You're going to be obsessed with this easy air fryer snack recipe! Savory, slightly smoky, and delightfully sugar free, these Air Fryer Roasted Almonds are perfect for satisfying those intense "crunch" cravings. Make a batch at the beginning of the week, and snack all week long! Low carb, keto, diabetic-friendly, and naturally sugar free.
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Do you ever get the craving for something crunchy and satisfying, but can't stand the idea of a bland ol' handful of almonds? Me too! That's why I'm sharing with you my easy recipe for Air Fryer Roasted Almonds.
These ain't your Momma's roasted almonds. They are loaded with delicious flavor, which comes from the addition of liquid smoke, butter, and a few key seasonings. You're going to be obsessed with this easy snack recipe!
Ingredients
- Raw almonds: You can use unskinned, or regular almonds for this recipe, but ensure that they are raw almonds. Steam pasteurized almonds are fine, you just do not want to purchase almonds that are already roasted.
- Butter: You will need 2 tablespoons of melted butter. The flavor that butter imparts is absolutely delicious, but if you have dietary restrictions feel free to substitute it with a high smoke point oil like avocado oil, or butter flavored coconut oil.
- Liquid smoke: This adds a lovely smoky flavor to your almonds, and it's actually a very simple ingredient! Not loaded with chemicals like one might expect. I love keeping this in the pantry, since it adds an instant smokiness to any food. No smoker required! You can find it in large grocery chains, or via Amazon.
- Smoked paprika: This is different than regular paprika, and it is worth keeping on hand for your favorite recipes. I also use it in my Air Fryer Corn Ribs to create a smoky flavor.
- Cayenne: This adds a little spicy kick. We use ground cayenne pepper in this recipe, but if you don't like heat, feel free to reduce or omit the cayenne pepper completely. I like things around medium spicy and I don't find these very spicy at all, but everyone has different tastes!
- Other ingredients: chili powder, ground cumin, garlic powder, and salt.
How to Make Roasted Almonds in an Air Fryer
Preheat your air fryer to 350F for at least 3 minutes, or according to your manufacturers instructions.
Add the almonds to a medium sized bowl. Add the chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, cayenne, smoked paprika, and salt to the bowl. Toss well to distribute the seasonings evenly over the almonds.
Add the melted butter and liquid smoke to the bowl of seasoned almonds and toss well to combine.
Pour the coated almonds into the basket of your preheated air fryer. Spread them out into an even layer.
Cook for 5-8 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through to ensure even cooking. Keep a close eye on the almonds, as they can burn quite easily. You want them to be warm and crispy, but not blackened. In my Ninja basket-style air fryer they cook in about 6 minutes.
Once the almonds are done, remove the basket and transfer the almonds to a parchment lined tray or baking sheet. Let them cool completely before transferring to an air tight container for storage.
Storage Tips
- Your almonds will keep for 1-2 weeks in an air tight container at room temperature. Ensure the almonds are only transferred to the container once they are completely cooled, as any warmth will cause condensation, and as a consequence, they are likely to develop mold quickly.
- Alternatively, you can keep your almonds in the fridge for 2-4 weeks in an air tight container.
Oven Instructions
If you don't have an air fryer (yet 😉) you can make these in the oven! Just preheat the oven to 325F and prepare your almonds as directed in the recipe. Spread them onto a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes, tossing them with tongs at the halfway point to ensure even roasting.
If you're looking to buy an Air Fryer, these are the models I recommend:
Substitutions
Dairy Free/Vegan: Substitute the melted butter for 2 tablespoons of melted butter-flavored coconut oil, or avocado oil.
Gluten Free: This recipe is gluten free as written! Enjoy.
Alternative nuts: You can substitute the almonds for any nuts you desire, but the cooking time with vary with the type of nut. Keep an eye on the roasting nuts, and begin checking at the 3 minute mark for smaller sized nuts. You may try reducing the temperature to 325F.
Frequently Asked Questions
While it is a best practice to soak almonds before roasting, that's not needed for this easy air fryer recipe. Since the air fryer is supposed to be for quick and easy cooking with crispy results, we can take a few shortcuts and come out with a great end result! These roasted almonds are still deliciously crispy without the additional step of soaking for 2-4 hours.
Yes, you can double the recipe! While the single batch will work best and have the most evenly cooked results, you can double the recipe with success. You will need to add a few minutes onto the cook time, and you will need to ensure you shake the basket twice during the cook time.
The butter or oil helps provide a coating for the almonds, ensuring the seasoning sticks well to the almonds. Without the addition of butter or oil, your seasonings would burn and your almonds would be unseasoned. I do not recommend skipping or reducing the amount of butter or oil in this recipe.
More Air Fryer Snacks
- Pepperoni Chips (also low carb/keto)
- Air Fryer S'mores
- Air Fryer Quesadillas
- How to Make Pierogies in an Air Fryer
- Air Fryer Corn Ribs (surprisingly delicious!)
- Air Fryer Potato Chips - Momsdish
Air Fryer Roasted Almonds
Ingredients
- 2 cups raw almonds
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 2 tablespoons salted butter melted
- 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
Instructions
- Preheat your air fryer to 350F for at least 3 minutes, or according to your manufacturers instructions.
- Add the almonds to a medium sized bowl.
- Add the chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, cayenne, smoked paprika, and salt to the bowl.
- Toss well to distribute the seasonings evenly over the almonds.
- Add the melted butter and liquid smoke to the bowl of seasoned almonds and toss well to combine.
- Pour the coated almonds into the basket of your preheated air fryer. Spread them out into an even layer.
- Cook for 5-8 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through to ensure even cooking. Keep a close eye on the almonds, as they can burn quite easily. You want them to be warm and crispy, but not blackened. In my Ninja basket-style air fryer they cook in about 6 minutes.
- Once the almonds are done, remove the basket and transfer the almonds to a parchment lined tray or baking sheet. Let them cool completely before transferring to an air tight container for storage.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Kevin Brown
AWESOME!!