Fresh Pumpkin Seeds
Here are some of my favourite ideas and flavours for toasting fresh pumpkin seeds that often end up in the bin; two savoury and one sweet. The main takeaway, as always, is to get creative with different spices and see which take your fancy. They can be stored in an airtight jar and sprinkled over every meal! If the seeds become a little soft after a couple of days, reheat them for 5-10 minutes in the oven for a renewed crunch!
Servings: large jar Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients
Base for all flavours:
fresh pumpkin seeds from a cooking pumpkin, washed and dried to remove any flesh attached
1 tbsp olive oil or melted coconut oil (per cup of pumpkin seeds)
pinch sea salt
Flavour 1 – herby green:
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried rosemary
(or pre-mixed herbs)
Flavour 2 – smoked paprika & cumin:
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
Flavour 3 – cinnamon, vanilla & coconut sugar:
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tbsp coconut sugar (or any granulated sugar)
Method
- Preheat the oven to 170C fan and lightly grease a baking tray(s) with olive oil to ensure the seeds don’t stick.
- Scoop out the seeds from a cooking pumpkin and wash thoroughly to move as much pulp as possible. Dry completely using some kitchen towel or clean tea towel (this will ensure they crisp up well).
- Add the dry pumpkin seeds to a large mixing bowl then add the oil, sea salt and vanilla extract (if making flavour 3) and stir well.
- Add the dry ingredients of your chosen flavour and combine thoroughly using your hands or a wooden spoon until everything is evenly coated. If making multiple flavours, simply split out the seeds into separate bowls.
- Spread out the seeds onto the baking tray(s) so they are in a single layer, then bake for 15-20 minutes until the seeds are crispy and crunchy (to test this, remove a few from the oven, let them cool to room temperature and see if they are crunchy).
- Store in an airtight container and sprinkle over food.
