Nuts & seeds · Seeds
Pumpkin seeds
Flat green kernels (pepitas) from pumpkins and squash; toasted for snacks, salads, moles and breads.
Also called: pepitas, kabak çekirdeği
A kind of seeds
Photo: Dmitry Makeev, via Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA-4.0)
What it is
Pumpkin seeds are sold either whole in their cream-white hulls or as hulled, flat, dark-green kernels called pepitas (often from hull-less varieties). They are larger and greener in flavour than sunflower seeds. Toasted pepitas puff slightly and turn crunchy.
Cucurbita pepo
How it’s used
- Ground into Mexican pipián and green mole
- Toasted and scattered over soups and salads
- Baked into breads, granola and crackers
- Eaten roasted and salted
Characteristics
- Taste
- Nutty and slightly grassy.
- Texture
- Crunchy when toasted.
- When cooked
- Pop and jump in a hot pan; toast over medium heat.
- Sold as
- whole, ground
- Cooking uses
- Usually eaten raw, Used as a garnish, Suitable for baking, Used for thickening
- Common in
- Mexican, Central American, Austrian, American, International
Storage
Cool, dry and dark. Keep airtight in a cool, dark place; refrigerate for longer storage.
Diet, allergens and safety
No major allergens in typical versions.
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Dairy-free
- Egg-free
- Gluten-free
- Nut-free
- Soy-free
- Caffeine-free
Nutrition per 100 g
- Energy
- 559 kcal
- Protein
- 30.23 g
- Carbohydrate
- 10.71 g
- Fat
- 49.05 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
- Sugars
- 1.4 g
USDA FoodData Central: Seeds, pumpkin and squash seed kernels, dried.
Substitutes
Optional — what works if you don’t have it, and how it changes the dish.
- Sunflower seeds — Swap 1:1; milder and paler.
Related ingredients
Recipes with pumpkin seeds
Berry Chia Pudding
International · 5 min · 461 kcal · Vegan
Berry Smoothie Bowl
International · 8 min · 260 kcal · Vegetarian
Carrot and ginger soup
International · 50 min · 260 kcal · Vegan
Danish rye bread (rugbrød)
Danish · 42 h 40 min · 123 kcal · Vegetarian
Homemade Honey Nut Granola
International · 1 h · 243 kcal · Vegetarian
Pepián de pollo
Guatemalan · 1 h 45 min · 712 kcal
Roasted Pumpkin Soup
International · 1 h 5 min · 131 kcal · Vegan
Seeded buckwheat gluten-free loaf
International · 4 h 20 min · 162 kcal · Vegan
Seeded multigrain loaf
British · 4 h 5 min · 149 kcal · Vegetarian
Warm roasted vegetable and chickpea salad
International · 55 min · 415 kcal · Vegetarian
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