DIY Dry Roasted Peanuts

One of my favourite snacks at the moment has to be dry roasted peanuts. I find them so satisfying when I am looking for something to nibble on while watching TV. I like to snack on unshelled roasted peanuts because shelling the nuts keeps your hands busy. Also you eat less actual nuts if you have to shell them as you go!

I have to confess, used to love to snack on M&M’s and other chocolates but they just have too many calories. I find that the peanuts are a healthier alternative to sugary lollies and chocolates. They do still have a fair few calories but they have to be better than eating chocolate. I also prefer them unsalted and find that you really don’t miss the salt once you start eating them. Actually without the salt you can get more of the nutty taste!

Recently I sat down to watch TV and started shelling my peanuts and was startled to find that the inner skins were not flaking off as per usual and that the nuts had a funny bitter taste. When I looked at the packet I discovered that I had accidently picked up a packet of raw peanuts!

At first I didn’t know what I was going to do with them – I wondered what people use raw peanuts for! Then I started to wonder if I could roast them myself and still use them for snacking?

It didn’t take long to discover that it is super easy to prepare your own dry roasted peanuts! In fact the first link I found was for the Peanut Company of Australia who described three ways to roast peanuts. The link explains how to dry roast peanuts in the oven, microwave, and in oil. I prefer to use the oven method for preparing my own roasted peanuts.

DIY Oven Roasted Peanuts

1. Preheat your oven to 180 °C or 160 °C if fan forced (350 °F or 320 °F for fan forced)

2. Place a single layer of the unshelled peanuts onto a baking tray and bake for 20 minutes.

3. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the tray – the peanuts will continue to cook as they cool.

4. Store uneaten roasted peanuts in an airtight container in the fridge.

One of the benefits of dry roasting your own peanuts is that you can roast as many as you need so you can always have freshly roasted peanuts. We eat quite a few so I like to roast the whole packet and then store them in a container in the fridge.

Also you can cook them for as long as you need to get them just how you like them. I don’t like mine too dry so 20 minutes is enough. If you prefer your peanuts cooked a bit more then you can leave them longer. Make sure you wait till the nuts are fully cooled off before assessing whether they are cooked enough. I find that they still taste a bit bitter when they are warm.

Also peanuts shells are great for the compost so don’t forget to put your empty peanut shells in your compost bin!