Easy Candied Pumpkin Seeds (3 Ingredients)
These easy candied pepitas are a fantastic addition to any salad, trail mix, or just eaten by the handful, making candied pumkpin seeds more accessible than ever!
Servings: 1 ¼ Cups
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw organic pepitas pumpkin seeds
- 1 teaspoon date syrup or tapioca syrup
- 2 teaspoons coconut sugar
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt optional
- 1 Tablespoon allulose optional; for sweeter pepitas
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 285°F for 10 minutes (this step is not necessary if using a toaster oven).
- Measure out your pumpkin seeds, and then put them into a small bowl. Measure out your coconut sugar and salt (if using) into a separate small bowl and stir them together until well-combined. If using allulose, keep that separate still.
- Drizzle the syrup or honey over the seeds, and then sprinkle on the sweetener mixture & salt. Stir everything together until each nut has at least a bit of syrup and sugar sticking to it.
- Sprinkle on the allulose if using, and shake all together until the pepitas aren't sticking to each other as much. Mix everything together again until each nut has a thin layer of sticky sweetness on the outside, and then drop your nuts into a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Bake your candy pepitas at 285°F (140°C) for 20 minutes, checking on them at 15 minutes in case differences in oven temp finish them off early. You'll know they're done from the toasty, caramelized aroma and light brown shade.
- Once the coating on the outsides has solidified, but before any of the pepitas begins to burn, remove the baking sheet from the oven and take off the parchment paper, setting it on a cool surface so that the seed won't continue to cook. They'll look sticky, but they'll harden however they look when you take them out of the oven, so if you want separated clusters, don't wait more than a minute before shaking the nuts apart.
- Allow them to cool for 5 minutes before enjoying, and store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days, or the freezer for several months.
Notes
Storage: The recipe can easily be doubled or tripled, and stores well on the counter for several days or in the freezer for a few months. Just be sure to keep your homemade candied pumpkin seeds in an airtight container, otherwise they'll soften and lose their crunch within a few days.
Using Roasted Seeds or Nuts: It's important that you use unroasted & unsalted organic pepitas, otherwise the candying process will over-roast them. To each their own, but I highly recommend raw seeds or nuts.
Over-Roasting: If you want to test the seeds for doneness before the 20 minutes are up, either due to uneven oven temps or uneven seed size, be sure to carefully use a fork to lift one off the tray and give it at least a full minute out of the oven before you take a bite. Otherwise they will both be way too hot to enjoy and will appear less done than they genuinely are.
Flavorings: If you decide to make this with a different nut or seed, you can enhance the experience by sprinkling one of the many low histamine spices on top. One such example is tossing candied pecans in a pinch of ground cardamom and rose water, or even tossing candied pili nuts in dried ground lemongrass and ginger.