20 Minute Easy Air Fryer Pumpkin Seeds

bowl of roasted pumpkin seeds on white background

20 Minute Easy Air Fryer Pumpkin Seeds

This easy air fryer pumpkin seeds recipe is quick to make and versatile to satisfy all your cravings. Full of savory flavor from a simple mix of smoked paprika, garlic powder and black pepper, it’s a salty snack you’ll look forward to eating every fall! Coated with warm spices, these pumpkin seeds are crisp, crunchy, and so easy to make.

Course Snacks

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 14

Rest Time (optional) 30

Servings servings

Calories 106kcal

Author Christy Gurin

Equipment

1 Air Fryer oven style or basket style

Ingredients

2 cups fresh pumpkin seeds pulp removed and rinsed well
1 Tablespoon olive or avocado oil
1 teaspoon salt (just use 1/2 tsp. if you don't like things very salty)
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Right after separating pulp from seeds and rinsing, lay clean pumpkin seeds out on a kitchen towel and rub to remove excess water. If you have the time, let the pumpkin seed lay out on a clean kitchen towel for 30 minutes to an hour to dry out further, but if not, just dry well with a kitchen towel or paper towels.
Place pumpkin seeds into a bowl and rub with oil (if using an oven style air fryer this can be done directly on air fryer tray). Sprinkle on seasoning and rub in with your hands to evenly distribute.
Spread the seeds out evenly on the air fryer tray or basket. Its okay if there is a little bit of overlap but if you have a smaller air fryer, you may need to cook in two batches.
Preheat air fryer and air fry seeds at 360° for about 12 minutes. If using an air fryer basket or if seeds aren’t very dry to start with, shake the basket half way through aft4er 6 minutes.
Check the seeds at 10 minutes to avoid over cooking since cook time will vary based on air fryer model. Seeds should be crispy with some just starting to brown. Do not let them get evenly browned or they will taste burnt.
Remove seeds from air fryer and let cool before storing in an air tight container on the counter for up to 2 weeks or in the fridge for 4-6 weeks.

Notes

Pumpkin seeds float so placing pulp into a bowl of water can help with separating them from the pulp as much as you can. Once pumpkin seeds have been separated, rinse thoroughly in a colander to remove remaining gunk and pick off any big pieces. They will still feel slippery when clean, which is fine.
Pulp must be removed from seeds right after harvesting or the seeds will start to rot. It can be time consuming so if you don’t have time after carving, refrigerate the pulp and seeds together and sort, rinse and roast within 24 hours.
Adjust spice ratio to match however many seeds you have. If you have more or a smaller air fryer, cook the pumpkin seeds in two batches.
Cook time will vary by air fryer and seed dryness. My Ninja oven style air fryer takes 12 minutes and my Cosori basket style air fryer takes 14 minutes.

Nutrition