How To Cook Pumpkin Seeds

Great recipes for how to cook pumpkin seeds. Whether roasting, toasting in a skillet, or microwaving, get ready for a tasty treat for your Halloween party!
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Great recipes for how to cook pumpkin seeds. Whether roasting, toasting in a skillet, or microwaving, get ready for a tasty treat for your Halloween party!
Introduction
- Pumpkin seeds were once thought of just to part of the leftover detritus after you'd carved a jack-o'-lantern, but no more! Now more and more people know that you can cook them in a multitude of ways, including roasting and microwaving. Plus, they're healthy, and if you're carving a pumpkin, you definitely have them on hand. Why not enjoy them today?
Preparation
- You can't quite cook the seeds straight out of the pumpkin, but it's almost that easy.
1. If you'd prefer not to lose the pumpkin flesh flavor, use a damp kitchen towel to wipe off the seeds.
2. Otherwise, rinse them off and pat dry with a kitchen towel.
- OPTIONAL: For a stronger salty flavor, boil seeds in salted water, as suggested here. Let simmer for 10 minutes before draining and drying.
- NOTE: If you want to eat seeds with the shells on, Simply Recipes recommends using sugar pumpkins, not larger carving ones. If your seeds are from a carving pumpkin, you may have to remove the outer hull before eating.
Cooking Methods
- Roasting, or toasting, your pumpkin seeds means putting them in a hot oven or skillet. Alternatively, you can cook them in the microwave. You can flavor them practically any way your tastes lie.
- NOTE: The recipes below are based on a pumpkin yielding about one and a half cups of seeds.
Oven Roasting
- Oven roasting is the simplest recipe for deliciously browned pumpkin seeds.
1. Pre-heat your oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Toss seeds in a bowl with one to two tablespoons of melted butter or olive oil.
  - You can use margarine instead of butter, or substitute another type of oil for the olive oil.
  - For a lower-fat version, skip the oil and butter and use cooking spray on your baking pan.
3. Place in a single layer in an oven-safe dish or on a baking sheet.
4. Sprinkle with salt.
5. Bake for 30 - 40 minutes, or until they start to brown, stirring every 10 minutes.
Variations
1. If you'd like, add other flavors in as well as salt. This recipe suggests baking with garlic salt and Worcestershire sauce.
2. This recipe calls for sugar, cumin, ginger, and cayenne pepper.
3. And this variation goes with Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, and hot pepper sauce.
4. Or choose any flavors you like and bake away, such as:
  - Curry powder
  - Cinnamon
  - Maple Syrup
  - Honey
  - Nutmeg
  - Tabasco Sauce
Skillet Toasting
- You can also roast your seeds in a stovetop frying pan. Just be careful to stir and/or shake the seeds as they're cooking in the skillet, so they don't burn!
1. Heat one to two tablespoons cooking oil or butter in your skillet, on medium heat.
2. When the oil's hot, add your cleaned seeds.
3. Stir and flip as they cook, which should take no more than five minutes.
4. When the seeds are nicely browned and toasted, remove them from the skillet.
  - Place them on a paper towel to drain excess oil.
5. Season as you like (adding a little salt is always delicious).
6. Let them cool, then enjoy!
Microwave
- This microwave recipe is quite easy to make, and still tasty, but be aware that only oven or skillet preparation gives you truly roasted seeds.
1. Melt two tablespoons of butter (or margarine) in a microwave-safe dish (about 30 seconds).
2. Place your prepared cup and a half of seeds in the dish, making sure they're in a single layer.
3. Sprinkle with salt, or any other seasonings you'd like.
4. Set your microwave for eight minutes.
5. After two minutes, check and stir.
6. Start the microwave again, and check after another two minutes.
7. After the six minute mark is passed, continue checking and stirring at one-minute intervals, or until the cooked seeds have a golden color.
Eat Your Pumpkin Seeds
1. Let the seeds cool enough so you won't burn your mouth, then enjoy!
2. Or keep them for about a week, sealed tight in a container.
3. You can cook with the seeds by adding them to other dishes, like:
  - Salads
  - Cookies
  - Muffins
  - Soups
More Recipes
1. This recipe uses raw, hulled seeds in brittle.
2. This pesto recipe also calls for uncooked, hulled seeds.
3. Or you can use toasted, hulled seeds in praline.
How to Roast Pumpkin Seeds with Mahalo Daily
- Mahalo Daily: Cook with Leah on Mahalo Daily! (Time: 1:50)
Resources for How to Cook Pumpkin Seeds