Spicy Almonds with Chili Powder — 5-Minute Snack Recipe

These spicy almonds are pan roasted then tossed in cayenne pepper, chili powder, and fresh cilantro, making the perfect anytime snack. Healthy, gluten-free, and low-carb, all you need are a few pantry staples and 5 minutes to make a batch of your favorite spicy nuts.

Looking for more easy snack recipes? Try my Almond Joy Energy Bites, Dark Chocolate Almond Clusters or my Homemade Spicy Pita Chips!

Spicy Chili Almonds

I love to snack — probably a little too much. I try to always have healthy snacks around the house to help curb cravings and feed my snacking addiction, without adding tons of sugar and carbs to my day. And let me tell you, these tasty 5-minute roasted almonds fit the bill! Sprinkled with chili powder and cayenne pepper for a spicy kick, then tossed with fresh cilantro, these almonds are super easy, absolutely delicious, and make for the perfect midday snack.

Not much of a snacker? No problem! These chili almonds are also wonderful as an appetizer or a snack for parties, game day, or movie night. They’re much cheaper than specialty flavored almonds and better for you than popcorn covered in butter. Plus, you can adjust the spice level by adding more or less cayenne and chili powder depending on your preference. I like to make a few different batches with different heat levels — makes for a fun mini snack bar!

I must warn you, these spicy chili cilantro almonds are super addictive. It’s ok though! Almonds are packed with vitamins, nutrients and fiber making them a healthy, guilt-free, grab and go snack.

Ingredients

• Almonds
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Chili powder
• Cayenne pepper
• Salt
• Fresh cilantro

How to make spicy chili almonds

1. Sauté the almonds: First, add your almonds, oil, chili powder and cayenne pepper to a pan and sauté for about 5 minutes or until the almonds are toasted. You’ll know the almonds are ready when they turn golden brown and start to smell more nutty.
2. Sprinkle in spices: Take your sautéd almonds off the heat and sprinkle with just a pinch of salt. You can also add in a little more cayenne or chili powder at this point if you’d like your almonds to be more spicy. I recommend adding a little bit at a time and then adding more to taste.
3. Toss with cilantro: After tossing the almonds in your spices, top them off with fresh chopped cilantro.
4. Snack: That’s it! Let your spicy almonds cool for a few minutes, then you’re ready to enjoy your delicious, low-carb snack.

Tips for making the perfect spicy almonds

• Make it a mix. Yes, I’m suggesting that you make your own spicy trail mix — because it’s so tasty! These spicy almonds go great when mixed with Chex cereal, pretzels, or dark chocolate pieces. Toss them all in a ziplock bag and pack them away for your next roadtrip or gameday. I usually like to keep a jar next to my desk for that midday snack craving. However you enjoy them, there’s no denying the perfection of a sweet-and-spicy combination.
• Control the spice. I always recommend you season to taste. If you’re not a fan of heat, you can add less of the chili powder, and if you want to really turn it up, you can add more! Remember though, it’s almost impossible to “unspice” anything — be careful not to dump too much spice into your almond mixture at one time. Less is more.
• Storage and leftovers. In my home, these spicy almonds rarely last more than a day or two, but when stored in an airtight container at room temperature, they will keep for about a week. I always keep almonds around the house and then just whip up a batch when I get a craving — we can always find 5 minutes, right?

Make your own snack bar

Remember how I told you I LOVE snacks? I wasn’t exaggerating! It is so fun to set up a snack bar at home on gamedays, family game night, movie night — you name it. Whether you like sweet or savory, I have the perfect easy recipes to fill out your dream snack bar.

• Something sweet. I am a firm believer that almonds and chocolate go together, always. I also really like spicy chocolates — a little sweet with a spicy kick! Fill out your snack bar with all the nutty, chocolate goodness by adding a batch of my Dark Chocolate Almond Clusters or some delicious chocolate fudge.
• Something salty. Every snack bar needs peanut butter; and nuts and peanut butter — well, same family, right? Keep your theme sweet, salty, and savory by pairing your spicy chili almonds with quick, 5-minute peanut butter bites or my Peanut Butter Pretzel Truffles.
• Something spicy. We all have that one friend (or maybe we are that friend) who has an extremely high hot-foods threshold. Make a heat-lover’s ideal batch of snacks with these easy Homemade Spicy Pita Chips and my Spicy Chipotle Guacamole — dips, and snacks, and heat galore.

Here are more delicious snack recipes to try!

• 5 Ingredient Peanut Butter Energy Bites
• Pumpkin Banana Smoothie
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Energy Bites
• Dark Chocolate Almond Clusters
• Cherry Cupcakes

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