How To Toast Nuts

Recipes often call for nuts to be toasted (or roasted), which adds a lovely aroma and toasty flavour by cooking some of the oil in the nuts.

As nuts are high in oil they can burn quickly, so toasting them requires a bit of attention.

Here’s how to toast nuts, large and small, and also remove the dark outer skin from nuts like hazelnuts. Scroll down for a step-by-step video.

Toasting Nuts In A Pan

Small nuts like pine nuts, or pieces like slivered almonds, can be toasted successfully in a heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat for about 5 minutes.
Stir them regularly so they colour evenly and remove them from the pan as soon as they’re coloured so they don’t burn in the residual heat of the pan.

Toasting Nuts In The Oven

Larger nuts – like whole cashews, peanuts, pecans and almonds – are best toasted on an oven tray in a 180°C (360°F) oven for 5–10 minutes, depending how dark you want them.
Check them after a few minutes and stir if necessary so they colour evenly.

How To Remove Hazelnut Skins

Some nuts, such as hazelnuts, need to be heavily toasted to remove the skins if they haven’t already been blanched.
This is best done in a frying pan over medium–high heat.
Stir the nuts regularly until the skins are black, then wrap in a tea towel and rub vigorously to loosen the skins.

Due to their high oil content, nuts can go rancid quickly. So always buy them in small quantities from a Middle Eastern grocer or other store with a high turnover – I get mine from Harkola – and store them in the fridge.