How To Cook Pumpkin Seeds

Guide Note: How To Cook Pumpkin Seeds gives an overview of the ways you can cook and eat your pumpkin seeds.

Table of Contents:

Introduction

Pumpkin seeds used to be part of the leftover detritus after you'd carved a pumpkin, but no more! Now more and more people know that you can prepare them in a multitude of ways, including roasting and microwaving. Pumpkin seeds are healthy, and if you're carving a pumpkin, you definitely have them on hand. Why not enjoy them today!

You can't quite use the seeds straight out of the pumpkin, but it's almost that easy.

If you'd prefer not to lose the pumpkin flesh flavor, use a damp kitchen towel to wipe off the seeds.
Otherwise, rinse the seeds off.
Pat dry with a kitchen towel.
You can soak the seeds overnight in salted water for a strong salty flavor.
Before adding other flavorings, you may want to leave the seeds out overnight to dry, or dry them in a low-heat oven.

Roasting, or toasting, your pumpkin seeds means putting them in a hot oven or skillet. Alternatively, you can cook them in the microwave. You can flavor the seeds practically any way your tastes lie.

Add a little butter and salt to the seeds, as in this recipe.
- You can use oil or margarine instead of butter.
For a stronger salty flavor, boil the seeds in salted water before roasting, as suggested here.
- If you have the time, you can also soak the seeds overnight in salted water to enhance the salty flavor.
Or add other flavors. This recipe suggests baking the seeds with garlic salt and Worcestershire sauce.
This recipe calls for sugar, cumin, ginger, and cayenne pepper.
- Martha Stewart recommends drying the seeds in an oven before adding other flavors.
Or choose any flavors you like, such as:

You can also roast your seeds in a stovetop skillet. Just be careful to stir and/or shake the seeds as they're in the skillet, so they don't burn!

Heat oil or butter in your skillet.
Add the cleaned and seasoned seeds.
Stir and flip the seeds as they cook.
When the seeds are nicely toasted, from the skillet.
- Place them on a paper towel to drain excess oil.
Let them cool, then enjoy!

A microwave oven is another means for cooking pumpkin seeds. Microwave cooking will still result in tasty seeds, but be aware that only oven or skillet preparation gives you truly roasted seeds.

Place your cleaned seeds in a microwave-safe dish.
Season as you like.
Microwave for four minutes.
- Microwave oven wattages vary, so if you know you have a low-wattage oven, you can increase the initial microwave time to five minutes.
Check on the seeds - if they're sizzling hot, they're ready to eat!
If not, stir them and microwave for another minute.
Continue checking and stirring at one-minute intervals until the seeds are ready.

To eat seeds with the shells on, Simply Recipes recommends using seeds from sugar pumpkins, not larger carving pumpkins. If your pumpkin seeds are from a carving pumpkin, you may have to remove the seed's outer hull before eating.
You can always eat your pumpkin seeds right away, or right after they've cooled enough so you won't burn your mouth! But you can also add the prepared seeds to other dishes, like: