Spiced Toasted Pumpkin Seeds – Fun Halloween Snack

Turn the waste from your carved pumpkin into spiced toasted pumpkin seeds by using pumpkin pie spice.

Halloween is a super fun time for kids.  Carving pumpkins and trick or treating will have them delighted for weeks. But don’t throw those pumpkin seeds away when you carve the pumpkin!

This is the time of the year when toasted nuts and seeds really come into their own.  See also my toasted pecans with a maple cinnamon glaze for another tasty snack. 

I love using all parts of the pumpkin. The puree can be used to make biscuits, waffles, muffins, cakes, and energy bites, but the seeds are often left out of recipes.

There are lots of ways to season your pumpkin seeds.  Sometimes, I just use oil and salt.  Paprika Roasted Pumpkin seeds are also nice. Cinnamon sugar makes a sweet snack when added to oil and pumpkin seeds.

You can also experiment with heirloom pumpkins. They often have flavor profiles that will make the seeds taste quite different from normal pumpkin seeds.

Making these spiced toasted pumpkin seeds.

For today’s snack, I am thinking ahead to Thanksgiving and pumpkin pies. Pumpkin pie spice will combine with sea salt, sugar, and cracked black pepper to make a tasty and healthy snack that brings nostalgic family memories to mind.

If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice on hand just combine these spices:

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon ground clove
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Start by cleaning out your pumpkin.  You’ll end up with a pile of pumpkin seeds and pulp. Clean off the pulp by rinsing the seeds in a colander under cold water and then shaking it till they are dry. Don’t try to dry them on paper towels, or they will stick to them!

Arrange the pumpkin seeds on a baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper and toast them in a 400-degree oven for about 25 minutes. Be sure to flip them a few times to make sure they brown nicely.

Allow to cool and serve.  YUM

Time for a taste

These spiced toasted pumpkin seeds are sweet and spicy. Each bite reminds me of my mother’s homemade pumpkin pies! Enjoy!!

Want something fun to serve these pumpkin seeds in? Try making a DIY Paper Cone. It’s easy to make in just seconds!

Yield: 4

Spiced Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

Print

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

• One Pumpkin Cleaned of seeds
• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• Sea Salt and cracked black pepper to taste
• t tbsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
• 1 tbsp Sugar

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Using a spoon, scrape the pulp and seeds out of your pumpkin into a bowl.

Clean the seeds: Separate the seeds from the stringy pulp, rinse the seeds in a colander under cold water, then shake dry. Don't blot because the seeds will stick to paper towels.

In a bowl, toss the pumpkin seeds with the olive oil, salt and pepper, sugar, and pumpkin pie spice.

Spread the seasoned pumpkin seeds evenly on the lined baking pan. Roast for 20-25 minutes, turning the seeds every 10 minutes. Remove the seeds from the oven when they are crispy. Let them cool to room temperature and serve.

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