If you're carving a pumpkin for Halloween, don't throw out the guts—whip up a batch of crispy pumpkin seeds air fryer style. Rather than cooking them in the oven, turn to your air fryer for the most delicious and crunchy results. In less than 10 minutes, you can have sweet or savory pumpkin seeds in one of three incredible flavors: smoky salt and pepper, sweet and spicy, or cinnamon sugar.

Air-Fryer Pumpkin Seed Ingredients

Choosing the ingredients for pumpkin seeds air fryer style depends on what flavor you want them to be.

• Pumpkin seeds: You'll need cleaned, dried pumpkin seeds, also known as pepitas, for this air fryer pumpkin seeds recipe.
• Oil: A neutral oil, like vegetable oil, will ensure the flavoring you choose will shine on the pumpkin seeds.
• Seasonings: Our Test Kitchen prefers a seasoning mix of smoked paprika, salt, and pepper, but you can use any blend you like. We've included variations for cinnamon sugar and sweet and spicy flavors.

How to Clean Pumpkin Seeds

Cleaning pumpkin seeds isn't difficult, it's just a little messy! After carving your pumpkin and removing the guts, separate the seeds. Use your fingers to gently remove the seeds from the stringy pulp and place them in a colander. Rinse them with water to remove any excess pulp, then lay the seeds on a paper towel and pat them dry. Let them sit for at least an hour —the drier the seeds, the crispier the air-fried pumpkin seeds will be.

How to Cook Pumpkin Seeds in the Air Fryer

Roasting pumpkin seeds in the air fryer is as easy as tossing the ingredients into the basket. Before adding, toss the seeds with the oil and seasonings until they're evenly coated. In just three minutes, the air-fried pumpkin seeds will be done. Transfer the roasted pumpkin seeds to a paper towel-lined plate to cool—this will help absorb any excess oil.

Tips for the Best Pumpkin Seeds Air Fryer Style

Here are a few tips for using an air fryer to make pumpkin seeds. 

• Place parchment paper at the bottom of the basket. Clean-up will be a breeze if you line the air fryer basket with parchment paper (or foil) before every use. Simply remove the liner when you’re finished cooking. This prevents cooking spray from damaging your air fryer and decreasing its lifespan. 
• Avoid overcrowding the air fryer. If you place too many pumpkin seeds in the basket, they won't cook evenly. You want as much surface area exposed as possible to get the tastiest results.
• Shake the basket. Your pumpkin seeds will brown more easily and evenly if you give them a gentle toss a few times while cooking. 

How to Store Air Fryer Pumpkin Seeds

Store the air-fried pumpkin seeds in an airtight container for up to 1 week.