Air Fryer Pumpkin Seeds ( Quick & easy; Smoky, Spicy, & Sweet!)
Kick off the fall season with this Air Fryer Pumpkin Seeds recipe! This great snack is so easy to make and ready in just minutes. Serve them on their own or over soups and stews as an added crunchy garnish. With just 0.6g net carbs per serving, they are perfect for keto, paleo, vegan and gluten-free diets. It’s the perfect way to use up seeds after pumpkin carving!
❤️ Why you will love making this healthy snack
- It’s an easy recipe! Just a matter of melting mixing your flavor ingredients with the pumpkin seeds and air frying them.
- Quick! This recipe is ready in 15 minutes.
- Use the whole pumpkin: This is a great way to use up the whole pumpkin. Add the flesh to a vegetable stew or make pumpkin puree, and make vegetable stock with the peel.
- Perfect for a low-carb snack! This tasty snack is keto-friendly. They come to just 0.6g net carbs per 1/6 cup serving. That’s a good little handful!
- It fits many diets: These Air Fryer Pumpkin Seeds are vegan, paleo, keto-friendly, and gluten-free.
- They are a delicious garnish! Not are these crunchy air fryer pumpkin seeds a tasty, nutritious snack by themselves, but you can also add them as a crunchy topping on soups, stews, and salads. It’s the best way to add extra crunch instead of croutons. The nutty flavor of the roasted air fryer pumpkin seeds is so delicious!
- Health benefits: This delicious snack is so good for you! Manganese and vitamin K, two nutrients that are vital for promoting wound healing, are abundant in pumpkin seeds. They also include zinc, a mineral that supports the immune system’s ability to combat viruses and bacteria. Pumpkin seeds are a great source of phosphorus as well.
🗝️ Key ingredients
- Pumpkin Seeds: I used the seeds from a small pumpkin which totaled 1 full cup of seeds. You can add seeds from a large pumpkin and also add other squash seeds like butternut squash seeds. You’ll need to clean off all of the pumpkin pulp before adding it to the seasoning mixture. You may need to rinse and dry the seeds. I rinsed them and patted them dry with a paper towel to remove excess water. You can do this a day before and leave the seeds to dry overnight.
- Butter: Use regular butter, vegan butter, or ghee. Butter adds flavor and helps fry the seeds, making them nice and crunchy. I used unsalted butter and added salt later on to taste. In a pinch, you could also use olive oil, avocado oil, or another vegetable oil.
- Seasoning: I wanted a smoky, spicy, and sweet flavor so I mixed in some smoked paprika, cinnamon, cayenne, garlic powder, and a little bit of erythritol for sweetness. The erythritol melts when heated, so it gets heated in a pot on the stove along with all of the other seasonings and butter before mixing with the pumpkin seeds. Check my list below for all the different flavors I love!
🥣 How to make Crunchy Pumpkin Seeds in an Air Fryer
1. Clean the seeds: Begin by removing the fresh pumpkin seeds from the pulp (which sometimes sticks to the outer shell) by rinsing them in a colander/strainer under cold water, and then pat them dry with a kitchen towel. You can do this the night before and allow them to dry overnight.
2. Preheat the air fryer to 360°F/180°C.
3. Heat seasoning: Add butter, smoked paprika, tsp garlic powder, cayenne, cinnamon, and erythritol to a pot on the stove over medium heat and melt everything together.
4. Salt: Turn off heat and salt to taste.
5. Mix: Add the clean pumpkin seeds to the pot and mix well.
6. Add to air fryer: Add Pumpkin Seeds to the air fryer basket and spread them out evenly in a single layer.
7. Cook and stir: Cook for 5 minutes and then take the basket out of the air fryer, stirring the seeds.
8. Finish cooking: Replace the air fryer basket in the air fryer and cook for another 5 minutes
9. Optional: They may need additional cook time! Check the pumpkin seeds and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, according to your personal preference.
10. Cool: Remove the air fryer seeds from the air fryer, placing them in a bowl or on a tray to cool.
❓ Do roasted pumpkin seeds go bad?
As with all foods, they can go bad especially if you add things like butter to them. These crispy pumpkin seeds last up to 1 week in an airtight container on the counter. They may turn a little soft, so either pop them back in the air fryer for 5 minutes to crisp back up or pan-fry them for 5 minutes.
🤔 Do you have to dry pumpkin seeds before cooking them?
If you use water to rinse the seeds, it’s a good idea to dry them before trying to cook them in the air fryer or the conventional oven. Here is how to clean and dry pumpkin seeds:
- Firstly, try to remove the seeds from the pulp as much as possible with your hands. It’s a little messy and sticky, but you can easily wash your hands off after all the seeds have been removed.
- Rinsing the seeds in a colander/strainer under running water, separating the seeds from the pulp with your fingers, and then pat them dry with a paper towel. You can also leave the cleaned seeds to air dry overnight on parchment paper – they’ll cook quicker if you do this.
🫙 How do you store pumpkin seeds before cooking?
I like to make sure they are cleaned of all pulp first and then airdry them overnight if I had to wash them. Once dry, store in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge for up to a week, making sure to roast them within 7 days.
🤷♀️ Can you eat raw pumpkin seeds?
Yes, however, they taste much better roasted for a crunchy snack!
🎃 Other pumpkin flavors to try
- Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Seeds: 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1 teaspoon of brown sugar or brown erythritol.
- Pumpkin spice: 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice and 1 teaspoon of sugar.
- Cajun: 1 teaspoon of cajun seasoning and 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
- Garlic: 1 teaspoon of garlic salt
- Spicy: 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of chili powder and salt to taste.
😋 More air fryer recipes you will love
- Crispy Air Fryer Rice Paper Dumplings
- Air Fryer Drumsticks
- Honey Butter Air Fryer Carrots
- Air Fryer Frozen Sweet Potato Fries
- Crispy Air Fryer Turkey Bacon
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📖 Recipe
Air Fryer Pumpkin Seeds
Ingredients
- 90 g pumpkin or squash seeds pulp removed, 1 cup
- 1 tbsp butter regular or dairy-free
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp cayenne
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp sugar or sweetener I use erythritol
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Begin by removing the seeds from the pulp, rinsing them in a colander/strainer under running water, and then pat them dry with a paper towel. You can do this the night before and allow them to dry overnight.
- Preheat air fryer to 360°F/180°C.
- Add butter, smoked paprika, tsp garlic powder, cayenne, cinnamon, and erythritol to a pot on the stove over medium heat and melt everything together.
- Turn off heat and salt to taste.
- Add the pumpkin seeds to the pot and mix well.
- Add Pumpkin Seeds to the air fryer basket and spread them out evenly.
- Cook for 5 minutes and then take the basket out of the air fryer and shake it, stirring the seeds.
- Replace the air fryer basket in the air fryer and cook for another 5 minutes
- Optional: Check the pumpkin seeds and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes if necessary.
- Remove the air fryer seeds from the air fryer, placing them in a bowl or on a tray to cool.
