Homemade Pumpkin Seeds (6 Flavors)
Just finished carving your jack-o-lantern and now you're ready to roast some homemade pumpkin seeds? I've got the exact steps for perfect roasted pumpkin seeds plus 6 seasoning ideas that have rave reviews from readers just like you.
🔍 Recipe At-A-Glance: Homemade Pumpkin Seeds
- ⏰ Prep Time: 5 minutes
- 🕰️ Bake Time: 30-60 minutes
- ⏲️ Total Time: 35-65 minutes
- 🎃 Flavor Options: Ranch, Pizza, Dill Pickle, Salt and Pepper, Cinnamon Sugar, Sweet and Spicy
- 🥘 Good For: Family funday projects, Halloween parties, healthy snacking
- 🧡 Difficulty: Easy enough for school-aged kids to make!
"I made the pizza, sweet and spicy, and the cinnamon brown sugar flavors, and man did these pumpkin seeds turn out good! I couldn't get enough! Will definitely make these again!"
- MELISSA -
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🧡 Why You'll Love This Recipe
Hey friend: In our house, my favorite Halloween tradition is carving pumpkins followed by roasting homemade pumpkin seeds! It's a cozy, fun, festive way to spend a fall day, and I can promise your kitchen will smell amazing.
Here's why you'll love this recipe:
- Quick & Easy: Just a few minutes to clean, season, and pop in the oven
- Extending the fun: Homemade pumpkin seeds are a great way to extend the family fun after carving pumpkins.
- Six Irresistible Flavors: From sweet cinnamon-sugar to tangy dill pickle, there's a blend for every snacker.
- Naturally Nutritious: Packed with plant-based protein and satisfying crunch, these pumpkin seeds are a nice balance to the candy tidal wave that comes with Halloween.
- A recipe you can trust: I've been roasting pumpkin seeds for decades, so you can trust my method and seasoning recipes.
🎃 The Ingredients You Need
- Cleaned pumpkin seeds: No worries, I've got the exact method for how to easily get your pumpkin seeds spic-and-span down below.
- Oil: I typically use avocado oil, but olive oil works great here, too.
- Salt, herbs, and spices: I've got six different pumpkin seed seasoning blends for you to try, so pick the ones that sound the best and grab those ingredients (you probably already have them on hand). These seasonings are also so good on homemade movie theater popcorn!
Make sure to check the recipe card below for the full ingredients list, along with quantities and my expert tips and tricks.
🔁 Pumpkin Seed Seasoning Variations
You can just roast your pumpkin seeds with oil and salt for a simple and delicious treat, but why not grab a few spices from your spice rack and get creative? You'll find these six fan-favorite seasoning mixes in the recipe card below (dill pickle is my fave):
- 🤠 Ranch: cool, herby seasoning with a tangy bite
- 🍕 Pizza: savory Italian herb and cheesy Parmesan vibes
- 🥒 Dill Pickle: bright dill and zesty vinegar tang (Pssst...if you're a fellow dill pickle fanatic, make sure to check out my dill pickle deviled eggs, dill pickle pasta salad recipe, and my tutorial for canning dill pickles.)
- 🧂 Salt & Pepper: classic crunch with a sharp pepper kick, just like your favorite kettle chips
- 🍨 Cinnamon Sugar: warm spice and sweet, toasty caramel notes
- 🌶️ Sweet & Spicy: brown sugar sweetness balanced by a smoky chili heat
📷 How to Make Homemade Pumpkin Seeds
Step 1: Scoop out the pumpkin seeds from the pumpkin. Remove any large chunks of pumpkin flesh and discard.
Step 2: Place seeds in a bowl of warm water and stir well to separate the pumpkin pieces from seeds. Let the bowl rest for 5-10 minutes. The seeds will float and the pumpkin parts will sink.
Step 3: Scoop out the seeds from the top of the bowl and dry well with a clean kitchen towel.
Step 4: Combine seeds in a bowl with the oil and seasoning of your choice, toss to combine.
Step 5: Spread seeds in one layer onto a parchment covered baking sheet.
Step 6: Roast in a 300°F, stirring every 10 minutes.
Step 7: Final roasting time will depend on a number of factors. Start checking the seeds for doneness at the 30 minute mark, but know it might take as much as 60+ minutes for the seeds to be golden brown and crisp.
Step 8: Seeds will continue to crisp up as the cool. Allow to cool completely before enjoying.
🙋🏻♀️ Homemade Pumpkin Seeds FAQs
Definitely. Not only does it help the pumpkin seeds roast faster, but it also helps the oil and seasoning stick to the seeds better. Just pat them dry quickly with a clean kitchen towel-no need to wait until they air dry (who has time for that?).
Start checking your pumpkin seeds at the 30 minute mark, but it could take as much as 60 minutes if there was a lot of moisture on your seeds before they went in the oven.
👩🏻🍳 My Expert Tips & Tricks
- Dry your seeds first: pat them dry with a clean kitchen towel to reduce baking time and make sure your oil and seasoning stick well.
- Seeds will crisp as they cool: Just like with my recipe for roasted nuts, don't stress if they are a little chewy right out of the oven.
- Split your batch: want to try different flavors? Cool! Just split your batch of seeds and mix the different flavors in different bowls.
- Not just for pumpkin seeds: these seasonings are crazy good on popcorn! 🍿Learn how to make movie theater popcorn and then add one of these seasonings on at the end-you won't be disappointed!
- Keep a close eye on your oven: If your oven has hot spots, make sure to keep a close eye as the seeds roast to prevent burning. Rotate the pan if you see some seeds getting darker, and make sure to stir every 10 minutes during baking
- Parchment paper is going to give you the best roast: I love using reusable kitchen items wherever possible, but this is a job for parchment paper instead of your silicone baking mat. Just like with my crispy baked sweet potato fries, I've tested it both ways, and the parchment seems to wick away moisture better than the silicone.
👻More Fun Halloween Recipes
If you tried these Homemade Pumpkin Seeds or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments!
📖 Recipe
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Ingredients
- ½ cup pumpkin seeds clean and towel-dried
- 1 teaspoon olive oil or avocado oil
For the Ranch Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon parsley
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon dill
- ⅛ teaspoon dry mustard
- ⅛ teaspoon celery seed
- ⅛ teaspoon paprika
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
For the Pizza Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
- 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast
- ½ teaspoon basil
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
For the Dill Pickle Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dill
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
For the Salt and Pepper Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ⅛-½ teaspoon black pepper
For the Cinnamon Sugar Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
For the Sweet and Spicy Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and set aside.
- Clean the pumpkin seeds by removing them from the pumpkin, and then picking any large chunks out.
- Fill a medium-size mixing bowl with warm water. Add in the pumpkin seeds, and then swirl around with your hand or a spoon to dislodge any of the pumpkin "gunk." Let rest for five minutes. The pumpkin seeds will float to the top, and the pumpkin guts will sink to the bottom.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove the clean pumpkin seeds to a kitchen towel and pat dry.
- In a small bowl, mix together your seasoning mixture of choice, if using.
- Toss the clean and towel-dried pumpkin seeds with the olive oil. Then, add in the seasoning mixture, if using, or just salt to taste, tossing to make sure each pumpkin seed is well-coated.
- Spread pumpkin seeds onto the prepared baking sheet, making sure they are in one even layer. If you need to move to a second baking sheet, do so.
- Roast in preheated oven, stirring every 10 minutes, or until the pumpkin seeds are golden brown. Your final roasting time will depend on a number of factors (amount of seeds, size of seeds, humidity, dampness of seeds). Start checking the seeds for doneness at the 30 minute mark, but know it might take as much as 60+ minutes for the seeds to be golden brown and crisp.
- Remove from heat and let cool completely (pumpkin seeds will crisp up more as they cool).
Video
Notes
- Make sure to use parchment paper here instead of a silicone baking mat. The parchment helps pull moisture away from the seeds making them crisp up faster and more evenly.
- Don't skip the drying step! Patting your seeds dry with a clean kitchen towel decreases roasting time and makes sure the oil and seasonings stick.
- Store cooled roasted pumpkin seeds in an airtight container in the pantry for up to three months. No need to refrigerate roasted pumpkin seeds.
Nutrition
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Hi Cassie. You are such a life saver. I've roasted twice before and over did it both times. Thank you so much
Any suggestions for storing the leftover seeds after baking?
You think I could use store bought raw pumpkin seeds instead of fresh out of a pumpkin?
You would just have to bake them less time.
HI, Love the pumpkin seed recipes. I was wondering what temp. do you cook them in the oven? 300*?
That's about the temp. I use for the salt and pepper an the cinnamon sugar ones that I make.
I think my husband will like the the sweet and spicy one. We love pumpkin seeds.
Thank you.
Teresa
Yup! 300° is perfect. 🙂
Trying the salt and pepper, cinnamon sugar, and sweet and spicy flavours. They are in the oven now... can't wait to taste them! Smells wonderful!
Do I use Dill Weed or Dill seed?
Dill weed
Great recipe! I tried the cinnamon and sugar one. Although I recommend cooking for only about 15 minutes because mine got a little burned.
What temp do u recommend roasting these on?
My daughter and I am trying the sweet blend (first :)) as we love cinnamon. Thanks. Yum!
I am featuring your blog post on my food blog this week! Please take a minute to check it out! And thank you for sharing your recipes!
We make them with garlic salt or Cajun seasonings - yumm!
Made all 6, love the flavours!
Finally, pumpkin seed that actually taste good. Great flavor combos too. I made the sweet and spicy, dill pickle, and salt & pepper. Great recipe. Thanks!
Awesome flavors! I'm a sucker for Ranch...so that will probably be my first one to try.
Thanks!
Carly
www.playingforeats.com
For the Sweet & Spicy reciepe, I substituted the cayenne pepper for old bay seasoning. Very good. I also made the Pizza Recipe as is and the Cinnamon Sugar recipe as is, excellent recipes. Thanks for sharing!
If you want to add to popcorn cooked on the stove. When do you add the seasonings?
Thanks for the recipe! I made the cinnamon sugar pumpkin seeds and one thing I adjusted in my second batch was a healthy drizzle of honey and doubled the brown sugar and it worked well for those craving a stickier result!
Thank you so much for sharing!!! Love the cinnamon sugar recipe
Maybe a dumb question but can you eat the shells and all?!
Sure do!
Oh my goodness! We did the ranch and it we SOOOO GOOOD!
So glad to hear it!
yes! I was wondering the same thing and tried both ways and found that with the shell you get all the good seasoning so it ends up being the more favorable way, but if the outer shell feels weird in your mouth just peel that sucker off!
We're a pumpkin seed house! And was growing up too!! Loved that part of the pumpkin carving process. I do cinnamon sugar, dill, and then just seasoning salt (Lawry's) too!
YUM! And yes you did do 6 different kinds. You are a ninja like that!!! I think the sweet and spicy and pizza are calling my name!