Crunchy, satisfying, oil free, and garlicky: air fryer almonds are an addictive snack that's so easy to make! Oven directions included.
Have you tried roasting nuts in your air fryer yet? It's a great way to save time roasting almonds, cashews, pecans, or any other nuts or seeds that you like.
And these garlicky, crunchy, air fryer almonds are a great place to get started.
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Recipe notes
These couldn't be easier to make.
The coating for these babies is a mix of soy sauce, garlic powder, paprika, and white pepper. Just whisk together the coating ingredients until you have a thick paste. This paste will stick well to the nuts, so you'll get maximum flavor.
Then, toss it with your almonds and air fry until they're almost-but-not-quite cooked through. Then, transfer to a baking sheet to finish cooling.
Raw almonds are pretty chewy, and your air fryer almonds are done cooking when they are still a bit chewy in the middle. That's because they're actually still "cooking" as they cool.
If you let them cook until they're hardened all the way through, you'll end up with burnt almonds. Not delicious, trust me.
Important storage instructions
To store, let your almonds cool completely, then transfer to an airtight container, like a Tupperware or a mason jar.
Do not put them up before they are cooled! You'll end up trapping moisture in your container, which is not safe. Moisture in a warm, cozy environment is how you breed bacteria. Don't do it, y'all.
Wait for them to cool at least 15 minutes before putting them away. These almonds will keep for up to a week this way.
Variations and substitutions
If garlicky isn't your thing, no worries! You've got options:
- Dry roast your almonds in the air fryer by omitting all of the seasoning. Cook them plain, following the cooking time and temperature listed in the recipe card below.
- Oil roast them by tossing with a tablespoon of oil instead of all the seasoning. Same cooking time and temperature as below.
- Try other seasoning mixes in the same amount.
- For smoky roasted almonds, use liquid smoke instead of soy sauce.
Serving suggestions
You can snack on your air fryer roasted almonds by the handful, but they're also delicious sprinkled over a soup or salad or chopped up to add some crunch to a sandwich or wrap.
Try them instead of the macadamia nuts in a broccoli kale salad or use them to add crunch to a pasta dish, like my red pepper pesto fettuccini.
Air Fryer Almonds Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- 2 cups raw almonds
Instructions
- In a large bowl, stir together all of the ingredients, except the almonds, until you have a thick paste. Stir in the almonds, making sure to coat them really well (and really evenly!).
Air fryer directions
- Transfer the almonds to your air fryer basket, and cook at 300° F for 6-8 minutes, shaking every 2 minutes to prevent sticking and so that they'll cook evenly.
- Starting at minute 6, you'll want to check in every minute, tasting an almond for doneness. Your almonds are ready when they have hardened a bit but are still a little chewy in the center. They will get crunchier once they’re cooled. Trust me: I have burnt roasted nuts before, because I was waiting for them to get crunchy all the way through. Don’t be like me!
- Let them cool to room temperature – about 10-15 minutes – then transfer to your storage container of choice.
Oven directions
- Preheat the oven to 300° F.
- Spread the almonds into a single layer onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 15-20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, so that they cook evenly.
Equipment
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Frequently asked questions
Think of an air fryer as a small, super hot convection oven. Like a convection oven, it uses hot, circulating air to cook food more quickly.
Because of its size, though, an air fryer is even faster than a convection oven. Convection ovens cut down cooking time by 25%. An air fryer reduces baking time by 50%.
I've had the best results cooking them at a lower heat -- 300° F (150° C) for 6-8 minutes.
The recipe card above uses a seasoning mix, but that's not required to roast almonds in the air fryer!
If you want them plain, you can dry roast the almonds or toss with a tablespoon of olive oil before roasting in the air fryer. Same time and temp as in the recipe above.
No need! Air fryers heat up so quickly that, for most recipes, preheating is unnecessary.
You should not soak before roasting. That will cause the almonds to take on additional moisture, which will just up the cooking time.
You can double the recipe, but I highly recommend air frying the almonds in two batches, if you do.
An air fryer works best when hot air is circulating, so you want to be sure not to overfill the basket.
Yes! Your almonds will cook faster, since there is more air circulating in the basket. Start checking on them after just 3 minutes, and check every minute after that.
Angela
I tried this recipe and was pleasantly pleased with the results. I highly recommend if you want a tasty snack.
Kim Thomas
Just made these and they came out perfect! 7 minutes is where I took them out and, once cooled, they were delicious and perfectly crunchy but not overly cooked.
Becky Striepe
Thank you, Kim! I appreciate you taking the time to come back and leave a rating and such a thoughtful comment. Enjoy your almonds!
KimberlyRae
I just got an airfyer and was looking for a quick simple easy way to flavor up some almonds w/o all the icky stuff from store bought.. I used coconut amino's over soy, so next batch I'll add a little salt, but these were awesome!!!! I fear they may not make it to the air tight container LOL
Becky Striepe
Thank you, KimberlyRae! I appreciate you taking the time to come back and leave a rating and such a thoughtful comment!
Leotta Buss
How about walnuts? Could o use the same recipe?
Becky Striepe
I haven't tested it with walnuts, but you can certainly give it a try! I'd just check on them more often, since cooking time could vary, and you don't want them to burn.
Kelsey
I tried this recipe using your chili lime seasoning from the cashews rather than the garlicky seasoning, and it turned out great!! I did 8 minutes at 320 and after they cooled they were perfect! Not quite hard and crunchy like a roasted almond from the store, but a perfect firm texture despite not using any oil! Thank you!
Becky Striepe
Ooh what a great idea! I'll have to try that seasoning on almonds.
Michelle
I've just made them and they're delicious. I had my doubts that the seasoning was so little but a little really went a long way, I could have even used half of the seasonings for 2 cups of raw almonds. I have a GoWise 3.7 AirFryer and I followed the recipe exactly. I took them out after 7 minutes, let cool for 15 minutes and they are nice and crunchy. They were chewy when I first took them out, just like you said. You must have tried this recipe a dozen times before arriving at perfection! Now I want to try different flavorings with different nuts, I'm going to have to scour your website for more airfryer ideas!
Becky Striepe
Oh, I love to hear this! Yes, it took a lot of testing (and burnt almonds!) to figure out the right time/temp combo.
Diane
Could you do this with already roasted almonds? Or do you need to use raw? Thanks!
Becky Striepe
I haven't tested it with roasted almonds, but I do worry that they will burn.
Samantha
Quick question. Your article says you use olive oil, however the recipe below it calls for soy sauce? Which one did you use?
Becky Striepe
Ooh thank you for this comment! I originally used olive oil, then decided I wanted to try to develop an oil-free recipe. I must have missed that mention in the body of the post. It's edited now.
Melissa
Butcan you use olive oil instead of Soy sauce to make them saltfree?
Becky Striepe
I haven't tried that, but I don't see why not!
danielle
I just tried this and the almonds started tasting burnt within 4 minutes... o_O Good thing I checked and stopped it at that point. I don't know why my air fryer or almonds were any different. But flavoring seems good on the few ones that didn't get roasted as much as the others. I'll lower the temperature next time! And experiment with different flavors. :)
danielle
ah, I just realized I did halve the recipe for what I had on hand. So word of warning to those using half the recipe: lower the temperature and monitor the timing!
Becky Striepe
That's a good note! Air fryers definitely cook faster when there is less food in them, because that hot air circulates even better.
Christine
These sound tasty! Would your chili lime cashews work in the air fryer also?
Becky Striepe
I think they should, yes!
Sarah
Yum! I love spicy almonds. Gonna try this asap!
Becky Striepe
Hooray!!
Dianne
I love the idea of making savory spiced nuts! I've made sweet almonds in the air fryer before, but my taste buds have been preferring savory lately. I can't wait to try these!
Becky Striepe
Yay! Enjoy them, Dianne!
Mary Ellen
Yummy! These look so easy and delicious. I need some more nut snacks at work - I've become the "nut girl" at work (maybe not the best name?) so I know these would go over well with everyone. :)
Becky Striepe
"Nut girl!" I am cry-laughing!
Sarah De la Cruz
These sound awesome! Maybe I can try your flavor mix with pumpkin seeds!!!
Becky Striepe
Ooh let me know how it works out cooking time-wise!
Jenn
Sounds like the perfect thing for crunchy snacking! These would be a big hit at parties too!
Becky Striepe
Thank you, Jenn!