Name: Sesame Honey Roasted Almonds
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons honey; 2 cups roasted unsalted almonds; ¼ teaspoon kosher salt; Scant ½ teaspoon cayenne; ¼ cup sesame seeds

These simple honey roasted almonds take just 15 minutes to make and are refined sugar-free. The perfect healthy snack to have on hand!

Are you a snacker? I am more than I’d like to be. Try as I might, at times my motivation for snacking is because I’m bored, aimless, stressed, tired, or just on auto-pilot. But as I aim to be more intentional and mindful in my eating habits, I’m working toward snacking because I’m hungry.

Luckily, once we made the change to eating mostly natural foods, our snacks have become quite healthy (as long as we don’t overdo it on portion size). This week’s crispy chickpeas and honey roasted almonds are both gluten free snacks that are full of nutrients and tasty enough to satisfy. We shared these honey roasted almonds at a party and they were gobbled up in no time.

How to make honey roasted almonds

Making honey roasted almonds is surprisingly easy and requires very little prep work. You’ll first need to warm the honey slightly in the microwave to make it easier to mix with the other ingredients. Then, mix together the warm honey, unsalted almonds, a pinch of kosher salt, sesame seeds, and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Take the time to thoroughly mix everything together to ensure that the almonds get evenly coated with the honey mixture.

Once everything is combined, spread the almonds out onto a parchment paper-lined baking tray and roast for 10 minutes (using parchment paper is key, otherwise the almonds will stick to the baking tray!). Let the almonds cool completely on the baking tray before breaking them apart. Do not eat the almonds when they first come out of the oven! The honey will be practically molten and would sear your mouth.

Store these honey roasted almonds in a tightly sealed container at room temperature. These will keep for up to two weeks, but they’ll likely be gone before then!

Tips on roasting almonds in the oven

These honey roasted almonds are tough to mess up, but there are a few things you should keep in mind when making this recipe.

Use parchment paper—parchment paper will prevent the honey roasted almonds from sticking to the baking tray (a mess you’d never be able to get off! Ask me how I know that…).
Roast at a lower heat—unlike hearty root vegetables and oven baked fries, almonds don’t need to be roasted in a 400+ degree oven. 350ºF is plenty hot enough to make these honey roasted almonds, so don’t be tempted to bump up the heat!
The almonds will hiss in the oven—at the end of the roasting time, you’ll be able to tell when the almonds are properly roasted because they’ll hiss a bit. You’ll have to listen closely for it, but you’ll definitely be able to hear a slight hissing noise (it sounds like air trying to escape from a closed container).
Roasted almonds won’t be crunchy right away—when you first take these honey roasted almonds out of the oven, they won’t be crunchy. They crisp up as they cool to room temperature, and by the time they’re completely cooled they’ll have a nice bite to them.

Looking for more healthy snack recipes?

Here are a few more of our favorite healthy snacks and almond recipes:

Roasted Tomato Almond Dip (another party favorite)
Homemade Almond Crackers
Buffalo Cauliflower with Blue Cheese Dip
Roasted Delicata Squash Fries with Buffalo Sauce
Loaded Sweet Potato Rounds (our favorite!)
Baked Butternut Squash Chips
Chipotle Kale Chips
Kale Pesto Bean Dip
Greek Yogurt “Ranch” Vegetable Dip

This recipe is…

Vegetarian, gluten-free, and refined sugar-free.