The Fundamentals of Roasted Pumpkin & Squash Seeds
There are a lot of misconceptions about roasting pumpkins and guards. Some of them are old wives tales that don't hold up under scrutiny. And some of them are just bad advice from people who appear to have no idea what they're talking about! Either way, roasted pumpkin seeds and roasted squash seeds are quick and easy to make. And oftentimes a lot simpler than most recipes will make out!
Equipment
- Spoon
- Baking Sheet (or oven-safe skillet or baking dish)
- Oven
Ingredients
- seeds of 1 gourd (pumpkin, squash, or gourd of choice)
- ~1 tbsp. olive oil
- dash salt
- dash pepper (or spices of choice)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Cut gourd in half.
- 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, pepper, and/or any seasoning of choice.For a pie pumpkin, butternut squash, or similarly-sized gourd, this is about 1/4 teaspoon. For larger squash and gourds, this can be up to a tablespoon. Although there is some leeway here for personal taste. To the standard American pallet, I tend to under-salt and over-spice a lot of foods! And I always figure, why be bland? Although there is no going back after you overdo it! So, it can be better to add sparingly and then add more later on.You also 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.
- For smaller gourds, roast the seeds for 6-8 minutes, or until just golden brown. For larger ones, this can be up to 20 minutes.There is very little leeway when roasting seeds! The difference between perfectly golden brown and burnt can be as little as 30-60 seconds! Larger seeds are more forgiving. But, for the most part, I will check the seeds in the first 5 minutes and then recheck every 2 minutes until they're done. For larger seeds, which might take 15-20 minutes to roast, checking in 5 minute increments is perfectly acceptable as well.
- 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, you can leave them on the tray. If they're definitely done or even overdone slightly, remove from the baking sheet as soon as possible! Otherwise, they may cook too much during the cooling process.