Making your own roasted pumpkin seed snacks from the garden is easier than you think. There are a few tricks that will make your flavored roasted pumpkin seeds stand out from the others. Here are instructions on drying and roasting pumpkin seeds from the garden, as well as some unique flavor combinations. Amaze your friends with these great snacks as Halloween treats!
What size pumpkin makes the best seeds?
I prefer to use the seeds from medium pumpkins for roasting. Large pumpkins will yield more seeds but are not as tender. Small pumpkins have great tasting seeds. Unfortunately the smaller the pumpkin gets, the more difficult retrieving the seeds becomes and the smaller the yield. For instructions on removing the seeds from your pumpkin, go here.
Washing and preparing pumpkin seeds
Once you have scooped all the seeds out of the pumpkin as instructed, washing is necessary. Washing removes all the residue from the seeds. Lay the washed seeds out on clean cloth or paper towels to dry.
While the seeds are drying, prepare the brine to soak them in. Soaking pumpkin seeds in brine will give them a more intense salty flavor.
Making and using pumpkin seed brine
For four cups of flavored roasted pumpkin seeds, you will need 1 cup of salt and three cups of warm water. Add or subtract salt and water proportionately for different amounts of seeds. Use a large mixing bowl. Combine the salt and water in the bowl, making sure all the salt is dissolved. Add the pumpkin seeds to the mixture. Soak for 2 hours.
Roasting the seeds
Coat cookie sheets with a little olive oil. Place the seeds in a single layer on the greased cookie sheets. Bake the pumpkin seeds at 350 for as long as it takes to turn them crispy. Pumpkin seeds vary in cooking times so taste test periodically to be sure they don’t over cook. Once the roasted salted pumpkin seeds are done, remove and cool them right on the baking sheet.
If all goes well, you should now have nice roasted pumpkin seeds with a salty crust. These are great just as they are but you may want to make some other flavored combinations for guests, giving or just for you. Place the cooled roasted salted pumpkin seeds in a large bowl big enough to do some stirring. If you are planning on making more than one flavor, divide the seeds accordingly.
Roasted pumpkin seed flavor combinations
Honey mustard
Toss each cup of freshly roasted pumpkin seeds in a mixture of 1 tsp. brown spicy mustard and 2 tsp. honey. Bake for five minutes at 350 degrees.
Onion and garlic
Sprinkle each cup of freshly roasted pumpkin seeds with ½ tsp garlic powder and ½ tsp. onion powder. Toss and serve.
Orange glazed
For each cup of freshly roasted pumpkin seeds, toss in a mixture of ¼ tsp. orange extract, ½ tsp. soy sauce and 2 tsp. honey. Bake at 350 for 5 minutes.
Cinnamon and honey
Toss each cup of freshly roasted pumpkin seeds in a mixture of ½ tsp. cinnamon and 2 tsp. honey. Bake at 350 for 5 minutes.
Garlic Parmesan
For each cup of freshly roasted pumpkin seeds, toss in a mixture of 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1tsp. Parmesan and ½ tsp. garlic powder. Bake five minutes at 350.
Why not create your own unique flavored roasted pumpkin seeds? There’s no limit to the flavor combinations for these tasty treats.
More from Jaipi:
Carving Your Halloween Pumpkin Without the Gooey Mess
Can I Save Halloween Pumpkin Seeds to Plant Next Year?
How to Keep Squirrels from Eating Halloween Pumpkins
