Simple Roasted Pumpkin Seeds Recipe

Pumpkin Seeds, originally uploaded by jenib320.

Fall is here! I picked up a pumpkin today to make one of my favorite foods, roasted pumpkin seeds. This is the recipe I use every year. They're a great snack and they're good for you too!

Simple Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups of pumpkin seeds*
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt (use less if using salted butter)

*Approx the amount in a medium/large carving pumpkin.

If you have more or less than 1 1/2 cups of seeds, just add or subtract a bit of butter/salt to compensate. Believe me, it's hard to go wrong!

Pumpkin Seeds, originally uploaded by jenib320.

1. Carve your pumpkin and separate the seeds from the stringy-pumpkin bits.

2. Put your seeds in a strainer and rinse well to get rid of any stray bits.


3. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lay seeds out to dry on a towel for 30 minutes, pat dry with a paper towel, or dry out in the oven for a few minutes. You want to make sure they're completely dry before roasting so they get nice and crispy!

Pumpkin Seeds, originally uploaded by jenib320.

4. Mix seeds, melted butter, and kosher salt in a mixing bowl. Stir to coat. Pour seeds out onto a sheet pan. Spread seeds out evenly by gently shaking the pan.

5. Roast seeds for around 45 minutes, stirring and checking on them every 15 minutes. They'll turn nice and golden brown when done! If the seeds aren't super dry they will take a bit longer to roast. Store in an airtight container once cool.

Pumpkin!, originally uploaded by jenib320.

You could mix things up by skipping the kosher salt and adding spices! Here are a few other ideas:

- Seasoned Pumpkin Seeds: 1/2 T of seasoned salt.
- Rosemary Garlic Pumpkin Seeds: 1 T dried rosemary + 1/4 t garlic + 1 t kosher salt
- Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Seeds: 2 T granulated sugar + 1 t cinnamon + a pinch of salt.

Enjoy! :)