How to Roast Pumpkin Seeds (Butter or No Oil Option)

How to roast pumpkin seeds is a question every pumpkin carving family asks every fall. All you need is butter, salt, and the seeds from the pumpkin you already carved.

They come out salty, buttery, and so crunchy you will not be able to stop eating them. Buy an extra pumpkin this fall just for the seeds. Check out the easy no oil option below too.

The kids will love a large carving pumpkin, and you can save all the seeds for a healthy snack.

Why You’ll Love This

• Ready in under 20 minutes with just butter and salt
• Uses the seeds you would normally throw away after carving
• Crunchy, salty, and buttery, the whole family fights over the bowl
• Easy no oil option included for anyone watching added fat
• Simple enough for kids to help scoop and season

Ingredients

• Seeds from 1 large carving pumpkin
• 2 to 3 tablespoons butter, melted (skip for the no oil version)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

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Equipment

• Large metal spoon
• Colander
• Baking sheet pan
• Parchment paper or a silicone mat

How to Roast Pumpkin Seeds

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
2. Scoop out the seeds. Use a large sturdy metal spoon to scrape the pulp and seeds from your pumpkin into a big bowl.
3. Rinse the seeds. Pour them into a colander and rinse under cool water, pulling away the stringy pulp as you go.
4. Dry the seeds. Pat them dry with a towel, or for the best crunch, let them air dry on a paper towel for 24 to 48 hours before roasting.
   Pro tip: drier seeds roast up crunchier.
5. Spread and season. Lay the seeds in a single layer on your prepared pan. Drizzle with melted butter and toss to coat, then sprinkle with salt.
6. Roast. Bake for about 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes so the seeds toast evenly and do not burn.
7. Cool and enjoy. Let the seeds cool on the pan for a few minutes before digging in.
   Pro tip: they crisp up even more as they cool.

Kirchner Family Favorite Way of Roasting Pumpkin Seeds

One of my fondest memories as a child is carving pumpkins and the roasted pumpkin seeds that came after. I am not sure when our family tradition started, but I remember being very small and watching my dad take a big knife to our pumpkins and carve the traditional triangle face.

My dad would wash and dry the seeds and place them on a paper towel on a window sill to dry for roasting the next day. We would carve the pumpkins, get into our costumes homemade by our mother, and go to friends’ houses for trick or treat.

The next day we would roast the clean pumpkin seeds on a sheet pan with butter and a sprinkle of salt. A very traditional way to roast pumpkin seeds.

As I got older my dad taught me how to make roasted pumpkin seeds. We had a large picture window in the front of the house, and every year the seeds would dry in that window.

Red Wagon Farm

When I got married, my husband Jim’s family operated a vegetable farm. Every year they have a large pumpkin festival, and pumpkins are everywhere.

Jim’s mother, Grace Ross Buonpane’s brother, Richard Ross owns a farm in  Columbia Station, Ohio called Red Wagon Farm. Uncle Dick’s farm is a cherished memory for my husband and our children, especially around the fall season. Uncle Dick started Red Wagon Farm when Jim was a little boy. Jim has loved his uncle and the farm all his life, and now we share that love with our children.

Here are many of our fun-filled visits. The kids love to eat fresh apples from the store while we’re on the un-scary wagon ride, where silly scarecrows stand up and wave at you and tell silly jokes out of an old shed back in the woods.

The children also love the hay maze where you could get lost in fun for almost an hour.  Uncle Dick would take us on a tour of the vegetable field and let up pick our own fresh from the field.

My husband Jim and son Joey in the pumpkin patch looking for the best pumpkin.

Red Wagon full of large carving pumpkins for sale. 

My husband Jim and his Uncle Dick Ross, the entrepreneur and original business owner of the farm. The farm is now run by Uncle Dick’s son, Eric Ross.

Carving Pumpkins and Saving the Seeds

Carving happy Halloween pumpkins is a fun family way to make pumpkin decorations this spooky season. Halloween decorations do not have to be scary for your family to have fun making them.

For small children, it is best to let mom and dad remove the top of the pumpkin. This can be done with a carving knife, or a plastic pumpkin carving gadget like Christene is using in the picture above. Or we have a great new way by having mom or dad use a jigsaw. So much faster, and you can get to the fun part of carving a design.

Our family used the traditional triangle eyes and nose. However, you can find a lot of easy pumpkin carving ideas with a search on the internet. There are lots of fun happy designs with free patterns.

Why Buy Extra Pumpkins?

The number one reason to buy extra big pumpkins in the fall is to make a lot of roasted pumpkin seeds. But there are many other reasons.

As soon as the cool air arrives up north where we live, everyone starts to decorate with a variety of beautiful pumpkins. Even our relatives down south start the fall tradition of pumpkins as table decorations, porch, and mantle decorations. 

Here is a very cute post on Decorating with Pumpkins for Fall. The beautiful young girl carving the pumpkin above is the author of the post, and I know you will love her entire blog on decorating.

Variations

• No oil option: skip the butter, toss the dried seeds with a little salt, and roast the same way
• Any winter squash seed works the same way, just watch smaller seeds closely so they do not overcook
• Spiced: toss with garlic powder, cayenne pepper, or pumpkin pie spice before roasting
• Sweet: coat with a little maple syrup or brown sugar and cinnamon
• Extra crunch: make sure the seeds are completely dry before they go in the oven

Substitute for Pumpkin Seeds

I have found that you can roast any squash seed. As long as the squash has a large seed, it can be roasted using the same process. Even little seeds can be roasted, just adjust the time so they do not get overdone. You want to have a light golden brown roasted seed.

How to Store Pumpkin Seeds Before and After Roasting

Let the seeds cool completely, then store in an airtight container. They stay crunchy on the counter or in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.

Frequently Asked Questions

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