5 Perfect Pumpkin Seed Recipes: Pesto, Salad Garnish, Candy and MORE

Make use of the seeds you saved from your jack-o-lantern with these 5 amazing pumpkin seed recipes including pumpkin seed pesto, salad garnish, pumpkin seed candy, toasted seeds and more!

Children love cleaning out pumpkins before carving them, and they especially love pulling out all of the slimy pumpkin seeds they find inside!

Cleaning out pumpkins can not only be fun, but quite tasty too.

Pumpkin seeds are chock full of vitamin e and can make a healthy and crunchy snack for both children and adults.

This Halloween when you and your family are carving out those pumpkins, be sure to save those tiny seeds.

Below you will find 5 perfect pumpkin seed recipes ideal for all of those slimy seeds.

Give these recipes a try and see how easy and inexpensive it is to turn your pumpkin seeds into the perfect snack.

Pumpkin Seed Recipes

1. Spicy Toasted Seeds

This recipe is perfect for creating savory seeds to enjoy during a football game or lazy Saturday afternoon.

Ingredients:
Seeds from one medium pumpkin
3.5 cups of water
3 tablespoons of light olive oil
½ teaspoon of garlic salt
½ teaspoon of cumin
½ teaspoon of coriander

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 250°F.
2. Rinse your seeds well under warm water. Set on a paper towel and pat dry.
3. Bring your water to a boil over the stove. Add the cleaned seeds and boil for 15 minutes.
4. Drain the seeds well and place on a paper towel to dry again.
5. In a bowl, toss the seeds with oil and savory spices and spread on a large baking sheet.
6. Roast seeds until golden brown, which will take about 1 hour total.

Once your seeds are cool, dig in!

2. Sweet and Sugary Seeds

This recipe will give you a sweet treat that makes the perfect after dinner snack.

Ingredients:
3.5 cups of water
3 tablespoons of light olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon of ground cloves
1 teaspoon of  ginger
1 tablespoon of brown sugar

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 250°F.
2. Rinse your seeds well under warm water. Set on a paper towel and pat dry.
3. Bring your water to a boil over the stove. Add the cleaned seeds and boil for 15 minutes.
4. Drain the seeds well and place on a paper towel to dry again.
5. In a bowl, toss the seeds with oil and your sweet and sugary spices and spread on a large baking sheet.
6. Roast seeds until golden brown, which will take about 1 hour total. You can sprinkle with additional sugar when they are finished baking if you wish!

Once your seeds are cooled, feel free to enjoy! These are such a sweet and tasty treat kids will love.

3. Pumpkin Seed Pesto

This is a fun spin on traditional pesto, and a great way to use up those pumpkin seeds in an exciting way!

Ingredients:
The pumpkin seeds from a medium pumpkin
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt
Pepper
1/3 cup of water
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
2 cloves garlic
1 cup chopped cilantro leaves

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Stir the pumpkin seeds with the olive oil and salt.
3. Spread the seeds out on a baking sheet.
4. Roast the seeds for 15 minutes or until lightly browned.
5. Allow to cool.
6. Combine the seeds in a food processor with the water, lemon juice, garlic, cilantro and two additional tablespoons of olive oil. Mix until smooth.

You can then refrigerate the mixture until you are ready to use it! Use just as you would traditional pesto.

4. Pumpkin Seed Salad Garnish

Add a little extra crunch to your green salads with this tasty recipe for roasted pumpkin seed salad garnish.

Ingredients:
Seeds from a medium pumpkin
Salt
Pepper
1 Teaspoon Garlic salt
1 Teaspoon celery seed
1 Teaspoon All Seasoning Salt
1 Teaspoon lemon pepper
2 tablespoons of light olive oil

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 275 degrees.
2. In a mixing bowl, toss your cleaned seeds and oil.
3. Gently stir in your variety of seasonings, continuing to stir well.
4. Lay the seeds flat on a cookie sheet.
5. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.
6. Remove and add a dash of salt and pepper to taste.

Once cool, add these seeds to your cool green salads for an extra kick of crunch and flavor.

5. Pumpkin Seed Candy

Make your own pumpkin seed candy! This candy is perfect for garnishing ice cream dishes or even cupcakes. Or, just eat it plain.

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 cup of pumpkin seeds
Parchment paper

Directions:
1. Boil your water and sugar in a saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
2. Once sugar is dissolved, remove the pan from heat and stir in seeds.
3. Return the pan to heat and keep cooking, stirring until the mixture turns a caramel color. This will also cook the seeds.
4. Pour the hot caramel mixture onto your parchment paper and cover with another sheet or parchment.
5. Using a rolling pin, gently roll over the paper.
6. Remove top sheet of parchment and cut the now hardened mixture into pieces with a knife.
7. Allow the candy to cool and then peel paper from bottom.

See how easy it is to create some wonderful treats with pumpkin seeds? Give these recipes a try and enjoy all of the tasty ways pumpkin seeds can end up on your plate!

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