Pumpkin Seeds (Pepitas) Eight Ways

First way: Yummy.

Second way: Delicious.

Third way: Delectable.

Fourth way: Tasty.

Fifth way: Scrumptious.

Sixth way: Finger-licking good.

Seventh way: Flavorful.

Eighth way: Delish.

Pumpkin seeds EIGHT ways. Things got a bit out of control. I thought about doing a pepita series (similar to my hot fudge series) but decided to give you all eight at once. I have so many great things to share with you that I don’t want to use up a whole week just talking about pumpkin seeds. A few of these recipes are adapted from Everyday Food magazine but the rest were thought up in my crazy big head. (Really, my head is crazy large. My poor daughter inherited this trait.)

I bought raw peptitas for these recipes (peptitas = shelled pumpkin seeds). You can use the seeds that you cleaned out of your pumpkin in these recipes, just make sure to clean and dry them thoroughly. The pepitas are not as tough since they don’t have the outer shell. The peptitas also don’t bring back pumpkin-carving memories like the seeds in the shells do, but they taste great and are much easier to prepare!

Ready for the recipes?

Here.

We.

Go.

Each recipe makes two cups, but feel free to scale back based on the amount of seeds you have, or the number of varieties you wish to make. (I obviously cut back each recipe, as we could probably never eat 16 cups of these!)

1. Traditional

2 cups pepitas
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 to 1 tsp of freshly ground pepper

1. Preheat oven to 300*F. Line cookie sheet with foil or parchment paper.
2. Combine all ingredients and spread in a single layer on prepared sheet pan.
3. Bake for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through. Seeds should be golden and crunchy.

2. Ginger Soy 

2 cups pepitas
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1.5 teaspoons ground ginger

1. Preheat oven to 300*F. Line cookie sheet with foil or parchment paper.
2. Combine all ingredients and spread in a single layer on prepared sheet pan.
3. Bake for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through. Seeds should be golden and crunchy.

3. Pumpkin Pie Spice

2 cups pepitas
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon fine salt

1. Preheat oven to 300*F. Line cookie sheet with foil or parchment paper.
2. Combine all ingredients and spread in a single layer on prepared sheet pan.
3. Bake for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through. Seeds should be golden and crunchy.

4. Maple Chili Powder

2 cups pepitas
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1.5 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon fine salt

1. Preheat oven to 300*F. Line cookie sheet with foil or parchment paper.
2. Combine all ingredients and spread in a single layer on prepared sheet pan.
3. Bake for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through. Seeds should be golden and crunchy.

5. Curry Lime

2 cups pepitas
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1.5 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon fine salt

1. Preheat oven to 300*F. Line cookie sheet with foil or parchment paper.
2. Combine all ingredients and spread in a single layer on prepared sheet pan.
3. Bake for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through. Seeds should be golden and crunchy.

6. Italian

2 cups pepitas
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon fine salt

1. Preheat oven to 300*F. Line cookie sheet with foil or parchment paper.
2. Combine all ingredients and spread in a single layer on prepared sheet pan.
3. Bake for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through. Seeds should be golden and crunchy.

7. Jamaican Jerk (Disclaimer: this is the only flavor that I didn’t actually bake. However, still wanted to share with you guys. Let me know if you try it!)

2 cups pepitas
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons Jamaican jerk seasoning, crumbled with your fingers
1/2 teaspoon fine salt

1. Preheat oven to 300*F. Line cookie sheet with foil or parchment paper.
2. Combine all ingredients and spread in a single layer on prepared sheet pan.
3. Bake for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through. Seeds should be golden and crunchy.

8. Latte

2 cups pepitas
1 tablespoon butter, melted
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1.5 teaspoons espresso powder

1. Preheat oven to 300*F. Line cookie sheet with foil or parchment paper.
2. Combine all ingredients and spread in a single layer on prepared sheet pan.
3. Bake for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through (watch these closely, they like to burn). Seeds should be golden and crunchy.

Verdict: Great snacking material, they would all be perfect to set out at a fall party. My favorite was the Maple Chili Powder, and my least favorite was the Curry Lime. I didn’t think that I really liked curry, and it turns out I’m right–but I still ate them. So they weren’t all bad.
Husband’s take: ”Good!” Sometimes he is a man of very few words. I pried him for more details. He said he liked the Maple Chili Powder the best. “They would be really good if you were just snacking on them and drinking beer.” Then he said he liked them all, and I asked “Even the curry?” (He is also not a fan of curry.) In response he said, “I didn’t hate the curry!” So there ya go. They are tasty.
Changes I would make: None.
Difficulty: Easy!

Tagged as: pepitas, pumpkin seeds