Spicy Masala Roasted Cashews

Crunchy and spicy masala roasted cashews are an easy tea time snack. This quick to make snack recipe requires just a handful of ingredients. You can make it in the oven, air fryer, microwave or on the stove top.

Tea is not just a ritual but a religion and an emotion in most Indian households. Tea time is not complete without some munchies to snack on. There is a whole range of tea time snacks, that also doubles up as appetizers for a meal or a party.

Any Indian pantry will have at least a few of such tea time snacks that have a longer shelf life, so you don't have to make something everyday. And of course, there are those indulgence days when you make something special and extra like these Paneer Butternut Squash Tikkis (patties), Beetroot Parippu Vada (beet and lentil fritters), Matar Kachori (deep fried green peas stuffed pastries), Chickpea Sundal (spiced chickpeas with coconut) or Pakora Chat.

These spicy roasted masala cashews are the perfect shelf stable snacks that you can make in bulk and store in your pantry to take out for tea time or just as a snack anytime.

These masala roasted cashews are:

• Crunchy and spicy
• Easily adaptable to adjust for heat and spice levels
• Protein rich snack
• Great as a snack or an appetizer. Can even go on a cheese board.
• A perfect edible gift idea
• A great savory snack to accompany all the Diwali sweets

Ingredients for roasted cashews with Indian spices

• Whole raw cashew nuts - the main ingredient for this recipe. Can be substituted with most other nuts as well.
• Ghee - gives it that extra layer of nuttiness and richness. You can totally use avocado oil if you want to go the dairy free route
• Spices - a variety of easily found spice powders are used to make these roasted cashews flavorful and spicy. Cayenne, ground turmeric, ground coriander, ground cumin, ground black pepper, chat masala, Himalayan black salt and salt. You can skip the Himalayan black salt if you want. It is a pink/purple hued salt with a pungent sulphurous aroma to it and adds an umami-like flavor to this.
• Curry leaves - when roasted with the cashews, this adds an extra crunch and earthy flavor to the snack.

Method

There are many ways to make this masala roasted cashews. I have tested the oven roasted, air fryer and pan roasted methods. I have microwaved peanuts with the same recipe and have had good results.

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Oven roasted cashews 

To roast cashews in the oven, toss the cashews with ghee, spices and curry leaves. Spread out in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silpat. Bake in the oven at 350F. Toss in between to ensure even baking.

This method is my favorite method that I recommend. It gives a uniform roast to the cashews and you can control it to make sure that the cashews or the spices don't burn. And no baby sitting.

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Air Fryer roasted cashews

I don't have a separate air fryer but I do have the Breville Smart Oven that has the functionality of an oven, toaster, air fryer etc. It is the most used appliance in my kitchen after my stove and Instant Pot.

I prefer to air fry at a lower temperature than baking in the oven. This method gave good results too but took longer because of the lower temperature. I still prefer the texture of an oven roasted to air frying.

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Pan roasted cashews

This is probably my least favorite method, purely because it is very difficult to get a uniform roast. Even if you are extremely careful and stand next to the stove the entire time, you still may end up with a couple of cashews that have burnt edges to them. 

If you really want to try this method, heat the ghee in a skillet over low heat, add the cashews and toss them around. Keep tossing or moving the cashews around continuously so they don't burn. Once they change color and start to brown, add the spices and mix well.

Storing suggestions

Store roasted cashews in an airtight jar once they are completely cool. You can keep this in the pantry for up to a month.

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