It’s that time of year when most of us are getting back on track with planning, purchasing, and preparing healthy foods (three cheers for us!).
At our house, that means aiming for more smoothies, more salads, and more vegetables at the dinner table.
But I have a confession to make.
Even after all the effort I put into the planning and preparation phase of healthy eating, it’s sometimes hard to stir up the “want to”.
My solution?
Easy recipes that make healthy food more fun to eat! Things like oatmeal raisin breakfast cookies, delicious homemade salad dressings, and – you guessed it – honey roasted almonds!
Homemade Honey Roasted Almonds for Salads or Snacks
These honey roasted almonds are delicious on top of just about any green salad. I know this because I’ve eaten twice as many salads in the past week than I normally would, simply because I had a fresh batch of these salty-sweet gems to sprinkle on top!
#success
They’re also great added to yogurt or just eaten by the handful as a snack (my husband’s favorite).
If you’ve never roasted your own nuts, I assure you – it could not get any easier than this recipe! Honey, garlic salt (or regular sea salt, if you prefer), and almonds are all you need. They take just a few minutes to prep and only a half hour to cook.
Of course, just about any nuts could be used, but almonds are among the cheapest and have one of the highest levels of healthy monounsaturated fat.
- 2 cups almonds (whole or slivered)
- ¼ cup raw honey
- 1 tsp garlic salt (or regular sea salt)
- Preheat oven to 375F.
- Mix together the honey and almonds in a mixing bowl, then turn the mixture out onto a parchment-lined baking or roasting pan. Use a spatula to spread the almonds evenly across the pan as best you can (If using a baking pan with no lip, leave a 2" perimeter to prevent the honey from dripping over the edge as it heats.
- Sprinkle evenly with garlic salt (don't worry about turning them over to get the back side).
- Roast for 15-25 minutes (less for slivered almonds and more for whole), turning halfway through.
- Transfer the parchment full of roasted nuts to the counter top to cool for at least 30 min. The longer they sit, the crispier they'll get. Once they're fully cooled and crispy, gently break them into smaller clusters to your liking.
- Store in an airtight container.
Additional Recipe Notes
Garlic vs. Regular Salt
If you’re not sure whether to use garlic or regular sea salt, I assure you the garlic flavor is very light. It’s really just enough to provide a savory contrast to the sweet honey. We tried both versions – it was close, but the garlic salt was the winner at our house.
Differences in Cooking Times
I prefer air bake cookie sheets, which heat more evenly, but sometimes add a few minutes to cooking times. If you’re using a traditional metal baking sheet or roasting pan, you may need to bring them out of the oven a little sooner.
I tried a batch of cashews on a metal roasting pan lined with parchment, and they were done in around 8 minutes! So, if you experiment with other types of nuts, check them often to prevent burning.
Cost Breakdown
- almonds: $2.58 for whole or $3.68 for slivered
- honey: $0.33
- garlic or regular sea salt: $0.01
Total cost per batch (approximately 10 oz) for homemade honey roasted almonds is between $2.92 (whole almonds) and $4.02 (slivered almonds). Per ounce, you’re looking at just 30¢.
Compare this to 97¢ per ounce for this name brand of honey roasted almonds – you save nearly 70% by making them yourself!
To make the deal even sweeter, you can stretch them out by sprinkling on salads (my favorite use). Only 2 Tbsp or so is needed, which means a single batch of honey roasted almonds will last for 16 salads!
Did you use raw almonds?
I sure did, Kelly. I’ve made this recipe with raw almonds (whole and slivered) as well as raw cashews. The cashews took far less time to cook, but all three types of nuts turned out great!
I’ve not yet tried the recipe with soaked and dried nuts, but it seems like it would work well as long as they were thoroughly dried.
I really wanted to love you his recipe but it was an epic fail! I used slivered almonds on parchment & they started burning at the edges within 8-10 minutes. I quickly removed them from the oven & got rid of the burnt edges, leaving the rest to cool. Well, big surprise, they stuck like glue to the parchment. Barely manged to salvage but a handful of nuts for my salad. Don’t waste your time & resources on this recipe!
I hate to hear this went wrong for you, Barb! I’m guessing you were using a metal pan, which cooks more quickly than air bake pans, as noted above. When the almonds on the edge are beginning to brown, it’s time to do the mid-point stirring to ensure even cooking, as the recipe indicates.
I actually made the slivered almond version of this recipe again this weekend and they turned out perfectly golden brown. In fact, I’m snacking away on them as I type. 🙂
This time I made only a single batch (previously I’ve made double batches since they disappear so quickly!). The cooking time was a few minutes shorter with the single batch (about 15 minutes on a metal pan and closer to 20 on an air bake pan), so I’ve adjusted the cooking times in the recipe to reflect that.
You are so right! Mine totally burnt way under the suggested cooking time! Don’t bother making these! A total waste of good almonds!
Star – did you try making these? Can you be more specific as to the time/temp you used? Ovens will vary, so perhaps we can troubleshoot so future readers don’t run into the same issue!