Pepitas vs Pumpkin Seeds

Are pumpkin seeds and pepitas the same thing?

Technically, yes. But pumpkin seeds have a shell and pepitas [puh-PEE-tahs], which means little nuggets or little seeds of squash in Spanish, don’t. And pepitas come from specific thinner-skinned, hulless pumpkin varieties, such as Lady Godiva.

Generally speaking, the seeds you dig out of your typical jack-‘o-lantern are just plain old pumpkin seeds in their shells, which if you husked them you’d end up with little green seeds or pepitas. But that would be a lot of tedious, unnecessary work since pepitas are readily available, so there’s really no need to go to all that trouble.

Both pumpkin seeds and pepitas contain healthy fats, fiber, protein, magnesium, zinc, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, antioxidants, an array of phytosterols, and a host of other good-for-you stuff. They’re even said to possibly help improve one’s sleep.

Try them in our Avocado Hummus with Pepitas.

Tags: Q&A