I love the thought of saving, cleaning and roasting fresh pumpkin seeds right out of the gourd, but let’s be real: it’s messy and it takes forever. So, I found a seller on Amazon that provides fresh, raw pumpkin seeds in two-pound bags, which makes today’s wedding favor project actually do-able. Here I’m sharing the best way to roast dry, raw pumpkin seeds and turn them into the most darling DIY Fall Wedding Favors that your guests will obsess over! If you take anything away from this project you absolutely MUST make the Vanilla Sugar recipe – it’s to die for!
RECIPE SUPPLIES:
- Dry, Raw Pumpkin Seeds
- Olive Oil
- Your Choice Of Spices, ideas below!
- Mixing Bowl
- Measuring Cups + Spoons
- Parchment Paper
Best Way To Roast Pumpkin Seeds:
I searched the internet for recipes and unfortunately ruined too many batches before I finally landed on what I think is the best and quickest way to roast pumpkin seeds, add great flavor and maintain a delicious crunch!
- Measure one cup of pumpkin seeds and one tablespoon of olive oil into a mixing bowl and stir.
- Add your choice of seasoning and stir to coat.
- Let the mixture marinate for at least 1 hour, up to overnight.
- Spread out on a parchment lined baking tray and bake for 10 minutes at 375°. Give or take a minute or two.
- Let cool for about 30 minutes and listen to them crackle and pop!
- Store in glass containers! I stored my first batches in Ziplock bags and they lost their great crunch (I am right by the ocean though). My next batches stayed perfectly crunchy by storing them in my Pyrex storage containers.
PUMKIN SEED RECIPES:
On the internet I found cult classics like dill pickle, salt and pepper and ranch dressing… so I wanted to spice things up, literally, haha. Ok, here are my recipes:
Cracked Black Pepper + Pink Sea Salt:
- 1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil
- 1 teaspoon Cracked Black Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Pink Sea Salt
Garlic + Whole Fennel:
- 1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Whole Fennel Seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Buffalo Wing Spice Mix:
- 1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons Buffalo Spice
I bought this one at Whole Foods, but use your favorite dry wing spice!
Smoked Paprika + Celery Salt:
- 1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil
- 1 teaspoon Celery Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- dash of Cayenne Pepper for spice!
Honey + Vanilla + Brown Sugar:
- 1 Tablespoon Honey (no olive oil!)
- 1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon Vanilla
- Pinch of salt
This is the best thing I’ve ever tasted, actually going to make them for Thanksgiving!
Keep in mind the recipes above are JUST ideas! You can literally use any spice to flavor your roasted pumpkin seeds!
FAVOR SUPPLIES:
- 4oz Round Favor Jars (I think these look like pumpkins!)
- Faux Gold Leaves
- Cardstock
- Hole Punch
- Twine
- Spray Paint (optional)
- Our free printable labels at the end of the post!
Make Cute Tags
Print my free simple tag design onto 8.5″ x 11″ cardstock, trim and hole punch. These say “roasted with love”… but you can always design your own.
Paint The Lids
The lids of these containers were just too gold for me, so I spray painted them a muted rose gold color called Sparkling Canyon from Krylon.
Faux Gold Leaves
To embellish the favor jars, cut and tie on a sprig of faux gold fern leaves!
Assemble Your Favors
Add seeds, tag, leaves and tie off with a piece of twine. That’s all there is to it; cute, fresh and delicious – perfect for your fall wedding!
Yield
Each two pound bag of pumpkin seeds is roughly 10 cups. Each 1 cup batch of roasted seeds will make 2.5 of these exact favor jars. Meaning, each 2 pound bag of seeds will yield 25 – 4oz favors!
Cute + Delicious
As with all our DIY tutorials, if you create one of our projects please send us a picture – We Love Seeing Your Creativity! If you use Instagram or Twitter please use the hashtag #SomethingTurquoiseDIY and it will show up on our Get Social page. Happy Crafting!
DIY Tutorial Credits
Photography + DIY Tutorial: Jen Carreiro of Something Turquoise // Whole, Raw Pumpkin Seeds: Amazon // Buffalo Spice Mix and Olive Oil: Whole Foods // Round 4oz Favor Jars: Amazon // Faux Gold Leaves, Crop-a-Dile Hole Punch, Spray Paint (Sparkling Canyon) and Twine: Michaels // Font used: Overture // Nail Polish: OPI – Withstands the Test of Thyme
Shop The Supplies:
Find the supplies you’ll need for this project from our affiliate links below:
