To make these roasted nuts, simply take some raw nuts and coat them in olive oil, sea salt, chili powder, and cayenne.
Then, bake them in the oven until they're wonderfully crunchy. Mmm good!
Nuts are the perfect snack. They are crunchy, flavorful, and satiating. Honey-roasted nuts are delicious, and my family loves them. But I recently discovered a flavor combination that we like even better. These roasted nuts are amazing!
They're not overly seasoned, so the flavor of the nuts shines through. But the flavorful seasonings and hint of spice elevate them into a lovely treat.
Jump to:
Ingredients
You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this tasty snack. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:
Nuts: Ensure you're using raw nuts. You can use whatever nuts you like. I like a mixture of almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios, and pecans.
These are the specific brands I use - I order them on Amazon or buy them at Whole Foods. But you can use any brand as long as the nuts are raw:
- Aurora Products Organic Hazelnuts
- Setton Farms Raw Shelled Pistachios
- Terrasoul Organic Pecans
- 365 by Whole Foods Market Organic Raw Almonds
Olive oil: I love the flavor of this oil and use it whenever I can. You can also use melted butter. I've tried it, and it's excellent.
Spices: Sea salt, garlic powder, smoked paprika, chili powder, and cayenne pepper.
Variations
- You can double the amounts of spices for more heavily spiced nuts. If you double the cayenne, they'll be very spicy, so you should only add a pinch.
- You can vary the spices you use. In addition to those listed above, good spices to add are onion powder and ground cumin. You can add half a teaspoon of each.
- You can use whatever nuts you like! I love the combination used here, but anything goes. If you use about 4 cups of raw nuts (roughly 16 ounces), you can use the remainder of the recipe as written.
Instructions
Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed directions. Here's an overview of the steps needed to make this recipe:
Place the raw nuts in a large mixing bowl. Add olive oil and spices.
Mix everything with a rubber spatula or a large serving spoon until the nuts are well coated.
Spread the coated nuts on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Roast them in a 300°F oven until fragrant and crispy. This takes 25 minutes in my oven.
Let the nuts cool and crisp up on the baking sheet. They should be ready after about 20 minutes. Before you store them, make sure they're completely cool.
Expert Tip
I use a relatively small amount of spices because I want to let the flavor of the nuts shine through. You can double the amounts listed in the recipe card if you like heavily spiced nuts. However, don't double the cayenne pepper. The nuts will be too spicy (for most palates) if you do.
Recipe FAQs
While it might be tempting to bake them in a hot oven, it's best to keep the oven temperature low - 300°F - and bake them for around 30 minutes. This ensures even roasting and prevents the nuts from burning.
Coating them with fat, such as olive oil or melted butter, ensures that seasonings stick to them.
Not necessarily. Some people like a sweet-spicy combination; if you're one of them, you can add 1-2 teaspoons of any sweetener.
I like these nuts to have a decidedly savory flavor profile, so I leave the sweetener out.
Serving Suggestions
Roasted nuts make an excellent snack on their own. In addition to simply enjoying a handful when I'm hungry, I like to put them in a bowl and serve them to guests as a pre-dinner snack with their drinks.
You can also sprinkle them on top of a salad such as this arugula salad for added flavor and crunch.
Another excellent use for these nuts is adding them to a cheeseboard. I like to put together a few good cheeses, keto crackers, crudites with ranch dip, pork rinds, and roasted nuts. The nuts are always the first to disappear!
Storing Leftovers
Once completely cool, you can keep these nuts at room temperature in an airtight container for at least a week.
I have found that they last for about two weeks as long as I keep them in a cupboard, in the shade, in a truly airtight container, and in a cool kitchen.
If you plan to store them for longer than that, store them in the fridge or in the freezer in an airtight container.
More Nut and Seed Recipes
Foodie Newsletter
I send out a weekly newsletter with a recipe and tips. Want these recipes in your inbox? Subscribe today! You can unsubscribe at any time.
Recipe Card
Roasted Nuts
Ingredients
- 4 cups raw nuts - about 16 ounces total - see note below
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 300°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the nuts in a large bowl. Add the olive oil, salt, garlic powder, smoked paprika, chili powder, and cayenne pepper.
- Use a rubber spatula to mix everything together until the nuts are well coated.
- Spread the nuts on the parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake the nuts in the preheated oven until fragrant and browned, for 25-30 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven. Leave the nuts on the baking sheet and let them cool and crisp up, undisturbed, for about 20 minutes.
- Transfer the nuts to a bowl and serve.
Video
Notes
- I use almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios, and pecan halves. You can use whatever you like! If you use about 4 cups of nuts (roughly 16 ounces), you can use the remainder of the recipe as written.
- Add an additional pinch of cayenne to make these nuts truly spicy. The amount listed here gives them just a hint of spice.
- After removing the nuts from the oven, taste to ensure they are salty enough. If not, sprinkle them with another ¼ teaspoon of salt while they are still warm (I usually don’t find it necessary).
- Leftovers: Once completely cool, you can keep these nuts at room temperature in an airtight container for at least a week. I have found that they last for about two weeks as long as I keep them in a cupboard, in the shade, in a truly airtight container, and in a cool kitchen. If you plan to store them for longer than that, store them in the fridge or in the freezer in an airtight container.
Nutrition per Serving
Disclaimers
Cup measurements refer to the standard American cup, which is 240 milliliters. Most of my recipes are low-carb (or keto) and gluten-free, but some are not. Please verify that a recipe fits your needs before using it. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate, and the carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Nutrition info may contain errors, so please verify it independently. Recipes may contain errors, so please use your common sense when following them. Please read these Terms of Use carefully before using any of my recipes.
Talya
These nuts are so good, I can't stop eating them!!! The only change I made was using melted butter (salted). Oh, and I used almonds and pecans only.
Vered DeLeeuw
I'm so glad you liked this recipe, Talya! Thank you for the review.