The Diwali season means a variety of nuts— almonds, cashews and peanuts are piled up in your home. What better way to put them to use than roasting them? Let’s see how eating roasted nuts is better than eating them raw and how to roast them.

There is no doubt that eating nuts in their raw form is great. They are extremely healthy and great to have as a snack in replacement of the processed biscuits or wafers. Nuts are incredibly nutritious and are packed with fiber, good fats, and protein. But roasted nuts have some added benefits.

Health Shots reached out to Upasana Sharma, Clinical Nutritionist at Max Hospital, says nuts are often roasted to enhance their flavour, fragrance and crispy texture. “To have raw nuts or roasted both are good for health, but they should be taken in moderation because they are high in calories,” she adds.

Know some health benefits of roasted nuts

The nutrition expert lists down some reasons why roasting nuts may be better for health.

1. Roasted nuts can lower risk of contamination

Heating any food item, not just nuts, is known to kill off any germs or dirt present in it, making it even more purified to eat. So, roasting nuts eliminates any and all possibilities of there being any miscreants.

2. Roasting makes the nuts easier to digest

Any cooked form of food is always easier to break down and digest for your body as compared to its raw form. So, roasted nuts are definitely better for your digestive system as compared to the raw ones.

3. It enhances the taste and texture of the nuts

Roasting nuts changes its flavour in a good way. It enhances the flavour of nuts and also makes them crispier and crunchier.

Here’s how to roast nuts

Step 1

Take a pan with a flat base and heat it up. Spread the nuts evenly in the pan and don’t pile them on top of each other or they won’t roast properly. No need to add any oil as nuts have their own natural oil which comes to the surface when roasted.

Step 2

Once the pan is hot you need to roast the nuts for about 15 minutes on a low flame. For nuts such as peanuts, pistachios and walnuts, it will take only about 6-8 minutes to roast them but for almonds it can take up to 15 minutes.

Step 3

It is very important that you keep stirring the nuts every 30 seconds or so, otherwise they won’t roast evenly and their edges might even get burned.

Step 4

Once the nuts are crispy, turn off the heat and transfer them to a bowl. Don’t let them sit in the hot pan or they’ll continue to roast.

Step 5

Once the nuts have cooled down you can add some white salt and pepper to spice them up and then store them in a container for later munching!

Pro tip:

While roasting, keep in mind that temperature should not be too high and nuts should not be roasted for too long, in order to preserve its nutritional value. Also, try to avoid using salt if you can to make them healthier.