Pumpkin Seeds (Pepitas) Eight Ways
The options are endless for roasted pumpkin seeds (peptitas). Here are 8 flavorful ways to enjoy these tasty little seeds.
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!
Hi, I'm Rachel! This site features a wide variety of recipes with one common thread: easy preparations. I love creating accessible and delicious food that will please the whole family. Hope you enjoy! (
I vote for Maple Chili Powder! Actually they all sound delicious but Maple Chili Powder is at the top of my list! Yum!
I definitely want to try the pumpkin spice pepitas! I adore pumpkin seeds but haven’t seen them in stores. Where did you find them?
I got mine at Nino Salvaggios, do you have those stores in AA? I’d look in a specialty grocery store, or maybe Whole Foods?
I’ve never heard of Nino’s. I’ll be checking WF. :)
Try Nuts.com. That’s where I get mine. THANKS for the great recipes!
These all look delish! I just cleaned out my pantry this morning and found a bag of pepitas just begging to be roasted. Now I have to decide which of these to make! I’m thinking Ginger Soy and Jerk… Thanks for all the great options!
I want to try all of them! The ginger soy especially has me intrigued. I have the same question as Christina: where do you buy them? I have never seen them at the store.
I got mine at Nino Salvaggios, but I think it is a local chain? I’d look in a specialty grocery store, or maybe Whole Foods?
No Whole Foods in GR, but I called and they have them at Russo’s. :)
Perfect! So you actually live in GR? What a small world! Did you grow up there?
I live in a small town just south of GR, close enough that I do all my shopping there. We have lived here just over 4 years now. We are originally from Fort Wayne, IN. My husband is a pastor; this is where he got his first call.
LOOK. AT. THAT.
My heart just freaked out.
I haven’t seen pepitas in my stores but I’ve been on the lookout. Mmm!
Wowza! I’m usually a big fan of traditional, but now I’m anxious to try out some of these awesome new flavors!! :)
Trader Joe’s has raw, unbaked Pumpkin Seeds.
Nice!
My favorite thing about this time of year is not just carving pumpkins but eating the seeds afterwards! I’m bookmarking this for our pumpkin carving party later this month. Thank you!
yummy! we leave the shells on when roasting our seeds. these look great!
Whoa!!!! I think I’m in love?!!! Pepitas will be added to my grocery list for this week!
oh my goodness. that jamaican jerk one sounds so good!
Yes, I love pumpkin seeds. All of these flavor combinations sound perfect too. The seeds are completely worth the effort of carving a pumpkin!
wow—great list! I’ll pull this out if we get around to carving a few pumpkins!! :)
I love this list! You’re inspiring me to carve a pumpkin now…big time. The latte flavor might easily be my favorite-and become my newest addiction!
Love every single last one of these fantastic pepita ideas. Do you buy them in bulk? Also,your photos have truly gotten amazing…are you getting that good…better camera…external lighting…what’s you secret?! Do tell! :)
I didn’t buy them in bulk, just bought two packages from a local gourmet grocery store. My photos? First of all, thanks! It is still kind of hit or miss–my post Friday isn’t as pretty as this one. I got a new camera for Mother’s Day (Canon Rebel T3i). These particular photos (all the photos w/ the wood background) are taken on my balcony where there is good natural lighting. The weather has been nice here–now it is rainy and gross again so I’m sure my pictures will suffer. I bought Plate to Pixel, so I’m trying to pick up a few tricks from that book too.
I just bought a bag of pepitas to make a chocolate covered bar with pepitas but now I may have to try one of these. They all sound great except the Italian one. I think of pepitas to be associated with a different spice, more like the others although the lime wouldn’t fit in that category but those sounds yummy as well.
Looking forward to trying some of these. I’ll bet they’d be great on top of salads as well once spiced up.
Thanks for sharing these recipes. What fun!
They would be excellent on top of a salad!
Oh my goodness! Now I have to make ALL of these! They look so good! {Love the pictures too!}
Those all look fabulous! Your pictures are mouth watering!
I love pepitas! I never would have imagined so many ways to enjoy them. The pumpkin pie spice is a nice little play on where the come from. Good for a Thanksgiving starter/nibble.
What an amazing set of recipes! I think the maple chilli gets my vote too, although ginger soy sounds lovely as well. I always thought pumpkin seeds were healthy but a little bland and boring – I couldn’t have been more wrong!
This is so clever. Would you link it to my pumpkin round up today? Pretty please???
Thanks for all the ideas! I’m loving the latte ones.
Wow – 8 ways – where do i start. . .very nice!
I think I really need to try a few variations of these – esp. the latte and chili ones. I always have pepitas in my pantry for granola and other recipes and this would definitely be a nice change up!
I loved the chili ones. Could eat them by the handful!
Yummy! I love pumpkin seeds. It is my favorite part of carving a pumpkin! I found the raw ones at my local Kroger.
Did you really? Our Kroger stinks.
The maple chili powder, curry lime, and latte all sound so delicious! I have a few pie pumpkins that I need to roast, so I’ll have to save the seeds and try a few of these recipes out! Thanks for sharing.
Awesome! I think I totally have to link your blog on mine next week! I’m doing a countdown to Halloween for the next two weeks starting Monday and THIS is a great idea for pumpkin seeds. Thanks! :)
Awesome, thanks! Let me know when you post it!
I love your writing style Rachel – it’s so conversational!
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Love this post! Every single idea sounds great but you really sold me on the maple chile powder variety. Those sound right up my alley. Now I just have to find me a pumpkin to gut! Mwaha.
I was reading this yesterday while munching on pepitas and realized I had everything to make the maple chile ones. They were really great – my 21 month old can’t get enough. We’ll be making those again for our Halloween party this weekend. Thanks for sharing!
Awesome! Thanks for letting me know. They were by far my favorite flavor too.
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Thanks for all the great ideas! My friends and I watched Hocus Pocus and carved pumpkins on Saturday night. I pulled up your post for reference and we decided on maple chile (my favorite) and pumpkin pie (my friend’s favorite). I just wish we hadn’t eaten them all that night!
Wow!! I bought pepitas fairly randomly from the supermarket tonight and while googling what they are (apart from delicious in pumpkin scones!) I came across your site. Maple chilli are in the oven right now :) oops, midnight cooking!
How cool! Hope you love them!!!
This reminds me of one of my all-time favorite snack recipes a colleague introduced me to called “Pumpkin Pie Pepitas.” My colleague gives it away as gifts…I on the other hand can’t bear to give it away whenever I make a batch. It’s just too good. :-)
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How are raw pepitas supposed to taste? Do They taste a little bitter or should tasty nutty and sweet all the way through.
I wouldn’t describe them as bitter. They are flavorful though. They’ll have a nice roasted taste after you use them in these recipes though.
What a terrific cook you must be! I love this recipe with the 8 variations. I can’t wait to try them. I was introduced to the small pie pumpkins several years ago by a cousin in Tennessee when she gave me one out of her garden and a recipe for pumpkin fudge. When I read this recipe I thought maybe the pepitas would be good using a fudge flavor. What do you think? Would it work? I love sweet and salty.
I think that would be wonderful! Let me know how it turns out!
Hiya… LOVE your recipes…… I’m from the uk – don’t tend to do pumpkin things sooooo much over here – if I take all the seeds out of a fresh pumpkin, do you eat the seed shells? do you have to “peel” them? do you roast them in the “shells”? – soooo many questions!!
Thank you! You can definitely use pumpkin seeds out of a pumpkin. Make sure to wash and dry them thoroughly. The shells are edible!
This is fabulous Rachel! Can’t wait to try the curry lime version. Pinning and sharing on my Facebook page! :)
Thanks Ashley! Appreciate the shares. :)
Thanks for great recipes! I had a bag of pumpkin seeds I got at Whole Foods a while ago, and now I know what to do with them… ROAST!! The maple chili ones were OUTSTANDING! Boyfriend demanded I made more for him :-)
So glad you liked them!
Oh no, we didn’t like them. We LOVED them! :-)
OMG these recipes sound fantastic! I just found a recipe for a salad with a creamy cilantro-jalapeno recipe, and it called for roasted pumpkin seeds. All I could find at the store were raw, so this is how I found your site!! :-) My first attempt, for this salad, will be using your measurements for the curry-lime seasoning but subbing chili powder for the curry(I’m a huge fan of curry, so I WILL be making that one too!). And since the maple chili pepitas are getting high votes, I might just have to try that one as well… with maple flavored agave nectar (I can’t do sugars anymore). One question: what is the best way to store these once roasted? If my hubby and I really like them, I might want to keep them around for snacking or sending them with him to work.
Hope you love them! They’ll store in an airtight container for a couple of weeks — no need to refrigerate or anything.
I just baked the Curry Lime Pepita recipe and it is absolutely delicious!! My husband loved them too.
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All those flavors sound amazing, and I intend to make a couple of them for Christmas gifts this year! The only one I’ve made so far was your curry-lime flavor, but since I was actually looking for a chipotle-lime recipe, I substituted 1 teaspoon of chili powder for the curry powder and 1/2 teaspoon of ground chipotle for the rest (maybe a tad more; i like spicy!). I left out the coriander. Eventually, I will make them all, but next time definitely the maple-chile and ginger-soy! Thanks, Rachael!!
Do you think they would ship well, like maybe over a few days in a zip-type bag?
absolutely!
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Rachel,
Thanks for the recipes for Pepitas. I used the traditional method since I am mixing them in a trail mix but the others sound delicious. I get my seeds and nuts at Kroger where they have them by the pound in bins so you can get the amount you need. Whole Foods carries them too.
First, my apologies for incorrectly spelling your name! Second, I also apologize for two posts about the same thing within a year; guess I’d forgotten I’d already posted here before… guess I’m getting old! LOL ;-)
Thank you for the advice about shipping in a zip bag. My family loves when I send homemade goodies from home for Christmas, so these are what’s up this year.
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The maple chili recipe is fantastic! I have never liked pumpkin seeds in the past, but these are truly addictive! Thank you!
Loved your 8 ways! I tried a few and LOVED them – maple and chili powder was outstanding! I am a huge fan of middle eastern food so you inspired me to experiment with flavors! I used 2 tsp morrocan spice, olive oil and salt (in your proportions above) Amazing! Thanks for your site!
Thank you for the kind comment! I’m so glad you liked them!
These recipes look wonderful! I can’t wait to try the maple chili. I’ll definitely tag #rachelcooks when I get around to making them! Thanks!
Great, thank you so much! I hope you love them – maple chili is one of my favorites.
Can coconut oil be substituted for olive oil?
I think that would work great!
I found my pepitas on Walmart.com
I humbly suggest using coconut oil instead of olive, especially for the sweeter varieties like latte and pumpkin spice!!!
I agree, that would be delicious!
Love the chilli maple ones! Have made them twice. They don’t last long. Too yummy! I used a bit less chilli the second time and it was perfect for us.
So happy to hear that you like these! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!
Trying to get more nuts and seeds in my life and pepitas are a fave. What awesome flavour combos here. Being a major maple addict, I’m going to have to start there. And of course, it’s getting lots of love here. Off I go!
That’s awesome, Kati! Thanks for the comment…I hope you love them!