Spiced Honey Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Waste not, want not… turn leftover pumpkins into a delicious treat!  These roasted pumpkin seeds are deliciously savory, with hints of spice and honey!

 Don’t toss those un-carved pumpkins… turn them into a snack your whole family will LOVE!  A unique blend of spices and a drizzle of honey give these roasted pumpkin seeds their amazing flavor!

If you’ve never had roasted pumpkin seeds before, you are in for a treat!  

Scooping out the seeds is a messy endeavor, but a worthwhile one 🙂

You’ll want to start by gathering a sharp knife, bowl to put the seeds in, and a smaller bowl for the pumpkin flesh that you’ll be discarding.  I also line my kitchen table with old newspapers, just to make for an easier cleanup afterwards.

Once you’ve gotten all the seeds out, transfer them to a colander and rise to remove all the bits of pumpkin flesh.. this may take several attempts.  Once you’re finished you’ll be left with clean and white seeds.

Now this next step is a trick I’ve just recently learned… to get a great, crispy seed, you need to boil them for a few minutes.  Sounds weird, but it works.  So boil them for about 2-3 minutes and drain, laying them out onto a paper towel to dry completely.  Just FYI, some of the seeds will stick to the paper towel, no big deal, just peel them off.

You know how I love my cast iron skillets… so I usually toss the seeds into my skillet and brown them in a little oil, and add the spices.

Alternatively, you could preheat a baking sheet lined with non-stick foil in the oven as it preheats.  Then once you’ve browned the seeds in a skillet on the stove-top, transfer them to the hot baking sheet.

Stir in the honey and pop the skillet in the oven.  When they’re finished, they’ll be deeply golden brown and slightly sticky.

Spread the seeds onto a sheet of parchment paper, sprinkle with salt, and allow to cool.

This recipe is more of a “method” than an actual recipe, because you can switch it up and use whatever spice combo you like!  I always say I’m going to try different combinations, but typically end up back at this one… it’s so GOOD!

Happy roasting!

Helpful Tools for This Recipe:

• LODGE SQUARE CAST IRON SKILLET – This is the skillet I used and that is pictured in the step by step photos here in the post!
• LODGE 6.5″ CAST IRON SKILLET – This is pictured in one of the final recipe photos… I love the fun presentation!
• 3 PIECE SILICONE SPATULA SET – I’ve upgraded my silicon spatulas to these great one solid piece spatulas!