Salty, spicy and tangy, these chili lime pepitas can be a great healthy snack or a crunchy topping over your salads.
Pumpkin seeds are coated in an addictive chile lime seasoning and baked until crunchy.
Best of all, it takes just 3 ingredients and a few minutes of kitchen time to put this gluten free, vegan snack together.
I’ve tried quite a few snack recipes recently- my Tajin nuts and salt and vinegar almonds were a big hit.
And while I was pretty happy with them, I still wanted to up my snack game and try something a bit different, and that’s when I gave this recipe a try.
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What's So Great About the Recipe?
My favorite part about these chile lime pepitas is the fact that these are the perfect snack to make ahead of time.
You can batch make these over the weekend, and they’ll last you throughout the week, if not longer.
Best of all, these
Ingredients For the Chili Lime Pepitas Recipe
Ready to try your hands at this chili lime roasted pepitas recipe? Here’s all you’ll need.
Pepitas: Pepitas, just like hulled pumpkin seeds, have a characteristic green color. You’ll need to use unsalted pepitas.
Tajin: Tajin, which is also known as chili lime seasoning, is what we’ll be using to season the pepitas. I used homemade Tajin spice mix, but you can also use the store bought seasoning if you want to.
Olive oil: Olive oil will help the seasoning and spices stick to the raw pepitas and will also get the seeds to crunch up.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- If you don’t have
Tajin , you can prepare a simple mix of regular chili powder, smoked paprika or cayenne, sea salt and some fresh lime juice, and use it as an alternative. - You can also try using some Chipotle spice mix if that’s what you have at hand.
- If you want to add a bit of sweetness to the pepitas, you can add some honey or maple syrup into the olive oil mixture.
- Cumin powder can also be a great addition to the seasoning mix.
How to Make Chili Lime Pepitas
Ready to make Chile lime roasted pepitas? Here’s the step by step process you’ll need to follow.
In a bowl, combine all the three ingredients. Toss to coat the pepitas well.
Layer them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and roast in the oven preheated at 350°F for about 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let them cool completely before you serve them.
How to Store Roasted Chili Lime Pepitas
Your crunchy roasted chili lime pepitas can be stored in a sealed container or an airtight container for up to 2 weeks at room temperature.
Just make sure you place it in a cool and dark place and let it cool completely before you store it.
Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- If you don’t have olive oil, you can use any other neutral oil of your choice. Just remember to choose oil that has a high smoke point. Grapeseed oil, canola oil and avocado oil are great choices.
- If you want a bit of extra heat, you can also add a sprinkle of cayenne or chili powder into the mix.
- Remember to spread the pepitas in an even layer on your prepared baking sheet and toss them midway through the cooking time to ensure that they’re golden brown on all the sides.
- If the chili lime pepitas have lost their crunchiness, you can just pop them in the oven once again with a light drizzle of olive oil, or microwave them and let cool slightly before you serve them again.
- You can also choose to make these crunchy pepitas in a skillet. Simply heat oil in a small skillet over medium heat, add in the pepitas and roast them until the seeds are fragrant and start to brown, before you add in the chili lime mix.
How to Serve Chili Lime Pepitas
These crunchy and versatile pepitas can be enjoyed in lots of ways. Here are some ideas to get you inspired.
As a Snack
These tangy lime pepitas are the perfect healthy snack to munch on when you find yourself craving something salty and spicy, but don’t want to turn to a bag of chips. And if I have some more seeds and nuts, I usually end up making my Tajin nuts and seeds snack mix.
As a Topping
The chili lime pepitas can be a nice and crunchy garnish for salads and soups. I think they would taste incredible with a bowl of broccoli cheddar soup or a fresh Mediterranean salad.
You can sprinkle them over your morning breakfast toast or avocado toast too! I love using them as a topping on my tacos as well.
Also Read: Pepinos con Chile - Cucumber with Tajin
FAQs
If you don’t have raw pumpkin seeds, or just want to try this recipe using a different kind of nut, you can experiment with sunflower seeds or nuts like cashews, almonds, pistachios, hazelnuts, pecans and walnuts.
You sure can! You’ll need to follow the same process as you would with the oven roasted pepitas- just roast the pepitas for a shorter span- around 4-5 minutes, as opposed to the 15 minutes in the oven.
Regular pumpkin seeds may look the same as pepitas, and while they’re closely related, they’re not the same. Pumpkin seeds often come with the white shell or hull as the outer covering, which pepitas do not have.
Related Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Chili Lime Pepitas
Ingredients
- 1 cup pepitas
- 1 teaspoon tajin
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine all the three ingredients. Toss to coat the pepitas well.
- Layer them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and roast in the oven preheated at 350°F for about 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let them cool completely before you serve them.
