An easy and quick recipe to make Air Fryer Peanuts. Crunchy, salty and super satisfying.
Enjoy the peanuts as a snack, top it over salads and mains or process into the most amazing peanut butter; these peanuts are a must-try!
Nuts are always a great option when it comes to snacking or adding to recipes for crunch and texture. They are versatile, add a lot of character to recipes and loved by almost everyone.
Peanuts are one of the popular nuts for culinary recipes. They are perfect for noodles, salads and mains like lemon rice, potato stir fry, sabudana vada and so on. Plus, so great for desserts like toppings for ice creams and puddings.
There are several ways to enjoy peanuts. We can easily roast them using a pan, oven or even the air fryer. Plus, often times they can just be refreshed by placing them for a few hours in the sun. Moreover, peanuts are great when boiled, fried or even stir fried with a little oil. Every process brings out a different flavor of the peanuts and they can be used in several ways.
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What are Air Fryer Peanuts
The air fryer is perfect for so many applications. The continuous dry and fast moving hot air in the air fryer crisps up everything so well. Nuts are particularly great to dry roast in the air fryer.
Air fryer peanuts are perfectly crisp peanuts prepared with minimal ingredients using the air fryer. These dry roasted peanuts are great for snacking, to use in recipes or process into peanut butter.
Moreover, we can easily season the peanuts with different rubs and spices to make varied batches of peanuts. These flavored peanuts are perfect for snacking, especially on game days. Plus, they are so good to pack in small bags and enjoy on a road trip.
Why this recipe works
- The recipe needs only two essential ingredients.
- Not baby sitting the peanuts as they become perfectly crunchy.
- This recipe only needs FIVE minutes of active time.
- It is naturally Vegan and Gluten-free.
- It is easy to flavor the peanuts with so many options of dry seasonings and masalas.
- Air fryer peanuts are super versatile and can be used in so many ways.
- The dry fast moving heat roasts the peanuts evenly on all sides.
- It is easy to customize the crunch level, add-ins and seasonings in the recipe.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Raw Peanuts: The first ingredient here is raw peanuts. Whether you like them with the skin or without; both work well. I generally use the one with skin on. Pick good quality peanuts and remove any nuts that you see with holes.
- Salt: I like to roast them with salt but this is optional too. One can roast them first and then add salt or seasoning as desired. If making for fasting, use sendha namak instead of regular salt. Table salt works better than any coarse salt in the recipe.
- Seasonings: This is completely optional. However, if you would like to make seasoned peanuts, pick a seasoning mix of your choice. Ranch powder, cheese powder, red chili and turmeric powder are some examples of easy spice mixes to use. Plus, if adding these, some oil will also be needed to make sure they adhere to the nuts.
See the recipe card for detailed ingredient information, measurements and nutrition.
How to make this recipe
1- Pick out any bad peanuts that you might encounter in the bowl. Then lay a baking paper in the air fryer and preheat to 350 F (180 C) and spread out the peanuts in a single layer.
2- Air fry for 6-7 minutes, removing mid way and giving the basket a good shake.
3- Check for doneness. The color should change slightly and the skin should be like paper. If it is done, season with salt (if using), then air fry for another minute.
4- Remove and let them cool completely. Remove the skin or use directly.
Expert Tips and Notes
- Do not overcrowd the basket: We need the peanuts to get perfectly crispy. The best way to achieve this to use just enough peanuts to lay in a single file in the air fryer basket. Do not add too many peanuts as they will remain soft even after air frying them.
- Using peanuts without skin: While I prefer to use peanuts with their skins, we can use the same method for those without skin too. However, it will take lesser time so check in about 5 minutes. If needed, air fry for another couple minutes.
- Use good quality peanuts: The air fried peanuts will only be as good as the quality we start off with. So pick the peanuts that are large, do not have any tiny stones or impurities. It is also perfect to look through for any bad peanuts that might be in there.
- How to bake instead of air frying: While the process is quick and easy using the air fryer, we can also bake the peanuts in the conventional oven. To do so, simply spread them out in a single layer on a large baking tray and bake for 10-12 minutes in the preheated oven at 350 F (180 C). Check and bake for an additional minute or two if needed.
- Reheating the peanuts: If the peanuts become moist in a couple of days due to the weather, simply pop them in a preheated air fryer for 2-3 minutes. They will become crunchy on cooling.
Seasoning the Peanuts
I like to make the plain peanuts to use in multiple recipes. It works great to add into recipes or crushing to make peanut powder for recipes.
However, it is also great to season these peanuts to enjoy as a snack. Various kinds of seasoning mixes work super well in the recipe. From just salt and pepper to cheese powder, ranch powder, garam masala to even taco seasoning.
If using any of these, simply air fryer the peanuts as the recipe describes. Once almost done, add the seasoning powders and a teaspoon of any oil. Give the basket a good stir and air fry for an additional minute or two. This way the seasoning does not burn and yet sticks well to the peanuts.
Recipe FAQs
Yes certainly. Nuts are super easy to dry roast in the air fryer. Peanuts, almonds, cashews and other nuts work well. The dry, fast-moving and indirect heat of the air fryer is perfect for crunchy, golden brown nuts with minimal time and effort.
It is easy to air fry peanuts with or without skins. There are several pros and cons of both, but technically both work. Make your choice based on the end use of the peanuts.
Air fried peanuts are great to use over Asian salads or noodles, Indian dishes like sabudana khichdi, samo khichdi or vada. Plus, they make a great starting point for peanuts butter and to enjoy as a snack.
If you air fry peanuts without any oil, it is the same as dry roasting peanuts. However, if you air fry with some oil and seasonings or just salt, it will be more like roasted peanuts.
Recipes that use peanuts
Air fryer peanuts are great to use in so many ways. From a perfect snacking option to enjoy over fried rice, noodles or salads, these peanuts are super flavorful.
Plus, if you would like to make peanut butter at home, these peanuts are great. Simply de skin and process in a high speed blender for the yummiest natural peanut butter.
Here are some more uses of peanuts:
More amazing Air Fryer recipes to try
Love this recipe? Please leave a star rating in the recipe card below & if you REALLY like it, consider a review in the comments whilst you are there, thanks!
Air Fryer Peanuts
Ingredients
- 2 cups raw peanuts
- 1 teaspoon salt (optional)
Instructions
- Pick out any bad peanuts that you might encounter in the bowl.2 cups raw peanuts
- Then lay a baking paper in the air fryer and preheat to 350 F (180 C) and spread out the peanuts in a single layer.
- Air fry for 6-7 minutes, removing mid way and giving the basket a good shake.
- Check for doneness. The color should change slightly and the skin should be like paper.1 teaspoon salt
- If it is done, season with salt (if using), and give it a good stir. Then air fry for another minute before adding salt.
- Remove and let them cool completely. Remove the skin or use directly.
Video
Notes
- Do not overcrowd the basket: We need the peanuts to get perfectly crispy. The best way to achieve this to use just enough peanuts to lay in a single file in the air fryer basket. Do not add too many peanuts as they will remain soft even after air frying them.
- Using peanuts without skin: While I prefer to use peanuts with their skins, we can use the same method for those without skin too. However, it will take lesser time so check in about 5 minutes. If needed, air fry for another couple minutes.
- Use good quality peanuts: The air fried peanuts will only be as good as the quality we start off with. So pick the peanuts that are large, do not have any tiny stones or impurities. It is also perfect to look through for any bad peanuts that might be in there.
- How to bake instead of air frying: While the process is quick and easy using the air fryer, we can also bake the peanuts in the conventional oven. To do so, simply spread them out in a single layer on a large baking tray and bake for 10-12 minutes in the preheated oven at 350 F (180 C). Check and bake for an additional minute or two if needed.
- Reheating the peanuts: If the peanuts become moist in a couple of days due to the weather, simply pop them in a preheated air fryer for 2-3 minutes. They will become crunchy on cooling.
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