked pepper

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat your oven to 300 degrees.
  2. Melt the butter in a dish. Mix in the olive oil.
  3. Pour the butter and oil into a bowl containing the seeds and mix well.
  4. Add in the salt, pepper, onion & garlic powder.
  5. Spread seeds onto a foil covered cookie sheet.
  6. Bake for 10 minutes, remove seeds, stir, & place back in oven.
  7. Repeat this until the seeds are brown and crispy (about 40 minutes).

Jalapeno Pumpkin Seeds

  • 1 ½ cups pumpkin seeds, cleaned & dried
  • 3 jalapeño peppers, sliced
  • 3 Tbsp olive oil
  • Saltandpaprika to taste

DIRECTIONS

  1. If pumpkin seeds are rinsed and have dried over night, skip to the next step. If pumpkin seeds were bought from the store, skip to the next step. Rinse pumpkin seeds under cold water, pat the seeds dry with a paper towel and transfer to a baking sheet to dry overnight. The seeds should be somewhat dry to begin the next day.
  2. Preheat the oven to 350°F
    If you haven’t already, spread pumpkin seeds out on a rimmed baking sheet.
  3. Add olive oil and sea salt and stir pumpkin seeds with your hands to combine.
  4. Lay slices of jalapeno peppers on top of seeds.
  5. Sprinkle paprika over the top of everything, generously.
  6. Bake for 10 minutes.
  7. Use a spatula to mix mixture of seeds. Bake for another 5 minutes.
  8. Move mixture around some more and bake for a final 5 minutes.
  9. Remove tray from oven and let everything rest for 15-30 minutes
    **pumpkin seeds can be stored in an air tight container for up to 3 months.

Maple Chili Powder Pumpkin Seeds

  • 2 cups pumpkin seeds
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp pure maple syrup
  • ½ tsp chili powder
  • ½ tsp ground cumin
  • ½ tsp salt

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with foil or parchment paper.
  2. Combine all ingredients and spread in a single layer on prepared sheet pan.
  3. Bake for 20 minutes, mixing mixture after 10 minutes. Seeds should be golden and crunchy.
10 Pumpkin Seed Recipes | Swanky Recipes - Simple tasty food recipes (13)

Notes

For other great recipes and to view the above images with the recipes visit these bloggers below:

Image Credits: By me andHeathlyvoyage Rachelcooks.com Paleop*rn Cherryteacakes Ohsheglows Wholefoodsmarket

10 Pumpkin Seed Recipes | Swanky Recipes - Simple tasty food recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is the easiest way to eat pumpkin seeds? ›

You can add them in oatmeal, smoothies, chia pudding, salad, soups, granola bars, muffins, or whole-grain dishes to attain health and nutritional benefits. You can eat them raw as well as roasted, safely. It is best to eat them without the shell for easy digestion.

What is the best way to cook pumpkin? ›

Place pumpkin cubes on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper (add any other spices you'd like!) Roast at 375 degrees F for 30-35 minutes or until pumpkin cubes are fork-tender, flipping halfway through.

What can kids do with pumpkin seeds? ›

Here's 10 ways to play with pumpkin seeds...
  • Dye them. Use food colouring or paint to add colour for lots of sorting or even to use in a sensory box, add scoops and tubs too!
  • Sensory bag. Add to a ziplock bag with a little water or the other leftovers from the pumpkin. ...
  • Counting. ...
  • Tweezers. ...
  • Art pictures. ...
  • Slime. ...
  • Letters. ...
  • Shakers.
Oct 24, 2020

What is the healthiest way to eat pumpkin seeds? ›

A common practice is to add light spices and roast the seeds on a cookie sheet on the top rack of the oven for 15 to 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Eating the shells only adds to the seeds' high fiber content, which has been associated with a reduced risk of heart disease and obesity.

What is the best way to eat pumpkin seeds for health benefits? ›

They provide many vitamins and minerals that are hard to get in the diet or that some of us don't get enough of! This time of year when green and white pumpkin seeds are abundant, roast them, toast them, or eat them in bar form to reap the nutrition benefits of pumpkin seeds.

What does boiling pumpkin seeds do? ›

Boiling pumpkin seeds in salted water helps the salt to permeate the seeds inside the shells and helps them to cook more evenly.

Can you cook pumpkin seeds and eat them? ›

Put the seeds on a baking tray and toss with the olive oil. Roast for 10 mins. Serve with a little seasoning for a snack, if you like, or use as a garnish for salads or soups.

How to make pumpkin taste good? ›

Cook It on the Stove

Briefly cooking your canned pumpkin purée on the stove can help improve both the flavor and texture. This method helps reduce excess moisture, which gives the pumpkin a superior texture. It also releases the natural pumpkin flavor and helps reduce the metallic taste from the can.

Do you soak pumpkin seeds before cooking? ›

Some people soak pumpkin seeds before roasting them—they say it helps make the seeds extra crispy. But our Test Kitchen found that soaking the seeds didn't make much of a difference when it came to crispiness. If you do soak your seeds, though, be sure to dry them thoroughly before roasting.

What is the best way to eat pumpkin seeds raw or roasted? ›

After you slice off the top, use a spoon to remove the seeds and flesh. Then place the seeds in a colander and rinse them under cold water, gently removing any flesh from the seeds with your hands. Finally, pat them dry with a paper towel. Pumpkin seeds can be eaten raw but taste especially delicious roasted.

Can 2 year old eat raw pumpkin seeds? ›

*Note that pumpkin seeds (and any seeds, actually) pose a choking risk for babies and toddlers — instead of offering pumpkin seeds whole to young children, you could grind them up in a food processor with a small amount of water, formula, or breastmilk to make pumpkin butter, which you can then mix that into any puree ...

What goes well with pumpkin seeds? ›

Some of my favorite flavor combinations are:
  • Cracked pepper and Parmesan.
  • Honey and sriracha or wasabi.
  • Maple or brown sugar and cinnamon.
  • Rosemary with garlic or smoked paprika.
  • Pumpkin spice.
  • Bourbon and cayenne.
  • Sea salt and vinegar.

Can a 3 year old eat pumpkin seeds? ›

Pumpkin seeds and trail mix are easy, healthy snacks for toddlers as well. Roasted pumpkin seeds can be given to toddlers who have teeth strong enough to chew regular solid foods, around 18 months to 2 years of age. They can also be ground up and added to other foods.

Are you supposed to crack pumpkin seeds before you eat them? ›

Many people scoop out the whole seeds and roast them — shell and all — as a snack. However, those sold in grocery stores are typically shelled. That's why commercial varieties are a different color, size, and shape than ones you might prepare at home. Even so, pumpkin seed shells are safe for most people to eat.

Should I chew or swallow pumpkin seeds? ›

Yes, you can, they are delicious this way as well. Do green pumpkin seeds need to be chewed? Green seeds are already shelled (no shell, just the inner seed). You should always chew seeds.

Do you eat pumpkin seeds or spit them out? ›

Pumpkin seeds are quite good for you with or without the shell. They're extremely rich in fiber (which can support good digestion and heart health), as well as other beneficial vitamins and nutrients (like zinc, magnesium, and iron). With that said, whole pumpkin seeds offer about double the fiber of shelled ones.

When eating pumpkin seeds do you eat the whole thing? ›

Yes, you can eat the shell of a pumpkin seed. The shells add a nice crunch to this nutritious snack. They're also loaded with fiber. Pumpkin seeds with shells pack twice the fiber content of those that have already been shelled.

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