Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
How to make pepitas, an excellent grain-free substitute for croutons on salads. A delightful crunch with no carbs! Great for snacks as well.
My favorite way to add crunchiness to a salad with no carbs is to sprinkle on homemade pepitas.
Pepitas are slightly tangy, crispy, hulled pumpkin seeds that have been soaked in filtered water with sea salt and a bit of cayenne pepper.
They are then dried to crispy perfection in a warm (no higher than 150°F/ 65 °C) oven to preserve rawness.
As described in Nourishing Traditions Cookbook, seeds were one of the staple foods in the diet of the Aztec culture.
Preparation involved soaking the seeds in brine water and then drying them out in the sun.
The pepitas were consumed whole or ground into meal for baking after the drying process was complete.
Seeds should always be soaked and then dried before consuming.
This important preparation step neutralizes the anti-nutrients such as phytic acid in the hulls of the seeds, which interfere with digestion and absorption of nutrients.
Soaking nuts is a similar process.
Once again, traditional cultures show us that proper preparation of the nutrient-dense foods is as important as the food itself.
Fresh Pumpkin Seeds?
If you are wondering about the white seeds inside a fresh pumpkin….
These are unhulled pumpkin seeds as compared with green pumpkin seeds, which have had the hulls removed.
Feel free to soak and dry white pumpkin seeds as described in the linked article and enjoy with the hulls on!
Tip: The hull of pumpkin seeds is known to have anti-parasitic effects on the gut.
If you don’t wish to eat unhulled seeds due to sensitivity to fiber, you can hull them by hand before soaking and still preserve the rawness using either method below.
Or, just buy them already hulled to save time. This is the brand I suggest.
Manual Method
Pinch individual seeds between your fingers or use a knife to carefully split the outer shell and remove the inner seed. This is time-consuming but precise.
Rolling Pin Method
Place dried seeds in a plastic bag, gently roll with a rolling pin to crack shells, then separate the kernels by hand or with a slotted spoon.
Don’t Have Time to Soak Seeds?
Feel free to use sprouted pumpkin seeds instead of taking the time to soak them if desired.
This brand of sprouted pumpkin seeds is excellent and what I use in a pinch.
Hint: Soaked seeds give a better crunch than sprouted seeds on salads!
To learn more, this article details the health benefits of soaking vs sprouting.
Homemade Pepitas
How to make pepitas, an excellent grain-free substitute for croutons on salads. A delightful crunch with no carbs! Great for snacks as well.
Ingredients
- 4 cups pumpkin seeds raw, hulled
- filtered water enough to cover
- 2 Tbsp sea salt
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper optional
Instructions
-
In a large glass bowl, stir salt into the filtered water and add hulled pumpkin seeds and cayenne. Leave uncovered on the kitchen counter for at least 7 hours or overnight.
-
Drain in a colander and spread wet seeds on cookie sheets. Dry in a warm oven (no more than 150 °F/ 65°C) for about 6-8 hours or until completely dry. A food dehydrator with stainless steel trays works great too.
-
Pepitas keep well in an airtight container in the pantry – even in warm, humid climates like where I live in Florida.
Hi Sarah,
I have unhulled pumpkin seeds – will this method still be applicable?
Yes you can soak and dry them the same way …. the hulls are high in fiber though which some people are sensitive to. Unhulled pumpkin seeds aren’t quite as enjoyable on salads either, in my opinion.
Hi Sarah,
Any suggestions for hulling your own pumpkin seeds?
Yes see two methods for hulling pumpkin seeds above.
I tried to email you before but must have been unsuccessful as I did not get an answer… my question was where can I purchase KSSl the cough expectorant?? I know many seniors like myself who need this so badly…after the Joplin tornado many of us had coughs that just would not go away and difficult to treat…so I am convinced this cough medicine that you talked about is the answer…Please let me know and Than You!
I got mine via prescription. If you can’t get a script from a doctor, you can get an SSKI kit here (use coupon HealthyHome): https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/go/sski
Because croutons were mentioned in the above article, thought I would mention that we make delicious croutons from bread made with the Einkorn grain. Just use days old bread and cut up into small pieces, brush with butter, salt, garlic and whatever other seasonings you may like. Toast on a cookie sheet at 250 degrees until golden brown. Store
in the fridge in a glass jar.
Sarah,
what about chia seeds? Do they need to be soaked to?
Thanks,
Maya
Hooray for pepitas, especially when combined with chile and salt! Their crunch is irresistible.
The antinutrients in seeds/nuts are in the skins as well. For example, shelled walnuts still require soaking/drying first to enhance digestibility.
Regarding your comment: "Seeds should always be soaked and then dried before consuming, by the way, to neutralize the antinutrients in the hulls of the seeds which interfere with digestion and absorption of nutrients."
I know, I'm such a troublemaker, but I need to ask: if the anti-nutrients are in the hulls, why would hulled seeds need to be soaked? Thank you for faithfully answering our questions.
Don't dry in an oven above 150 or the seeds will lose their rawness. Either dry in a toaster oven (the ones I've seen all go down to 150F) or use a dehyrator.