Roasted nuts, whether sweet or savoury are super popular. These healthy roasted nuts are delicious; although sweet and spicy, they contain no sugar or fat. No egg whites needed either, so they’re vegan friendly. They’re the perfect portable snack. Roast in an air fryer or oven.
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I make these roasted nuts in my air-fryer on a regular basis to take to work with me. It’s much healthier snacking on these than a biscuit or three in my breaks.
Healthy Roasted Nuts
You’ll find few of the usual suspects in these healthy roasted nuts. There’s no oil, no sugar and no egg white. What’s more, the nuts are soaked overnight to make them more nutritious. But don’t worry, they’re still super crunchy and delicious.
As well as a healthy snack, these roasted nuts make for an easy and popular appetiser. What’s more, as they keep well, they make excellent gifts.
The freshest and tastiest nuts are usually straight from the shell. Sometimes I’ll crack a few, but for the amount of nuts needed in this recipe it’s far too time consuming. I buy them ready shelled instead.
Use a selection of nuts, as I have done or go for just one type. It’s fine to use nuts, such as almonds and hazelnuts with their skins on. But it’s also fine to use them naked too.
The nuts are soaked in slightly salted water overnight. See the section further down the post to find out why. You then combine them with xylitol and cinnamon which cling onto the wet nuts perfectly. No need for oil, butter or egg white here.
The salted water gives the nutty and spicy flavours a boost and a little contrast to the sweetness of the xylitol. The secret ingredient here is xylitol.
What Is Xylitol?
Xylitol is a low calorie sweetener generally made from birch bark or corn cobs. There is some controversy over the difference between the two. The jury isn’t yet out, but I prefer to stick to birch bark which is unlikely to be genetically modified.
Unlike some sugar alternatives, xylitol tastes sweet, but has no discernible flavour of its own. This makes it a really useful sugar substitute for many recipes. It has about the same level of sweetness as conventional sugar and looks similar too.
Xylitol not only has 40% lower calories than sugar, but it’s actually beneficial to human health (ref: Healthline). Specifically, it’s great for dental hygiene and helps to reduce cavities and dental decay. It contains no fructose and thus doesn’t raise blood sugar levels making it safe for diabetics. It’s a win win and I really should use it more often.
But please be aware that xylitol is poisonous to dogs. Make sure you keep it, and anything you make with it, well out of their reach.
Birch bark xylitol is, of course, a lot more expensive than sugar. Some supermarkets now stock it though. If you can’t find it, it’s available from health food shops or online. We usually buy Total Sweet* which is made from European birch and beech bark.
Healthy Roasted Nuts: Step-By-Step
This recipe for healthy roasted nuts is quite easy. However, due to soaking the nuts, it’s not quick, so it’s best to plan ahead.
Step 1. Soak Nuts
Pour the shelled nuts into a medium sized bowl. Add a pinch of salt and cover with water. Give it a stir so the salt dissolves and is evenly dispersed.
Cover the bowl with a plate and leave it out on the counter for eight hours or overnight. A warm room is better than a cold one.
Step 2. Drain Nuts
Once fully soaked, drain the nuts through a sieve and discard the water. Don’t be tempted to rinse the nuts though as you’ll likely rinse the salt off. And a little salt is a good thing.
Alternatively, rinse the nuts and add a small pinch of salt to them afterwards.
Step 3. Add Sweet & Spice
Place the nuts back into the bowl and add the xylitol and cinnamon (and salt if rinsed previously). Give everything a good stir to ensure the nuts are evenly coated.
I don’t like my nuts too sweet, so I add four teaspoons of xylitol to the amount of nuts given in the recipe card below. But it’s important you taste test before roasting so you can add more to your taste, if needed.
Step 4. Roast Nuts
Pour the nuts into the basket of an air fryer. If using an oven, turn them out onto a baking tray and arrange into a single layer.
Roast the nuts for fifteen minutes. Either give the air fryer basket a good shake, or turn the nuts over in the oven.
Continue to roast the nuts for a further ten minutes. Check the nuts for doneness. If they’re still soft, give them an additional five to ten minutes. If using an air fryer, give the basket another good shake.
Allow to cool before tipping into storage jars or containers. They will keep for at least a month in the cupboard or pantry.
Top Tip
The nuts are done when they’re crunchy and golden all over. However be aware, they will get crunchier as they cool, so be careful not to overdo them. The ones you can see in the images in this post are slightly overdone. They’re darker than I’d ideally like, but still delicious.
Why Soak Nuts?
If you soak nuts or seeds in water for a few hours, the water extracts some of the enzyme inhibitors that stop us digesting the nuts properly. Nuts are a great source of protein, healthy fats, fibre, vitamins and minerals. It’s a shame not to get maximum benefit from them.
I first learnt about the importance of soaking nuts in Sally Fallon’s excellent book, Nourishing Traditions: the cookbook that challenges politically correct nutrition and the diet dictocrats*. Turns out that a little salt really helps the process too.
Life is too fast paced and complicated to remember or even be able to do this all the time, but for some heavily nut based recipes I think it’s worth it. This recipe for healthy roasted nuts is one of them.
What Temperature To Roast Soaked Nuts?
Sally says you shouldn’t roast nuts at a temperature of more than 65℃ (150℉). A low temperature prevents the cooking process destroying some of the beneficial nutrients. But quite frankly, I don’t want to have my oven or even air fryer on for the twelve or so hours this needs.
I don’t go in high, but at 120℃ (250℉) in an air fryer or 140℃ (285℉) in an oven, you can roast those nuts to a wonderfully crunchy texture in about thirty minutes.
How To Make Savoury Roasted Nuts?
This method of preparation works just as well with savoury seasonings as it does with sweet ones. Instead of xylitol and cinnamon, try a teaspoon of your favourite spice mix. Smoked paprika with an additional pinch of salt works well too.
Finely chopped herbs such as rosemary and thyme are lovely. Try them with a further pinch of salt and a good grinding of black pepper.
Other Nut Recipes You Might Like
- Beetroot muffins with walnuts and goat’s cheese
- Blackcurrant almond bars
- Cheese cashew nut sauce (vegan)
- Chocolate crinkle cookies with roasted hazelnuts
- Parsley & almond pesto
- Raspberry cashew smoothie (vegan)
Keep in Touch
Thanks for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make these healthy vegan roasted nuts, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. And do please rate the recipe. Have you any top tips? Do share photos on social media too and use the hashtag #tinandthyme, so I can spot them.
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Choclette x
Healthy Roasted Nuts
Healthy Roasted Nuts
Ingredients
- 250 g mixed nuts (or your pick of almonds, cashews, walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, macadamias)
- pinch sea salt
- water (filtered water is best)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 4 tsp xylitol (or more to taste)
Instructions
- Pour the nuts into a bowl, add the salt and cover with water. Give a quick stir to dissolve the stir and ensure it's evenly spread.250 g mixed nuts, pinch sea salt, water
- Place a plate over the top of the bowl and leave in a warm room overnight (or for eight hours) to soak.
- Drain the nuts through a sieve. Give them a good shake to remove and residual water, then place them back in the bowl.
- Add the cinnamon and xylitol and give a good stir to ensure all the nuts are evenly coated with both.1 tsp ground cinnamon, 4 tsp xylitol
- Roast the nuts as detailed below until they're crunchy and golden all over. Allow to cool, then store in an air tight container.
Air Fryer
- Pour the nuts into the air fryer basket and roast for fifteen minutes at 120℃ (250℉). Give the basket a good shake, then roast for a further fifteen minutes, shaking the basket from time to time. They may need a few minutes less or a few minutes more.
Oven
- Set the oven to 140℃ (285℉) before you drain the nuts.
- Pour the nuts onto a lipped baking tray. Arrange them in a single layer, then pop them in the oven and roast for fifteen minutes. Take the tray out, turn the nuts over and roast for a further ten minutes. Check for doneness and give them a further few minutes if needed.
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
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Jan says
Oh these are so moorish! My family loves snacking on nuts. This is a keeper!
Choclette says
We love nuts too and this way of doing them makes them even healthier. Glad you like them and thanks for letting us know.
Katie says
These roasted nuts are the ultimate healthy treat! I am totally addicted to making them, they’re easy to make and perfect for a week of healthy snacking.
Choclette says
Thank you Katie. We love nuts prepared this way. Glad you do to.
Holly says
I’d never soaked nuts before but I will from now on!
Choclette says
Soaking nuts is not the most obvious thing to do, but anything to help make food more gut friendly.
Andrea says
these roasted nuts are the perfect snack! i love packing them for road trips and busy weekend trips!
Choclette says
Nuts are great snacks and roasting them with a bit of spice and sweetness makes them even more appetising. Thanks for commenting.
Rachel says
These roasted nuts turned out great! I love the sweet cinnamon flavor and have been snacking on them all day!
Choclette says
It’s difficult to stop once you start snacking. So glad you like the nuts Rachel and thanks for letting us know.
Kathleen says
Great, quick, simple recipe, for a delicious healthy autumnal treat. Thank you Nicette. I hadn’t tried using xylitol on roasted nuts before, but it worked really well and with the cinnamon, – delicious. Perfect snack to munch beside the wood burner, listening to the rain, and the autumn breeze.
Choclette says
Those nuts are so good. Really glad you liked the recipe too. I need to experiment more with xylitol. Sounds delightfully warm and cosy chez vous.
angiesrecipes says
They for sure make a perfectly healthy and delicious snack!
angiesrecipes
Choclette says
A tableful of similar snacks and I’m in food heaven.