Pantry Staples

Pumpkin Seeds (Pepitas)

Pepitas come specifically from naked-seeded, or hull-less, pumpkin and squash varieties bred so the plant never develops the tough white shell a standard jack-o'-lantern's seeds have in the first place.

They're a genuinely good plant-based source of iron, magnesium, and protein by weight, part of why they've become a popular addition to a vegetarian grain bowl or salad well beyond their traditional Mexican culinary role.

Beyond pipián and mole, pepitas are ground into a simple pesto-style sauce in some contemporary kitchens, standing in for pine nuts or walnuts for a nut-free, budget-friendly variation on the classic.

Kürbiskernöl, a dark green, intensely nutty oil pressed from hull-less pumpkin seeds, is a specialty product of Austria's Styria region, traditionally drizzled over a salad or soup as a finishing touch rather than used for cooking at heat.

Pepitas garapiñadas, pumpkin seeds coated in a caramelized sugar syrup and cooled until crisp, are a popular candied snack across Latin America, a distinctly different product from the plain roasted-and-salted seeds sold in most US grocery stores.

Squash, including the varieties pepitas come from, were cultivated by Indigenous peoples throughout the Americas as one of the "Three Sisters" companion crops alongside corn and beans, with the seeds saved and eaten long before pumpkins became associated mainly with Halloween carving in the US.

Raw pepitas for sale should look uniformly deep green without a grayish or dulled cast, and shoppers should note that pumpkin seeds are sold in two genuinely different forms: the white, oval in-shell seed that needs shelling, and the flat, hull-less green pepita ready to eat as-is.

By volume, a serving of roasted pepitas packs a denser calorie and protein punch than the same amount of a leafy green vegetable, part of why they're a popular addition to a hiking or backpacking snack mix built around calorie-dense, lightweight food.

Pumpkin seed oil has also shown up historically in various folk-medicine traditions for minor ailments, a use that predates and is entirely separate from its more recent popularity as a gourmet finishing oil drizzled over food.

A simple pepita brittle — seeds set into a hardened sugar syrup and broken into pieces once cooled — is a straightforward homemade candy that showcases the seed's crunch against a shatteringly crisp sugar shell.

Some Mediterranean and Middle Eastern grain bowls scatter toasted pepitas alongside pomegranate seeds for a bright, crunchy contrast similar to the one they provide in a Mexican dish, showing how the seed travels well beyond its country of origin.

A handful tossed whole into a simmering pot of soup near the end of cooking adds a pleasant crunch and nutty contrast to an otherwise smooth pureed soup like a butternut squash bisque.

A simple spiced version, tossed with chili powder and lime zest before roasting, is a popular savory snack variation on the plain salted seed.

A light coating of maple syrup before roasting turns them into a sweet snack variation, caramelizing slightly in the oven's heat.