Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Are you carving a pumpkin for Halloween? What about roasted a pumpkin for soup, or to make your very own pumpkin puree? Odds are, if you’re participating in any of the above, then what will you do with all those pumpkin seeds? The best idea would be to make your very own roasted pumpkin seeds.

Related: Mom’s Spiced Pumpkin Pie Recipe

What are the Benefits of Eating Roasted Pumpkin Seeds?

Pumpkin seeds are extremely good for you. Here is an overview of some of the benefits:

• They are one of the few seeds that are high in iron. Making them a great choice for those with anemia, who are vegetarian or can’t eat meat.
• High in Zinc – pumpkin seeds can help those with osteoporosis.
• Pumpkin seeds are high in Magnesium – which helps with migraines, cellular metabolism and heart function.
• Pumpkin seeds are also said to help lower cholesterol and fight cancer because the contain phytosterols.
• These seeds are also used to kill parasites. Many homesteaders feed their chickens and pigs parasites to help kill tapeworms and other harmful parasites.

Roasting your own pumpkin seeds in very easy. When gutting out the pumpkin, I put all of the pulp and pumpkin seeds in a colander. Once the entire pumpkin has been cleaned, simply remove the large stringy bits that don’t have many seeds and throw them in the trash. Once you have mostly seeds, rinse the seeds under cold water while still in the colander and separate the seeds from the stringy pumpkin bits. The seeds should separate easily.

Related: How to Make Your Own Pumpkin Puree

How to Roast Pumpkin Seeds

Step One:

Pre-heat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the pumpkin seeds in a medium bowl and coat the seeds thoroughly with olive oil. I used about a Tbsp per cup of pumpkin seeds.

Step Two:

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lay one layer of pumpkin seeds on the baking sheet. Salt the pumpkin seeds with season salt. Salt as heavily as you would like.

Step Three:

Bake for 20-25 minutes at 325 degrees, or until pumpkin seeds begin to brown. Remove seeds from the oven and allow them to cool. Enjoy!