Easy Perfectly Salted Roasted Almonds Recipe (Seriously the BEST)
Discover how easy it is to roast your own nuts at home with this simple and delicious roasted almonds recipe. In just 20 minutes you can create a batch of perfectly salted, golden brown almonds for a protein-rich appetizer or snack that will have everyone asking for more. When you learn the trick to homemade roasted nuts that don’t lose all their salt, you’ll see why they are SO much better than anything you can buy!
✩ What readers are saying…
“This is my go to recipe for salted almonds. I’ve now become the designated roasted salted almond maker in the family!!! Thank you so much for sharing such an easy foolproof recipe especially for an amateur like me.” -Tasneem
Some links in this article are affiliate links and if you click on them I will receive a small commission at no cost to you.
I discovered, totally by accident because I’m cheap frugal..ahem, smart with money, that DIY roasted almonds are WAY better than roasted-salted almonds from the store.
Like, 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 this roasted almonds recipe because it is any more healthier or more ‘real food’ than the basic roasted nuts you can buy. So if you’re needing convenience, buy away.
No, I make these nuts because they save me a couple dollars, 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 with me – I’ve had guests be so surprised that they “had” to go back for seconds – and thirds.
The Trick to Perfectly Salted 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 stuck to the nuts after cooking and cooling.
But when I saw the the price difference between roasted and raw almonds on a Costco shopping trip, I came home with raw almonds and started researching (the “smart with money” part referred to above). 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 then adapted the recipe to cook fully in an oven to be easier and to be able to make a large batch.
Roasted Almonds Recipe Video
Ingredient Notes
- Almonds: You’ll want raw almonds for this recipe, I like the large bags from Costco.
- Fine grain sea salt: or use a pink Himalayan or other pure, non-additive salt.
- Olive oil: Any olive oil works for the final toss – I’ve even used garlic infused olive oil from Trader Joe’s for a garlic salt flavor.
Equipment Needed
- Roasting pan
- Glass tablespoon measuring cup
- Silicone baking mat or parchment paper
- Large metal or wooden spoon
TIP: I LOVE using a little glass tablespoon measuring cup in recipes like this calling for more than one tablespoon – so easy!
How to Make Salted Roasted Almonds
Step 1: Dissolve salt in water as much as possible and then pour onto raw nuts, stirring thoroughly. Spread onto a lined baking sheet.
Step 2: Bake at 375 for about 15 minutes, stirring at the halfway mark.
Step 3: After baking, coat the warm nuts with a bit of olive oil.
Step 4: Add a couple shakes of sea salt, toss, and let them cool. They soak up all that goodness and then look like the perfectly roasted almonds that they are.
Step 5: Spread back on baking sheet to cool completely.
TIP: 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.)
Storage: Store in an airtight container at room temperature. These last for us for more than a month in our glass storage container (and maybe more, but they’re always gone by then!).
These amazing roasted almonds have changed our nut-eating life, so I just had to share with you how easy it is to roast your own almonds at home – and how much better they taste from store-bought!
Reader Raves
“Simply the best “Perfectly” Roasted Almonds I have had. Thank you for such a simple and delicious recipe.” -Carolyn
“I have to admit I was a bit skeptical about putting water on the almonds, but my goodness! This is the best roasted almond recipe! So many others are too salty or too oily, but these are perfect. Infinitely better than store bought! Thanks for sharing this!” -Paula
“Finally! A recipe for almonds that tastes delicious with perfect amount of salt. Thank you!” -Ct
You may also like to try this flavor variation: Chipotle Spicy Roasted Almonds – Easy, Sugar Free, 20 Minute Recipe
I’d love to know what you think of these – be sure to leave a rating and review so we can all know!
Want to save this?
Enter your email below and you’ll get it straight to your inbox. Plus you’ll get easy new recipes, gardening tips & more every week!
Perfectly Salted Roasted Almonds Recipe – the BEST!
Equipment
- large baking sheet or roasting pan
- silicone liner or parchment
Ingredients
- 4½ cups raw, whole almonds
- 1½ tablespoons HOT water
- 1½ teaspoons sea salt
- 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil, to taste*
- 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 teaspoons 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 well until all are coated.
- Transfer the almonds to your prepared baking sheet and spread them 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). TIP: 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 and then shake on some sea salt. 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).
- Spread the nuts out on the pan again to cool completely. The nuts will soak up the oil as they cool.***
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature. These last for us for more than a month in our glass storage container (and may be more, but they're always gone by then!).
Notes
Nutrition
FAQs
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.
Some people prefer to soak their nuts before roasting – feel free to do that before proceeding with this recipe.
As for acrylamide formation in roasted almonds, you can always roast at a lower temperature for longer (though long roasting may also cause formation). But the few almonds we eat are a small source of acrylamide in any case – it’s much more prevalent in fried and toasted foods like potatoes and bread. As stated here, “Estimated dietary exposures of acrylamide from roasted almonds are very low.”
Feel free to adjust the oil coating at the end – you can minimize or leave out all together for more of a dry-roasted almond. It does soak up as the nuts cool.
Yes! Though roasting at 350-360 degrees is better for lighter nuts like pecans and cashews (still at 15 minutes). Blanched almonds work well, too.
Readers have made smokey almonds by adding a little liquid smoke to the brine and a bit more to the olive oil. And one made salt-and-pepper cashews by turning the oven down a smidge and adding pepper with the oil.
More Healthy Snacks
- Healthy Maple Sweetened Chili Pecans
- Easy & Healthy Spiced Nuts Recipe (No Sugar)
- Cashew, Cranberry and White Chocolate Granola Bites
Disclosure: affiliate links in this article will earn commission based on sales, but it doesn’t change your price. Click here to read my full disclaimer and advertising disclosure.
The best almonds I ever ate!!! I followed the recipe carefully, except I cooked them 22 or 23 minutes (before I got that nice nutty wafting smell). When I first took them out of the oven, they were soft and I was disappointed. But we oiled them, let them cool, and they just got better and better. This is DEFINITELY going in the rotation. Thanks, Ken
So glad you waited, Ken. 🙂 I should put a note about that in the recipe for others – thanks!
I can’t wait to try this for myself! Roasted salted almonds are a favorite, but, the cost can be quite prohibitive unless you take advantage of the pricing at club warehouses such as Sam’s, Costco, and BJ’s were you can buy the raw item and use your technic to roast them at home. I have one small sugestion I’d like to offer and one question, first I use popcorn salt in several different applications were I need to be sure that the salt will dissolve or not be overly noticable. Popcorn salt is much finer than regular table salt and dissoles much easier, I’m not realy sure how it compares to sea salt as far as grain size, but, I thought I’d mention it because it works for me and tastes good too. Now for my question, as far as almonds are concerned the only thing better than roasted salted almonds, are smoked almonds like Blue Diamond which are the best hands down, so I was wondering if you have any insight into making smoked almonds at home? Smoked almond are a luxury even more costly than buying commercially roasted salted almonds so they are a definite rarity in my home. It would be nice to figure out how to do it. Any way thanks for the recipe and keep up the good work.
Yes, the finer the salt, the easier it will be to dissolve for sure. That’s a good idea about smoked almonds – I’ll have to start work on creating a recipe!
butcher-packer.com has a hickory smoke cure for meat, I’ve used it to cure pork loin into Canadian bacon. It has a nice hickory smoke aroma right out if the bag. Perhaps a tablespoon of that or something like it dissolved in water would do the trick!
That’s a good idea – thanks.
I will never buy already roasted nuts again! Oh my word!
I know, right?
These came out absolutely perfect!!! Thank you. I’ve always added olive oil before baking the water salt combo was key!!
You’re welcome, Lisa – that is the key for sure.
Recipe looks great and is exactly what I am looking for! How long are the nuts good for once you cook them?
A long time as long as you keep them in an airtight container, Sarah. We’ve had them in a sealed jar on the counter for more than a month before (though they don’t usually last that long!).
Great recipe! I find that I can just roast the saltwater tossed nuts and then forget about the oil and extra salt. Not as pretty, though. Your temp and time is spot on. Another tip: If for some reason you don’t want to roast the almonds, you can just toss them with powdered salt, which I make in the spice grinder for popcorn (sticks nicely without butter). Leave the lid on the grinder for a minute to let the powder settle. Probably want to clean the grinder with bread before you make salt powder. Thank you!
Nice tip about powdered salt, Lydi – I’ve never thought of that! I’m glad you enjoy this recipe.
What is your oven set to and how long do you let them bake?
All the steps are in the full recipe when you click on either of the green arrows at the top or bottom of the article!
Seriously????? This is the best recipe out there. The directions are clear and precise! I just made these and they are still cooling and absorbing. My goodness they are great!!
I’m glad you like them, Mjas!
Made these today. They came out fantastic! Thanks for sharing your recipe. So much better than store bought????
Yay!
I got back from the store and realized I had bought a huge bag of RAW mixed nuts when I had wanted salted, roasted ones. I searched the Internet and found your recipe. WOW! I made A test batch and was so pleased. It worked perfectly! Thanks so much.
So happy to hear this Anna! Seems your experience was like mine – I hardly ever buy roasted almonds anymore. 🙂
Love cooking and trying new things.
I have never roasted nuts before, would this method work for walnuts? Would the temp or time change?
Yes, it probably would, Chelsea, though I haven’t tried it. You will need to adjust the time I think – just roast for 3-5 minutes the second time and keep an eye on them (I think they will brown faster than almonds).
I tried these yesterday and LOVE them! The prep and roasting is easy too. I had to cook mine longer but that is just my oven. These will be one of my main ways to roast almonds. Thanks.
Yes, some ovens are different, Andrea – I have found that, too. Glad you liked them!
I am assuming the sea salt you are using is fine ground but just want to be sure since it will definitely affect the saltiness. I want to try these soon!
Yes, it is regular fine sea salt (it dissolves better). You can put larger flakes when you shake some on after roasting if you want.
You are right, THESE ARE SO GOOD!!! Thanks for posting, I will make these again for sure.
Yay – another convert. 😉
I agree completely, these are the BEST and so easy, I’ll never buy commercial nuts again! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
All right!! Another convert 🙂
I was always buying the roasted and salted almonds at Costco. Our local fruit market had raw almonds on sale for $2.99/ lb. I thought, I’ll give it a try this recipe and roast my own. What do I have to loose as the nuts were so cheap. Oh my…………. these are the best roasted and salted almonds I have ever had. I went right back to the fruit market and bought several more pounds of almonds while they were still on sale. The regular price is only $3.99/lb when they are not on sale. I will ALWAYS buy raw almonds and roast them myself. I also sprinkle some smoked paprika on some of them after roasted and when I’m putting the salt on. They are yummy that way too. Thank you so much for this recipe.
I felt the same way, Kathy – the difference is amazing! I like your paprika idea, too – I will sometimes use chipoltle seasoning for a bit of spice on some. 🙂
Trying this method now and my almonds are in the oven! Usually I just roast them and eat them unsalted but I’m pregnant and have been craving extra salt on everything lately!
Pretty sure you won’t go back to your old method, Nicole. 🙂
You might find it interesting to look at soaking the almonds first and then drying…a method written about by Sally Fallon in “Nourishing Traditions.” Supposedly makes the almonds (or any nuts) easier to digest and better for you. (Recipe is called “Crispy Nuts.”) We like them alot!
Could you share where you buy your Almonds? I’m always looking for good sources!
I buy the raw almonds at Costco, Heather. They are about $16 for the 3 lb. package.
I think I paid about $12 for 3 lbs pkg at Costco last week. We also have bins at Winco but much more expensive there about $6+ lb.
That’s a great price Leslie – and these are worth it. 🙂