Air Fryer Pumpkin Seeds

This easy air fryer pumpkin seeds recipe creates perfectly crispy, seasoned seeds with minimal effort, making it a delicious and versatile snack for any occasion.

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Dry Time1

Total Time1 20

Course: Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: air fried pumpkin seeds, Air Fryer Pumpkin Seeds Recipe, best pumpkin seed recipe, pumpkin seeds air fryer, pumpkin seeds in air fryer

Servings:

Calories: 201kcal

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.
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.
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.
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

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 cold 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.
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 to keep the pumpkin seeds from falling through.

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