I know you’re all thinking it, so I’ll just come out and say it: “Chris, you’re about 3 to 4 weeks late on this post!” And at this point I begin to think of a good excuse, and immediately realize I don’t have one. Oops.
At this point, Halloween is over, as is the pumpkin harvest here in Northern Utah. This probably means that most of you have either 1) already cooked up your pumpkin seeds, 2) thrown your pumpkin seeds away, or 3) left them in your fridge and they’re covered with a gooey white film and molding. Gross. I can testify that you don’t want to eat your seeds if there is a goobery white film on them.
I do know, however, that at different times of the year you can still buy bagged, uncooked pumpkin seeds in the grocery stores, though they’re mighty expensive. So I suppose there’s still a reason to create this blog entry. *Patting myself on the back.*
Note: This post used to contain the BBQ & Spice Pumpkin Seed Recipe as well. I’ve since split them into two separate posts for easier reading and sharing.
Classic Butter and Worcestershire Sauce Pumpkin Seeds
Ingredients
For Boiling
The Sauce
Method
Begin by choosing a couple of nice pumpkins that are ripe and ready for carving. Once you have them, take your knife to ’em and gut them out.
Or you could let them gut themselves…
My pumpkin had a lot of guts…
Separate the seeds from the the other pumpkin innards and wash them clean. I found they’re easier to clean if you put them in a big bowl full of water and rub them around in your fingers for a bit to loosen the stringy orange pumpkin guts. Guts. Guts. I like that word. Guts.
Dissolve 1 tablespoon salt into 2 cups boiling water and then add 2 cups pumpkin seeds. Boil for 10 minutes.
Spread your seeds out to dry on a cookie sheet lined with a non-fuzzy towel or wax paper. DO NOT USE A PAPER TOWEL. If you use a paper towel you will end up cursing under your breath for the next 5 hours while you pick the paper towel off the dried seeds. This is a mistake that you’ll only make once, trust me. Allow the seeds to dry for a couple hours in a warm area. If you’re an impatient person, you can use a hair dryer. But don’t use a clothes dryer. That’s a bad idea.
Every once in a while turn them over so they dry more evenly. They don’t have to be completely dry to continue, just mostly dry. However, the more dry your pumpkin seeds are, the less time they have to bake.
While the seeds are drying, and just before you’re ready to work with them again, create the sauce. This particular one has a lot of memories for me. It’s the recipe my mom always used to make when I was a patojo.
Once they’re dry enough (it’s all relative, right?) Preheat your oven to 250°F, and mix the seeds together with the sauce. Spread them evenly onto an ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake for 1 – 2 hours or until golden brown and crispy; pull them out of the oven and flip every 15/20 minutes for even baking. I also eat a couple seeds each time. If they’re bitter or sour, then they’re not done. If you dried your seeds completely, then you may only need to bake them for 20-30 minutes.
Once the seeds are done baking, pull them out and enjoy! I eat my seeds with the shell. No need to crack these little morsels open.
That’s pretty much all there is to it! Pumpkin seeds are really easy to make, they’re just time consuming, so don’t start this late at night. I should probably post this warning at the beginning of the post… nah. You read to the end before starting, right?
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Recipe – Pumkin Seeds- Butter and Worcestershire Sauce – The Cooking Dish (PDF)
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 4 people | 15 minutes |
| Cook Time | Passive Time |
| 2 hours | 3.75 hours |
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This is a classic recipe that my mom has been making us since we were kids. It remains one of my favorites to this day, especially when mixed with a splash of nostalgia.
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- 2 cups water
- 2 cups pumpkin seeds cleaned and washed
- 1 tbsp salt
- 3 tbsp butter melted
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp salt
- Make sure seeds are washed and clean. Dissolve salt in boiling water, then add seeds. Boil for 10 minutes, drain, and lay out to dry on a non-fuzzy cloth for 2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 250°F near the end of drying, then mix the sauce ingredients together in a medium bowl. Once seeds have dried for a while, toss seeds with the sauce and spread evenly on an ungreased cookie sheet.
- Place seeds in oven and turn every 20 minutes until done. Seeds are done when they’re lightly toasted, are lighter in weight, and have a crunchy exterior with a slightly chewy center.
Baking time greatly depends on how long you let the pumpkin seeds dry. If the seeds are completely dry before you bake them, you may only need to bake them for 20 minutes. Although this recipe takes a long time from start to finish, most of the time you're not doing anything but checking on the seeds, so grab a book and relax, you deserve it.
I think my favorite picture is of the vomiting jack-o-lantern.
Ha ha! Thanks 🙂 I made that jack-o-lantern specifically for this post.
Love your photos. I actually made my own roasted pumpkin seeds using the method you outlined, but was unhappy with the results. Either you have very good teeth or you did something that I didn’t, because mine had chewy parts that I didn’t appreciate. The green pumpkin seeds in the store are more tender without that chewy rim, and I decided I’ll just buy them.
Judy, thanks for the compliment. I’ve made a few botched batches of pumpkin seeds as well. I’ve found that the longer you take making them (the boiling, letting them dry, and the baking), the better they turn out, especially when it comes to baking them. I almost always end up baking my for at least 2 hours at a fairly low temperature, turning them every 15-20 minutes. Since I’ve been doing that, it’s been smooth sailin’. Around the 1-1/2 hour mark I taste test the seeds, and if they still have that chewiness to them, I roast them for another 15 minutes. It often takes me 6+ hours to complete a batch of seeds on days that I’m patient… which typically isn’t the case.
Maybe one of the following suggestions will help for your next batch:
1. Use medium-sized pumpkin seeds.
2. After boiling them in salt water, allow more time for them to dry (in the sun if possible).
3. Bake at a lower temperature for a longer period of time.
4. Spread them out thinner on the baking sheet for baking.
I’m not an amazing pro-chef or anything, but sometimes the little changes can make a big difference.
I’ve never done this! I may have to give it a go 🙂
Awesome! I hope you enjoy it!