Spicy Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Oct 19, 2015, Updated Nov 15, 2022
Spicy Roasted Pumpkin Seeds are healthy to snack on!
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Spicy roasted pumpkin seeds are healthy to snack on. They are also delicious on top of soups and salads!
Time is flying, we are in second half of October already. I am sure you all must have pulled out your Halloween decorations by now. It’s so funny but all these years we lived in high rise apartments and I never saw any halloween decor. I mean there was stuff in front of the building and reception area but I never anyone put stuff in front of their apartments. But this year it’s so different. We bought our own house and now live in an area with single family houses all around. When I go for my morning walk these days, I see all kinds of halloween decor in front of the houses. People are so creative and some of the decors are seriously amazing.
What I also noticed that almost everyone has kept cute little pumpkins outside their homes and while I haven’t kept one outside yet, I am definitely playing around with it a lot in kitchen these days. The other day I got these cute little sugar pumpkins from Trader Joe’s and while I used it to make a delicious soup I couldn’t resist roasting the seeds inside it. Do you guys throw the pumpkin seeds? If you do, then please STOP now! They are so delicious, and so perfect to top your soups and salads. And they also make such a healthy snacking option.
I decided to make these spicy roasted pumpkin seeds from the seeds that were left after roasting my pumpkin. I have been munching on them since then and I also put some on top of my pumpkin soup (recipe coming soon!). The thing with pumpkin seeds is that they are very slimy when you scoop them out of the pumpkin. There are 2 things that you can do for this –
1. boil them and then pat dry them using a kitchen towel. That’s what I did and since I had only 1/2 cup it wasn’t too much of a task.
2. if you have lot of pumpkin seeds, boil them and then leave them to dry overnight.
These spicy roasted pumpkin seeds will turn out perfect if you follow the above steps. They will be crunchy and perfect to snack on!
Method
Place the leftover pumpkin seeds in 1.5 cups of boiling water. Add salt to it and let it boil for 10-12 minutes.
Remove seeds from stove top and pat dry them using a kitchen towel. Transfer the seeds to a bowl, add oil, cumin powder, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika and salt.
Transfer the seeds to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper/silicone mat.
Roast the pumpkin seeds at 300 F degrees for 35-40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so. They will be really crispy by then. Store the pumpkin seeds in an air tight container and enjoy!
* Adjust spice level to taste. Add more cayenne for spicier pumpkin seeds.
Spicy Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Ingredients
- ½ cup pumpkin seeds
- 1.5 cup water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon canola oil
- ¼ tsp smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon cumin powder
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne [or adjust to taste]
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place the leftover pumpkin seeds in 1.5 cups of boiling water. Add salt to it and let it boil for 10-12 minutes.
- Remove seeds from stove top and pat dry them using a kitchen towel.
- Transfer the seeds to a bowl, add oil, cumin powder, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika and salt.
- Transfer the seeds to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper/silicone mat.
- Roast the pumpkin seeds at 300 F degrees for 35-40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so. They will be really crispy by then.
- Store the pumpkin seeds in an air tight container and enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Spicy Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
hi!! loved making these, and my partner, who looks forward to his annual pumpkin seeds, and our 7yo, loved eating them! -i ran the idea of a cumin and cayenne base by ‘papa’, and he wanted a more traditional flavor profile, but i was eager to try the method in this recipe. i subbed an herb blend in place of cumin and paprika, and white pepper instead of cayenne, w salt and fresh ground pepper trio, and avocado oil. they turned out wonderfully. thank you kindly for your expertise in preparing these.
glad you enjoyed!
Ooo Italian twist would be nice!!
Thanks Mir, they are so good on soups!
I definitely nee to make some of these spicy pumpkin seeds! They sound like the perfect snack!
They are, thank you!
Thanks Mira!
Thanks Kelly, hope you try these!
They are great with pumpkin soup! 🙂
I hope your second attempt is better! Thanks Rachelle!
Aww no worries, it means all the more candies for you, yay!! Thanks dear!
I hope you do!!
Thanks Sarah, they are! 🙂
I know right, they are so good so they should never be wasted!
Thanks Anu!
I really love pumpkin seeds – they make a delicious snack. Really like the spices and flavours you’ve added to these!
I know right, Thanks Jess!