Smoked Paprika and Garlic Roasted Almonds

A savory and quick happy hour snack, these smoked paprika and garlic roasted almonds are perfect for snacking. And they’re naturally vegan and gluten-free!

Second Sunday post in a row, I’m on a roll! I’ve decided to start sharing more simple and savory recipes, partly because my body can’t keep eating desserts all the dang time (if only), and partly because, after putting out the reader survey, I’ve found that many of you want more simple, healthy recipes, which I totally understand. Hence, this easy and savory batch of garlic roasted almonds.

While this will still remain a dessert blog, I will be incorporating more savory/dinner/simple recipes in too, just to vary things a bit. Bear with me while I get my skills honed on the savory side of things, dessert is really my wheelhouse, but savory is starting to show its appeal too.

Creating these garlic roasted almonds

These garlic roasted almonds came to be after I bought a bag of whole almonds in desperation a few weeks ago, when really what I was looking for was a bag of sliced almonds. I’ve been testing a recipe for a sweet orange almond muffin recipe and needed those almonds that are sliced ever so perfectly, rather than the whole ones.

Out of frustration and running into the ‘I didn’t come here for nothing’ attitude at the grocery store, I grabbed a bag of whole almonds and headed on my way. Then, it got sucked into the vortex of oft forgotten things in the back of my baking cabinet, waiting to be used for something, but continuing to be pushed back into the recesses of the cabinet in favor of the bag of chocolate chips or new-to-me maca powder.

Finally, I decided it was time to breathe new life into them and use them for something that is a cross between the perfect happy hour snack (hello, protein!) and something that sounds fancy as all get out, without being unnecessarily fussy.

I knew I wanted to start with my new favorite spice, smoked paprika, and combine it was something else that was strong, pungent and took on the flavor of the almonds well. Garlic is always a good choice, plus roasting only brings out the natural almonds and flavor of both of the main spices in these roasted almonds. Add a healthy dose of olive oil and snack time is born!

How to roast almonds

If you’ve never made roasted almonds before, you’re in for a real treat because they require pretty much zero cooking skills to make. Simply toss the raw, unsalted almonds with some olive oil and spices, and then roast them in a 350ºF oven for around 10 minutes. One of my biggest pieces of advice for making these garlic roasted almonds is to watch them closely. I’ve burned my fair share of nuts (heh) and it’s all due to not keeping a close watch on them or walking away, confident I’ll take them out before they burn. Set the timer for less time than you think you will need and check them more often than feels necessary.

One way to tell when the almonds have finished roasting is to listen to them. It sounds crazy, I know, but if you put your ear near the nuts you should hear a faint sizzling—that means they’re done! In addition to the sizzling, the roasted almonds should be incredibly fragrant and should have gone slightly browner in color.

In the end, you will be rewarded with a perfectly crunchy, salty batch of garlic roasted almonds that would pair perfectly with that happy hour cocktail.

Shout out to my grandparents, who have cocktail and snack time every evening, I think they would absolutely love these!

More vegan snacks on Heart of a Baker:

• Chocolate Almond Vegan Granola Bars
• Spicy Vegan Black Bean Dip
• Dark Chocolate and Cacao Nib Banana Smoothie
• Vegan Spicy Cheese Ball with Sriracha and Lime
• Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookie Dough Bites

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