It’s that time of year when pumpkins are being carved all over the United States. While it’s super fun to carve out pumpkins with friends and family, those pumpkins are jam packed with tasty treats! The seeds! Don’t throw away your pumpkin seeds!

This super simple roasted pumpkin seed recipe will help you create a delicious and healthy snack!

Step One

Clean the pumpkin seeds! Place all of your pumpkin seeds in a bowl of cold water and swish them around a bit. As the seeds begin to float to the top, start removing them. They are almost clean, but there is one more little step to get them perfectly clean.

Step Two

Add the seeds to a pot of boiling salt water and let it simmer for roughly 5-minutes. This step not only fully cleans the seeds, it seasons them as well!

Step Three

Drain the seeds and take out any little pieces of pumpkin that’s left and they dry them. The dryer the better for baking purposes.

Step Four

Mix the seeds in a bowl with an oil of your choice. I typically use avocado oil, but many people use olive oil, coconut oil or even walnut oil. You can then add your favorite spices to the mix!

Step Five

Spread your seeds into one layer on a baking sheet and roast them in the oven at 350 degrees until they are crisp and have brown edges.

That’s it! It’s really just that simple!

Pumpkin seeds are a rich source of protein, unsaturated fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals that mayreduce your risk of getting chronic diseases, such as cancer. Pumpkin seeds are rich in many antioxidants, which protect your cells from disease-causing damage and reduce inflammation in your body.