Wait!! Don’t throw those pumpkin seeds out! I know the pumpkin guts look and feel slimy and yucky, but those little seeds are a nutritional power house; besides, you need a few to plant for next year if you’ve pulled the pumpkin out of your garden. Heck, those seeds might even grow (albeit not as well) even if it’s a store bought pumpkin. So save your seeds if you’re a pumpkin grower, but save them even if you’re not.
Why you ask? Have you ever had homemade roasted pumpkin seeds? No, I’m not talking about the salty bleached white pumpkin seeds you buy at the convenient store. I’m taking about home seasoned and home roasted pumpkin seeds. If you’ve had them before you’re already nodding your head. If you haven’t, you must find a pumpkin immediately–gut it, remove and clean the seeds and then find a recipe from the list below and try it! I promise you won’t be sorry.
Before I get to the 18+ recipes I want to share my own recipe with you. It’s a little different because it’s sweet and not salty. Honestly, a few years ago I had never heard of sweet pumpkin seeds and it sounded a little weird, but after playing with the recipe for a bit I’ve come up with crunchy pumpkin seed goodness.
Maple Power Pumpkin Seeds
1/2 cup Coconut Oil
4 c Fresh Pumpkin Seeds
2 t Cinnamon
1/2 t Nutmeg
1/4 cup Maple Syrup (the real stuff)
Clean the seeds until you are satisfied. I don’t mind a bit of the flesh still attached but keep cleaning if you’d like it all removed. In a small saucepan over medium heat combine coconut oil, cinnamon, nutmeg, and maple syrup. Place seeds in large mixing bowl and pour syrup mixture on seeds. Make sure all seeds are coated, then place on cookie sheets. Spread the seeds out so they form one layer. Bake at 400 F° for about 20 to 25 minutes. Enjoy! Make sure you let them cool off before popping them in your mouth. I’ve burnt my mouth several times because I just can’t wait.
Now, as promised 18+ Pumpkin Seed Recipes
Spices and Herbs
Spicy Pumpkin Seeds–Add some spice to those seeds with Patrick’s recipe. This makes the pumpkin seeds a cross between peanuts and chips. From Survival At Home
How To Roast Pumpkin Seeds–Karen gives us three variations of pumpkin seeds: Kettle-Corn Style Pumpkin Seeds, Sweet, Spicy & Savory Pumpkin Seeds and Salt & Pepper Pumpkin Seeds. All three recipes are delicious. From Kitchen Treaty
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds–Tonia also has three variations for roasting pumpkin seeds: Garlic Pumpkin Seeds, Seasoned Salt Pumpkin Seeds and Ranch Pumpkin Seeds. Yum! From The Gunny Sack
How To Cook Pumpkin Seeds And 4 Fun Flavors–Pam uses Italian flavor for one of her pumpkin seed recipes. From Over the Big Moon
Spicy Toasted Pumpkin Seeds–Amy uses cayenne pepper and garlic to spice up pumpkin seeds. From She Wears Many Hats
How To Make Perfect Pumpkin Seeds–Brandie uses seasoned salt to spice up her pumpkin seeds. From Home Cooking Memories
Toasted Pumpkin Seeds–Three Ways Recipe–Heidi included a recipe for Curried Pumpkin Seeds and Black Tea & Butter Pumpkin Seeds. From 101 Cookbooks
Salt & Vinegar Pumpkin Seeds–Jill adds vinegar to her pumpkin seed recipe for that tangy salty balance. From Foodtastic Mom
Just Salted
Roasted Salted Pumpkin Seeds–Angela soaks her seeds overnight in salt to make sure they all have an equal amount of salt. From Food Storage And Survival
How To Toast Pumpkin Seeds–Jenna uses a different method of getting the salt into her seeds before she bakes them. From The Flip Flop Barnyard
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds–Kelly has a super simple recipe with just a little salt and paprika or cumin. From Simple Life Mom
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds–The Best Method Ever–Toni has a secret to getting all the pumpkin goo off the seeds. From Boulder Locavore
Sweet Seeds
Roasted Cinnamon Pumpkin Seeds–Taralynn uses cinnamon as the main spice in her sweet take on this normally savory snack. From Undressed Skeleton
Cinnamon Sugar Roasted Pumpkin Seeds–Hayley uses cinnamon and another spice to make sweet pumpkin seeds. From Welcome To The Mouse House
Honey Roasted Pumpkin Seeds–Emilie makes pumpkin seeds with honey in a cast iron skillet. Everyone knows great cooks use cast iron. From The Clever Carrot
Sugar and Spice Roasted Pumpkin Seeds–Jeanine uses pumpkin pie spice to make sweet pumpkin seeds. From The Baking Beauties
Adding A Little Something
Squash Granola–If you want to add a few more ingredients to your pumpkin seeds Kathie has a great recipe for homemade granola. From Homespun Seasonal Living
Autumn Brittle–Eva has gone beyond peanut brittle. A yummy brittle made with almonds, cashews and pumpkin seeds. From Adventures In Cooking
And Even More..
10 Pumpkin Seed Recipes–If you can’t find a recipe that you’d like to try above Shauna gives us 10 more options for flavoring pumpkin seeds, including a Chocolate Pumpkin Seed recipe. From Swanky Recipes
