Pumpkin Seeds
About Pumpkin Seeds
Pumpkin seeds, plain. The hulled green kernels (pepitas) from the pumpkin or other winter squash. Eaten as a snack, sprinkled on salads, soups and porridge, or stirred into baking.
Pumpkin seeds are an outstanding plant source of:
- Magnesium: one of the most concentrated dietary sources.
- Zinc, iron, copper and manganese.
- Protein and unsaturated fat.
The iron and zinc in pumpkin seeds is plant-form (non-haem); pairing with a vitamin C-rich food in the same meal improves absorption.
Pumpkin Seeds in more detail
The pumpkin seeds sold for eating are usually not from pumpkins you would carve. They are pepitas — the seeds of hull-less varieties such as Cucurbita pepo var. styriaca, bred in Styria in Austria in the nineteenth century to produce seeds with no hard shell. That is why they arrive flat, dark green and ready to eat rather than in a white husk.
Styrian pumpkin seed oil, pressed from those seeds, is one of the more unusual foods in Europe: dark, viscous, intensely nutty, and famously dichroic — it looks deep green in a thin layer and red in a thick one. It has PGI protected status and is used as a finishing oil, never for cooking, because heat destroys its flavour immediately.
At 10 mg of iron per 100 g, pumpkin seeds carry more iron than almost anything else in the plant kingdom that people eat by the handful — more per 100 g than beef. The caveat is real and worth stating: this is non-haem iron, and seeds are high in phytate, so absorption is a fraction of what the number suggests. Eating them with a Vitamin C source, and soaking or roasting them, both help.
They also have the best texture-to-effort ratio of any seed for toasting: a dry pan, medium heat, and they puff and pop audibly when done.
Nutrients worth knowing about
Per 100 g, this page's panel shows Phosphorus at 850 mg (about 155% of the adult reference intake), Copper at 1.57 mg (131%), Magnesium at 270 mg (90%), Zinc at 6.6 mg (69%), Iron at 10 mg (68%), Vitamin B3 (Niacin) at 8.8 mg (52%), Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) at 0.32 mg (25%), Potassium at 820 mg (23%) and Vitamin B1 (Thiamin) at 0.23 mg (23%).
The magnesium and zinc figures are the ones worth remembering. Magnesium intakes are below the reference nutrient intake for a meaningful share of UK adults, and pumpkin seeds are one of the densest ordinary sources.
At 24.4 g of protein per 100 g, pepitas are also the highest-protein entry in this section, with 5.3 g of fibre and 45.6 g of predominantly unsaturated fat.
Other nuts and seeds
Micronutrients (per 100g, raw)
| Nutrient | Amount | % adult reference intake |
|---|---|---|
| Minerals | ||
| Iron | 10 mg | 68% |
| Calcium | 39 mg | 6% |
| Magnesium | 270 mg | 90% |
| Potassium | 820 mg | 23% |
| Sodium | 18 mg | 1% |
| Chloride | N (present, not quantified) | . |
| Phosphorus | 850 mg | 155% |
| Zinc | 6.6 mg | 69% |
| Copper | 1.57 mg | 131% |
| Manganese | N (present, not quantified) | . |
| Iodine | N (present, not quantified) | . |
| Selenium | 6 ug | 8% |
| Vitamins | ||
| Vitamin A | 38 ug | 5% |
| Vitamin C | 0 mg | 0% |
| Vitamin D | 0 ug | 0% |
| Vitamin E | N (present, not quantified) | . |
| Vitamin K | not measured | . |
| Vitamin B1 (thiamin) | 0.23 mg | 23% |
| Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) | 0.32 mg | 25% |
| Vitamin B3 (niacin) | 8.8 mg | 52% |
| Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) | N (present, not quantified) | . |
| Vitamin B6 | N (present, not quantified) | . |
| Vitamin B7 (biotin) | N (present, not quantified) | . |
| Vitamin B9 (folate) | N (present, not quantified) | . |
| Vitamin B12 | 0 ug | 0% |
Source: CoFID 2021 (McCance and Widdowson, UK), code 14-842 (matched record: "Pumpkin seeds"). N = present but not quantified; Tr = trace; not measured = no value in the source.
What this food is a source of
High in by content (per 100g): Phosphorus (155%), Copper (131%), Magnesium (90%), Zinc (69%), Iron (68%), Vitamin B3 (niacin) (52%).
A source of by content (per 100g): Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) (25%), Potassium (23%), Vitamin B1 (thiamin) (23%).
These figures are the amount in the food. How much the body absorbs can vary, see each nutrient's entry for detail.