Zesty Honey Roasted Almonds
These Zesty Honey Roasted Almonds are incredibly easy to make and absolutely addicting! With the perfect balance of sweet, salty, and spicy, you will want to make them over and over again. They can easily be made kid friendly, too!
This is a healthy snack, as this recipe uses wholesome ingredients and no refined sugar. Unlike many other spicy nut recipes, the heat is not overwhelming in this recipe. They have a secret ingredient, along with just a hint of spiciness, that hits a few seconds later. Aside from being a great snack and appetizer, chop them up as a salty sweet topping for ice cream! Read more about this recipe in our Blogs Comments and Tips.
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RECIPE
(Check out our Step by Step Instructions below the recipe card.)
Recipe Updated: 4/4/22
ZESTY HONEY ROASTED ALMONDS
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a 3 quart nonstick sauté pan (or 10 inch fry pan) over medium heat, add honey and heat until hot and liquified, but not simmering.
- Once honey is liquified, add cayenne pepper, and using a silicone heat resistant spatula, stir to thoroughly combine. Add almonds and toss well to evenly coat almonds with mixture.
- Remove from heat and dump coated almonds onto parchment lined baking sheet. With the side or back of a silicone spatula, quickly spread out almonds in one layer. Separate them, as best you can (they will be VERY sticky). Bake for about 10 minutes (do not overbake or they will turn bitter).
- While almonds are roasting, using a zester, grate orange zest. Once roasted, remove almonds from oven and immediately sprinkle orange zest evenly over hot almonds (do not toss). Allow to cool in pan for about 5 minutes.
- Evenly sprinkle Himalayan fine pink salt over the almonds and let sit for another 1-2 minutes. Toss salted almonds with a clean silicone heat resistant spatula, and spread out again. Holding the parchment paper taught at both ends, carefully lift onto your counter and allow almonds to cool completely (about 30-60 minutes). Once cooled, break apart any clumps. If any clumps are sticky, allow to cool a bit more.
Notes
- Roasted vs. Raw Almonds: We recommend using roasted. If you decide to use raw almonds, you will need to roast them in advance at 350°F for 10 minutes. Allow them to cool completely. Then complete the recipe as noted in the instructions. An alternative method for raw almonds is to increase the baking/roasting time to about 15-17 minutes. Watch them carefully, as they can quickly turn bitter or burn if you roast them even one minute too long. Roasting time will vary depending on your oven.
- Spicy Heat Level: These almonds are not meant to be overly spicy. We have found the heat level of the spice in this recipe to be just right for our diverse group of taste testers. Based on your taste and spicy heat tolerance, you can increase or decrease the cayenne pepper in these almonds to your taste.
- Roasted in Oil vs. Dry Roasted: We used almonds that were lightly roasted with expeller pressed canola oil in this recipe. We recommend using the Sprouts roasted & unsalted bulk brand, or Whole Food 365 brand, but any fresh and good quality brand will do. You can also use dry roasted almonds, but the flavor and roasting time may vary and affect the flavor.
- Orange Zest: Although this ingredient is optional, this secret ingredient adds a “je ne sais quoi” to this addicting snack. The addition of orange zest does not give these almonds an orange flavor. Similar to orange blossom honey, it gives these almonds a hint of freshness and a unique flavor that we think you will love.
- Store in an airtight glass container on the counter for up to 1 week.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
222.58Fat (grams)
18.14Sat. Fat (grams)
1.41Carbs (grams)
11.64Fiber (grams)
3.79Net carbs
7.85Sugar (grams)
6.01Protein (grams)
7.25Sodium (milligrams)
436.40Cholesterol (grams)
0.00Nutritional information provided is strictly an estimate and will vary based on ingredient brands and cooking methods.
Step by Step Instructions
PREPARATION
Organize all your tools and ingredients before you begin. Getting all your ingredients in one place at the beginning will shorten your prep time.
(Oops…we forgot to include the secret ingredient in this photo. See the recipe card ingredients, or Step 4 for the reveal!)
STEP 1
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place a 3-quart nonstick sauté pan (or 10-inch fry pan) over medium heat. While your pan is heating;
a) Lightly spray the inside of a 1 tablespoon measuring spoon with cooking spray (optional, but a helpful step).
b) Measure 2 tablespoons honey and add to the hot pan (the cooking spray trick will allow the honey to easily slip out of the spoon).
c) Heat honey until hot and liquified, but not simmering.
STEP 2
Once honey is ready:
a) Add ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper to liquified honey (see Note below for kid friendly version).
b) Using a silicone heat resistant spatula, stir to thoroughly combine.
c) Add 2 cups roasted and unsalted almonds and toss well with a heat resistant spatula.
d) Thoroughly and evenly coat almonds with the honey mixture.
Note: For kid friendly version, just omit the cayenne pepper and move to step 2c.
STEP 3
As soon as your almonds are thoroughly coated, remove pan from heat and quickly complete the following before the almonds solidify and cool:
a) Dump the coated almonds onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
b) With the side and back of a silicone spatula, quickly spread out almonds in one layer. This will take some patience, as the nuts are extremely sticky at this point and will clump together.
c) Separate them, as best you can into one layer. Bake for about 10 minutes until slightly fragrant (do not overbake or they will turn bitter).
STEP 4a
While almonds are roasting, using a zester, grate ¼ teaspoon fresh orange zest.
STEP 4b
Once roasted and slightly fragrant, remove almonds from the oven and immediately sprinkle orange zest evenly over hot almonds (do not toss). Allow them to cool in the pan for 5 minutes.
STEP 5
Time to season this crunchy snack!
a) Evenly sprinkle 1 teaspoon Himalayan fine pink salt over the warm almonds and let sit for another 1-2 minutes.
b) Lifting one side of the paper, toss with a clean silicone heat resistant spatula to coat with salt and spread out on the parchment paper again (see Note below).
c) Holding the parchment paper taught at both ends, carefully lift onto your counter. Allow the almonds to cool completely (about 30-60 minutes - they will become crunchy and less chewy, the longer they cool).
d) Once cooled, break apart any clumped almonds. We use protective gloves to prevent the cayenne pepper and any remaining stickiness of the almonds from getting on our hands. If almonds are still sticky, allow them to cool a bit more.
Note: If you want to temporarily skip Step 5b to avoid the hassle of having to spread out the almonds while they are still a bit warm and sticky, you can. Just wait to toss them until they are fully cooled. The benefit of tossing and spreading the salted nuts out at this stage, is the salt will adhere better to all sides of the nuts while they are still warm and a bit sticky.
SERVE!
Once they are completely cooled, serve and watch them disappear!
Notes:
Roasted vs. Raw Almonds: We recommend using roasted nuts. If you decide to use raw almonds, you will need to roast them in advance at 350°F for 10 minutes. Allow them to cool completely, then complete the recipe as noted in the instructions. An alternative method if using raw almonds, is just to increase the baking/roasting time to about 15-17 minutes. Watch them carefully, as they can quickly turn bitter or burn if you roast them even one minute too long. Roasting time will vary depending on your oven.
Spicy Heat Level: These almonds are not meant to be overly spicy. We have found the heat level of the spice in this recipe to be just right for our diverse group of taste testers. Based on your taste and spicy heat tolerance, you can increase or decrease the cayenne pepper in these almonds to your taste.
Roasted in Oil vs. Dry Roasted: We used almonds that were lightly roasted with expeller pressed canola oil in this recipe. We recommend using the Sprouts roasted & unsalted bulk brand, or Whole Food 365 brand, but any fresh and good quality brand will do. You can also use dry roasted almonds, but the flavor and roasting time may vary and affect the flavor.
Orange Zest: Although this ingredient is optional, this secret ingredient adds a “je ne sais quoi” to this addicting snack. The addition of orange zest does not give these almonds an orange flavor. Similar to orange blossom honey, it gives these almonds a hint of freshness and a unique flavor that we think you will love.
Store in an airtight glass container on the counter for up to 1 week.
VIDEO
How to Make this Quick and Easy 4 Ingredient Recipe!
Blog Comments & Tips
A healthy snack with wholesome ingredients, a bit of spiciness, and no refined sugar!
These nuts are so good and extremely addicting. Every time I have made them in my home, they literally disappear! Most honey roasted almonds have loads of sugar and salt. Our recipe uses only honey to sweeten the nuts, and Himalayan salt, which is a healthier alternative to table salt.
The PMR Kitchens did a lot of testing in the development of this recipe and we found that starting with roasted unsalted almonds, and then baking/roasting them for 10 minutes in our ovens, resulted in the perfect roast.
The addition of our secret ingredient (orange zest), gave this recipe a unique quality similar to using orange blossom honey. You can certainly use orange blossom honey instead and the results will be quite good. However, there is something about adding the fresh orange zest that gives it that je ne sais quoi!
In my home, we consume a lot of healthy snacks and almonds are one of them. Almonds are delicious, full of nutrients, and considered a heart-healthy food. In addition to being a low-glycemic index food, a 1 ounce serving of almonds provides 6 grams of protein, 4 grams of fiber, and many other beneficial elements including vitamin E, magnesium, riboflavin, calcium, and potassium.
According to research done by the Mayo Clinic, eating nuts may even improve a) your heart health by lowering "bad" cholesterol and triglyceride levels, b) the lining of your arteries, c) and lower levels of inflammation linked to heart disease, among other benefits. More great reasons to make this recipe often!
Although almonds have a low-glycemic index in their natural form, and our recipe does not use any refined sugar, we must make a point that it is not a sugar free recipe. Our zesty honey roasted almonds contain about 6 grams of sugar per serving, which is derived from honey.
Aside from the low sugar content, this is a delicious and extremely healthy snack! So, let us know what you think by leaving a comment and rating, and/or following, and liking us on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Don’t forget to subscribe to get updates on new recipes and tips & tricks.
Santé!
Mich
Footnote: Remember to not over bake your almonds, as they can easily burn or turn bitter if over cooked.
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