This post may contain affiliate links.
Spiced Nuts are the savory, wildly snackable answer to holiday gifting and party trays, raw almonds and cashews tossed in olive oil, chili powder, garlic, curry, and black pepper, then oven roasted until deeply toasty. The first year I jarred these up as neighbor gifts, three people asked for the recipe before New Year’s. If my crockpot candy covers the sweet side of your gift tins, these nuts are the savory half the tin has been missing.
One bowl, one sheet pan, and less than 20 minutes in the oven.
Spiced Nuts Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 2 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 18 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 20 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 6 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 565kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Toasty, savory chili and curry warmth with garlicky depth
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, stir, spread, and roast
Quick Answer
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Toss 2 cups each of raw almonds and cashews in a big bowl with olive oil, chili powder, garlic powder, curry powder, black pepper, and salt until evenly coated. Spread them in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast 15 to 18 minutes, stirring well at the 10 minute mark, until browned but not burnt. Cool completely, then store in an airtight container.
Jump to:
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Raw nuts are the right starting point. Pre roasted nuts would toast a second time in the oven and tip into bitter, raw almonds and cashews hit perfect doneness exactly when the spices finish blooming.
- Olive oil is the flavor glue. The oil does two jobs, it helps the spice mix cling evenly to every nut and it conducts heat so the surfaces brown instead of drying out.
- A 325 degree oven is intentionally moderate. Nuts are full of delicate oils that scorch fast at high heat, the lower temperature toasts them through to the center while the spice coating darkens gently.
- Stirring at the 10 minute mark matters. The nuts on the pan edges brown faster than the middle, one good stir redistributes them so the whole batch lands evenly deep golden.
- Cooling fully builds the crunch. Nuts come out of the oven slightly soft and crisp up as their oils cool and set, sealing them away warm traps steam and softens them.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Two minutes of prep, one bowl, and the oven does everything else.
- The chili, garlic, and curry combo is savory, warm, and dangerously snackable, not another sweet treat.
- They make a genuinely great homemade gift, jarred up alongside a batch of my peanut brittle.
- It delivers that same everyone asks for seconds energy as our buffalo ranch roasted nuts.
- It delivers that same everyone asks for seconds energy as our parmesan roasted yellow squash.
- It earns a spot in the rotation right next to our crispy roasted fingerling potatoes.
Key Ingredients
A pantry spice rack and two kinds of nuts do all the work here.
- Raw almonds and cashews: Two cups of each, raw is key so they toast to exactly done in the oven instead of double roasting.
- Olive oil: Two tablespoons help the spices stick to every nut and encourage deep, even browning.
- Chili powder and garlic powder: A full tablespoon of each for the savory, gently smoky backbone.
- Curry powder: One teaspoon adds a warm, golden earthiness that makes people ask what the secret is.
- Black pepper and salt: A teaspoon of each to sharpen and season the whole batch.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
This spice blend is a starting point, the roasting method works with whatever direction you take it.
- Swap in pecans, walnuts, or peanuts for either nut, keep the total at 4 cups so the spice ratio stays right.
- Add a pinch of cayenne with the chili powder for spicy nuts with real heat.
- Trade the chili and curry for cinnamon and a tablespoon of sugar for a sweet batch, the cozy cousin of my graham cracker toffee.
- Stir in a teaspoon of smoked paprika for a barbecue lean, or swap the curry for ground cumin.
- Toss the warm roasted nuts with a tablespoon of chopped fresh rosemary as they cool.
- If you want to switch things up, our cinnamon cream cheese ball plays on similar flavors in a whole new way.
- If you want to switch things up, our banana nut bread plays on similar flavors in a whole new way.
- In the mood for something different? Our oven roasted bell peppers scratches a similar itch.
How to Make Spiced Nuts
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Add the raw almonds and cashews to a big bowl, then add the olive oil, chili powder, garlic powder, curry powder, black pepper, and salt.
- Stir well until every nut is evenly coated in the oil and spices.
- Spread the nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet so they roast evenly instead of steaming in a pile.
- Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, stirring well at the 10 minute mark, until the nuts are browned but not burnt. Cool completely before transferring to an airtight container.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Watch the last 3 minutes closely. Nuts go from deep golden to burnt fast, pull them the moment they smell toasty and look a shade lighter than you want.
- Use a rimmed baking sheet. Stirring at the 10 minute mark sends nuts flying on a flat cookie sheet.
- Do not skip the single layer. Piled nuts steam instead of roast and never get that deep toasted crunch.
- Cool them right on the pan. The residual heat finishes the centers and the crunch sets as the oils cool.
- Make sure the nuts are completely cool before sealing. Any warmth trapped in the container turns to steam and softens the whole batch.
- Double the batch on two pans if you are gifting, rotate the pans when you stir at 10 minutes.
- Plan the whole menu. This pairs effortlessly with our copycat iced pumpkin spice latte when company is coming.
- Plan the whole menu. This pairs effortlessly with our french potato salad recipe when company is coming.
- Make it a full spread. Our spiced gooey butter cookies rounds out the table.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
Still filling out the menu? Readers love pairing this one with our cream cheese mints, roasted red pepper hummus, puppy chow, and chocolate covered peanut butter pretzels.
Store the cooled spiced nuts in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. For longer storage, freeze them in a zip top bag for up to 2 months and re crisp in a 300 degree oven for 5 minutes.
Spiced Nuts FAQs
Spiced nuts are raw nuts, here almonds and cashews, tossed with oil and a bold spice blend, then oven roasted until toasty and crunchy. This version is savory, with chili powder, garlic powder, curry powder, and black pepper, which makes it a great party snack, salad topper, and homemade holiday gift.
Raw, always. The nuts roast in the oven with the spices, so starting with pre roasted nuts means they toast twice and turn dark and bitter. Raw almonds and cashews come out perfectly toasted in the same 15 to 18 minutes the spice coating needs to bloom.
Olive oil is the glue. Tossing the nuts in two tablespoons of oil first gives the chili powder, garlic powder, curry, pepper, and salt something to cling to, so the coating bakes onto the surface instead of falling off in the container. No egg white needed for this savory style.
Stored airtight at room temperature, about 2 weeks, and honestly they rarely make it that long. Make absolutely sure they are fully cool before you seal the container, trapped warmth softens the crunch. For longer storage they freeze beautifully for up to 2 months.
Almost always oven temperature or a skipped stir. Keep the oven at a moderate 325 degrees, nuts scorch quickly above that because of their natural oils. And stir well at the 10 minute mark, the nuts around the pan edges brown much faster than the center and will burn if they stay put.
They are one of the easiest homemade food gifts there is. Pack the fully cooled nuts into small jars or cellophane bags, they hold their crunch for two weeks, they survive shipping, and the savory chili curry flavor stands out in a season of all sugar gift tins.
Made a batch of these Spiced Nuts? Leave a comment and a star rating below, and tell me if your jars actually made it to the gift recipients!
Round out a holiday spread with my Christmas jello salad and a bowl of these sweet and spicy roasted nuts.
Savory Spiced Nuts
Ingredients
- 2 cups raw almonds
- 2 cups raw cashews
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt adjust to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- Mix the nuts in a big bowl. Add the oil and spices and stir well to combine.2 cups raw almonds, 2 cups raw cashews, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon curry powder, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon salt
- Spread the nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 15-18 minutes, stirring it well at 10-minute mark. The nuts should be browned but not burnt.
- Let the nuts cool before transferring to an airtight container for storage.
Notes
- Always use raw nuts. Roasting already roasted nuts may make them too dry.
- Lay out your nuts in a single layer on the baking sheet to ensure even roasting.
- The nuts continue to cook a bit after being taken out from the oven due to residual heat, so avoid over-roasting.
- Cool the nuts completely before storing to avoid them becoming soggy.
- If gifting, consider using premium collection containers or nut gift baskets to make it extra special.
- Experiment! Have fun with the spices and find what works best for you.
Nutrition
Love This Recipe?
Follow @ThisSillyGirlsKitchen on Instagram and @danadevolk on Pinterest for more!
