These sweet salty roasted pumpkin seeds are a perfect snack made with fresh pumpkin seeds, warm cinnamon, sweet sugar, and salt.
Next time you’re done carving pumpkins for Halloween, or cleaning out Butternut squash for soup, don’t throw away the seeds!
Those little gems can be easily transformed into a delicious and irresistible snack that has a perfect balance of fall flavors!
These sweet salty roasted pumpkin seeds get devoured at every party. They’re made with fresh pumpkin (or squash) seeds, sprinkled with warm and cozy cinnamon, sweet sugar, and to balance it all out, a pinch of salt.
Don’t be surprised if these sweet salty roasted pumpkin seeds get eaten faster than you can refill the bowls at your next party!
Table of Contents
Ingredients for roasted pumpkin seeds
- Cleaned whole pumpkin seeds – These are easy to find in any squash this time of year!
- Olive oil – Olive oil is the fat of choice here to help the spices adhere to the seeds and to help them toast up in the oven.
- Granulated sugar – Granulated sugar will add sweetness to the seeds.
- Cinnamon – Cinnamon will add warmth and is a great fall flavor.
- Kosher salt- Kosher salt is necessary to help balance the sweetness and enhance the flavors.
From what types of vegetables can you harvest seeds?
Don’t be worried if you can’t get your hands on a pumpkin, you can use a lot of different seeds from different vegetables!
Here are some great options for seeds:
- Butternut squash
- Spaghetti squash
- Acorn squash
How to prepare seeds for eating
After you’ve scooped out your seeds, you’ll notice the membranes can still be stuck on the seeds.
To remove the membrane, simply put the seeds in a colander and run them under water, gently rubbing the membranes off.
Next, lay the seeds out on some paper towels (or a kitchen towel) on the counter, and dry them thoroughly.
Make sure to dry them well! The drier the seeds get here, the crispier they’ll bake up in the oven!
If you’re looking to save some time, feel free to buy plain pumpkin seeds from the grocery store that are ready to be seasoned and baked.
Keeping the sugar from burning
This recipe reminds me a bit of my Praline Pecans because you’re getting a ton of delicious flavor from the seasoned sugar but you risk burning the sugar if you’re not careful.
I like to just give the pumpkin seeds a stir every 5 minutes so I know that I have an eye on the roasted seeds and they don’t burn.
I do not recommend letting them cook much longer than 7-8 minutes without checking them so you don’t accidentally burn the batch.
Storage and leftovers
Lastly, you can store leftover roasted pumpkin seeds in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week – if they last that long!
More fall snacks
- Love a soft, warm pretzel? Try my Garlic Parmesan Soft Pretzels
- Want something spicy to feed a hungry crowd? Try my Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Nuggets
- Need something satisfying? Try my Everything Bagel Pigs in a Blanket
- Looking for something beautiful and tasty? Try my Cranberry Brie Pinwheels
Sweet and Salty Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 cup rinsed and cleaned whole pumpkin seeds
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoon kosher salt)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Line a baking sheet pan with a silpat or parchment paper and set aside.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl add pumpkin seeds, oil, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and kosher salt.
- Toss to combine until the seeds are evenly coated in both oil and the sugar-cinnamon mixture.
- Add the coated seeds to the prepared baking sheet pan and spread out into an even layer.
- Add the sheet pan to the preheated oven and give the seeds a stir every 5 minutes to help evenly toast them and help the sugar to not burn, total cooking time should be around 15 minutes.
- Pull the seeds out of the oven and let cool for 10 minutes.
- After cooling, you can break apart the pumpkin seeds into small chunks if they have stuck together.