Meet the Ingredient: Pumpkin Seeds Explained, Nutrition and Uses Across Our Range

October 12, 2026

We make four products from organic pumpkin seeds: a cold-pressed oil, two butters (raw and toasted) and a protein powder. They share a raw material but behave very differently in the kitchen, and the reasons come down to what is done to the seed. This guide explains the seed, the four products, what their nutrition panels say, and which one to pick for which job.

The seed

Most pumpkins belong to the species Cucurbita pepo, which was domesticated in Mexico: a domesticated seed from Guilá Naquitz cave in Oaxaca has been dated directly to about 10,000 years ago. The seeds were eaten long before the fruit was farmed, and growers later selected for larger seeds, then larger fruit. The word "pumpkin" comes from the Greek pepon, "large melon".

Our butters use Styrian pumpkin seeds, from an oil pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo var. styriaca) whose seeds lack the usual woody husk. The seed coat is thin and membranous, the seeds can be eaten whole, and the kernels are olive to dark green. That hull-less trait, which arose in the nineteenth century, is behind the green oil of Styria in Austria and the deep green of our butters.

Four ways to turn a seed into food

Oil: the seeds are gently pressed at low temperatures to release their oil. Roughly 2.5 to 3kg of seed goes into a litre of traditional Styrian oil, so a little goes a long way.
Raw butter: the whole seed, cold-milled, so the fresh, green, grassy-nutty flavour is preserved.
Toasted butter: toasted seeds, traditionally stone-ground. Toasting develops roasted aroma compounds, giving a deeper flavour and a creamy texture.
Protein powder: the seeds are cold-pressed to remove oil, and the seed cake that remains is ground into a fine powder.

Nutrition at a glance (per 100g)

Pumpkin seed oil: 900 kcal, fat 100g (monounsaturates 45.7g, polyunsaturates 43.9g)
Raw pumpkin seed butter: 628 kcal, 28.1g protein
Toasted pumpkin seed butter: 628 kcal, 28.1g protein, 15g fibre
Pumpkin seed protein powder: 366 kcal, 63g protein, 10g fibre, zinc 10mg

Why the numbers differ

Start with the oil. It is 100% fat because it is only the oil from the seed; the protein and fibre stay behind in the seed cake, and that cake is what becomes the protein powder. A published analysis of the cake from pumpkin seed oil production reports 60 to 65% protein, in line with the 63g per 100g on our powder, and the powder is lean (6.7g of fat per 100g) because most of the oil has been pressed out. The butters sit in between, because they are the whole seed: 51g of fat and 28.1g of protein per 100g.

That is why the butters are around 628kcal, compared with 366kcal for the powder and 900kcal for the oil. Fat provides 37kJ per gram, against 17kJ for protein or carbohydrate, so the fat content largely sets the calories.

Label wording that applies

The butters are a source of protein (protein provides more than 12% of their energy), the toasted butter is also high in fibre, and the powder is high in protein and fibre. The authorised wording (Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 and Regulation (EU) No 432/2012, as retained in Great Britain) includes: "Protein contributes to the maintenance of muscle mass." The oil is high in unsaturated fat: "Replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats in the diet contributes to the maintenance of normal blood cholesterol levels (MUFA and PUFA are unsaturated fats)."

Which to choose

Oil: finishing soups and roasted vegetables. Use it cold, as whole-seed pumpkin oil has a low burning point and is not suited to frying.
Raw butter: stir-fries and savoury sauces.
Toasted butter: toast, porridge, dipping.
Protein powder: pancakes, bread, smoothies.

The range also works as a set. A dressing of raw butter loosened with lemon juice and water suits roast squash; a few drops of the oil over the top finish it; toasted butter goes onto the morning toast; and a spoonful of the powder goes into the smoothie or pancake batter. If you are buying just one, choose by the job you most want it to do rather than by the numbers.

Keeping them well

Two published studies show why storage matters. In one, the peroxide value of cold-pressed pumpkin seed oil, an early marker of oxidation, rose over three months at room temperature. In another, colour loss was far greater in light than in darkness. So keep the oil in the dark, tightly closed and use within 3 months of opening. The butters also keep best cool and closed, and the seeds' own oil may rise to the top: that is natural, and you stir it back in or store the jar upside down.