Not sure what to do with the leftover pumpkin seeds you have lying around after cooking a pumpkin for dinner? Here is a great way to use up those leftover seeds: Making delicious, nutritious roasted pumpkin seeds! They’re perfect for munching on as a snack, or to garnish over salads, stir-fry’s, soups, veggie dishes, and more.
This recipe was purely born out of the need to use up leftover pumpkin seeds I’d constantly find myself left with after making any sort of pumpkin dish.
Rather than composting the seeds (which almost always left me with pumpkin plants sprouting everywhere around my backyard), I wanted to try and use the seeds. I’m always buying pepitas from my local bulk foods store, which are quite pricey, so I thought why not use the “free” pumpkin seeds I have with me on hand to make something tasty?
They’re super low-carb, and make the perfect addition to any salad or veggie dish. Just simply save the seeds after cleaning out your pumpkin, roast them with a little seasoning and voila! You have a really tasty snack.
Pepitas are slightly different to your average pumpkin seeds, as:
- They’re green and look like pumpkin seeds without the shell,
- Pepitas only come from specific hull-less pumpkin varieties, known as Oil Seed pumpkins or Styrian pumpkins.
However, while these shelled seeds aren’t as popular as pepitas, they still make a nutritious snack to munch on. I’ll even sometimes sub in these roasted pumpkin seeds when a recipe calls for pepitas if I don’t have any on hand.
Before we get started in learning how to make these roasted pumpkin seeds – if you like what you’re seeing, subscribe to my email newsletter at the bottom of the page to keep up to date on the latest recipes, DIYs, gardening and health tips I share!!
How to Make Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
How to roast your own pumpkin seeds that you have leftover from the pumpkin! You can mix up the flavour of the seeds depending on what seasonings you add. Try different combinations and see what takes your fancy. You can even add sweet seasonings to the seeds to add them to desserts like ice-cream or sweet pies.
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups pumpkin seeds (or however many seeds you have leftover from your pumpkin)
- 1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
- 1 tsp sea salt and black pepper
- Seasonings of choice (my go-to’s are paprika, cumin, turmeric and cinnamon // optional)
To make:
- Preheat oven to 160°C (325°F) and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- With the seeds leftover over after scooping out your pumpkin, place them in a bowl of water to soak for 15-20 minutes to help remove the pulp and stringy parts from the pumpkin. Strain through a colander and place on a tea towel. Dry thoroughly. This will help the seeds crisp up more in the oven.
- Arrange the dried seeds on the baking tray and drizzle with oil and add salt, pepper, and any other seasonings of choice, then toss to coat.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the seeds are crisp and have a light golden brown tinge to them.
- Remove from the oven and let them cool completely before storing in an airtight container. These seeds will keep for up to one week at room temperature, or you can store them in the fridge or freezer for longer.
As always, this is not personal medical advice and we recommend that you talk with your doctor before trying or using any new products. I am not a doctor. All opinions expressed are my own personal thoughts and feelings of the products mentioned. Check with your doctor or health practitioner if you are uncertain about trying out any of the products, recipes or tips mentioned in this post.
Have you saved the seeds from a pumpkin before? What recipe did you make with them? Share in the comments below
Lots of love,
🖤 Vanessa