Roasted Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Seeds

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Save your pumpkin seeds to make these roasted cinnamon sugar pumpkin seeds. They are irresistibly delicious – the perfect sweet and salty fall snack!

front view of cinnamon sugar pumpkin seeds in an orange storage bag

Do you love carving pumpkins in the fall? We definitely do, and we have 6 kids so that always means lots of pumpkin seeds. They love helping me separate the seeds from the pulp, just so we can make these cinnamon sugar pumpkin seeds.

I know it’s a lot of work, but trust me when I tell you that taking the time to save the seeds to make roasted pumpkin seeds is so worth it.

Especially if you decide to make this roasted cinnamon sugar pumpkin seeds recipe. It’s easy to make with only has 6 ingredients, is super easy to make, and results is the perfect sweet and salty fall snack!

Overhead view of a spoon scooping Homemade Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Seeds out of a baking pan

Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Seeds: Substitutions

This recipe is delicious as-is! But If you are looking to make some substitutions here are a few that have passed the test:

overhead photo of the labeled ingredients in this Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Seeds recipe
  • Coconut oil: Butter and vegan butter (like Earth Balance) are delicious substitutions for the coconut oil.
  • Granulated sugar: I use raw, organic sugar in this recipe. But you can choose your favorite granulated sugar and use it with great results! You can also use coconut sugar for a paleo version.

That’s it! There are only 6 ingredients in this recipe for Homemade Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Seeds and I don’t recommend substituting any other ingredients!

up close front view of Homemade Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Seeds in a small bag

How to Make Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Seeds

Let’s walk through this recipe step by step.

Dry the Seeds

The key to making excellent Homemade Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Seeds is letting them completely dry before roasting! To do this, remove the seeds from the pumpkins and rinse thoroughly. Make sure there are no stringy orange guts left!

Let the seeds drain, and line a large baking sheet with paper towels. Spread the seeds on the baking sheet in one, even layer and let sit for 24 hours. At theย 12 hour mark, change the damp paper towels for dry ones and stir every now and then.

overhead view of pumpkin seeds drying in a baking pan on a paper towel

Make the Cinnamon Pumpkin Seeds

Begin by combining the dry ingredients in a small bowl.

Once the seeds are completely dry, you are ready to make these roasted pumpkin seeds! Simply melt the butter in a microwave safe dish. Mix in vanilla and stir the mixture into the pumpkin seeds, making sure the seeds are evenly coated with the mixture.

Then, add the dry mixture to the coated pumpkin seeds and stir to coat.

overhead view of dried pumpkin seeds in a bowl coated with butter before adding cinnamon sugar

Next, spread the cinnamon sugar pumpkin seeds out on a large baking sheet in a single layer and bake.

A little helpful tip, be very careful not to over-bake these cinnamon sugar pumpkin seeds! When they start to brown ever-so-slightly they are done.

overhead view of cinnamon sugar pumpkin seeds in a baking pan before being roasted

Test for Doneness

by taking out 3 or 4 seeds and letting them come to room temperature. If the roasted pumpkin seeds become nice and crispy then your seeds are done baking! If they remain soft, toss them back on the pan and bake a touch longer!

How to re-crisp roasted pumpkin seeds

If your seeds become soft after a day or two…simply reheat them at 250 in the oven for 5-10 minutes! When you remove them and they cool completely they willย perfectly crisp up like they were freshly made that day!

overhead view of cinnamon sugar pumpkin seeds in a baking pan after being roasted

Store

Store these pumpkin seeds in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Overhead view of Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Seeds in a small bag with more roasted pumpkin seeds in the background

Cinnamon Sugar Roasted Pumpkin Seeds FAQs

Are roasted pumpkin seeds a healthy snack?

Yes! They are a high-protein, high-fiber snack!

Should I dry my pumpkin seeds before roasting?

Yes, drying the pumpkin seeds is imperative for crispy roasted pumpkin seeds that do not get soggy.

Can I halve or double the recipe?

Yes to both! You can easily scale this recipe as needed.

overhead view of roasted pumpkin seeds with cinnamon sgar

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Roasted Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Seeds

Laura
Save the seeds from your pumpkins to make these roasted cinnamon sugar pumpkin seeds. They are irresistibly delicious – the perfect sweet and salty fall snack!
4.97 from 84 votes
Course Snack
Cuisine American
Servings 3 cups of pumpkin seeds
Calories 120.8
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Total Time40 minutes

Ingredients 
 

Instructions 

Dry Pumpkin Seeds

  • Remove from pumpkins and rinse thoroughly. Spread out in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with paper towels. Let sit at room temperature for 24 hours, changing the damp paper towels out for dry ones after about 12 hours and stirring occasionally.

Make Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Seeds

  • Preheat oven to 325ยฐF. Very lightly grease a large baking pan, set aside.
  • In a small bowl, mix together sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
  • Melt the butter – either in the microwave or on the stovetop.
  • Then, stir in the vanilla.
  • Mix in pumpkin seeds until they are all evenly coated.
  • Add dry ingredients to the pumpkin seeds and mix until all they are evenly coated.
  • Spread pumpkin seeds on your prepared baking pan in single layer.
  • Bake for 25-35 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until seeds begin to brown.
  • To test for doneness: remove a few seeds from the pan and let sit on the counter to cool. If they harden up the seeds are done. If they remain soft, return to the oven, checking them after 5 minutes. Continue baking in 5 minute intervals until done.
  • Once seeds are done, transfer them from the warm pan to another pan lined with parchment paper to let cool.

Video

Notes

Carving three large pumpkins resulted in 3 cups of seeds. You can easily halve this recipe to accommodate the amount of seeds you harvest from your pumpkins!
Ingredient substitutions
  • Salted butter. Unsalted butter, coconut oil and vegan butter (like Earth Balance) are good substitutes.ย 
  • Granulated sugar:ย use white sugar, organic cane sugar, or coconut sugar.ย 
Store
Store these pumpkin seeds in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Nutrition

Serving: 2Tablespoons | Calories: 120.8kcal | Carbohydrates: 4.9g | Protein: 3.7g | Fat: 9.7g | Saturated Fat: 2.7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3.7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3.2g | Sodium: 189.3mg | Potassium: 118mg | Fiber: 1.2g | Sugar: 2.1g | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Did you enjoy this recipe? Have a question? Leave a comment below!

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80 Comments

  1. That’s so funny they didn’t want to touch the guts this year! I carved a pumpkin with my students last week and a whole bunch of them refused to stick their hand inside too—- isn’t that the best part?!? I actually make these exact baked pumpkin seeds for my students to try too! We were really thinking alike this week ๐Ÿ˜‰

    1. LOL Liz my kids are like a box of chocolates….never know what you’re gonna get. ๐Ÿ˜‰ And you know what they say about great minds…. ๐Ÿ˜‰ <3

  2. Well I haven’t quite carved a pumpkin in some time! I know, shame. But these seeds look great and I love these pictures!

  3. Wow thank you so much for the recommendation to let them dry for an adequate amount of time; I have some that I’m rinsing off, and I’m going to let them dry today, so I can try this later! ๐Ÿ™‚

  4. Yum! I wish I knew you could roast pumpkin seeds when I was a kid. It always seemed so wasteful when we carved pumpkins.

  5. How fun is this!! I’ve only tried to bake pumpkin seeds once before and it was a total disaster! I definitely did not let them dry at all and I definitely did not sprinkle them with cinnamon or sugar.

    1. Oh no!! LOL! YES! Drying them is absolutely key…otherwise they take F-O-R-E-V-E-R to bake! Like 2 hours at 250! ๐Ÿ™‚

  6. These seeds are my favorite, I always like to eat these seeds. Now I got a new recipe from you for ready to pumpkin seeds. Its very helpful to me, thanks.