John Suder

Did you carve your Halloween pumpkin yet? Hope you didn’t throw away those seeds! Toasted Pumpkin Seeds are easy to make, taste great,  packed with protein and fiber (and are highly addictive!). We always prepare these while we’re carving our pumpkins (that way you only have one mess to clean up).

How to prepare Toasted Pumpkin Seeds:

When carving your pumpkin, use a large metal spoon to scrape the inside ‘pumpkin guts’ out into a large bowl or strainer. I use a strainer and run the water to separate the ‘guts’ from the seeds. The ‘guts’ are very fiberous and the seeds usually stick together in clumps. Separate the seeds and place in a large bowl.

In a large bowl, pour in olive oil until seeds are coated (but not drenched). Mix the seeds until the oil coats the seeds. Add a few pinches of kosher salt (this works much better than table salt – the granules are much larger and stick better.) Grind fresh pepper (optional) onto the seeds and mix.

Pour the seed mixture onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Spread them out as much as possible so that they cook evenly.

Sprinkle the seeds with your favorite sweet or savory seasoning. At our house, we’re big barbeque and spice fans, so we add Smoked Paprika. This adds a nice spicy, smoky flavor to the salty, peppery seeds.