Pumpkin seeds (also known as pepita in Spanish culture) are the tasty flat seeds that you find inside of a pumpkin. You’ve probably scooped a bunch of them out when you were carving a pumpkin with your family, but what you may not have done were eat them. And that’s a shame. Because pumpkin seeds are quite tasty, especially when you pop them into the oven and roast them for a little bit. They’re also quite nutrient rich and full of protein and fiber.
While most people in the US think about eating pumpkin seeds only around October and November, they’re a common snack and used frequently in cuisine in Mexico and other parts of Latin America. And we’re going to take a page out of their book – why wait until Fall to enjoy these delicious little snacks, when you can eat them year round.
How to Cook Pumpkin Seeds
When most people think of cooking pumpkin seeds, they’re thinking of roasting pumpkin seeds, and that’s exactly what we’re going to talk about today. While you may roast the pumpkin seeds the same way each time, you can do a lot with the flavor by adding them to a marinade before cooking and using a variety of spices to switch up the flavor profile.
To start, preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. After scooping out seeds from a pumpkin, move seeds to a colander and rinse all of the stringy bit from the seeds. Dry the seeds with a paper towel and then place in a single layer on a baking sheet. Toss with olive oil and season to your liking. Then, bake for 30 minutes. Enjoy as a snack or as a topping for another dish.
How to Flavor Pumpkin Seeds
Now comes the fun part: seasoning! Pumpkin seeds are great because they’re so versatile. They can be salty, spicy, sweet – and pretty much any combination in between. Here’s some of our favorites:
- Garlic: Toss with salt and minced garlic
- Barbecue: Toss with cumin, brown sugar, and chile powder
- Sweet: Toss with sugar and cinnamon
- Caribbean Jerk: Toss with a mixture of 1 bay leaf, crushed; 1/2 tsp of ground habanero chile; 1/4 tsp of cinnamon; 2 tsp of salt; and 3/4 tsp of ground allspice
Have you ever had baked pumpkin seeds? How do you use them? And how do you prefer to season them? Share with us and our readers in the comments!
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