Finally the secret to perfectly salted DIY roasted almonds (not just salted on top) that are SO much better than anything you can buy!
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You may remember when I mentioned that I had discovered, by accident (because I’m cheap frugal smart with money), that DIY roasted almonds are WAY better than roasted-salted almonds from the store.
Way. Better.
As in, you may find you have trouble eating only a few. But that’s where your small bowls for portion control will come in to play – we don’t need to suffer through blah food in order to practice portion control, do we?
This is just fair warning that you will not want to start eating these straight from the jar!
Now, before you go all “can’t we just buy anything for convenience anymore?” on me, let me explain that I don’t make these DIY roasted almonds because they are any more healthier or more ‘real food’ than basic roasted nuts you can buy (though if you were soaking and sprouting them, they might be, but most raw almonds seem to be already steam-pasturized…).
So if you’re needing convenience, buy away.
No, I make these because they save me a couple dollars (and we all eat a lot of nuts around here, so it adds up), but more importantly they taste amazing.
Really, I had no idea there would be such a difference between home-roasted almonds and store-bought!
And it’s not just me – everyone I serve them to agrees, too. I’ve had guests be so surprised that they “had” to go back for seconds – and thirds.
Make DIY Roasted Almonds
I’ve made a lot of flavored nuts (this spicy one is great) but I’ve not been happy with basic roasted nuts, mainly because the salt never wanted to stick to the nuts after cooking.
So when confronted with the price difference between roasted and raw almonds, I started researching and I learned from this recipe that the secret to a salted flavor all the way through roasted nuts is to dissolve salt in hot water first, and then coat the raw nuts with this mixture and cook them.
I adapted the recipe to cook fully in an oven to be easier and to be able to make a large batch.
TIP: By the way, I LOVE using a little glass tablespoon measuring cup in recipes like this calling for more than one tablespoon – so easy!
Ingredients
- Almonds
- Fine grain sea salt (or use a pink Himalayan or other pure, non-additive salt)
- Olive oil
Equipment Needed:
- Roasting pan
- Glass tablespoon measuring cup
- Silicone baking mat or parchment paper
- Large metal or wooden spoon
Directions
Dissolve salt in water as much as possible and then pour onto raw nuts, stirring thoroughly. Spread onto a lined baking sheet.
Bake at 375 for about 15 minutes, stirring at the halfway mark.
After baking, coat the warm nuts with a bit of olive oil and a couple shakes of sea salt and let them cool. They soak up all that goodness and then look like the perfectly roasted almonds that they are.
To flavor or not?
I don’t often add any flavoring because I usually want a basic nut I can then use to top salads and in my favorite granola, as well as for snacking.
Any herb can be added, though, and garlic powder or seasoned salt would probably make them even harder to stop eating as a snack – if that’s possible – so flavor as you’d like.
This basic DIY roasted almonds recipe has changed our nut-eating life, though, so I just had to share with you how easy and amazing it is to roast your own almonds at home.
The one thing you have to be careful of is burning – it’s literally a minute between perfect and slightly burned nuts.
And, yes, I’ve experienced it first hand – but you know what? Brian and I agree that even the slightly “too-browned” almonds are better than commercially roasted. Go figure.
I’d love to know what you think of these!
Perfectly Salted DIY Roasted Almonds - seriously the BEST!
Ingredients
- 4½ cups raw, whole almonds
- 1½ tablespoons HOT water
- 1½ teaspoons sea salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- sea salt to taste
Instructions
- Heat oven to 375 degrees and line a large baking sheet with silicone or parchment.* Place the raw almonds in a large metal or ceramic mixing bowl (we'll be adding the hot nuts back into it, so don't use plastic).
- Stir 1½ teaspoon of salt into the hot water until mostly dissolved (it hardly ever completely dissolves for me - it's okay if it doesn't), pour over the nuts in the bowl and mix until all are coated.
- Transfer to prepared baking sheet, spreading the nuts in a single layer.
- Bake for about 8 minutes, stir well and spread back into a single layer. Bake for 6-8 minutes more, depending on how your oven cooks (Ours are usually perfect at about 15 minutes total, but your oven may vary, so may take 5-10 minutes longer). To test doneness, the nuts should be nicely browned, inside and out (you can cut one open to see if it's browned inside). Keep an eye on them, this is when they can burn quickly - but you don't want them undercooked either or they won't be crisp (once you've made them, the timing is easier).
- When they are done baking, put the hot nuts back into the large bowl and pour the olive oil over them. Toss well until all the nuts are coated, shaking on sea salt as you go. You can taste one, but they're very hot, so be careful (I usually just like to see a bit of salt on the outsides and that seems to be enough with the original salt-water coating).
- Leave the nuts to cool in the bowl, or spread out on the pan again if you need them to cool more quickly. The nuts will soak up the oil as they cool.**
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
Other healthy snack recipes you may like:
Healthy Maple Sweetened Chili Pecans
Healthy Homemade Chocolate Covered Pecans
Cashew, Cranberry and White Chocolate Granola Bites
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Chuck says
Jami,
I, too am “smart with money” and can’t stand to burn a batch of expensive almonds. I toast almonds lower for longer, reducing my chances of overcooking. A cookie sheet of almonds cooked for 55 min at 230 F has worked well for me. I sample a few at 50 min or so to judge how they are progressing.
I’ve used your olive oil & salt technique. I’m going to try the brine for a little more salty “bite”.
Jami says
Thanks for the tip, Chuck!
Tania says
Delish, just like you say they are the best, and easy to make.
Isabeau says
These are incredible. I couldn’t believe how tasty they turned out with so few ingredients (so little salt and oil).
Jami says
I know, it is kind of amazing!
Cheryl says
Have you ever tried roasting and salting sliced almonds? Any recommendations?
Jami says
No. You’d have to be very careful about cooking them without burning, I’d think.
Cheryl says
Have you ever tried this with sliced almonds? I am finding that eating whole almonds is damaging my teeth and my dentist has advised to switch to sliced almonds. The only problem is that I haven’t been able to find roasted, salted almond slices so I want to make my own. Any advice here?
Jami says
I would try it, but again you’d have to keep watch on the baking – like at the 3-4 minute mark I’d think, stir and bake. Maybe three times at much shorter baking intervals so they don’t burn?
Cindy E. says
I made these tonight, trying to find a healthy alternative to smokehouse almonds. The only change I made was using avocado oil instead of olive oil (for a milder flavor) and added about a teaspoon of Liquid Smoke. Holy Hannah, they were fantastic! Thank you so much for this recipe. Now we don’t have to consume the bad ingredients in the big name brand.
Jami says
What a great idea, Cindy – that does sound yummy!!Thanks so much for the review.
Valerie in AZ says
Wow, this recipe seriously IS the best! My oven runs hot, so 6 minutes per side was perfect. My test bites were so good I poured a bunch into a dish and started munching on them hot (yum!). So now I have perfectly roasted/salted ORGANIC deluxe mixed nuts; thank you!
Jami says
Oh, yum! So glad you liked this – thanks for the review!
Valerie says
Awesomely perfect nuts. I did not add more salt with the oil as I planned to coat some in chocolate for almond bark. I had to force myself to stop eating the nuts so I would have some left to coat. Will definitely make again. My husband lived them too!
Jami says
Yes, I can relate to that Valerie 🙂
DPBKLYN says
Try this with a little coconut oil instead of the olive oil over the hot almonds, not quite as healthy, but AMAZING!
Jami says
Thanks for the review and tip!
Meredith Bickett says
I loved this recipe! Absolutely agree, better than store bought, so addicting! I enjoyed them so much, I also tried them with pecans, but I did chopped pecans and then used them in a bourbon pecan pie. They took it to the next level! Thanks so much for sharing!
Jami says
Ooo, that pies sounds amazing, Meredith!
Thomas Troske says
Made these today and they really came out so much better than store bought. My wife even ate them. Very very easy. You do not have to be an experienced cook to make these. I will try the spices ones next.
Great job
Jami says
So happy you – and your wife – liked them, Thomas!
Jody W. says
I tried this a few years ago and it was AWESOME! However, I lost the recipe and had to seriously scour the web to find it again. This time I saved in PDF and printed 🙂 Wanting to do vacuum packed jars (Yay FoodSsaver!) of mixed nuts as gifts this holiday season.
I experimented with your recipe using pecans. I wanted a bit of sweetness, but not overly ‘sugared’ or praline (?)
All I did was substitute sugar for the salt. 1st batch, OK, a little overdone. Realized I had to dial back the time and cut it down to 10-11 minutes and that seemed to do the trick. Pecan is still the dominant flavor with a little sweetness thrown in and NOT like a ‘candied’ nut. Exactly what I wanted!
Thanks so much for sharing a very easy, simple, and super tasty recipe!
Jami says
Glad you found it again, Jody! That is such a good tip with the pecans – I’ll have to give it a try.
Jess says
Making them today and adding everything bagel seasoning with the olive oil!!!
Jami says
Oh, that sounds good!
Marie says
Jiminy Crickets! You were NOT EXAGGERATING about how ridiculously addictive (and easy) these are!
Jami says
Love this. 🙂
Zack says
So easy and delicious!
Jami says
Thank you!
Bette Solomon says
We love these salted almonds. You are right!! The hot water + salt first helps them stay salty. I make them about once a week, and I always take some to friends when I visit. Excellent and easy recipe. Keep up the good work.
Jami says
I’m so glad you discovered these, Bette!!
Susan K says
I made these they turned out great, thanks so much!
Just letting you know in the video it says after you add the salt and water mixture to bake for 8 min??? then remove and add the oil & salt. Also it shows you adding the oil but not the salt or did you put the salt in with the olive oil?
Neelie says
I discovered this about a year ago and always make a new batch when I run out. I was busy when making them last time, and went a few minutes over on timing (15 min is perfect in my oven) so they’d got a little too toasted, but still delicious. I planted 4 hazelnuts last Spring and look forward to trying those.
Jami says
I’m so happy you enjoy this recipe, Neelie – thanks for reviewing.
Davina says
Thank you so much for this amazing recipe. You’re right – they are the best!! 🙂
Jami says
🙂