Recipes for Toasted Baked Pumpkin Seeds: Sweet, Spicy, and More

Rose is a full-time freelance writer who frequently writes about education, special education, DIY projects, food, Milwaukee, and more.

When you're finished with your pumpkins in the fall, taking out the seeds so that you can bake them in the oven or roast them in a pan is a great option. Pumpkin seeds are easy to cook and are delicious when they're toasted with sweet, salty, and/or spicy ingredients. There are numerous ways to customize recipes to suit your personal tastes and preferences. There are also a wide variety of options for incorporating them into other recipes. Happy cooking!

How to Roast Pumpkin Seeds Recipe

Start with the basics.

If you've never made toasted pumpkin seeds before, you may want to keep your first couple recipes simple so that you can get the technique and timing perfected. Many people enjoy these simple recipes and don't ever go beyond them. It's up to you whether you want to experiment with additional flavors.

• Roasted pumpkin seeds. Elise roasts her seeds in the oven. Many people choose to toast them in a frying pan on the stove. Try both methods to see what suits your tastes.

Sweet

Many pumpkin seed recipes are salty, spicy, or combination recipes, but there is nothing wrong with switching gears and going for a strictly sweet recipe.

• Sticky sweet pumpkin seeds. This is divine with brown sugar, honey, cinnamon, ginger, and pumpkin pie spice.
• Sugary spiced toasted pumpkin seeds. Keep it simple with sugar and pumpkin pie spice.

Betty's Spiced Toasted Pumpkin Seeds Recipe

Spicy

Take the flavor level for your pumpkin seeds up a notch with these spicy recipes.

• Chili roasted pumpkin seeds. These seeds get their kick from chili powder.
• Spicy toasted pumpkin seeds. This recipe uses garlic powder and cayenne pepper.
• Spicy pumpkin seeds. Go for chili powder and cayenne pepper.

Grab a pumpkin cookbook.

Combination Recipes

Are you like me and are a sucker for sweet and salty desserts and snacks? You can take this concept and apply it to pumpkin seeds.

• Caramelized. How can you go wrong here? The salt gives it just enough contrast with the sweet caramel flavor.
• Honey and spice. There is so much for your taste buds to absorb here with brown sugar, honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, black pepper, and salt.

Granola

There are so many granola recipes that have pumpkin seeds as an ingredient option. If you can't find a recipe here that you like, try adding them your favorite recipe.

• Hearty granola. This recipe is packed with fiber.
• Nut free pumpkin seed granola. Skip the nuts and go for dried fruit and sweet spices.
• Spicy pumpkin granola. This granola is packed with pumpkin flavor and a little spice.
• Autumn granola. This oil free recipe includes canned pumpkin as well as the pumpkin seeds.
• Fall snack mix. This isn't strictly a granola, but I had to include a trail mix type snack with pumpkin seeds that had chocolate in it.

Brittle

If you enjoy peanut brittle and are looking for a new alternative, try it with pumpkin seeds.

• Pumpkin seed brittle. The blog author uses this recipe with many different kinds of squash seeds.
• Honeycomb brittle with pumpkin seeds and salted peanuts. This is one of the more involved recipes here, but it's well worth the effort. This is a great option if you're looking for a mixed nut recipe.

Cooking Pumpkin Seed Pesto

Pesto

Instead of using pine nuts in pesto, you can use pumpkin seeds. This is a great way to switch up a classic recipe for the fall. Many traditional pesto recipes use basil or spinach, but most pumpkin seed pestos have different bases. You can experiment with either set of ingredients. Two great options for pesto are pasta and pizza.

• Pumpkin seed pesto. Use a combination of sage and parsley leaves.
• Kale and pumpkin seed pesto. This recipe uses kale and packs a punch with cilantro and chile peppers.

Toppings

Pumpkin seeds are a great topping for a wide variety of savory and sweet recipes. Here are just a few possibilities:

• Curried squash soup or pumpkin soup. A squash soup will get an extra kick of squash flavor with toasted pumpkin seeds.
  
• Brussels sprouts and Dijon pasta salad. You can top many different fall salads with pumpkin seeds.
• Pumpkin bread. You can top numerous types of breads, muffins, and rolls with pumpkin seeds.

Pick your own pumpkin this year.

Great fall food and drink recipes.

• Easy Homemade Hot Chocolate Recipes
  Hot chocolate is one of the best drinks to enjoy during the cooler months of the year. Consider making a classic mug of hot cocoa or experimenting with a frozen, white chocolate, or Mexican hot chocolate at home.
• How to Use Up Extra Tomatoes with Easy Homemade Tomato Pie Recipe
  Make easy baked tomato pie with those extra tomatoes Cheese, Italian Seasoning, and optional ingredients make this a tasty pie in summer or winter.
• Homemade Roasted Nut Recipes: Looking for Something Different? Check This Out!
  This hub is a compilation of different roasted nut recipes. They are perfect for special occasions and gift giving or any time that you want a homemade snack.
• Baked Oatmeal Recipe: Healthy Breakfast Casserole
  This baked oatmeal recipe is a mouth-watering combination of oatmeal cookies and banana pudding . Sweetened naturally with bananas, coconut milk, pure honey, and berries will help to give you a healthy start to your day! .

Comments

andre braido on May 06, 2020:

These look yummy!

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Rose Clearfield (author) from Milwaukee, Wisconsin on October 17, 2012:

You're just in time, Audrey. This is a great time of year to get some seeds.

Thanks, everythingdazzles and Terrye!

Terrye Toombs from Somewhere between Heaven and Hell without a road map. on October 17, 2012:

I love the variety of ways to use pumpkin seeds. Great job! Voted up and shared.

Janelle from Houston on October 17, 2012:

These look yummy!

Audrey Howitt from California on October 17, 2012:

Oh my mouth is watering--I forgot how much I love fresh toasted pumpkin seeds!

Rose Clearfield (author) from Milwaukee, Wisconsin on October 16, 2012:

Thanks, Liz! Enjoy the new recipes.

Thanks for the pin, Julie!

That's awesome, Jamie. :) Enjoy the new recipes with your husband.

Jamie Brock from Texas on October 16, 2012:

Oh, my goodness! I had no idea there were different ways to do pumpkin seeds..The sweet ones sound delish! I will have to give some of these a try since my husband is so crazy about pumpkin seeds. He ALWAYS insists that we save them when we carve out pumpkins every year!. Great hub :)

Blurter of Indiscretions from Clinton CT on October 16, 2012:

Wow! Who knew...I am going to pin this :)

Eunice Elizabeth from Vancouver, BC on October 16, 2012:

Wow fabulous delicious new recipes to try, I never really thought about trying anything out of the pumpkin seeds other than the regular roasting

Well done

Voted useful & voted up

Liz

Rose Clearfield (author) from Milwaukee, Wisconsin on October 16, 2012:

Thanks, Linda! You'll have to give it a try sometime.

Linda Chechar from Arizona on October 16, 2012:

I love pumpkin seeds, but have never tried different flavors. Thanks for the great recipes!

Rose Clearfield (author) from Milwaukee, Wisconsin on October 15, 2012:

Carol, that sounds like a good plan! :) Thanks.

That's great, Crystal! Thanks.

Crystal Tatum from Georgia on October 15, 2012:

Wonderful ideas and very timely. I personally don't like pumpkin, but I do like the seeds. Voted up and useful.

carol stanley from Arizona on October 15, 2012:

I would buy a pumpkin to try some of these seed creations. Sound delish... Thanks for all the different ways to eat these yummy seeds. You can ship over any leftovers you have. Thanks so much.

Rose Clearfield (author) from Milwaukee, Wisconsin on October 15, 2012:

Thanks, Bill! I'm with you on the garlic. Enjoy the recipes.

Bill Holland from Olympia, WA on October 15, 2012:

I had no idea there were so many ways to make pumpkin seeds....got to go with the spicy....and the more garlic the better. Great job Rose; I'll be trying some of these in a week or two.