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Pumpkin seeds

Cucurbita pepo

Also known as Pepitas, Hulled pumpkin seed

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The hulled green kernels of certain pumpkin and squash varieties, eaten raw or roasted. The USDA reference entry is for the dried kernel without its white hull.

Hair HealthMen's HealthSleep

Potential health benefits

Best supported: Insufficient

Ordered by how well the human research supports them — strongest first. A rating describes the state of the evidence, not how impressive the food is. How we rate evidence.

Hair growth and strength

Hair Health
Insufficient evidence

There is not enough dependable human research behind pumpkin seed oil and hair loss. A single small trial is widely cited and has not been convincingly reproduced.

Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.

1 source

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Prostate health

Men's Health
Insufficient evidence

Pumpkin seed oil is one of the most heavily marketed supplements for benign prostatic enlargement. The trials are small, mostly short, largely conducted by a narrow set of groups, and use concentrated oil extracts rather than the seeds themselves.

Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.

4 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Sleep quality

Sleep
Insufficient evidence

Pumpkin seeds are marketed for sleep on the basis of their tryptophan content. There is no dependable human evidence that eating them changes sleep, and dietary tryptophan competes with other amino acids for transport into the brain, which limits the plausibility of the mechanism at food doses.

Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.

4 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Ask about Pumpkin seeds

Ask about Pumpkin seeds

Answers are written only from the entries on this page — the same nutrients, compounds, claims and citations you can read above. Nothing is added from outside the database, and every answer lists what it was built from.

AI explanations are not switched on for this site, so there is nothing to ask here. Everything above is read straight from the database and does not need them.

Key nutrients

Nutrient content per 100 grams
NutrientAmount% DV
Macronutrients
Calories559 kcal28%
Protein30.2 g60%
Total fat49 g63%
Carbohydrate10.7 g4%
Fibre6 g21%
Total sugars1.4 g—
Water5.23 g—
Fats
Saturated fat8.66 g43%
Monounsaturated fat16.2 g—
Polyunsaturated fat21 g—
Cholesterol0 mg0%
ALA (omega-3)0.12 g—
EPA (omega-3)0 g—
DHA (omega-3)0 g—
DPA (omega-3)0 g—
Linoleic acid (omega-6)20.7 g—
Vitamins
Vitamin A1 µg0%
Vitamin C1.9 mg2%
Vitamin D0 µg0%
Vitamin E2.18 mg15%
Vitamin K7.3 µg6%
Thiamin (B1)0.273 mg23%
Riboflavin (B2)0.153 mg12%
Niacin (B3)4.99 mg31%
Pantothenic acid (B5)0.75 mg15%
Vitamin B60.143 mg8%
Folate58 µg14%
Vitamin B120 µg0%
Choline63 mg11%
Minerals
Calcium46 mg4%
Iron8.82 mg49%
Magnesium592 mg141%
Phosphorus1233 mg99%
Potassium809 mg17%
Sodium7 mg0%
Zinc7.81 mg71%
Copper1.34 mg149%
Manganese4.54 mg198%
Selenium9.4 µg17%
Other measured compounds
Beta-carotene9 µg—
Alpha-carotene1 µg—
Lycopene0 µg—
Lutein + zeaxanthin74 µg—
Caffeine0 mg—
Ash4.78 g—

Nutrient values are per 100 g of the USDA reference entry named on this page and vary with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

Source record: Seeds, pumpkin and squash seed kernels, dried (USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 170556).

% DV uses the FDA Daily Values for adults and children aged 4 and over. A dash means no Daily Value has been established for that nutrient.

Bioactive compounds

Compounds present in meaningful amounts. Presence is banded rather than quantified, because whole-food levels vary enormously with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

How preparation changes things

Only effects with real support are listed. If a preparation method is missing, it is because nothing dependable is documented — not because it makes no difference.

  • soakedReduces phytate

    Soaking and then drying pumpkin seeds lowers phytate content, which increases the availability of the zinc and magnesium they carry.

Things to know

Allergies, interactions and intake concerns. Every food gets this section — a reference where everything is uniformly good is not a reference.

  • Allergy

    Pumpkin seed allergy

    Uncommon but reported, including anaphylaxis. Seed allergies are less predictable than nut allergies because they are not always covered by labelling rules.

  • Worth knowing

    Phytate and mineral absorption

    Pumpkin seeds are a dense source of zinc and magnesium but also of phytate, which binds those same minerals. Soaking, sprouting or roasting reduces phytate somewhat.

  • Worth knowing

    Salt and portion size

    Most roasted pumpkin seeds are salted, and their small size makes large portions easy to reach without noticing.