How to Roast Pumpkin Seeds

Learn how to roast pumpkin seeds, step by step! This roasted pumpkin seeds recipe only requires 3 ingredients and just a few minutes of hands-on time. It’s the perfect way to use those seeds from your pumpkin!

It’s just about time to carve pumpkins and bake pumpkin pies, which means we’ll have plenty of fresh pumpkin seeds on our hands!

I know it’s tempting to just throw all those pumpkin “guts” away when you’re carving your Jack-O-Lantern, but if you’re willing to rinse them, you can enjoy a crunchy, delicious snack without a lot of work!

Crispy, salty roasted pumpkin seeds are SO easy to make, and easy to flavor with whatever seasoning you love. Here’s all you need to get started…

Start With Simple Ingredients

• Fresh Pumpkin Seeds. These are the white seeds inside a fresh pumpkin. They should be raw and uncooked so that we can toast them in the oven.
• Oil. A little bit of oil is all you need to help these seeds crisp up in the oven. It’s also a great way to get spices or seasonings to stick. We use olive oil for salty seeds and neutral oil (like canola oil, avocado oil, or vegetable oil), if we’re adding sweet seasonings or a spice mix.
• Salt or Seasonings. My favorite way to eat roasted pumpkin seeds is salted (kosher salt or sea salt works great!), but you can absolutely mix things up with your favorite spice or seasoning blend. Check out the variations section below for some ideas!

PSST! Try Making Homemade Pumpkin Puree! We’re using the seeds here, but you can also use the rest of the pumpkin to make your own pumpkin puree. It’s fun, easy, and delicious!

How To Make Roasted Pumpkin Seeds, Step By Step

As always, you can find the full recipe with ingredient amounts, detailed instructions, and tips in the recipe card below.

1. Prep The Pumpkin. If you haven’t already, wash the outside of the pumpkin very well, removing any dirt or debris. You want it squeaky-clean! Turn the pumpkin over, starting with the bottom of the pumpkin and use a sharp knife to cut the pumpkin in half, toward the stem. (I find this is easier than starting at the stem end.) Carefully pull the pumpkin apart.
2. Remove The Seeds & Pulp. Using a large spoon or your hands, scoop out the pumpkin seeds and most of the stringy pumpkin pulp trapped around the seeds.
3. Clean Seeds. Transfer the pumpkin seed and pulp to a colander and rinse them to remove excess pulp from the seeds. It’s totally find if there are a few bits of pumpkin left, you just want to remove most of it.
4. Dry Seeds. Spread the rinsed pumpkin seeds out in a single layer onto a clean kitchen towel or a layer of paper towel. Let the seeds dry at least 1-2 hours (preferably overnight or 24 hours!) so they aren’t wet. Wet seeds will steam instead of crisp in the oven, so you want them as dry as possible. Drying the seeds first makes a huge difference in how crispy they get later!

5. Season. When you’re ready to roast the seeds, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a sheet pan and set aside. Add the dried pumpkin seeds to a small mixing bowl. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt or seasonings. Stir well to combine evenly, then spread pumpkin seeds out in an even layer on the prepared baking sheet.
6. Roast pumpkin seeds 15-25 minutes in the oven, stirring every 5 minutes until the seeds are just golden brown. (You can test a seed when you get to the 15-20 min mark to see if it’s as crispy as you’d like.) Keep in mind the seeds will continue to crisp as they cool.
7. Cool. Let the pumpkin seeds cool on the baking sheet (you’ll heat them crackle a bit at first!) until they’ve cooled completely.
8. Store For Later. Enjoy as soon as they’re cool enough to handle or let them seeds cool COMPLETELY before transferring to an airtight container or jar. Store at room temperature up to 2 weeks or freeze up to 2 months.

FAQ + Tips And Tricks For The Best Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Is The White Outer Shell of Pumpkin Seeds Edible? Yes! The whole seed is edible, and it’s full of fiber! While its common to find just the green inner seeds sold in grocery stores, the white outer shell of raw pumpkin seeds IS edible. Don’t like it? You can crack it open with your teeth after roasting and get the green seed inside. (Kind of like you would with in-shell peanuts)

Check Regularly For Best Results! Smaller seeds take less time than large seeds, so plan on checking your pumpkin seeds several times throughout the roasting process to avoid burning them.

Let Them Cool Before Storing! One big trick for crispy seeds is letting the roasted seeds dry completely before adding them to an airtight container. If you pack the seeds together when they’re warm, they’ll steam and soften.  

Smaller Pumpkins Often Have Better Flavor Than Large ones. Large pumpkins (like big Jack O’Lantern pumpkins) tend to have more water and less flavor than smaller pumpkins, which have better texture and flavor. We like pumpkins in the 3-5 pound range. Look for a pie pumpkin or sugar pumpkin for the best seeds! (They’re also great for homemade pumpkin puree!)

The Easiest Way To Rinse Pumpkin Seeds. Our favorite way to clean pumpkin seeds off is rinsing in a colander (a fine mesh sieve is too fine to let the stringy pumpkin bits through). Some recipes will have you boil the pumpkin seeds first to remove extra bits of pumpkin debris, but we find this step isn’t necessary for cleaning the seeds.