Roasting and Toasting Nuts and Seeds at Home

Roasting and Toasting Nuts and Seeds at Home

There’s no roasted or toasted nut or seed better than one that has been freshly made to suit your exact personal preference. The good news is that roasting or toasting nuts and seeds is incredibly easy to do yourself at home. 

While we do sell a number of roasted products, for optimal freshness we still encourage you to buy our raw nuts and seeds and then roast smaller amounts yourself more regularly. One of the main benefits is that raw nuts and seeds will keep better for longer than their roasted counterparts, plus freshly roasted is definitely a step up from something that was roasted weeks or months prior. Buying pre roasted is great for convenience, and especially if you happen to need a bulk amount all at once for whatever reason. However we don’t think you’ll be disappointed by taking a bit of time to freshly roast them yourself!  

Oven Roasting

We prefer oven roasting the majority of the time. The more uniform heat on the exterior of the food makes is easier to get a more consistent roast without any over or under-done spots that can more easily happen in a pan. 

We almost always roast nuts and seeds at 300 F, stirring them every 5 – 10 minutes until done to preference, usually for a total of 30 minutes baking time. Exactly how long it will take to get the perfect roast will depend on your exact oven temperature (they’re usually a bit different), the size of the raw product you’re starting with, and how roasted you want the end result to be. 

Pre heat your oven to 300 F

We recommend using a baking tray with a raised rim or something like a casserole dish will also work, and then roasting no more than can comfortably fit in a single layer.

Place your pan of nuts or seeds in your pre heated oven and set a timer for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes take them out and give them a quick stir and immediately put the tray back in the oven. Now for small seeds start checking them every 5 minutes after, but for most nuts every 10 minutes is good until you’re in last couple minutes of roasting. 20 – 40 minutes baking time seems to be the most common time range at 300 F depending on the product size and roast preference. Each time you stir the product keep a couple pieces aside to let cool and then cut open to see the internal doneness, most nuts and seeds will look more done on the inside than the outside, so checking this way will help you get a better feel for how roasted the food is. 

Pan Toasting 

Toasting nuts or seeds in a pan is another common home method, but requires a bit more attention not to burn the food. Pre heat your element and pan on medium heat, then add a single layer of nuts or seeds to the pan and keep stirring them regularly, every few minutes at most. When pan toasting it is easier to smell the doneness of the food compared to oven roasting, so try to incorporate your sense of smell into the toasting process to get better results. You’ll also visually be able to see more golden toasted spots on the exterior of the food when toasting in a pan, and stirring regularly will prevent small burn marks and allow for more internal even doneness. 

We find ourselves using this method mostly for seeds or sliced/slivered/chopped nuts. Whole nuts are more difficult to get a consistent roast throughout when using a pan compared to an oven. 

Now that you know the basics of how to roast or toast your own nuts and seeds we hope you find yourself making them at home more often!