Best Butter Roasted Pumpkin Seeds: with Easy No Oil Option

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Roasting pumpkin seeds is a tradition your kids will look forward to every fall. Savory, salty, buttery, with that crunch.  You will find it hard to stop eating them. Buy an extra pumpkin this fall just for the seeds. You will love this simple recipe. Check out the no-oil option too.

Celebrate pumpkin season to the fullest with  Roasted Pumpkin Seeds. Enjoy the fall with this healthy, crunchy snack from your very own large carving pumpkin.

Make sure to buy an extra whole pumpkin when you are decorating this fall just for this pumpkin seed recipe. The kids will love a large carving pumpkin and you can save all the seeds for a healthy snack.

Buonpane Family Favorite Way of Roasting Pumpkin Seeds

One of my fondest memories as a child is carving pumpkins and the delicious roasted pumpkin seeds.  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 the seeds 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.

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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 the 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.

Red Wagon Farm Open for business for the annunal pumpkin festival.

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 Happy Halloween Pumpkins

Carving Happy Halloween Pumpkins is the family fun way to make pumpkin decorations this spooky season. Halloween decorations do not have to be scary to have fun. Finding easy pumpkin carving ideas that create a happy design is just as much fun for little ones.

For small children, it is best to let mom and dad remove the top of the pumpkin. This can be easily done with a carving knife, or a plastic pumpkin carving gadget like Christene is using in the picture below. 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.

How to Roast Pumpkin Seeds

In this guide, we’ll take you through the simple steps to turn those scooped-out seeds into a crunchy, flavorful treat that’s perfect for snacking.

1. Preheat the oven to 350°.
2. Remove the pumpkin seeds from a large pumpkin. Use a large strong metal spoon to scrape out the pulp and the seeds and put them in a large bowl.
3. Rince the slippery seeds in a colander and separate all the pulp.
4. Line a baking sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicon mat.
5. Spread the cleaned pumpkin seeds on the baking sheet pan in a single layer. 
6. Melt butter and spread evenly over the seeds.
7. Mix all the seeds to coat and then make sure they are in a single layer.
8. Lightly salt and stir.
9. Bake the pumpkin for about 15 minutes, every 5 minutes stir and make sure they do not overcook.

Substitute for Pumpkin Seeds

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

How to Store Pumpkin Seeds Before and After Roasting

Before roasting your pumpkin seeds when they are cleaned and patted dry. Let air dry for 24 to 48 hours on the counter on a paper towel. Once the seeds are completely dry, transfer them to an airtight container.

After the seeds are roasted allow to cool completely to room tempeture. Transfer the cooled seeds to an airtight container. A glass container works best but you can also use plastic. They will only last 3 or 4 days if they are not eaten first.

I have also just left them in an airtight container on my counter for up to 2 days.

Great Way to Add More Flavor

• Garlic Powder
• Black Pepper
• Cayenne Pepper
• Curry Powder
• Chili Powder
• Sea Salt
• Coat with Maple syrup and or Brown Sugar
• Pumpkin Pie Spice

Roasting Pumpkin Seeds

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• Author: Crafting a Family Dinner
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Additional Time: 0 hours
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 35 minutes

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Description

Roasting pumpkin seeds is a tradition your kids will look forward to every fall. Savory, salty, buttery, with that crunch. You will find it hard to stop eating them. Buy an extra pumpkin this fall just for the seeds.

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 4 cups of pumpkin seeds. The seeds from one large pumpkin
• 4 tablespoons of butter melted
• Salt

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°
2. Remove the pumpkin seeds from a large pumpkin. Use a large strong metal spoon to scrape out the pulp and the seeds and put them in a large bowl.

3. Rince the slippery seeds in a colander and separate all the pulp.

4. Line a baking sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicon mat.

5. Spread the cleaned pumpkin seeds on the baking sheet pan in a single layer. 
6. Melt butter and spread evenly over the seeds.
7. Mix all the seeds to coat and then make sure they are in a single layer.
8. Lightly salt and stir.
9. Bake the pumpkin for about 15 minutes, every 5 minutes stir and make sure they do not overcook.

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Notes

1. Roasted Pumpkin Seeds with no oil or butter. Instead of spraying your sheet pan with spray oil use parchment paper or a silicon mat. Spread the washed and patted dry seeds and place on the sheet pan in one single layer. Sprinkle with sea salt if desired. Roast in a 350° F oven for 15 minutes. After 10 minutes stir the seeds around for even cooking.

2.  Depending on how moist your seeds will determine how long it will take to roast them. You may also like them a lighter or darker color so you determine how long it takes to cook the seed. Have a fun time with your family carving pumpkins and making and eating roasted pumpkin seeds!

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Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1
• Calories: 230
• Sugar: 1
• Sodium: 124
• Fat: 15
• Saturated Fat: 5
• Unsaturated Fat: 9
• Trans Fat: 0
• Carbohydrates: 19
• Fiber: 6
• Protein: 6
• Cholesterol: 15

Keywords: roasted pumpkin seeds

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