Raw almonds are a lovely thing, with their solid crunch and creamy nutty flavour. In fact, they are pretty much the ideal snack. But lets face it, there are times when you just want something…more. Enter, roasted almonds. All the fun of a bar snack, with better credentials.
Making your own roasted almonds is not only cheaper but also gives you way greater control over the ingredients. Best of all, you know they are fresh.
Roasting almonds transforms the texture into something altogether more crisp and deepens those natural nutty tones.
How to roast almonds
Almonds are roasted in the oven, with or without oil. Using oil makes them more crisp and adds an extra dimension of flavour. You can use any oil you like; olive oil or coconut oil both work well. You will need a good solid roasting sheet and a pre-heated oven. Moving them around occasionally helps them to roast evenly, so have a spatula at the ready too. Note to self…roasted nuts get really hot so don’t go touching them with your bare hands.
How long do you roast almonds?
Nuts take about 15 minutes to roast, but you need to keep a close eye on them as they can go from 0 to 60 super quickly. Anywhere between 8 to 12 minutes is usually optimal. You will need to stir them several times for best results.
What is the best temperature to roast almonds?
Roast your nuts at 350F/180C/Gas 4.
Soaking and roasting almonds
Activated almonds, or soaked almonds, are soaked in salted water and then dried at low temperatures in a dehydrator where they become crisp yet not technically roasted. They can also be soaked and then roasted. Soaking almonds is said to be beneficial to digestion and increase the availability of nutrients in nuts, yet anti-oxidant vitamin E can be lost at the higher temperatures required for roasting. To prevent degradation of these volatile vitamins you would need to go as low as 120F/50C which is nearer to dehydration temperature than roasting. Feel free to experiment with times and temperatures but we would suggest that if nutrition is your main goal then choose soaking followed by dehydration, but when flavour is more important then stick with roasting. Either way you will benefit from the nutritional properties of almonds.
How to season roasted almonds
When it comes to roasting nuts, salt is essential. But all too often it coats unevenly, or just falls off altogether. This is where brining comes in, and it is how the commercial producers get those perfectly salted almonds. The nuts are soaked in a simple brine solution for 20 minutes, drained, and roasted. You don’t need to add any oil.
For 500g almonds (that’s roughly 4 cups), dissolve 2 tbsp sea salt in 1 cup of hot water. Soak the almonds for 20 minutes and then drain off the brine. Roast in a single layer on a baking tray at 180C for about 15 minutes, turning every 5 minutes. If you wish, you can toss the cooling almonds in a tbsp oil and add a scatter more salt.
Almonds also roast well when tossed in ground spices and oil. You can pretty much use any spices you wish, but take care as some have a tendency to burn more easily than others. Paprika for instance.
Roasted almonds recipes
Honey roasted almonds
2 cups raw Australian almonds
1 tbsp oil
2 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4
- Toss the almonds in the oil and spread on the tray
- Bake for 5 minutes.
- Tip the now warm almonds into a bowl with the honey, salt and cinnamon.
- Stir to combine.
- Return to the baking tray and bake for a further 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove from the oven and cool on the tray.
Coconut roasted almonds
Follow the above recipe but omit the cinnamon and stir in 1/3 cup dessicated coconut. You could add a touch of vanilla paste.
Chilli roasted almonds
2 cups raw Australian almonds
2 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground chipotle
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- Follow the instructions for the above but bake for 10 minutes at the initial stage
- Toss the nuts in the spices and return to the oven for 5 minutes.
- Leave on the tray to cool.
Cocoa roasted almonds
Add two teaspoons raw cacao powder to the honey in the first recipe.
Savoury roasted almonds
Toss almonds in soy sauce and sesame oil before roasting.
If you are looking for cost effective ways to stay healthy then you could buy almonds in bulk. Or why not do all your bulk shopping at our online store?
