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Salt and pepper roasted pumpkin seeds are the easiest pumpkin seed snack. They're so simple to make with just 4 ingredients and incredibly moreish too. You'll find it hard to stop snacking on them! They're vegan, high in nutrients and sugar free as well. Plus, you can also make them in the air fryer.

Bowl full of roasted pumpkin seeds seasoned with salt and pepper

I love roasting and air frying seeds and nuts and coating them in spices. There are so many ways you can enjoy roasted pumpkin seeds and they are so easy as well.

This time I've gone for super simple. The only seasoning I've used is salt and black pepper. That's because my son is a huge fan of these seeds and we only get pumpkin a couple of times a year. He would not be happy if I messed up his favourite recipe with Mexican or Indian spices!

We always carve a couple of pumpkins for Halloween and it's such a shame not to use the seeds as well. I hate to think of all the pumpkin seeds going to waste at this time of year.

Roasting pumpkin seeds is definitely a great way to make the most of them. After all, they really do make a fantastic snack. If you have an air fryer then they are even quicky to make too.

So, what ingredients do you need for these roasted pumpkin seeds?

You just need the seeds from a pumpkin or similar squash such as butternut squash, oil, salt and black pepper.

I use olive oil but any vegetable oil would work.

Ingredients for salt and peppr roasted pumpkin seeds — Ingredients for roasted pumpkin seeds: pumpkin seeds, salt, pepper and olive oil

Can you adapt the seasoning?

Yes of course! Spiced roasted pumpkin seeds are hard to resist. Paprika is delicious as are curry spice blends and Mexican spice blends. Just follow the method I've used here but have a look in your spice cupboad and experiment.

Add the spices along with the oil.

You can also add additional seasonings after the seeds have roasted. My huband loves sprinkling these seeds with Nandos Peri Peri Salt!

Tips for roasting pumpkin seeds

It's easy to make these salt and pepper roasted pumpkin seeds but you do need to be careful of a few things.

Make sure the seeds are as dry as possible before you mix them in the oil and seasoning. It will take them longer to crisp up if they are still wet.

I sometimes dry them out for a couple of minutes in the air fryer before coating them with the spices and oil. This makes sure they are really dry and helps them to crisp up more later.

Pumpkin seeds can go from ready to burnt very quickly if you forget about them in the oven. Be careful not to foret about them.

I know from experience that after taking the time to carefully clean the seeds it's very frustrating to burn and ruin them at the last minute!

Ways to eat pumpkin seeds

As I said already, these salt and pepper pumpkin seeds make a great healthy snack. But, there are so many more ways you can use them. Here are some of the ways I like to eat them:

On a soup instead of croutons
Sprinkled over a salad
As a topping for pasta
On a stew, chilli or curry. For example this Moroccan pumpkin stew

How to store pumpkin seeds

Once the seeds have completely cooled you can store them in an airtight container either in the fridge or at room temperature.

They are always gone within a day in our house but they should stay fresh for at least a week although they can begin to lose their crunch after a few days.

Are roasted pumpkin seeds healthy?

Yes! They're a great food to eat as part of a healthy diet. They are high in protein and fibre as well as lots of vitamins and minerals including iron and calcium.

Some people may worry that they are high in fat too but it is mainly unsaturated fat and they contains good amounts of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids. You can read more about the health benefits of pumpkin seeds here.

roasted pumpkin seeds in a bowl with a pumpkin in the background

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