Roasted Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Seeds Recipe! Don't throw away the seeds when you carve pumpkins this year! Save them and make this recipe for the perfect sweet and salty fall snack! Vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free! and paleo-friendly!
Have you carved your pumpkins yet?! We carved three big pumpkins this week and it was so fun! However, this year my kids decided to be silly and didn't want to touch the pumpkin guts! Last year they literally played in the bowl of it for hours...oh how things can change! My daughter did help me separate the seeds...just so we could make these Homemade 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 these Homemade Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Seeds! This recipe only has 6 ingredients, is super easy to toss together, and results is the perfect sweet and salty fall snack!
How to make Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Seeds
Let the seeds dry completely!
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 the 12 hour mark, change the damp paper towels for dry ones and stir every now and then!
Add the ingredients
Coat evenly. Once the seeds are completely dry, you are ready to make these roasted pumpkin seeds! Simply melt the coconut oil or butter in a microwave safe dish. Mix in vanilla and stir in the pumpkin seeds, making sure the seeds are evenly coated with the mixture!
Thoroughly mix the dry ingredients together, then toss them into the bowl of coated pumpkin seeds, once again making sure they are evenly coated!
Then, spread the coated seeds out on a large baking sheet in a single layer and bake.
Do not over 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.
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!
Helpful Tip (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 will perfectly crisp up like they were freshly made that day!
Store
Store these pumpkin seeds in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Cinnamon Sugar Roasted 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:
- 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!
FAQs about roasting pumpkin seeds
Yes! They are a high-protein, high-fiber snack!
Yes, drying the pumpkin seeds is imperative for crispy roasted pumpkin seeds that do not get soggy.
More pumpkin recipes:
If you're looking for ways to use the inside of the pumpkin (after you've made homemade pumpkin puree) here are some of our favorites:
- The BEST classic homemade pumpkin pie (or this dairy-free pumpkin pie)!
- Baked Pumpkin Donuts
- For a cozy breakfast, make this pumpkin baked oatmeal!
- Try our recipe for the best pumpkin bread ever!
- This pumpkin smoothie tastes like a liquid pumpkin pie but it's so much healthier and only takes 5 minutes to make!
- This literally the best pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting I've ever had - ever.
If you make and love our recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don't forget to follow along with us on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Youtube - be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so we can your creations!
Roasted Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Seeds
Ingredients
- 3 cups pumpkin seeds dried for at least 24 hours
- 3 TBS coconut oil or butter
- ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
- 4 TBS granulated sugar*
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp sea salt
Instructions
To 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.
To make the pumpkin seeds:
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Very lightly grease a large baking pan, set aside.
- In a small bowl, mix together sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
- Melt coconut oil or butter in a large microwave safe bowl or on the stovetop in a 4-quart pot.
- Remove from heat and stir in 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
Ingredient 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:- 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!
Store
Store these pumpkin seeds in an airtight container for up to 1 week.Nutrition
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Sherry
I made this recipe for my grandson with major allergies and substituted the butter with coconut oil-- they were GREAT -- and I also dried them out quicker by Turing the oven on at 350, let it heat up and then turned the oven off and then putting the seeds on a cookie sheet in the oven.
LINDA A.COCHRAN-RYAN
My great-grandson Romello ask me to bake him some pumpkin seeds from the pumpkin he received from the pumpkin patch of course I said okay. I have not baked pumpkins seeds in over 30 years so when I can across your recipe it sounded delicious and indeed it was. BEST RECIPE EVER. Romello and I loved them I will be making them all year at least once a month maybe twice. Thanks so much for sharing!
Shantel Cochran
Awwww 🥰 kool
Ashley
So delicious! And such great, detailed instructions. I do not like cooking. But this was worth the effort! Thank you for sharing.
Naquetta
I just made these for my family and my daughters and my husband liked them. I will be making these again. I LOVE them so if anyone decides to pass on them it will be more for me lol
Lisa McCallister
Delicious!
Jeremiah
Laura, I have a dumb question.
I've never had roasted pumpkin seeds, but my grandma used to talk about them all the time. Do you eat the entire seed, or do you break them open to eat what is inside like a sunflower seed? The way grandma talked, it sounded like she ate the whole thing.
Laura
Jeremiah there is no such thing as a dumb question in my opinion! You eat the entire seed!
Mike
I'm a purist at heart...and I wasn't sure I'd like these at first...but they are awesome! I am now hooked! I only had a cup of seeds and so just scaled down the recipe, but followed exactly as written using butter and this is the best snack I've ever made myself!
Laura
Thank you Mike! So glad you love them!
L Tucker
Yum! Here’s a tip: you can quick-dry the rinsed seeds by drying them on a baking sheet in a 200 degree oven for an hour or two, stirring once or twice.
Laura
I LOVE that tip! I’m usually ready to take a 24 hr break after carving pumpkins and separating the seeds (a true labor of love for this momma) but a quick dry option is awesome!
Amanda
Made the original recipe a couple weeks ago and it was great! I added a touch of cardamom the 2nd time around...yummm! Thanks for the tip on drying the seeds
Laura
I love that addition Amanda!! Sounds amazing!
Evelyn Galvez
We got one cup of seeds from one pumpkin, now I wish that I would have purchased 1 pumpkin for each of my 3 kids instead of 1 for all 3. These are delicious and we will need to purchase more pumpkins for the 3 cups full.
Laura
I'm SO glad you enjoyed these! I have a whole bowl full of dried seeds ready to make these tomorrow! 🙂 And I 110% understand the desire to only carve 1 pumpkin instead of 3!!!! LOL!