These salty mixed nuts get a quick soak in salted water to permeate the whole nut with salty flavor. Then they’re toasted in the oven for an even golden glow. You’ll never go back to store bought salty mixed nuts!
I remember as a kid sneaking handfuls of perfectly salty roasted mixed nuts from my Grandfather’s Costco stash. They were crunchy, salty, and so delicious! These days, I typically prefer to purchase nuts raw so that I can use them in various cooking applications. But this means that to enjoy salty mixed nuts, I have to prepare my own. Previously, I was just salting the outside of the nuts, and toasting them in the oven, but I recently stumbled upon a trick for infusing the nuts with tons of flavor…
The trick is in the salt water brine!
The method for getting these nuts so perfectly salty throughout is the salt water brine.
What is a brine?
In this case, a brine is a mixture of salt and water that the nuts sit in before they are roasted in the oven. By allowing the nuts to rest in the warm brine, they are seasoned throughout.
What is the purpose of a brine?
Brining foods help them to be permeated with salt. Instead of the salt just sitting on the outer lay of your food, the salt with flavor the entire thing. Since salt brings out flavor, you can count on your food being well-seasoned, and tastier when you brine!
What is the ratio for a salt water brine?
This recipe calls for 2 tbsp of kosher salt, and 1 1/2 cups of water. You can adjust this depending on how many salty mixed nuts you’re wanting to make.
Salty Mixed Nuts, Step by Step
Gather your nuts, salt, and water. My favorite combination of nuts is almonds, cashews, walnuts, pecans, and hazelnuts, but I use whatever I have on hand!
Bring 1 cup of water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add 2 tbsp kosher salt and stir gently until the salt dissolves.
Remove the pot from the heat and add in 1 1/2 cups mixed nuts of choice.
Stir the mixtures gently to coat the nuts, and let the nuts soak for 30 minutes in the salt water brine.
Preheat your oven to 375. After the nuts have soaked for 30 minutes, drain the nuts thoroughly, and spread on a baking sheet.
Toast the nuts in the oven for 8-10 minutes or until the nuts are golden and toasted all the way through. Be sure to keep a close eye on your nuts- they go from golden to burnt very quickly! I like to pull a few different nuts to test as they get close to being done.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven and immediately transfer the nuts to a glass container to avoid continued cooking while the baking sheet cools. The nuts may be enjoyed immediately; they will be softer when initially removed from the oven and harden as they cool.
Salty Mixed Nuts
Ingredients
- 1 cup Water
- 2 tbsp Kosher Salt
- 1½ cups Raw nuts of choice
Instructions
- Bring 1 cup of water to boil in a small saucepan.
- Add 2 tbsp kosher salt and gently stir to dissolve.
- Remove pan from the heat and stir in 1 ½ cups mixed raw nuts.
- Let nuts soak in salt water brine (off heat) for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375℉.
- After done soaking, throughly drain nuts and spread evenly on a baking sheet.
- Roast nuts in the oven for 8-10 minutes or until fragrant and golden brown all the way through.
- Remove from oven and immediately transfer to a glass storage container.
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