The Fundamentals of Roasted Pumpkin Seeds w/ Jack-o-Lanterns
Jack-o-Lantern Seeds are one of the best parts of carving pumpkins. Just scoop out the seeds, coat in olive oil, salt, and pepper, and bake for about 7 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. No need to wash or dry. All parts of the pumpkin are edible. Although the seeds are going to be the tastiest! I'd recommend a pie pumpkin or calabaza squash for cooking.
Equipment
- Spoon
- Baking Sheet (or oven-safe skillet or baking dish)
- Oven
Ingredients
- seeds of Jack-o-lantern
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- dash salt
- dash pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Cut the top of the pumpkin and remove the stem. Carve into Jack-o-lantern.
- Using a spoon, scoop out the innards to remove all of the seeds and stringy pieces.
- Separate the seeds.This can be kind of tedious, but stick with it. The "guts" are still edible, but can be texturally unpleasant and burn faster than the seeds. I will usually keep them to puree into soup or pet food. However, most people will discard them! Just make sure not to toss any seeds!
- Add seeds to a bowl and sprinkle with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
- You want just enough oil to coat them, but not drown them. You're roasting, not deep frying here! You can also do this directly on the baking sheet. Just be careful not to over oil them. You're roasted the seeds, not deep frying them!The exact amount of salt and pepper also depends on the amount of seeds and personal preference. You can always add more after roasting if you under season it.
- Spread across a baking sheet so that the seeds aren't touching too much.I will pat my fingers across the seeds to rapidly separate them. It's almost like trying to flatten the pile. The seeds will just slide away from one another. It's alright if they're touching, just not on top of one another.
- Roast the seeds for 6-8 minutes, or until just golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and immediately the seeds or remove from the baking sheet entirely to let cool.They will continue to cook slightly on the baking sheet. So, if you don't mind them a little crisper, leave on. If they're definitely done or even overdone slightly, remove from the baking sheet as soon as possible!
Tips, Tricks, & Notes
- The exact temperature of roasted pumpkin seeds isn't that important. I often roast them when I'm making another dish that requires pumpkin. Anything between 350 and 450 degrees is fine. Just keep a good eye on them! Seeds are best roasted quickly. Too low a temperature will dry them out. And too high a temperature can make it easy to burn them. There's about a 30 second difference between perfectly roasted and burnt.
- For more tips and tricks, check out my article on The Fundamentals of Roasted Pumpkin & Squash Seeds.