Best Pumpkin Seeds (Pepitas)| Review & Top Picks - ConsumerLab.com (2025)

• What did ConsumerLab's tests of pumpkin seeds reveal?

  Our tests showed generally high quality among pumpkin seeds. Most had no microbial contamination, and just one had a slight presence of mold and yeast. In addition, our tests for toxic heavy metals found that all had very low levels of lead and arsenic, and only one had a detectable amount of cadmium, at a low level. The products contained virtually no mercury. Two “salted” products contained less sodium than listed (see What CL Found).
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  Which are the best pumpkin seeds?

  Among the products that passed testing and were "Approved" for their quality, CL selected two as Top Picks among unsalted pumpkin seeds and one as its Top Pick among salted pumpkin seeds, based on quality, taste, and value .

• What are the nutritional benefits of pumpkin seeds?

  Pumpkin seeds are rich in healthy, unsaturated oils and provide significant amounts of protein, fiber-rich carbohydrates, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc and iron and small amounts of other minerals and vitamins. They also contain beta-sitosterol and tryptophan, although amounts per serving are lower than typically used therapeutically (see What It Is).

• What's the difference between pumpkin seeds that are raw, dried, roasted, and sprouted?

  Not much, although roasted seeds have less water than raw or dried seeds (about 1% vs. about 5% of total weight), resulting in slightly higher amounts of other nutrients. Styrian (Austrian) pumpkin seeds have a little less fat, a little more fiber, and are darker and larger than regular pumpkin seeds (see What CL Found).

• Pumpkin seed safety and side effects:

  The fiber content of pumpkin seeds may cause some gastrointestinal side effects and, although rare, may cause allergic reactions (see Concerns and Cautions).

See our separate and Flaxseed and Other Seed Oils Supplements.

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