Can You Substitute Pepitas With Pumpkin Seeds?

Are the pepitas in the cupboard a good substitute for roasted pumpkin seeds in your favorite trail mix recipe? Can you swap pumpkin seeds in for pepitas in a salad? The answer is a little convoluted: You can always use pepitas in place of pumpkin seeds, but you can only sometimes use pumpkin seeds as a pepita replacement. That's because all pepitas are pumpkin seeds, but all pumpkin seeds aren't pepitas. 

The word "pepita" is Spanish for a "little squash seed" (it also means "nugget" or "fruit pip"). It's a loanword to English, meaning this Spanish word has made it to the English dictionary with the same (seed-related) meaning. But there's more nuance than that. People use "pepita" to refer to pumpkin seeds that don't have a hull (the white outer casing of a pumpkin seed). But if they say "pumpkin seed," they usually mean the kind with a hull (which admittedly has the green seed inside). 

That's because in Mexico, they hull pumpkin seeds, so they almost always mean the green kind without the hull when they say "pepita," so Americans have adopted the term as they use it in Spanish to help differentiate between the ingredients, both of which are now commonly used in American kitchens. 

You can eat pepitas raw, making them a wonderful addition to granola, salad, or soup. You can also make them into a smooth jar of pumpkin seed butter. Technically, you can eat pumpkin seeds raw, as well (it won't hurt you), but the hull on those raw pumpkin seeds is very chewy and doesn't provide a very pleasant eating experience. So many people opt to roast pumpkin seeds at a moderately slow temperature to help them develop a crunchy exterior and delicious taste. You can also cook small batches of pumpkin seeds in the air fryer for a quick snack.

There are so many ways to play with the flavor of a cooked pumpkin seed, including unlimited opportunities to try out different seasonings. These could range from spicy Cajun or Tex-Mex flavors to a sweet cinnamon-sugar or honey-chai masala finish. While pepitas are a much more versatile option for many cooks, pumpkin seeds allow you to get creative in the kitchen too, and many people prefer their signature crunch when toasted.