Roasted Pumpkin Seeds: Sweet and Savory Versions

Pumpkin seeds are one of my favorite things about fall.  This year we hosted the pumpkin carving party which meant that we ended up with enough seeds to feed a small family.  I split them with another party guest and still had enough to keep me chewing for several days.  I made one sweet batch and one savory batch.  They were both delicious and addictive.

Sweet Pumpkin Seeds Ingredients
1 egg
1/2 C Splenda
2 C pumpkin seeds
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp salt

Sweet Pumpkin Seeds Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350.  
2. Add egg, Splenda, chili powder, cinnamon, and salt to a large bowl and stir with a fork until all ingredients are incorporated.  
3. Add pumpkin seeds to mixture and continue to mix with a rubber spatula until seeds are evenly coated.  
4. Spread pumpkin seeds on a baking sheet.  Pumpkin seeds should be in one layer, not stacked on top of each other.  Use two baking sheets if necessary.  
5. Bake for 30 minutes, removing to flip with a spatula once half way through.  
6. Seeds should be crunchy.  If they are still soft, bake for another 5 minutes.  

Savory Pumpkin Seeds Ingredients
2 Tbsp olive oil
2  C pumpkin seeds
1 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1/2 Tbsp crushed red pepper
1/2 Tbsp cumin
1/4 C dry minced onions

Savory Pumpkin Seeds Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350.  
2. Combine olive oil, salt, garlic powder, crushed red pepper, cumin, and dry minced onions in a large bowl.  
3. Add pumpkin seeds to mixture and stir with rubber spatula until pumpkin seeds are evenly coated.  
4. Spread pumpkin seed out on a baking sheet.  
5. Bake for 20 minutes.  Pumpkin seeds should be crunchy and golden brown when finished baking.  

Notes

• When you clean your pumpkin seeds you should remove most of the pumpkin flesh, but washing is not necessary.  It's okay if a little of the pumpkin is still hanging around.  
• The sweet pumpkin seeds will take a little longer to cook because of the egg.  If you're baking them together like I did make sure to keep an eye on the savory ones so that you don't overcook them.  
• Pumpkin seeds will keep for several days in your fridge.  If you're not baking them right away just seal them in a Ziploc bag.  

I wish I could show you how big this bowl is.  It's about 4 pumpkins
worth of seeds.  

I got around to roasting about 3 days after we carved.  Seeds kept
well in the fridge.  

Egg and Splenda.  It's okay if the sweet mixture seems a little runny.
Just do your best to get the seeds evenly coated, but it doesn't
have to be perfect.  

Chili powder, cinnamon, and salt are an unlikely trio but they work
well in this recipe.  

Seeds with egg mixture.  

Seeds with egg mixture spread out on baking sheet.  

Sweet seeds and savory seeds removed from the oven for flipping.
This is super important because the exposed side will crisp much
faster than the bottom side.  

The minced onions create a strong flavor in the savory recipe.  Bring on
the bad breath, but so worth it.  

The egg helps all of the spices hold onto the seeds in the sweet recipe.
I wish I could send you smells over the internet because the whole
house smelled like pumpkins and cinnamon.  It was amazing.