These Maple Roasted Pumpkin Seeds {made with coconut oil and cinnamon} are pretty addicting.
I’ve been eating a handful every time I walk through the kitchen.
And cooking them? Oh, my. The coconut oil… the maple syrup… the cinnamon…. The kitchen smelled AMAZING.
If you prefer something more savory, be sure to check out my Spicy Roasted Pumpkin Seeds.
But – either way – you need to try these. I’m seriously considering buying a trunkful of pumpkins to carve just so I can roast some more seeds.
Anyway, the process starts off with cleaning the seeds. Getting rid of all the pumpkiny pulp.
I do this by putting some water in the bowl with the pulp and seeds and squeezing out the seeds through my fingers, but if there’s a different method you prefer, please share it in the comments!
Now you’ll either dry your seeds and roast them right away or let them soak overnight.
Soaking them has something to do with removing the phytic acid to allow you to absorb more of the gazillion nutrients in the pumpkin seeds. But mostly, I don’t feel like roasting them as soon as I’ve finished carving and am busy trying to scrub orange goo off my hands and clothes.
So I let them soak overnight.
I MAY have let them soak for 48 hours… possibly. I mean, it’s not like I let myself get distracted by my toddler and preschooler or anything… but – just so you know: if you soak them for a couple of nights {whether for convenience or because you accidentally passed out at 8p.m. next to your kid’s bed and woke up in a puddle of drool waaaaaay too late to be bothered by checking on your pumpkin seeds}, you should be fine.
After cleaning and/or soaking the seeds, dry them off on a cloth towel.
Then measure them out to make sure you have approximately a cup and a half. But if you’re a little off, don’t worry about it. Just add a little more or less of the other ingredients.
And for reference, I got my seeds out of this guy right here:
I’m a sucker for the traditional look. :)
Back to the seeds: mix all of the ingredients really well in a bowl. You want to make sure all of the seeds are coated.
If your coconut oil is solid, melt it on the stove and allow it to cool slightly before using. My extra virgin coconut oil is stored in my pantry and I live in Florida. It never completely solidifies. And I use to extra virgin for this because I like the smell and taste of it, but any coconut oil will work.
Then spread them out on a large baking sheet, getting as flat a layer as possible.
Stir them every 10 to 15 minutes while baking, always making sure that you spread them out as much as possible each time. It can make it easier to do this if you use two spatulas/spoon instead of one.
After baking, let them cool on the pan, then put them in a bowl to serve or a covered container to store.
I can’t stop eating the darned things, so I can’t say for certain how long they’ll last. :)
Maple Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups pumpkin seeds
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
After removing the seeds from your pumpkin, separate the pulp from the seeds.
Once the seeds are cleaned, cover them with water and let them sit overnight. (This step is optional.)
Preheat your oven to 300°F (150°C). Drain the water from the pumpkin seeds (if you soaked them overnight) and dry them on a cloth towel.
In a bowl, mix the seeds with the coconut oil, maple syrup, and cinnamon. If your coconut oil is not in a liquid or mostly-liquid state, melt it on the stove and allow it to cool slightly before using. Mix well so the seeds are evenly covered.
Spread the pumpkin seeds on a large baking sheet with as few touching as possible. Bake for one hour, stirring every 10 or 15 minutes.
Let cool and store covered.
[Note: the ingredient measurements can be adjusted up or down depending on how many seeds your pumpkin contains.]
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Click here to print the free PDF version of the recipe: Maple Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
And here are some of the ingredients I used:
Enjoy!
We do play with them inside, too, but outdoors is preferable.
Roaming Rosie 