I’m always up for a snack…crunchy and savory things are the best. When I had my frozen shoulder, corn was keeping me inflamed – so no more popcorn. When I went Whole 30 and found that grains cause me trouble, goodbye crackers and pretzels. How would I feed that savory snack craving? That’s when I learned about nut mixes.
Being a novice at mixing up nuts, I found a recipe I liked and just stuck to it. Then I found a couple more where I liked the flavor, but it just wasn’t potent enough…so I added more spice. This week I jumped off the deep end and started making up my own flavors! With this handful of recipes, you can mix up nuts you choose (or are on sale!) and satisfy your savory snack craving in a jiffy!
(Original recipes are linked with their title…where they are available!)
Garlic Herb Roasted Nuts
This is where I started. I don’t even know how I found the recipe. But you know me, I had to tweak it just a little bit…if I can make it simpler or quicker, I’m gonna! (Ran out of nuts so I didn’t get to picture this one)
I use all the same ingredients BUT I mix everything in one bowl. Start by whisking your egg white in a large bowl till it’s frothy. Pour in your selection of nuts (a pound or 18 oz) and stir till coated in egg white. Sprinkle each spice over top of the nut mixture, stirring after each addition.
Spread nut mix out evenly over half-baker sheet covered in foil or parchment paper for quickest cleanup. Bake for 8 minutes at 300 degrees; stir, spread out mixture again and bake another 8 minutes. Let cool, then break up and store in an air-tight container.
One bowl, easy pan cleanup with the foil…roasted in 16 minutes. What could be better? MORE FLAVORS!!!
Ranch Roasted Nuts
I tweaked this one even more. For one, I just used olive oil and left out the nutritional yeast (not liking that stuff honestly). But the seasoning wasn’t strong enough (once you’ve had the garlic herb nuts, you’ll know what I mean!). I decided maybe the spice just didn’t stick as well with the oil method. There seemed to be a lot left on my pan.
I tried the egg white method and simply used 2-1/2 to 3 Tablespoons of the Homemade Ranch Seasoning I keep made up (thanks Erin Chase at 5dollardinners!). One bowl, one egg white, one pan…still 16 minutes at 300 degrees, stirring once.
Chili and Rosemary Roasted Nuts
Once again, I felt the flavor wasn’t strong enough with the oil method. But once I changed to the egg white method, the flavor came through. They’re not quite as crunchy (probably the lime juice), but I love the extra zing. Again…one bowl, one egg white, one pan…still 16 minutes at 300 degrees, stirring once.
Asian Roasted Nut Mix
This is where I started going crazy. I had mixed together the nuts I wanted for a different idea, but when I looked at them, they just had to have Asian flavors…no doubt about it. What are the flavors I love in Asian food? Garlic, ginger, coconut aminos (it’s like soy sauce), and sesame oil…then I threw in some salt just to make those flavors pop!
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- Dash of cayenne pepper
- 1 Tbsp coconut aminos
- 1-1/2 tsp sesame oil
Same 1 egg white method!
Chili and Curry Nut Mix
Then I had to back track ‘cause I was actually aiming for something with chili and curry. I washed up everything, then started over and came up with this! (It’s a little late for me to be doing math, so if you mix this, you’ll probably have enough for 2 batches.)
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp red curry powder
- 2 tsp chili powder
I only used 2-1/2 to 3 tsps of this spice mixture because I was unsure. Turned out great though I could take a little more. Otherwise same 1 egg white method!
Nut mix “secrets to success”
Spread the nuts out as far and flat as you can since each nut needs to roast individually rather than being stacked and steaming. They’ll be crunchier at the end if they’ve been spread into a single layer.
You’ll be tempted to try one fresh from the oven. But wait! The flavor doesn’t really come through while they’re hot. And they can be a little bit soft while still hot. They firm back up as they cool…so be patient!
Choose whatever nuts YOU like. I do Whole30 so none of these mixes had peanuts in them. If there’s a nut you don’t like, leave it out. Got a favorite? Use more of those. Wanna be cost effective? Go with the cheapest! I love Aldi’s bagged nuts, but if Sprouts has almonds, cashews or walnuts on sale for $3.99/#, I just might stock up there!
Whatever nuts you use, be mindful of whether they were salted already or not (that Sprouts sale is sometimes on salted roasted almonds and sometimes on raw). If you need to, adjust the salt in the recipe.
Match the nuts (and seeds if you like) to the flavor. I liked the big white pumpkin seeds in the ranch so I could see the green. Sesame seeds looked more Asian. All of these recipes use 16-18 oz or 4-5 cups of nuts.
Experiment with your own spice combos. Start with smaller amounts, then ramp it up if you want more. And remember that a little salt with help the flavors shine through.
I’m sure you saw the pattern here…one bowl, one egg white, one pan, 16 minutes at 300 degrees, stirring once. What savory nut mix will you come up with? Tell me about your creation in the comments below!
Looking for more Whole 30 ideas? Check out these posts…
- 3 Strategies for a Successful First Whole 30
- 3 Winning sausage flavors you can make fast
- Fabulous spice mixes you make yourself
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