Use fresh pumpkin seeds or plain, store-bought ones to easily make these delicious roasted pumpkin seeds flavored with ghee, garlic, and a dash of sea salt.
Every year when we carve pumpkins as a family, I always set the seeds aside for roasting. Granted, it’s not always fun sorting them from the gooey, stringy insides, but it’s well worth it!
Pumpkin seeds, also called pepitas in Latin markets, are an easy and tasty snack that you can season with herbs and spices a myriad number of ways. And they are super nutritious and good for you! Full of protein, healthy fats, minerals, vitamins, and more, they are a great addition to your diet. I must add that they are great to add to salads in place of croutons, too!
Nutritious Value of Pumpkin Seeds
The breakdown of minerals in pumpkin seeds includes manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, copper, zinc, and iron. In terms of vitamins, they contain many, such as B6, niacin, and folate. So, if you’re popping pills hoping to bulk up on one or more of these nutrients, consider forgoing supplements in favor of pumpkin seeds! Your bodily more readily absorbs nutrients from whole foods than supplements. Plus, whole foods offer a diverse range of nutrients that you can’t sometimes find in supplements as in the case of Vitamin E – over four different forms of it can be found in pumpkin seeds as this study shows. For more details on pumpkin seeds, check out this handy nutrition summary by SELF magazine. It includes helpful facts like glycemic index, protein content, fatty acids, calories, etc.
Still not convinced? These little nutrient wonders also offer a full range of beneficial antioxidants, which means they are great at fighting oxidative stress in our bodies and preventing disease! Studies have shown that some of the nutrients in pumpkin seeds may help with diabetes, assist in the treatment of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH), decrease cancer risk, and even alleviate insomnia, so why not give them a try?
Nothing beats freshly toasted pumpkin seeds straight out of the oven!
How to Make Roasted Pumpkin Seeds with Ghee & Sea Salt
If you don’t have any fresh seeds, you can also find raw pumpkin seeds in natural food markets year-round. They’re often available in the bulk section.
First, place the fresh pumpkin seeds in a colander and rinse them under cold water to remove any pumpkin. Then lay them on a clean dish towel to dry. Pat dry if necessary. Next, toss the seeds in melted ghee, fine-grained sea salt, and garlic powder. Ghee is suggested because it can withstand high heat conditions unlike butter, which still contains milk solids and water. It can also be tolerated by those who are lactose intolerant. Place the seeds on a flat baking sheet, preferably one lined with a silicone baking mat or a sheet with an eco-friendly nonstick silicone coating without PTFEs or PFOAs like this one from Sur La Table. Roast them in a 325-degree oven for 15-25 minutes. Stir as needed to ensure even browning. After they cool, taste them to see if more salt or seasoning is needed. Adjust the seasoning to taste and then enjoy these tasty, crunchy treats!
If you have any leftovers, store them in an airtight container.
What do you think? Do you like the idea of this simple savory recipe or would you season them differently? Please share your comments below.
This post was originally published on October 24, 2012 and updated on October 30, 2017 and September 26, 2019.
Other Posts on How to Use Pumpkins You May Like
- DIY Pumpkin-Papaya Body Mask for Smooth and Glowing Skin
- 5 Perfectly Healthy Pumpkin-Inspired Foods & Drinks for Breakfast
- Healthy Pumpkin Chai Tea Latte Recipe
- Pumpkin Beauty Spa Treatments You Can Make for Pennies
- DIY Pumpkin Walnut Body Scrub
Copyright © Karen Peltier and Well Gal, 2012-2019. All rights reserved.
Photo © Karen Peltier 2019
These sound scrummy Karen! A perfect tasty snack. Can’t wait to try them.
Thank you, Karen, for these great bits of advice! I love pumpkin seeds, so I will taste this, definitely.
hey nice post. can we use the Malai of heated milk for preparing ghee? Is that better to do?
Hi Chelsey,
I’m not sure if Malai is better than ghee for the roasted pumpkin seeds as I’m not familiar with the ingredient. But the reason I like ghee is because it has a higher smoking point, which makes it ideal for cooking in high temperatures. Ghee is essentially clarified butter with the milk solids removed. Hopefully, another reader may know if Malai would work as well.
Thanks for your question.
Karen