Air Fryer Pumpkin Seeds
Save the seeds next time you carve pumpkins and roast them to perfection in your air fryer! These Air Fryer Pumpkin Seeds have a deep, nutty flavor and an irresistible crunch. They’re the perfect healthy Halloween snack.
I love roasting the seeds after carving jack-o’-lanterns, and doing so in an air fryer or Ninja Foodi is the best way to do it. Instead of tossing the pumpkin innards, clean up the seeds and toss them in your air fryer. In 10 minutes, you’ll have crispy, perfectly roasted pumpkin seeds!
These step-by-step instructions will show you how to roast pumpkin seeds in your air fryer, seasoned simply with salt & pepper, but you can season them however you like -sweet or spicy! They’re a tasty snack and a great way to add crunch to salads, oatmeal, chia pudding, and more!
Ready to make this delicious and nutritious autumn tradition? Scoop out the pumpkin seeds, and let’s do it!
🎃 Ingredients & Tools
- Pumpkin Seeds – Pumpkin seeds are a good source of omega-3 & omega-6 fatty acids, antioxidants, and fiber. Regardless of size, they typically contain 1 cup of seeds each. If it isn’t pumpkin-carving season and you’re craving fresh roasted pumpkin seeds, you can use raw pumpkin seeds from the store!
- Avocado Oil – You’ll need a small amount of oil to coat the shells, giving the spices and seasonings something to cling to and encourage even browning. You can also use melted butter, ghee, or coconut oil here.
- Sea Salt & Black Pepper – This is as simple as it gets, but you can season yours with any fiery, savory, or sweet spices.
Pumpkin seeds vs. pepitas – A common misconception is that pepitas are shelled jack-o’-lantern pumpkin seeds. However, pepitas are the whole seed; shell included, specific to Styrian pumpkins.
👉 How To Remove Pulp From Pumpkin Seeds
Cleaning the pumpkins and getting rid of the slimy pulp may take a few rinses, but it’s well worth the effort. Follow these simple steps:
1️⃣ First, rinse the pulpy pumpkin seeds in a colander under cool water to remove dirt or debris. Then, spread the seeds out on a clean towel, pat dry, and pick out the pulp attached to the shells.
2️⃣ Add the seeds back to the colander and rinse again under cool water. Then, spread the seeds back out on the towel, pat dry, and pick out more of the pulp; repeat until all of the seeds are clean.
🥣 How To Make Roasted Pumpkin Seeds In The Air Fryer
1️⃣ Season pumpkin seeds. Once clean, pat the pumpkin seeds completely dry with a paper towel, then add to a bowl and toss with oil and seasonings. Coat the shells thoroughly in oil and spices.
2️⃣ Preheat air fryer. Preheat your air fryer to 350F for 3-5 minutes (you can do this while cleaning the seeds). Then, spread the pumpkin seeds in a single layer in the preheated air fryer basket.
3️⃣ Air fry pumpkin seeds. Cook for 10 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through.
4️⃣ Cool and serve. Promptly remove the pumpkin seeds from the basket, and let cool completely before eating. Enjoy!
👩🏻🍳 Recipe Tips
- You can remove the shells, but the whole seed is quite tasty.
- Prefer shelled pumpkin seeds? Boiling the seeds for 10 minutes makes separating the seed kernel from the shell much easier.
- It’s important not to overcrowd the air fryer. Try not to cook more than 1 cup per batch. Work in batches if you need to.
- Let the air fryer preheat while you clean the seeds. Preheating encourages the shells to start toasting immediately for the best crispiness.
- Give the basket a toss after 5 minutes, and then watch the seeds. They can go from perfect to burned in seconds.
- During cleanup, check the bottom of the fryer for seeds that may have slipped through, just in case!
🌶️ Flavor Variations & Serving
Keep it simple with salt and pepper, or switch things up with spicy and sweet flavors, like:
- Cinnamon sugar – Toss with oil and 1-2 tablespoons of sugar, and a 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon.
- Chocolate – Toss with oil, 1-2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder, and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract.
- Spicy – Coat with oil, salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste.
- Ranch – Toss with 1-2 tablespoons of dry ranch seasoning.
- Use any sweet, spicy, or savory spice blend – Chili-lime, everything bagel, pumpkin pie spice, dry buffalo seasoning, mushroom salt, curry & garam masala, etc.
Upgrade your favorite salads, granola, baked goods, and more with a handful of crunchy pumpkin seeds. Check out these ideas:
- Bake into gluten-free pumpkin bread or gluten-free pumpkin chocolate chip bread.
- Add crunch to pumpkin overnight oats.
- Add to coconut trail mix.
❔ FAQ
Yes! Pumpkin seeds are safe to eat in the shell and especially tasty when seasoned and roasted in the air fryer.
If kept in an airtight bag or container, they will last about a week at room temperature, 1 month in the fridge, and 3 months in the freezer.
Yes! And you should. Air-fried pumpkin seeds come out perfectly roasted, toasted, and most importantly -crisp and crunchy!
More Air Fryer Recipes
Air Fryer Sesame Ginger Tofu
Crispy Air Fryer Chickpeas
Maple Cinnamon Air Fryer Butternut Squash
Air Fryer Acorn Squash
Air Fryer Pumpkin Seeds
Equipment
- air fryer or Ninja Foodi
- colander
- mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 8 ounces pumpkin seeds
- ½ teaspoon avocado oil
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Place the pumpkin seeds in a colander and rins under cool water to remove any dirt or debris. Then, spread the seeds out on a clean towel, pat dry, and pick out the pulp attached to the shells.
- Add the seeds back to the colander and rinse again under cool water. Then, spread the seeds back out on the towel, pat dry, and pick out more of the pulp, Repeat until all of the seeds are clean.
- Once cleaned, pat the pumpkin seeds completely dry with a paper towel, then add to a bowl and toss with oil and seasonings. Coat welll.
- Preheat your air fryer to 350F for 3-5 minutes. Then, spread the pumpkin seeds in a single layer in the preheated air fryer basket.
- Cook for 10 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through.
- Promptly remove the pumpkin seeds from the basket, and let cool completely before eating. Enjoy!
