Roasted pumpkin seeds are crisp bursts of flavor, and one of my favorite autumn snacks. And if our Beyond Wonderful photographer does not get here soon, you won’t know what they look like because I can’t stop eating them.

Until recently, I could take or leave pumpkin seeds. Some of my batches were too salty while others were unevenly roasted (meaning lots of chewy, spitable stuff). That changed on my recent trip to Dan Avakian’s produce market, where I stocked up on roasting pumpkins. I told Dad about my mediocre seeds and asked what I should do. Incredibly, he revealed a method that not only yields consistently scrumptious seeds, but also requires only half an hour in the oven. I told Dan that I was skeptical about this quick method—several of my friends slow-roast their seeds in a 200-degree oven for hours. Dan said, “That’s way too long for me. I’m too impatient. This works.” Armed with my new knowledge, I headed home and got to work.

There is no set recipe for roasted pumpkin seeds since your amounts will differ each time you make them. But follow these simple instructions and you’ll master the process quickly.

You’ll also be happy to know that the photographer just arrived and she is artfully styling the one cup of remaining seeds. Wait! She’s eating them. Stop!

How To Roast Pumpkin Seeds

Here’s the ultimate trick for one of October’s greatest treats:

1. Place the seeds in a zip-top bag and sprinkle with salt. (No need to worry about cleaning them first— any clinging pulp will get rinsed away later.) Seal the bag and squish to distribute the salt. Store in the refrigerator for 3 days.

2. Remove the seeds from the bag and place them in a colander. Run cool water over them, using your hands to remove any bits of pumpkin.

3. Place the seeds on a pizza pan with holes, or a baking sheet.

1. 4. Pat the seeds dry with a paper towel or clean kitchen towel.

1. 5. Toss them lightly with melted butter or olive oil.

1. 6. Sprinkle the seeds with your favorite herbs and spices. Do not add salt at this point, or the seeds could become inedible.
   Toss the seeds to coat evenly.

7.  Place the seasoned seeds in a preheated 325-degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Check the seeds halfway through the process to prevent burning.

Remove the pumpkin seeds from the oven and let them cool for 5 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings.

Cool completely, then store in an airtight container.

 

 
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Print out our illustrated step-by-step How To Roast Pumpkin Seeds for easy reference.

This entry was posted on Friday, October 23rd, 2009 at 9:17 am and is filed under Blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.