- Skills
- Cooking Methods
- Baking
Sheela Prakash
Sheela PrakashSenior Contributing Food Editor
Sheela is the Senior Contributing Food Editor at Kitchn and the author of Mediterranean Every Day: Simple, Inspired Recipes for Feel-Good Food. She received her master's degree from the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Italy and is also a Registered Dietitian.
published Sep 29, 2020
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The very best thing you can do for those nuts you’re about to stir into your chocolate chip cookie batter or sprinkle onto your salads is quite simple: Toast them. It might sound fussy, but it’s truly a step that’s worth the effort. Just like browning butter turns it into it’s very best, rich and nutty self, toasting nuts draws out their inherent flavor and makes them a big, bold, unstoppable ingredient in your kitchen.
We know you’re saying, “But you can buy nuts pre-toasted!” While I typically praise store-bought shortcuts, toasted grocery store nuts are muted in flavor in comparison. They also tend to go rancid quicker than raw nuts, so you’ll get more longevity out of bags of nuts you toast yourself. To help in your nut-toasting journey, we put four popular toasting methods to the test to determine which one is the easiest and most foolproof. One method stood out among the rest, although there also happened to be a technique that surprised us.
How We Tested These Nut-Toasting Methods
The four nut-toasting methods came from a handful of sources: Kitchn’s own methods, reputable culinary personalities, and cooking websites. To streamline testing, walnut halves and pieces were used, although these methods can be used to toast all nuts (the timing range accounts for the truth that smaller, lighter nuts, such as pistachios or pine nuts, will toast faster than larger, denser nuts, such as almonds, pecans, and hazelnuts. Walnuts fall roughly in the middle in regards to size and density, which is why they were selected.
Toasting Method: Starting in a Preheated Skillet and Dry Toasting
- Timing: 1 to 4 minutes
- Rating: 4/10
About this method:This method claims to be the fastest. Heat a dry skillet over medium heat and, once hot, add the nuts. Stir, toss, and shake the nuts a few times until toasted, 1 to 5 minutes. Transfer the toasted nuts to a plate or bowl immediately after toasting to prevent further browning.
Results:The nuts were toasted, but not evenly. There were a handful of burnt, charred spots on the nuts, especially given the ragged, uneven surface of walnuts. They also tasted toasted on the outside but not all the way through.
Takeaways: This method was the quickest, but it involved constant attention and the results were below-average. I felt the nuts didn’t have time to toast fully, but I had to pull them before the exterior was burning, so they didn’t have as rich of a flavor as I would have liked.
Toasting Method: Starting in a Cold Skillet and Dry Toasting
- Timing: 3 to 7 minutes
- Rating: 6/10
About this method:Pour the nuts into a dry skillet; turn the heat to medium; then stir, toss, and shake the nuts a few times as the skillet heats up and continue to do so until the nuts are golden-brown and toasted. This will take about 3 to 7 minutes from the time you crank the heat on your stovetop. Transfer the toasted nuts to a plate or bowl immediately after toasting to prevent further browning.
Results:The nuts were more evenly browned than starting in a preheated skillet, but there were still a few burnt, charred spots. However, unlike starting in a preheated skillet, both the inside and outside of the nuts tasted toasted.
Takeaways: By starting in a cold skillet and tossing the nuts as it heated, this was a lot more controlled approached than tossing the nuts into a hot skillet. However, even with careful tending to, they weren’t as evenly browned as other methods.
Toasting Method: Tossing with a Neutral Oil and Toasting in the Microwave
- Timing: 3 to 5 minutes
- Rating: 8/10
About this method:We recently wrote about this method and it’s the only one I previously hadn’t attempted myself. The nuts are tossed with 1/4 teaspoon of a neutral cooking oil, such as canola, which is said to help them brown in the microwave so they toast more evenly. Then they’re spread out in an even layer on a microwave-safe plate or a piece of parchment paper and microwaved in one-minute increments on high power, until toasted, 3 to 5 minutes total.
Results:It was a little hard to tell when the nuts were thoroughly toasted using this method because they don’t brown quite as deeply, but once they smelled extra nutty and were lightly browned on the outside, they were good to go. They were extremely hot from microwaving, so they needed to cool a bit before using, but once they were, they had a nicely rich and toasted flavor.
Takeaways: While this method seems a bit counterintuitive, it surprisingly works! The visual cues were a little tricky here because the nuts don’t brown as much as they do in a skillet or the oven, so using your nose as an indicator is extra helpful. While the size of a microwave limits the quantity of nuts that can be toasted using this method, it’s likely going to be my go-to approach when I only need to toast a small amount of nuts.
Toasting Method: Dry Toasting in the Oven
- Timing: 8 to 12 minutes
- Rating: 10/10
About this method:While all four methods are relatively fast, this method takes the longest amount of time out of all of them. Spread the nuts out in an even layer on a baking sheet and place in a 350°F oven. Toss and stir the nuts after 5 minutes, then check on them and toss every 2 to 3 minutes after that, until the nuts are golden-brown and toasted, 8 to 12 minutes total. Transfer the toasted nuts to plate or bowl immediately after toasting to prevent further browning.
Results:This method results in the classic definition of toasted nuts. They were evenly browned and toasted from the inside out, resulting in a rich, nutty flavor.
Takeaways: While this method took the longest, it was the most foolproof. I also appreciated that it didn’t need constant attention, like the stovetop methods do, and I wasn’t pulled back to it every minute, like with the microwave method. Yes, I needed to be close by to toss and check on them, but I could, say, unload a few dishes from the dishwasher in between. That made the overall results outweigh the time it took, making it my favorite method.
Final Takeaways
While all methods result in toasted nuts, the oven technique resulted in the best toasted nuts. Yes, this technique took a few minutes longer, but it was hands-off time. So it’s the method I’ll use most often. For toasting a small batch of nuts without having to turn on the oven, the microwave was a surprise standout.
7 Great Recipes That Put Your Toasted Nuts to Work
- Butter Pecan Sandies
- Sweet Potato Cardamom Buns with Pistachio and Orange
- Dark Chocolate Walnut Cookies
- One-Pot Smoked Almond and Herb Couscous
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