Salted Roasted Squash Seeds
The seeds you scooped out of a squash, brined and roasted into a savory pocket snack.
- calories
- 180
- weight
- 1.2 oz
- cal / oz
- 150
- protein
- 8 g
- serves
- 4, scales
- prep
- 15 min
- cook
- 0 min
- total time
- 15 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Snack
- No cook
- Backpacking
- Thru-hike
- Day hike
- Bikepacking
- Car camping
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- Eat in the bag
- Dehydrate ahead
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Raw seeds from one pumpkin or winter squash | about 1 cup | butternut and acorn work as well as pumpkin |
|---|---|---|
| Fine sea salt | 2 tbsp for the brine, plus a pinch after roasting | |
| Olive oil or melted coconut oil | 1 tbsp | |
| Smoked paprika | 1 tsp | |
| Garlic powder | 1/2 tsp | |
| Cayenne pepper | a pinch |
Method
- At home: pull the seeds out of the pulp and rinse them under cold water until the strings let go. Fingers work better than a colander.
- Simmer the seeds for 10 minutes in a pot of water with 2 tbsp salt. This salts them through instead of just on the outside.
- Drain and dry them on a towel. Wet seeds steam and go leathery.
- Toss with the oil, paprika, garlic powder, and cayenne.
- Spread in one layer and roast at 300°F for 35 to 45 minutes, stirring every 15. They are done when they stop looking glossy and crack cleanly between your teeth.
- Cool completely on the tray before bagging. Any warmth left in them turns to condensation in the bag.
- On the trail: open bag, eat by the handful.
This is a use-what-you-have snack. A single squash yields roughly a cup of seeds that most people throw away, and roasted they turn into a dense, salty, crush-proof handful that costs nothing and weighs almost nothing.
The brine step is the part worth not skipping. Ten minutes in salted water gets salt into the seed rather than leaving it sitting on a dry hull where it falls off in the bag. Drying them thoroughly afterward is what makes them snap instead of bend, and a seed that snaps keeps for weeks without a fridge.
Packing
Cool and fully dry, then into a small zip bag or a screw-top pouch. They do not crush, so a hip belt pocket is fine. Two weeks at room temperature, longer if the roast was thorough.
Variations
- Swap the paprika and cayenne for curry powder and a little sugar.
- Toss with soy sauce powder instead of half the salt for more savory depth.
- Mix the finished seeds with raisins and pretzel bits for a cheap trail mix.
https://www.baldhiker.com/easy-roast-pumpkin-seeds-recipe