Roasted or even air-fried pumpkin seeds are usually fine. At their best, they’re crunchy bits of heavily seasoned fiber. At their worst, they’re tough, chewy, and bland. Most people mitigate the toughness and blandness by soaking them in salt water for 10 minutes, but I like to take it a step further and brine them overnight in a spicy, hoppy mixture of vinegar and beer. The air fryer adds texture, so the seeds are pleasantly crunchy and never leathery.
Pumpkin seeds from the Airfryer (crunchy and tasty)
Overnight soaking may seem like overkill, but it really makes a difference. I discovered it by accident. Last night, after carving my elegant Lenin lantern, I boiled the seeds in my usual beer brine, intending to dry and air fry them that evening. But then I decided to hang a fruit basket from my ceiling (to free up counter space) and forgot about the seeds I had let cool until this morning.
I drained and dried them as usual, then poured them into my air fryer basket (with the small tray removed) and tossed them with a drizzle of olive oil. I fried them at 300℉ (the same temperature I use when roasting them in the Big Oven) for only 10 minutes (which is a third of how long they take in the Big Oven). They were perfect.
The overnight brine infused the seeds with a ton of flavor. I could even taste the hops from the beer I used (a very hoppy IPA that some guy left in my fridge). They were a little sweet, a little spicy, and just salty enough. I didn’t even top them off with salt. (Although I did briefly consider adding a few pinches of MSG.)
