Nuts taste so good especially in winters, but they’re FANTASTIC with a bit of salt. But, the salted ones are so expensive! So, you decide to buy some unsalted nuts and you want to salt them at home. The question arises, How to salt unsalted nuts? How hard it can be? it seems nearly impossible because that salt usually doesn’t stick to the nuts. Don’t worry anymore. I’m here to help you out in this difficult phase. I’m presenting an article to tell you four tried and tested methods so, salt can stick to your nuts.
How to salt unsalted nuts at home? Here are four ways to salt the unsalted nuts at home very easily: Firstly, heat them in a pan, then steam them, after that, soak them in a brine solution, or spray or dry them in any oil. The benefits of all processes are. Heating is the quickest method, steaming the nuts is the healthiest method, the brine method is best to salt the shelled nuts, and roasting the nuts is best for maximum crispiness in nuts.
Table of Contents
How to salt unsalted nuts?
Method 1: Heating nuts in a pan:
This method is best for the nuts that are already roasted because heating doesn’t involve any extra roasting of the nuts.
Ingredients required:
Oil, unsalted nuts either roasted or raw, and salt
Equipment:
You should have a frying pan and a heat-resistant spatula and a bowl.
Procedure:
- First, preheat your pan on a medium flame.
- Add enough oil to the pan to coat your nuts. For best results choose a neutral oil that won’t last effect on the taste of the nuts e.g. vegetable oil
- After oil, then add the nuts into the pan. Toss the nuts in the oil and sprinkle them in some salt.
- Keep in mind, keep the flame low while heating and keep on tossing the nuts for about 1 to 2 minutes in oil.
- Always leave the nuts to cool for a while before you eat them. Soon they will cool, the oil will get reabsorbed back into the nut leaving a very nice coating of salt onto the nuts.
Make sure, you don’t add too much oil to the pan. Because too much will make them greasy, and they’ll turn rancid quicker and their taste wouldn’t remain the same.
If you don’t want to add the oil to the nuts, then you don’t use oil. It’s quite ok. Because when you heat the nuts, they naturally release some oils that help the salt to stick on the nuts. Extra oil is recommended for super salty and tasty nuts.
You can use this method with other seasonings as well.
Method 2: How to salt unsalted nuts via Steaming (A method good for already roasted nuts)
Steaming the nuts is a super healthy and very easy method. Water is itself the sticking agent. So, this is an excellent method to adopt if you want to avoid the extra oils from the nuts.
The strength of this method is, it is the best method for already roasted nuts.
Ingredients:
Water, salt, and unsalted nuts either roasted or raw.
Equipment:
Pan, a strainer, tray, dehydrator, or oven( in which steaming is done)
Procedure:
- First, Boil some water in a pan on a flame.
- Then Put your nuts in a strainer and place them over the boiling water present in a pan for around 30 seconds. The steam of the water will coat the nuts with a very thin layer of sticky water. Keep on stirring the nuts to ensure that they’re all exposed to the steam.
- Then, instantly sprinkle the nuts with the desired amount of salt and toss so the salt can stick onto the nuts.
- Leave the nuts in open-air and let them dry for a few minutes before serving.
You should be very careful while steaming the nuts, don’t over-steam the nuts as they’ll become soggy. Don’t leave them for more than a minute in boiling water.
If your nuts have become a little soggy, then you can dry them in a dehydrator or oven on a low temp until they don’t become nice and crispy again. You should also keep an eye on the nuts in the oven to make sure they don’t burn.
Method 3: Brine (A method best for nuts still in their shells or raw nuts you want to roast)
If you have purchased the nuts that are still in their shells, then brine is the only best way to salt the nuts. The saltwater will penetrate the shell and it will soak into the nuts. This method is used on a commercial scale to salt the nuts on a bigger scale.
You can also use this method to salt the plain nuts. As you are soaking the nuts in the water so you would have to dry them. The most common way of drying the nuts in the oven.
The method gives the best result in the case of raw nuts.
Before telling you how to salt the unsalted nuts by using brine. Let me tell you first how to make the brine solution.
Brine:
If you want to salt 1lb of nuts, then mix around 60 grams of salt with 650 ml of fresh water. You can experiment with this ratio of salt to water until it doesn’t reach your desired level. A more concentrated solution will make saltier nuts.
Ingredients:
Brine and unsalted nuts (raw nuts)
Equipment:
Bowl with a lid, parchment paper, strainer, oven, or dehydrator for drying purposes.
Procedure:
- First, Add the nuts into a deep bowl.
- Fill the bowl with brine solution until the nuts aren’t fully covered.
- Afterward, cover the bowl properly and place it somewhere at any temperature.
- How long to soak the nuts? It depends on the number of nuts. Cashews nut will need only 2-4 hours while almonds give the best taste when they are soaked overnight. If you want to reduce the soaking time of nuts, then boil the brine solution. After boiling, you will only need to soak the nuts for about 1-2 hours.
- After soaking the nuts, drain all the brine solution.
- Use a dehydrator or the oven to dry the nuts.
- Leave the nuts to cool for a while before you eat or store them while later use.
Method 4: Roasting (A method best for raw nuts if you want to roast them)
How to salt unsalted nuts via roasting? If you have raw nuts and you want to roast and salt them, then this is the perfect method for you. This method is also applicable for pre-roasted nuts, but you’ll have to reduce the heating time of the nuts in the oven to just a few minutes. Double roasted nuts give a bitter taste.
There are a few alternatives that you can use as a sticking agent when you would have to roast the nuts. Oil is a popular ingredient, but a healthier alternative to oil is egg whites. Melted butter or honey is also great options for a rich flavor. You can use salted water as well for roasting the nuts.
I will discuss some different sticking agents in more detail later in the article.
Ingredients:
Unsalted nuts, a sticking agent, and salt
Equipment:
A baking tray and a regular tray for cooling the nuts.
The procedure of roasting while using oil):
- First, preheat your oven to a low temperature.
- Then Spread your nuts evenly on the baking tray.
- Spray your nuts with oil for even coating. Spraying the nuts is better than tossing the nuts in poured oil. This spraying method gives a light coating to the nuts. If the oil is too thick, then the salt won’t adhere to the nuts so well.
- Heat the nuts in an oven for about 5 minutes on medium flow.
- Then take out the hot nuts and coat them with salt.
- After that, put the nuts back into the oven.
- Then take out the nuts and let them sit for a while to cool down properly. When they will cool, all the oils will be reabsorbed into the nuts and they’ll end up so nicely and crunchy in taste.
How to salt unsalted nuts and What salt should I use to salt nuts?
The best salt to use to salt the unsalted nuts is popcorn salt. The reason for using Popcorn salt is it has a super fine texture and it will stick to the nut much better than the coarse salt. If you don’t have popcorn salt, then you can use grinding table salt with a mortar and pestle. Grind your salt until it has a powdery texture and it won’t adhere so well to your nuts. You can blend your salt in a food processor as well for best results.
What are the other ingredients that I can use to flavor my nuts?
We all are used to eating salted nuts, but if you want to be a bit more adventurous and want to try something extra. Then there are lots of other things which you can use to flavor your nuts.
Why not try a few methods until you find your favorite flavor?
You can swap out the salt in any of the methods above with any of the ingredients listed below, or you can use a mixture of them to create a flavor explosion of your nuts!
- Cinnamon
- Sugar
- Curry powder
- Paprika
- Cayenne Pepper
- Honey
- Black truffle
- Cajun spices
- Maple syrup
- Garlic
- Rosemary (or any herb)
- Pepper
- Cheese powder
- Wasabi
- Chilli
- Ginger
- Soy Sauce
- Lemon
- Cocoa powder