Air Fryer Salt and Pepper Pumpkin Seeds are so ridiculously easy and delicious. Whether for a snack or to top your favorite salad, these pumpkins seeds are amazing and take a fraction of the time to roast!
Roasted pumpkin seeds are so nostalgic.
As a kid I remember sheet pans filled with pumpkin seeds and waiting for what felt like forever for them to roast in the oven. A tradition I carried on with my family. Sadly, now that my girls are older, they carve pumpkins with their boyfriends. However I make pumpkin puree or use pumpkin every fall in some form and I always save the seeds for toasting.
Last year, I decided to “roast” pumpkin seeds in my air fryer. Best. Decision. Ever. The seed crisped up in 10 minutes! And then I snacked on them all week.
Okay, 1 day. I ate them all in a single day. sorrynotsorry.
To Make These Air Fryer Salt and Pepper Pumpkin Seeds You Will Need:
- pumpkin seeds
- olive oil spray or avocado oil spray
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Trim the top of your pumpkin. I made a frittata and was using a pie pumpkin, however the seeds from a traditional carving pumpkins work too!
Pie pumpkins are smaller so obviously there will be less seeds. This recipe is based off of 1 small pumpkin.
Scrape out the seeds and pumpkin guts.
And add them into a bowl.
Cover with water and soak for a few. I massage the seeds (for the lack of a better word) to detach seeds from any of the stringy pumpkin.
Eventually the seeds will float to the top.
Then using a slotted spoon, scoop up the floating seeds and transfer to a colander. Rinse well with cold water. Discarding any pumpkin fibers.
Drain and pat dry with paper towel or a clean kitchen towel.
Dump out onto a new, clean kitchen towel.
Spread evenly and allow to dry completely. I usually do this over night. Even though I want seeds like NOW, you want the seeds thoroughly dry.
Add the seeds to a bowl.
Spray with olive oil and season with a generous pinch of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Next preheat your air fryer to 35o or 360° – depending on the make and model of your air fryer.
What Is Air Frying?
An air fryer is a counter top appliance that requires less oil (anything from a few spritz to 1 tablespoon) yet produces crispy food that rivals most deep fried foods. By using circulating hot air, it moves at a high speed so the food tends to cook in a fraction of the time.
There are a bunch of different makes and models of air fryers. My husband did the research (as he’s known to do) and found this air fryer [affiliate] to be one of the best. But do your research and purchase one that fits your lifestyle.
How is Air Frying Healthier?
Air frying is healthier because only a thin layer of oil coats the food and when the hot air comes in contact it will crisp. Saving you a ton of fat and calories (without sacrificing any flavor!) because food is not being submerged in a vat of hot oil.
Keep in mind, not all air fryers are equal. Some preheat and some do not. Some are smaller than others therefore you may need to work in smaller batches to air fry.
For more Air Fryer recipes, click here for my growing collection.
Once your air fryer has preheated, add in the pumpkin seeds. You may need to work in batches or times may vary if air-frying a larger batch.
For a small batch, it should take 10 minutes. But keep checking on them to avoid burning. If your seeds aren’t toasty and crisp after 10 minutes, air fry for increments of 2 minutes. Season with more salt and pepper if needed.
Golden and crispy.
Salty and peppery.
A delicious and healthy snack!
And SO much easier and quicker than roasting in the oven.
Enjoy! And if you give this Air Fryer Salt and Pepper Pumpkin Seeds recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!
