Choose An Unripe Green Pumpkin For Juicier Seeds

As summer turns to fall, all things pumpkin-related start showing up in recipes. Ripe pumpkin seeds are a traditional treat enjoyed the world over, but have you ever considered seeds from an unripe pumpkin?

While ripe pumpkin seeds are firm with a hard snap when you bite into them, unripe seeds are soft and crisp, with a juicy center that pops in your mouth. Since the gourd is still green, sugars haven't had a chance to form, so both the flesh and seeds of an unripe pumpkin have a clean, vegetable taste, similar to zucchini and other mild squashes.

In recipes, their size, texture, and flavor compare to diced, water-heavy veggies like cucumber. They're fantastic as a unique topping on salads or stirred into soups, acting like little firecrackers of sudden flavor. Unfortunately, their high water content and soft hull make them less ideal for roasting like ripe pumpkin seeds.

However, unripe seeds still pair well with homemade pumpkin spice, and can find a place in many dishes that typically use ripe pumpkin seeds. Thanks to their soft hull, they even make a great substitute for pepitas — a variety of pumpkin seed that entirely lacks a hull — in an even broader range of recipes.

As a standalone snack, treat green pumpkin seeds like other raw vegetables. Similar to cucumber, you can toss them with a bit of salt and pepper for extra flavor. Their garden-fresh taste pairs well with condiments like red wine vinegar and ranch dressing, though you may need a spoon to eat them. Their versatility, combined with their bite-sized nature, presents a world of flavor opportunities.

Since they're delicious raw, unripe pumpkin seeds make an easy topping for a meal just before serving. When using them this way, think of the flavor profile of your dish. These soft seeds are best used in recipes that won't overshadow their flavor, like these vegan plantain tacos or a vichyssoise soup. If you add them to a heavy dish like pot roast, they won't be nearly as noticeable due to the rich, strong taste of the other ingredients.

Just because they're wonderful as a topping doesn't mean they can't take center stage. In fact, they can sometimes be easier to work with than the original ingredient. For example, when Ina Garten makes a cucumber salad, she drains the cucumbers to prevent their water from diluting the dressing. But the soft shell of an unripe pumpkin seed retains its juices, eliminating the need for draining while providing a similar flavor. Since their taste is so close to cucumber, they work marvelously with the other ingredients in the recipe, keeping the end result nice and juicy.