As a lover of efficiency, I choose to ignore some recipe instructions — such as peeling carrots or passing blended soups through a strainer — because I find them inconsequential to the outcome of the dish. But there are other steps that always are adhered to in my kitchen, and toasting nuts is one of them.
The few extra minutes required for toasting are worth the results of enhanced flavor and texture, bringing out a deeper nuttiness and providing more crunch. Toss the freshly toasted nuts in salads, churn them into nut butter or use them in baked goods, as they turn whatever dish they’re in up a notch.
Let’s look at three different methods for how to toast nuts, and then you can determine which one is right for you and your recipe.
How to do it: Spread nuts in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet (or in a smaller baking pan). Bake in the center of a preheated 325°F oven, stirring to redistribute nuts every 5 minutes or so. Keep your eyes peeled and your nose on alert: Nuts in the oven can quickly go from just right to burned.
How to toast nuts in a skillet on the stovetop
When toasting a small amount of nuts, 1/2 cup or less, the stovetop has been my primary tool. How it works: Place the nuts in cold, dry skillet over medium heat and toast them, tossing frequently, until browned in spots and fragrant. Then immediately transfer the nuts to a plate or bowl. How long it takes will vary based on the type of nut, usually 3 to 7 minutes, but your nose is your best tool for telling when they are done. The downsides of this method is that you aren’t allowed to walk away from the stove and the nuts don’t get evenly toasted — they’ll mostly get brown in spots around the edges — but it’s quick and a great option for small quantities, especially when you don’t want to turn the oven on.
Toasted nuts that you buy at the store are fine—weve been known to call for them from time to time. But why settle for “fine” when you can do better in less than 10 minutes? Store bought nuts are never really toasted enough. They’re about 75% of the way there, but when you buy raw nuts and toast them at home, you can take it all the way, bringing out deep, nutty, roasted flavors you can’t get from the store-bought stuff. You just cant.
First things first: Toss the nuts with a good pinch of kosher salt. As the nuts heat up, oils will rise to the surface, giving the salt something to adhere to—a good thing. Spread them out in an even layer on a sheet pan, and pop them in a 350° oven. Generally speaking, lighter, more tender nuts like pecans, pistachios, and walnuts will take 6-8 minutes to get to a good place. Denser nuts like almonds, hazelnuts, and macadamias will take more like 8-10 minutes to finish toasting. But trust your nose over the timer: Good toasted nuts should be fragrant and roast-y smelling, never burnt or acrid. Regardless of the type of nut, you should give your sheet pan a solid shake halfway through to shift the position of the nuts for even browning.
We’ll get right to the point. Yes. Toasting nuts at home is worth it. In fact, it’s more than worth it, and if you don’t know how to toast nuts, we’ll teach you. Because toasting nuts at home will straight-up change your salad game, snack game, pilaf game, and just about any other kitchen-related game you might participate in forever.
You should also make sure to transfer the nuts to a plate or bowl right after you take them out of the oven. They’ll continue toasting if you leave them on the pan, and if you have them right where you want them, that’s a huge bummer. From here, you can just store the nuts at room temperature. They’ll be their best on the day you roast them, but they’re also good for the next three days. After that, they start to lose that toasty aroma and flavor. And we’re here for the toasty-ness. The roasty-ness. The nuttiness. At least one of those was a real word. But that’s not important. What is important is that you get a big batch of toasted nuts going. STAT!
Most of the time, we like to toast nuts in the oven. Why? Because the dry, indirect heat the oven offers will toast the nuts more evenly than a skillet will. Using a skillet might trim a few minutes off your cook time, but the heat is uneven. Even if you’re using medium or medium-low heat, you’ll still get black or charred spots. Using a sheet pan in the oven will give you beautiful, even browning. Heres how to do it.
Roasted Nuts to Steer Clear of- Important Science
FAQ
What temperature do you toast nuts at?
How do you toast nuts without burning them?
How long to roast nuts at 250?
What temperature should a nut be toasted at?
I would recommend preheating your oven to a mild 300 degrees F. This way, the nuts will toast evenly throughout instead of the outsides taking on color before the insides even have a chance to warm up. After all, what’s the point of toasting your nuts if only a portion of the nut is actually going to get toasted?
Should one soak nuts before eating?
Nuts are nutrient dense, notably being rich sources of cis-unsaturated fatty acids, phytonutrients, and a number of vitamins and minerals. Claims in the lay literature suggest soaking nuts enhances mineral bioavailability. This soaking process is described as pre-germination. The reasoning behind this is that nuts contain appreciable amounts of phytate (inositol phosphates) which is a strong chelator of a number of nutrients.
How long do you toast nuts?
Don’t walk too far away while you are toasting the nuts, since they can go from perfect to burned very quickly. Spread the nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet and cook them at 350°F for the amount of time listed in the how-to card below. If you are toasting mixed nuts, 15-20 minutes is usually good, but be sure to check them often.
Should you toast nuts before using them?
Oh, and even if your recipe doesn’t call for toasting the nuts before using them — if they’re an interior ingredient (rather than an external topping), go ahead and toast them. You’ll be glad you did. Check out the following five options for toasting nuts to decide what works best for you.