How to Clean and Roast Pumpkin Seeds-Flour On My Face

One of our favorite things to do each Halloween is roast pumpkins seeds.

Over the years I have figured out the easiest Way to Clean and Roast Pumpkin Seeds.

Let me show you How To Clean and Roast Pumpkin Seeds the easy way!

This recipe was originally shared on Oct 31, 2012 and has been updated with text and new photos on October 7, 2021.

How to pick a pumpkin

I've taken to picking out smaller pumpkins for the grandkids to carve and decorate.

The smaller size is great for the kids but if you're looking for big pumpkin seeds to roast be sure to buy a big pumpkin.

The bigger the pumpkin the bigger the pumpkin seeds will be.

Best Pumpkin Carving Kit

Speaking of carving pumpkins. We love carving pumpkins. We make a big deal out of it.

The adults get involved and we try to outdo each other with our pumpkin carving designs.

I finally found a great pumpkin carving tool kit that is for the serious pumpkin carvers.

My son-in-law Scott has some mad awesome pumpkin carving skills so when I saw this awesome pumpkin carving kit I bought both of us one.

This pumpkin carving tool kit has a sturdy walnut handle and comes with interchangeable blades that make carving those intricate pumpkin designs so much easier.

I saw this awesome Pumpkin Carving Kit on Amazon recently and it comes with 18 high-quality pumpkin carving tools.

It's called the Grampa Bardeen's Family Pumpkin Carving Set. Grampa Bardeen was apparently a master pumpkin carver.

It's a little out of my price range but if you need a really awesome gift for someone who has everything and loves to carve pumpkins this would be great.

What size pumpkin for the best roasted pumpkin seeds?

I believe in waste not want not so as long as the seeds are big enough to crack open and eat I will roast them.

The bigger the pumpkin the larger the seeds.

If you love to make roasted pumpkin seeds like I do... then do like I do and buy a huge pumpkin just so you can harvest the pumpkin seeds for roasting.

Sometimes those really big pumpkins aren't very good for carving. Once you scrape out the strings and seeds removing some of the pumpkin pulp the walls of the pumpkin will get weak. This is what causes the walls to fall in after you have carved your jack'o lantern face. from the unsupported weight of the sides.

But they do have the largest pumpkin seeds for roasting.

Easiest Way To Clean And Roast Pumpkin Seeds

Tip to get all the Pumpkin Pulp off Pumpkin Seeds

Over the years I have learned a great little trick to get all the stringy pieces of pumpkin pulp off the seeds.

Collage image with the four steps of cleaning pumpkin seeds out of a pumpkin.

Step 1: First, carefully cut the top off of the pumpkin.

Step 2: Clean out the inside of the pumpkin using a pumpkin cleaning tool scraping the strings and seeds from the walls of the pumpkin.

Step 3: Put everything - the seeds and pumpkin pulp into a very large bowl or pot that will fit into your sink.

Step 4: Fill the bowl with water.

Four photo collage showing the easy steps to seperate pumpkin strings from pumpkin seeds.

Step 5: Agitate the water with your hands to help separate the seeds from the strings and pulp. Most of it will sink to the bottom of the bowl.

Step 6: Pour the floating seeds into a colander. Stopping before the strings and pulp that are on the bottom of the bowl fall into the colander with the seeds.

Step 7: Rinse the seeds and pulp under running water. Pick out the large pieces of pumpkin pulp. Most of the remaining pumpkin strings will drain out of the colander.

Step 8: Pour the pumpkin seeds back into the bowl and fill with water.

Step 9: Fill the bowl with water. The remaining pieces of pumpkin pulp will sink and the pumpkin seeds will float to the top.

Cleaned pumpkin seeds floating on top of water in a bowl.

Step 10: Use a small plastic or metal strainer to scoop the now cleaned pumpkin seeds from the bowl.

How to flavor roasted pumpkin seeds

I've seen lots of recipes for flavored pumpkin seeds out there. You're not going to find that here. We like good old salted pumpkin seeds in this family. The saltier the better.

But if you want to have flavored roasted pumpkin seeds you can sprinkle the seeds with some seasoning before you roast them.

Ingredients to make roasted salted pumpkin seeds

fresh Pumpkin Seeds {about 3 ½ cups}
a large Bowl
3-4 cups water
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons of sea salt

Directions to make roasted pumpkin seeds

Measure 4 cups of water and a ½ cup of sea salt in a large bowl.
Warm the water in the microwave for 2-3 minutes.
Stir until most of the salt has dissolved.
You may still have a little salt on the bottom but that is fine.
Add the pumpkin seeds and let soak for at one to three hours. The longer they soak the saltier the pumpkin seeds will be.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Pour the pumpkin seeds into a large colander to drain.
Spread the pumpkin seeds in a single layer on a cookie sheet.
Sprinkle two tablespoons of sea salt all over the pumpkin seeds and stir to evenly coat.
Place the cookie sheet in the oven and bake for 20-30 minutes depending on how large and how many pumpkin seeds you have. Every five minutes or so rotate the pan and using a spatula flip the seeds.
Bake until all seeds are dry.
The shell should still be a pale white color.
Do not allow the shell to brown.

Recipe FAQS

Do you need to wash pumpkin seeds?

Pumpkin seeds should be washed before your roast them. It is easier to remove the pulp and strings from pumpkin seeds before you roast them.

How do you remove the pulp from pumpkin seeds?

The easiest way to remove pulp from pumpkin seeds before you roast them is to soak the seeds in a bowl of water. Agitate the water and most of the pulp and strings will fall off.

Can you eat pumpkin seeds from a carving pumpkin?

Yes, you can make delicious salted and roasted pumpkin seeds from the pumpkins you are carving.

Recipe Expert Tips

How to make salty roasted pumpkin seeds: There is a trick to getting really salty pumpkin seeds. Some people just sprinkle the salt on the pumpkin seeds after they have spread them out on a baking sheet.
The best way to get really salty pumpkin seeds is to soak the seeds in highly salted water first before roasting them.

Salted and roasted pumpkin seeds on a baking tray.

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