How to Roast Pumpkin Seeds

Roasting pumpkin seeds turns the contents of your pumpkin into a crunchy snack. You scoop the seeds out, clean off the pulp, simmer them in salted water, then spread them on a baking sheet and roast them at 325°F to 350°F for roughly 10 to 25 minutes. The whole job usually takes about 25 to 35 minutes of active and oven time.

• Pumpkin seeds from a pumpkin or other winter squash
• A large bowl of cold water
• A medium saucepan and a colander
• A paper towel, tea towel or clean dishcloth
• A baking sheet, plus parchment paper if you want easier cleanup
• Olive oil, or another high smoke point oil such as avocado, vegetable, corn, coconut or clarified butter
• Salt, such as fine sea salt, kosher salt or pink salt
• Optional seasonings: garlic powder, black pepper, paprika, harissa, curry powder, chili powder, cayenne, cumin, taco or Cajun seasoning, thyme, rosemary, Italian seasoning, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cardamom, brown sugar or maple syrup

1. Scoop the seeds and pulp out of your pumpkin with a large spoon or ice cream scoop. The seeds from carving pumpkins and pie pumpkins are both edible.
2. Put the seeds and pulp into a big bowl of cold water and swish them around with your hands. The seeds float to the top, so you can skim them off and leave the stringy bits behind.
3. Rinse the seeds in a colander and rub them between your fingers or your palms to loosen any remaining pulp and fibers. A few stringy fibers left behind are fine.
4. Dry the seeds as well as you can between a towel or dishcloth. Moisture creates steam in the oven, which makes the seeds chewy instead of crisp, so this step matters.
5. Optional but recommended: bring a medium pot of water with about 1 teaspoon of salt to a boil, add the seeds, reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for about 5 to 10 minutes. This seasons them and helps produce a crispy outer shell. If you are short on time you can skip it.
6. Drain the seeds in a colander and pat them lightly dry again. They do not need to be bone dry.
7. Heat the oven to 325°F (160°C) or 350°F (177°C), depending on your recipe, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper if you like.
8. Toss the seeds in a bowl with oil and your seasonings until they are evenly coated. About 2 teaspoons of oil is enough for roughly 1 1/2 cups of seeds, and 1/2 to 1 teaspoon is enough for a smaller batch.
9. Spread the seeds on the baking sheet in a single layer, with as little overlapping as possible, so they roast evenly.
10. Roast for 10 to 25 minutes, stirring at least once and ideally every 5 minutes. Smaller seeds need less time, larger seeds need more.
11. During the last 5 minutes, pull out a few seeds and crack them open. The shell should be super crispy and easy to bite through, and the inner seed should have only a hint of golden tinge. If the inner seed is brown, it is burning.
12. Remove the seeds from the oven, add a little more salt or seasoning if you like, and let them cool on the pan or on a piece of paper towel. Eat them shell and all, or crack the shells with your teeth if you prefer.

• The inner seed cooks faster than the outer shell. Everything can look fine on the outside while the inside burns, so always test a few seeds near the end of roasting.
• Oven temperatures vary a lot. If your oven runs hot or cold, your bake time can shift by several minutes, so start checking early.
• Sugar pumpkin seeds are often reported to come out crispier than seeds from carving pumpkins.
• You can roast the seeds of other winter squash the same way, including butternut, acorn, delicata, spaghetti, honeynut and kabocha. Smaller seeds need less time in the oven.
• To store them, let the seeds cool completely, then keep them in an airtight container. They last about a couple of weeks at room temperature and a few months in the freezer.
• Pumpkin seeds are a source of fiber, iron, magnesium, zinc, potassium, phosphorus, healthy fats and protein. The shell adds extra fiber.
• If you are pairing them with a meal for iron absorption, combine them with a source of vitamin C.

Do I have to boil the seeds first? No. Boiling in salted water for about 5 to 10 minutes seasons the seeds and helps them crisp up, but you can skip it if you are short on time and they will still turn out well.

Do I have to dry the seeds before roasting? Yes, as much as you can. Surface moisture turns to steam in the oven, which slows browning and leaves the seeds chewy rather than crisp.

Can I eat the shells? Yes. The whole seed, shell and inner kernel, is edible, and the shell adds fiber. If you do not like the shells, you can crack them with your teeth after roasting.

What seasonings work well? Savory options include garlic powder, black pepper, paprika, cumin, curry powder, harissa, smoked paprika, taco seasoning, Cajun seasoning, chili powder, cayenne, thyme, rosemary and Italian seasoning. Sweet options include granulated sugar or maple syrup with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cardamom or pumpkin pie spice.

How long do roasted pumpkin seeds keep? Once cooled and stored in an airtight container, they last about two weeks at room temperature and a few months in the freezer.