11. Fruit and vegetable seeds – Which Bracha is recited; Haeitz, Ha’adama, Shehakol, or no blessing:[1]

Seeds of fruits [and vegetables] which are a secondary product of fruit cultivation receive the blessing of Shehakol, unless the seeds are also naturally sweet and fit for eating just like the fruit itself, in which case it receives the same blessing as the fruit, [either Ha’adama if a vegetable or] Haeitz if a fruit.

Inedible: If the seeds are inedible then no blessing is said upon eating them, if one chooses to do so.

Edible through cooking: If the seeds are inedible and only become fit for eating upon roasting them, then although no blessing is said upon eating them raw, the blessing of Shehakol is recited upon eating them roasted or cooked. [Nonetheless, Bedieved, if one recited Haeitz on the cooked bitter seeds of a fruit, or Ha’adama on the cooked bitter seeds of a vegetable, then one Yotzei.[2]]

Seeds which are the primary product of the food:[3] All seeds which are the primary product of the food receives its proper blessing, whether Haietz or Ha’adama.

• Practically, what is the bracha of watermelon and pumpkin seeds? These seeds are a secondary product of their fruit and are naturally bitter and then baked in order to become edible. Their blessing is hence Shehakol.[4] However, in today’s commercial industry of pumpkin and watermelon seeds, the watermelons and pumpkins are planted specifically for the sake of harvesting the seeds[5], and hence their blessing is Hadama.[6]

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[1] Seder 6:3; Luach 9:3; 202:8; Michaber 202:3; Rashba Brachos 36b; Tosafus Brachos 36b; Rabbeinu Yona Brachoas ibid; Rosh 6:4; Ketzos Hashulchan 49:12 footnote 18

[2] M”B; Ketzos Hashulchan ibid footnote 18

[3] See Beir Moshe 2:12; Piskeiy Teshuvos 202:9

[4] Ketzos Hashulchan ibid footnote 18

[5] For commercial production of seeds, especially in the case of watermelon and pumpkin seeds, the primary goal is to harvest the seeds. The fruits are grown mainly for their seeds, which are then processed, cleaned, and sold. The flesh of the fruit is often a byproduct. In some cases, it might be used for animal feed, compost, or other purposes, but generally, the focus is on the seeds. The market for these seeds is significant, particularly for snacking, culinary uses, and oil production. Watermelon Seeds Market Size, Share & Trends Report 2030

[6] Beir Moshe 2:12; Piskeiy Teshuvos 202:9