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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Ginny says
How delicious! I will never buy salted roasted almonds again. This recipe is both simple & delicious. Take these almonds on a hike or use for a simple appetizer or have on hand for a snack. Thank you for the recipe!
Jami says
I'm so glad you liked these so much, Ginny - thanks for the review!
Jason Ford says
Made this quick and easy recipe. Turned out perfectly! My wife and daughter will love them.
Jami says
Great!
Thank you so much for leaving a review - it's super helpful.
Larry Briggs says
Quick and easy.....delicious!!! I sprinkled a bit of smoked paprika on at the last step...yummy!!
Jami says
That is a great idea!
Glad you liked this - thanks so much for the review!
SERENA GRIVE says
The best way to have salted roasted nuts! I used a mix of nuts --- fed up with paying high price for same in shops (not as good as mine now!) I always bulk buy nuts so have a constant supply of them to roast. It's now such a struggle to limit how much I eat as I'm keto so can have nuts -- in moderation!
Jami says
Glad you like this - so smart to buy nuts in bulk, too!
Thank you for taking the time to review!
Carolyn says
My husband and I LOVE these!
Jami says
I'm so glad - thanks for leaving a review!
M. says
Hi, Jami. This is a super-duper recipe! I made a half-batch, wanting to see if my family would like the almonds. WOW ! Next time, I'll make the whole batch. Thank you for posting this recipe. It is a winner.
Jami says
SO glad!
Thanks for leaving the review, too - that really helps everyone!
Linda says
I made these and they are amazing! I am putting them on a board for Christmas with some cheeses and things.
Jami says
I bet they were great on a board like that, Linda!
Sarah says
OMGsh!! These are The. Best. Nuts. Ever.
So good!!!!!
Thank you for the recipe!
Jami says
You're welcome - so glad you tried them!!
Sibylle says
These are absolutely amazing. Portion control is definitely a problem. Thank you so much for this delicious recipe.
Jami says
Ha - so true!!
Carole says
Yes, it's true, best roasted almonds. Have made a few times, have to portion control for hubby!! Thanks!
Jami says
Glad you like them, Carole - thanks for the review!!
Linda Alegria says
I have made these twice. The first time, the almonds didn't come out as crunchy or as salty as I had hoped/liked (the almonds still had the raw taste to them, which I'm not a huge fan of). I tried this again, with a smaller batch and in my toaster oven. DELICIOUS. I'm eating them now as I post this review! I kind of eyeballed the hot water + salt, and also eyeballed the olive oil at the end. I may have put just a tad bit too much olive oil (I'm only saying this because these are too good lol). I will definitely do this in small batches because 1) the result was much better (but not sure if I made mistakes the first time around) and 2) I will have less nuts and won't feel bad eating the whole batch if its a smaller batch! I know almonds are a healthy snack, but they're still calorically dense and the calories add up QUICK lol I'm so happy they came out so good, though! I'm all about saving money by doing things myself so this is awesome. Thanks so much for the recipe!
Jami says
I'm glad that worked for you, Linda!
It does sound like that first batch of almonds could've been cooked longer - your oven is probably different than mine, as far as temperature.
Really appreciate the review!
Stacey says
just like to say that these are great..iam followong a low carb/keto WOE and these make a great snack...i had been buying shop bought almonds but really wanted to get away from the highly processed vegetable/seed oils. I'd just like to mention for the UK people that I made this recipe out to be about 675g of almonds. and I bakes on gas mark 5. I also had to bake in two lots as our ovens/ trays arnt as big. but none the less they came out perfectly.
Jami says
Great -thank you so much for your UK tips, Stacey!
Tejus says
These are super delish! I recommend everyone to try these. The inside of these almonds are brown just like you said and perfect.
Jami says
I'm so glad you like these - thanks for the review and spreading the word about them!
Melissa O says
So easy, so yummy! My 7 year old gobbled them up. Thank you!!
Jami says
Yay! Thanks so much for the review, Melissa!
Thewave says
Good flavor, but I’m going to try soaking in water overnight then add salt, then roast at 350 for about 15 minutes. Soaking makes nuts lighter and less chewy. Soaking may also protect from burning.
Carol says
Hi Jami! I usually roast my raw almonds in the toaster oven once cup at a time (I'm the only one here that eats them). My toaster oven requires a lower temp (325 degrees 8 min) BUT I always wanted them to be salty. Today I followed your recipe but for 1 cup almonds I did 1 Tablespoon hot water and 1 teaspoon sea salt.
Mixed like you said in a bowl, and roasted 4 min, stirred, then 4 more minutes. Perfect! And I did not add the oil. Delicious. Thanks!
Jami says
Oh, good to know it will work for a smaller batch like that in a toaster oven-
Thanks, Carol!
Ellen says
These are THE BEST and will now be my "go to" snack!! Bought a 12oz bag (2 1/4 cups) of raw almonds which is exactly 1/2 of your recipe! So I halved the rest of the recipe and used a 10 x 15 jellyroll pan which was the perfect size!!
Jami says
Wonderful, Ellen -thank you so much for the review!
Mary says
Excellent roast almonds recipe! I agree with another post...I’ll never buy commercially roasted nuts again after trying this simple and delicious recipe! I like that I can control the salt..
Jami says
So happy you like this, Mary - thanks so much for a review!
Elizabeth says
love your recipe for roasted nuts! I use a mix of almonds, pecans and walnuts and love they are not overly salty.
Jami says
Glad you like this, Elizabeth - thanks for the review!
diana says
Holy Toledo, Batman! So incredibly good! Never buying roasted almonds from store again.
Jami says
😂 So glad you liked these!
Mike Mozley says
Jami,
I just made these for the first time...
They turned out GREAT!! Thank you for the recipe and for taking the time to share it.
Jami says
Glad you liked these, Mike!
DavidWagner says
Perfect... next batch I'm going to add Old Bay for the post oil "salt"...
Following you now on IG
Jami says
That sounds wonderful, David - thanks so much for reviewing!