Air Fryer Pumpkin Seeds

5 from 1 vote

Air Fryer Pumpkin Seeds are easy to make and taste so much better than the over-salted store-bought snack. A delicious source of plant-based protein that you can season in so many ways.

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Total Time20

Course: Snack

Cuisine: American

Servings: cups (4 - ½ cup servings)

Calories: 401kcal

Author: Jennifer Fishkind

Ingredients

2 cups pumpkin seeds pulp removed and very dry
2 teaspoons avocado oil
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon chili powder
⅛ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Remove all the seeds from a large carving pumpkin. Place the seeds and pulp into a colander, under cool running water, and separate all the seeds from the pulp. Discard as much pulp as possible.
2 cups pumpkin seeds
Spread the clean seeds, in a single layer, onto a large rimmed baking sheet and pat dry with paper towels. Allow the seeds to sit at room temperature for 1-2 hours to allow the pumpkin seeds to dry completely.
Transfer the dry pumpkin seeds to a bowl with the avocado oil, salt, smoked paprika, garlic powder, chili powder and black pepper. Toss to evenly coat all the pumpkin seeds with the oil and spices.
2 teaspoons avocado oil, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon smoked paprika, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon chili powder, ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
Spread the spiced pumpkin seeds in a single layer evenly in the basket of a large (6 quart) air fryer. Air fry the spiced pumpkin seeds at 360°F for 10-12 minutes or until golden and crisp. Pause the air fryer after 5 minutes to shake the seeds, to ensure they are crisping evenly, then finish air frying the seeds for the remaining 5-7 minutes.
Allow the air fried pumpkin seeds to cool for 5 minutes before transferring them to a bowl for serving.

Notes

Storage:

To Store: These pumpkin seeds are best stored in an airtight container for 1-2 weeks. A mason jar is great for storing the pumpkin seeds. Be sure to let them cool completely before storing so they stay nice and crispy.

Tips:

One large carving pumpkin will typically yield between 1 ½ - 2 cups of seeds.
If you are having trouble rinsing all pulp off the seeds, you can boil the seeds in a pot of lightly salted water for 5-6 minutes. Rinse the seeds in a colander, under cool running water to separate all the pulp from the seeds.
You can use any combination of savory spices to season your air fryer pumpkin seeds. You can even use a store bought season blend of your choice. You will use a total of 1 ½ teaspoons of spice blend per 2 cups of pumpkin seeds.
You can substitute olive oil for the avocado oil if desired. Avocado oil has a higher smoke point than olive oil so this helps to ensure your pumpkin seeds do not burn while air frying. If using olive oil, just keep an eye on your pumpkin seeds to ensure they do not burn.
If your pumpkin seeds are very dry before adding them to the air fryer, they should take between 10-12 minutes to get golden and crispy. If they are still a little wet, your pumpkin seeds may need a couple extra minutes of air frying time to get golden and crisp.
A COSORI 6.8 quart air fryer was used to develop this recipe. Two cups of pumpkin seeds was a perfect amount to not overcrowd the basket when air frying. If you are using a smaller air fryer, you will need to air fry your pumpkin seeds in batches, in a single layer, to achieve the same results.
You can purchase pre-cut parchment paper that is made to fit the baskets of most air fryers. These pre-cut parchment papers come with holes in them already, to allow for proper air circulation while air frying, to make cleaning up very easy. These are also helpful if your air fryer basket has larger holes than the size of the pumpkin seeds. This will help to keep the pumpkin seeds from falling through the holes of the basket while air frying.

Nutrition