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
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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!
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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.
I tried your method and it is amazing! So super impressed! Like you said… It is just so hard to stop eating. I used mixed nuts & tons of cashews. I used 1tsp of salt and 2tbsp of water over 3 cups. For me it was perfect. I didn’t need to further use salt after a very tiny drizzle of olive oil after the roast.
Glad you enjoyed these – thanks so much for the review!
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”.
Thanks for the tip, Chuck!
Delish, just like you say they are the best, and easy to make.
These are incredible. I couldn’t believe how tasty they turned out with so few ingredients (so little salt and oil).
I know, it is kind of amazing!
Have you ever tried roasting and salting sliced almonds? Any recommendations?
No. You’d have to be very careful about cooking them without burning, I’d think.
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?
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?
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.
What a great idea, Cindy – that does sound yummy!!Thanks so much for the review.
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!
Oh, yum! So glad you liked this – thanks for the review!
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!
Yes, I can relate to that Valerie 🙂
Try this with a little coconut oil instead of the olive oil over the hot almonds, not quite as healthy, but AMAZING!
Thanks for the review and tip!
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!
Ooo, that pies sounds amazing, Meredith!
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
So happy you – and your wife – liked them, Thomas!
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!
Glad you found it again, Jody! That is such a good tip with the pecans – I’ll have to give it a try.
Making them today and adding everything bagel seasoning with the olive oil!!!
Oh, that sounds good!
Jiminy Crickets! You were NOT EXAGGERATING about how ridiculously addictive (and easy) these are!
Love this. 🙂
So easy and delicious!
Thank you!
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.
I’m so glad you discovered these, Bette!!
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?
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.
I’m so happy you enjoy this recipe, Neelie – thanks for reviewing.
Thank you so much for this amazing recipe. You’re right – they are the best!! 🙂
🙂