Healthy Family Cookin': How to Roast Raw Whole or Slivered Almonds in the Oven or Skillet

I love roasted almonds! They have such a wonderful flavor and are great to eat as a snack, on top of pizza or salad, or in breads and muffins. I don't ever buy roasted almonds, however, because of the added salt and fat content in them. Today I'm going to share with you two methods that you can use to roast your own raw almonds - whole or slivered. By doing it at home, you can control the salt and fat content that you add (if you add any) or just leave them plain. They are very tasty that way too!

Skillet Method:
The first method is a quick method that works great if you need only a few almonds roasted. You can roast them in a skillet on the stove top. Here's how to do it:

Heat a skillet on medium heat on the stove top. Add the amount of almonds you desire. I recommend not adding more than can fit in one layer in your skillet.

Then as they heat, watch them really close and turn them often.

When they turn brown (to your own liking), they are all done! It only takes about 10 minutes.

Pros of the skillet method: This method a lot faster than the oven method. It uses less energy and you can cook a small batch that you need for a recipe (or snack) quickly.

Cons of the skillet method: They cook a bit uneven (you can see from the picture). It's really easy to get distracted and let them burn.

Oven Method:

To roast almonds in the oven, preheat the oven to 350 F. Put the almonds in a single layer on a cookie sheet and put them in the preheated oven.

Then set the timer for 5 minutes so you don't forget and when it goes off open the oven and turn the almonds on the sheet a few times. Then put them back in the oven. Repeat this step every 5 minutes until the almonds have reached a golden brown color. This will be about 15 - 20 minutes for the slivered and 20 - 25 minutes for the whole almonds, depending on how brown you like them.

Pros of the oven method: Your almonds come out more evenly browned using this method. And you don't have to babysit them quite as much.

Cons of the oven method: They take a little bit longer and use a bit more energy.

As you can see, roasting almonds at home is really easy to do, either method that you choose. They are much healthier for you than buying them roasted and salted in the store because you can control what kind of oil you put on them and how much salt you add.

Here are a few of my favorite ways to use roasted almonds:

I sprinkle them on salad, which adds color and a lot of flavor
In quick breads or muffins
My most favorite pizza of all time has roasted almonds on top.
And they are great to eat just plain or if you like, you can drizzle them with a bit of olive oil when they are done and a little salt! Mmmmh! The perfect snack!

Eat them, Eat them! And enjoy!