All About Pepitas: What to Do with Your Pumpkin Seeds This Season
Roast them, blend them, sprinkle them as a garnish, there are so many ways to use pumpkin seeds this season.
Annabelle Breakey
Piles of pepitas, and pumpkin seeds lining baking sheets or blended into sauces, are signs of the season—spooky season, that is. They make for a great snack to eat by the handful, simply roasted with sea salt until golden brown, or as an alternative to pine nuts in a bright pesto (maybe made with cilantro instead of basil).
The ways to enjoy these seasonal seeds are bountiful, and that’s why we’ve dedicated a whole collection of recipes to the ingredient. We’re all about pumpkins over here, from molding them to resemble Frankenstein heads, carving them into porch decor that will spook your trick-or-treaters, or using them as a vessel for soup. We suggest picking up one of the orange gourds (closely resembling Sunset‘s signature orange) before they’re gone for good.
While you may just want to sprinkle pepitas into a salad of seasonal greens or add them to a smoothie bowl for an added protein boost, push the envelope and make something delectable. Blend them into a sauce with serranos, garlic, onions, and tomatillos for a creamy posole to keep you warm as the weather starts to cool down.
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For a breakfast boost, whip up a batch of thousand-seed muffins that get their crunch from a topping of pepitas, plus sesame, poppy, and sunflower seeds. If your sweet tooth is taking the lead, bake them into a sugary batch of brittle. See? We meant it when we said the opportunities for pepita perfection are endless. Keep scrolling for all of the ways to use pumpkin seeds this season and beyond.
Pie-Spiced Pumpkin and Sunflower Seeds
The warm spices of holiday pies are mixed with seeds and a touch of salt for a sweet and savory snack to eat by the handful.
Smoky Pumpkin Hummus
Though pumpkin-flavored dishes are often sweet, this recipe combines pumpkin purée and chickpeas for a smoky, savory hummus that’s perfect for fall entertaining.
Creamy Pumpkin Seed and Green Chile Posole
A puréed salsa made with roasted pumpkin seeds helps give this posole a rich flavor and chowder-like texture.
Roasted Delicata Squash with Honey, Pomegranate Seeds, and Pepitas
The skin of delicata squash is tender when roasted and very flavorful, so try it along with the flesh for an added bit of texture. Crunch is added to this dish with the topping of pepitas and pomegranate.
Pumpkin Soup with Pumpkin Seed-Mint Pesto
Not quite enough pumpkin for you in the soup? Serve it in mini pumpkin bowls.
Zucchini Gemelli Pasta with Cilantro Pesto
A seamless blend of Italian and Mexican flavors, this meal is efficient, too: The pasta and zucchini cook together in the same pot. A twisted pasta is best at trapping the pesto and delivering it in every bite.
Thousand-Seed Banana Date Muffins
Loaded with seeds and made with only 2 Tbsp. of oil, these muffins stay incredibly moist and light, thanks to two fruit purées and soft meringue.
Cinnamon Pumpkin Seed Brittle
This warmly spiced brittle also makes a crunchy garnish for pumpkin pie.
Sauvignon Blanc-Poached Pears with Spicy Pepitas
The natural acidity of dry Sauvignon Blanc adds a tang that brightens up the sweet syrup on these pears. Pepitas are mixed with brown sugar and cayenne to add a sweet and spicy crunch.
Potato and Seed Chorizo Tacos
This recipe from Damian, in the Arts District of Los Angeles, shows that vegan can also mean insanely delicious. The seed mixture comes together with a blend of chilies, roma tomatoes, onion, and garlic to create a sauce that binds the pumpkin and sunflower seeds together. This mix then coats boiled fingerling potatoes to create the base of the taco filling.
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