Grandma’s Famous Salted Pan Roasted Peanuts
I flew back to Taiwan just to learn my grandma’s Famous Salt Roasted Peanuts. I am not kidding when I say these are the BEST Roasted Peanuts you will ever try, and I got all her secret tips! It is slightly salty, crunchy, and has a slight wok-charred flavor that makes these dry roasted peanuts irresistible. Eat them as a snack, or as a topping on noodles, rice, or porridge!
Salt Roasted Peanuts: Snack, Appetizer, Topping
Salt Roasted Peanuts are simple, but seen everywhere in Taiwan. You can find them served as appetizers at restaurants, or as tea or beer snacks when you visit someone in Taiwan. You can also add them as toppings on top of rice, salad, porridge, or noodles. They’re crispy, crunchy, and super easy to make.
I like to make my grandma’s roasted peanuts in bulk. If you store them in an airtight jar, they can last for 2 months.
Everyone Loves Grandma’s Roasted Peanuts
Every time I go back to visit my grandma, I would bring bags of her roasted peanuts back from Taiwan. My grandma’s roasted peanuts are so famous that her neighbors would even offer to buy them from her as gifts! They’re so famous, there’s a reason I flew back to Taiwan JUST to learn.
Secret Tips To Perfect Peanuts Every Time
#1 Rinse The Peanuts
It is important to rinse and wash the peanuts, but not just to clean them. The moisture on the peanuts helps balance the heat from the salt, which helps evenly roast the peanuts without burning them. The water also help the salt stick to the peanut, which adds flavor.
After you rinse the peanuts, drain them, and add them straight to the heated salt.
#2 Lots of Salt
Rather than frying the peanuts straight in the pan, my grandma pan-fries the peanuts in a ton of salt. The residual heat from the salt holds heat to roast the raw peanuts, and adds tons of flavor. Use table salt instead of chunky salt so it heats more evenly. The more salt you have, the easier it is to roast without burning the peanuts.
Don’t worry about wasting the salt! Once it fully cools down, you can sift and re-use it multiple times. I have a bag of salt that I use for roast peanuts specifically. You can use the salt at least 10 times before changing to new salt.
#3 Keep Stirring!
To prevent the salted peanuts from getting burnt, it is important to keep stirring continuously for 13 minutes. YES, it is a workout, but trust me, the results will be so worth it,
Once the peanuts are slightly red and your house smells amazing, they are ready! Let the roasted peanuts fully cool down for around 10 minutes before giving them a try!
Dry Pan Roasted Peanuts Ingredients
- 2 cups de-shelled raw red-skin on peanuts
- 4 cups Salt
Making Salt Roasted Peanuts
- In a large wok, add 4 cups of salt. Turn the heat to medium-high, and stir till the salt is warm.
- Once warm, rinse the peanuts, drain, and add the peanuts to the heated salt.
- Keep sautéing and stirring for 13 minutes or until peanuts become slightly red, and the house smells amazing. It will be hard to stir and sauté at the beginning since there is water, but after 5-8 minutes, it should be a lot lighter and easier to stir-fry.
- Turn the heat off, sift the peanuts, and let them evenly rest on a piece of parchment paper for 10 minutes or until fully cooled down.
- Store in an air-tight container.
Looking For More Easy Appetizer Recipes?
Grandma’s Famous Salted Pan Roasted Peanuts
By Tiffy Cooks
Ingredients
- 2 cups de-shelled raw red-skin on peanuts
- 4 cups Salt
Instructions
- In a large wok, add 4 cups of salt. Turn the heat to medium-high, and stir till the salt is warm.
- Once warm, rinse the peanuts, drain, and add the peanuts to the heated salt.
- Keep sautéing and stirring for 13 minutes or until peanuts become slightly red, and the house smells amazing. It will be hard to stir and sauté at the beginning since there is water, but after 5-8 minutes, it should be a lot lighter and easier to stir-fry.
- Turn the heat off, sift the peanuts, and let them evenly rest on a piece of parchment paper for 10 minutes or until fully cooled down.
- Store in an air-tight container.
I’ve been roasting peanuts and other nuts in the oven for many years and this technique is far superior! I’ve also started doing it with my sunflower and pumpkin seeks, and also almonds – and they all turn out perfectly.
As an FYI, I cook my prawns (your “shrimp”) in a bed of rock salt and it’s a really delicate way of cooking too. I just don’t toss them around, just turn them once.
Now, I’m off to look around at your other recipes!
PS: I don’t know why no-one else has found and tried your recipe – it’s the best!
Over many years I’ve tried and largely failed to cook decent home roasted peanuts, and I’m always on the lookout for a recipe that works. And this one is simply the best. Who knew about roasting nuts in salt? The recipe is so simple and foolproof. The ‘cups’ thing worked out just fine. Three 200g packs of nuts split perfectly into four cups of nuts [roasting the first two cups turned out so great I immediately made a second batch, so a cup worked out at 150g, and the salt was easy, too. Just follow the instructions, thirteen minutes, no more, no less, and the results were sensational, just the THE best snack nuts I’ve ever made and so cheap. 600g of nuts and enough salt to suit worked out at £0.68p per 100g [allowing the re-use of the salt ten times,] which is around half the cost of shop bought.
The only downside is that now everybody wants to eat them, of course they do, they’re brilliant nuts.
My thanks to Grandma and to Tiffy for this recipe.
Checking out out some of your other recipes now. Garlic and black pepper chicken next on the list.
Alan, your comment is sure to make my grandma proud! Thank you for trying this peanut recipe, and would love more of your thoughts on other recipes!
Tiffy
The recipe is easy to understand, no special equipment(I used a cast iron skillet) and/or ingredients required, and most importantly…they are DELICIOUS!
Hi, I was wondering if it would be possible to roast these peanuts with the salt in the oven rather in a frying pan? Thanks
Hi Nadine! The reason we do these in the frying pan is because they need to be continuously moved so they don’t burn in the heat. If you do this in the oven, you’re more likely to get some peanuts that are unevenly cooked or burnt on one side.
Tiffy
Excellent peanuts very good my favorite recipe
Never ever again we will buy salted roasted peanuts from the store. This our new keeper. We appriciate this recipe also, because it uses the skin of the peanuts, since it’s has many nutritional benefits. Thank you!! Greetings from Finland!
Hi Marelina! It means so much to know that even someone in Finland is enjoying my grandma’s peanut recipe. Thank you so much!
Tiffy
Hey Tiffany… I haven’t tried your recipe yet, but will do for Christmas… Growing up my mum use to do a salted peanut and raisin mix. Looking at your recipe I think probably best to add after peanuts cook during the cooling down stage. Any thoughts?
Hi Nicky, that sounds like the right time to add it in. Let me know how it went!
Tiffy