Do you like pumpkin seeds? Seeds that are crispy with a touch of savory saltiness on the outside and meaty on the inside? I do, too. I’ve tried making my own roasted pumpkin seeds in the past and the results were not what I had hoped…but now I know the secret to getting them just right.
Which came first? Is a jack o’lantern a byproduct of pumpkin seed making or vice versa? Honestly, I’d buy a pumpkin just to have the seeds…but it’s certainly fun to carve the pumpkin, too!
The two pumpkins we carved provided quite a few large, mature seeds. It was a bit of effort to tease the slippery seeds from the stringy “guts”, but, in the end, that effort was more than adequately rewarded. After removing the seeds, I put them into a colander and rinsed well to remove any residual pumpkin flesh coating them, then soaked the seeds in water overnight in the refrigerator.
The next morning, I drained the seeds and started a large pot of water boiling on the stove. This is the critical part: the seeds need to be boiled for about 10 minutes so that the insides are cooked. In the past, I used to just bake the rinsed seeds and ended up with a really chewy finished product. No more! Properly boiled, sprinkled with seasoning salt, and roasted in the oven, these seeds are incredible. Per the recipe, I store the finished seeds in an airtight jar…but they don’t last too long around here.
And pumpkin seeds aren’t just tasty – they’re nutritious and have numerous health benefits. The shells are also full of zinc and fiber; frankly, I can only eat so many pumpkin seeds in the shell because the fiber (bulk) is really filling. Roasting the pumpkin seeds from our jack o’lanterns has become a much-anticipated (and enjoyed) Autumn tradition!
These really are “perfect” pumpkin seeds – once you try them, you’ll be buying pumpkins to make them, regardless of whether you plan to carve them or not!
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