Now that you’ve carved your pumpkins, don’t throw the seeds out. Pumpkin seeds are high in fibre, full of vitamins (E and Bs), Omega 3 essential fatty acids, minerals and anti-oxidants. And they taste good! They are also a great source of protein (as much as nuts) – think kids’ lunches and snacks.

Get your hands in there (I love this part) and pick out all of the seeds from the gunk, and spread them out on a cookie sheet. I love the smell and the feel. (My 5 year old did not agree, last night.)

Do not rinse your seeds! Washing removes the natural flavour. You want some of the pumpkin taste. There are many different options for flavouring, such as:

• sea salt (with or without oil; if the seeds are still wet from the pumpkin I omit)
• olive oil, paprika, tamari (wheat-free soy sauce) and salt
• curry or chili powder, oil, salt, garlic
• cumin, cayenne, coconut oil, salt (my aunt’s recipe)

Any spices will work – cinnamon, ginger, cumin, cayenne, etc. You could add some maple syrup if you want a bit of sweet. 

gluten free, dairy free, vegan, paleo, nut free

roasted pumpkin seeds
300º, 15-30 min

I’m spreading my seeds onto two trays, for two reasons. One, so that they will be single layer and brown nicely. Two, so I can do two different flavours. You want to allow them time to dry before you season (even over night), but you can also pat them dry with a paper towel in a pinch. Having some moisture from the pumpkin is also, ok (I simply omit the oil).

It’s always good to check after 20 minutes to be sure they aren’t browning too much; and, if they need to go back in, always good to give them a stir before putting them back in to finish.

I have also used a 250º oven and it worked well. I really don’t like overcooked pumpkin seeds so if you like them on the soft side, try the lower heat.

I’m going to keep it simple and just use salt and oil on one tray (lower left tray in photo), and salt, tamari and garlic on the other tray. 

The amounts completely depend on how much seeds you have. I drizzled a small amount of oil and sprinkled salt to cover on the one, and the other I put approx 2 tsp of tamari and lightly sprinkled garlic and salt. Then mix the seeds around and shake the pans sideways to spread the seeds out into one layer again.

Check the seeds after 15 minutes to see how much they are browning and to also give them a stir. Time will depend a bit if they are in a single layer or not. (30 min was too long for the tamari tray but was perfect for the salt and oil tray.)

Enjoy!