Roasted Pumpkin Seeds 3 Ways

If you're carving pumpkins this week, do not throw away the seeds!

Pumpkin seeds are full of good, healthy fats, and are one of my favourite things to top a salad or eat as a snack. 

I searched a bunch of recipes online and then came up with my own versions based on the ingredients I had at home. 

First, you'll want to wash and dry your seeds as much as possible. I do this while carving; I put all the seeds into a colander or in a sink of water and get them clean, and then use a dishtowel to pat them dry.

Ideally, if you can leave them to dry for hours, it's better, but I leave them for about an hour before roasting. If you carve a lot of pumpkins (like us!), you'll have a lot of seeds -- the smaller the pumpkin, the more seeds you'll get. I divided my seeds into 3 so I could make three different flavours: a classic, a spicy and a salty/sweet.

Preheat your oven to 350. I use a Roast setting. Add a sheet of parchment to each baking pan. Each recipe uses about 2 cups of pumpkin seeds.

Salty Sweet Pumpkin Seeds

1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tbsp. date sugar (or brown sugar)
1 tbsp. of balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. of salt (I use pink Himalayan)

Spread 2 cups of pumpkin seeds on a lined baking sheet. Add all the ingredients and mix, coating every seed with the mixture. As the seeds roast, the sugar and the sugars in the balsamic vinegar will begin to carmelize and get sticky. The seeds may get dark, too, but don't panic.

Roast for about 20 mins, checking every 5 minutes to ensure they don't burn. Taste test along the way to assess if you need more salt. These are, by far, my new favourite seeds.

Classic Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. paprika
Salt/Pepper to taste

Spread 2 cups of pumpkin seeds on a lined baking sheet. Add all the ingredients to coat. Roast for 20 minutes. This is a pretty basic, but classic recipe -- good for kids, too. Side note: we use the same mix when we bake fish and it's delicious.

Spicy Pumpkin Seeds

1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. cayenne pepper (or as much as you like)
1 tbsp. lime juice
Salt/Pepper
Sprinkle of chili flakes

Spread 2 cups of pumpkin seeds on a lined baking sheet. Add all the ingredients to coat. Adjust the spice based on your preference. Roast for 20 minutes. The lime and the spice combined offers a beautiful tang with a hit of pepper at the end. They ARE spicy, so make sure you label these if you have someone at home who can't take the heat!

Do you have a favourite pumpkin seed recipe?