This year we decided to try our hand at smoking our pumpkin seeds. We smoke just about everything else in our smoker, so why not this delicious fall treat? We took the pumpkin seeds right out of the Jack O’Lanterns we carved and made some truly delicious smoked pumpkin seeds.
What You Need for Smoked Pumpkin Seeds
- Pumpkin seeds (any amount)
- Salt
- Cooking spray
- Cookie sheet(s)
- Smoker
- Smoker wood chips (we used this blend)
Prep is very simple. We had two medium sized pumpkins and filled two small to medium sized catering trays with seeds. Most smokers aren’t big like ovens, so keep this in mind if you’re buying single use trays. These aluminum cookie sheets are a good size, if you’d like a recommendation. You can definitely use regular cookie sheets in a smoker though, if you have ones that are small enough.
Making Smoked Pumpkin Seeds
1. Collect the seeds from your pumpkin and let them soak in cold water while you’re carving. This cleans the seeds while the cold water hardens them a bit.
2. Let them sit on a plate or paper towel overnight so they’re extra dry ahead of smoking. This makes them extra crunchy versus chewier when finished.
3. The next day, pre-heat your smoker to 250 degrees and load your wood chips. We used this blend of hickory, apple and oak chips to give ours their bold flavor.
4. Spray your cookie sheet(s) with cooking spray to prevent sticking. Salt lightly to taste.
5. Let your seeds cook for 2 hours on 250 degrees. Don’t leave them in much longer or you risk them burning!
6. Let the seeds cool for one hour before enjoying. After an hour we also stored them in a plastic gallon baggie safely.
BONUS: Portion into festive Halloween goodie bags like these that I got and share with your friends, family and neighbors!
Did you give this smoked pumpkin seeds recipe a try? Anything you would change, or already did differently? Let me know in the comments and tag me on social media. I love seeing these recipes come to life!
