Masala peanuts are gorgeously coated, crispy and delicious peanuts with a light tangy flavor. This is one of those love-of-my-life snacks that I enjoy a lot. While my husband stays away from peanuts (allergy), my kiddos and I enjoy peanuts a lot. This recipe can be another healthy addition to your festive snacks. Presenting my non-fried, air-fryer masala peanuts.
Baked/Air-Fryer/Microwave:
Each of these methods results in crispy, flavorful masala peanuts. The baked version is very similar to the air-fryer, but I like the air-fryer one more.
That’s because:
- It’s quick
- Peanuts are crispier
- And doesn’t burn
The microwave method is a quick fix, I would say. If you want a bowl of roasted masala peanuts real quick, this is the method. Just use a handful of peanuts, coat them, and microwave till crispy.
While the microwave method takes around 3- to 5-minutes, the air-fryer version takes 12-minutes. The baked version, again depending on your batch size, may take up to 20-minutes for a good, crispy batch of peanuts.
Mom was always an avid peanut fan. My sister and I, unsurprisingly, inherited this food choice from mom. I make masala peanuts with gluten-free flours. These sweet peanuts coated with a batter of chickpea and rice flour are air-fried till perfection - that’s my perfect air-fryer masala peanuts.
Tips to Make Perfect Masala Peanuts
Make a thick batter:
- We are not frying the peanuts but baking/air-frying them.
- Therefore, do not make a thin batter.
- Instead, add dry flour and spice mixtures to peanuts and add the oil, water mixture gradually so that the flours coat the nuts well. Refer to the picture below.
Cook in batches:
- Do not crowd the baking/air-frying dish.
- This step is very important.
- Ensure that you are cooking peanuts in batches than crowding them in one batch.
- That way, each peanut gets the heat evenly and crisps up while cooking.
- Do not skip rice flour:
- Yes, this flour is important as it adds crispness to this masala peanuts dish.
How To Make Masala Peanuts (Air-Fryer)?
Ingredients
1 cup raw peanuts with skin, ⅓ cup Besan or chickpea flour, 3 tablespoon rice flour, ½ teaspoon ground turmeric, ¼ teaspoon asafoetida (optional), 1 teaspoon ground chili, 1 teaspoon chaat masala, 1 tablespoon lime juice, 1 tablespoon oil, salt to taste, 1-2 teaspoon water(optional)
Instructions To Make Masala Peanuts (Air-Fryer)
- Take a bowl, and add gram flour, rice flour, red chili powder, turmeric powder, hing, chat masala, and salt as per taste. Mix them well and keep aside.
- In another bowl, take peanuts. Now add oil, lime juice and mix it well.
- Add the prepared flour mixture and coat the peanuts just by mixing with the spoon.
- Add a teaspoon of water and mix gently so that the peanuts are evenly coated.
- Peanuts are ready for air-frying or baking.
- Line the air-fryer basket or the air-fryer tray and add a layer of the peanuts. Always cook the peanuts in a single layer for even cooking.
- Preheat the air-fryer at 350F for 5-minutes.
- Spray with oil and air-fry at 350F for 4-6 minutes until peanuts start to change color.
- If your peanuts are in clumps, gently break them at this point. Now flip and cook for another 4-minutes till the masala peanuts look crispy and well cooked.
- Depending on your batch's size and your air fryer's setting, one batch should take between 10-12 minutes to cook.
- Allow the peanuts to cool down completely, and then sprinkle some chaat masala on them.
- As the peanuts cool down, they become crispy and flavorful.
- Masala peanuts are ready.
- Enjoy them as a snack or the way you love.
📖 Recipe
Masala Peanuts (Air-Fryer)
Equipment
- Instant Pot, Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw peanuts with skin
- ⅓ cup Besan or chickpea flour
- 3 tablespoon rice flour
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon asafoetida, optional
- 1 teaspoon ground chili
- 1 teaspoon chaat masala
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 tablespoon oil, salt to taste
- 1-2 teaspoon water, optional
Instructions
- Take a bowl, and add gram flour, rice flour, red chili powder, turmeric powder, hing, chat masala, and salt as per taste. Mix them well and keep aside.
- In another bowl take peanuts. Now add oil, lime juice and mix it well.
- Add the prepared flour mixture and coat the peanuts just by mixing with the spoon.
- Add a teaspoon of water and mix gently so that the peanuts are evenly coated.
- Peanuts are ready for air-frying or baking.
- Preheat the air-fryer at 350F for 5-minutes.
- Spray with oil and air-fry at 350F for 4-6 minutes until peanuts start to change color.
- If your peanuts are in clumps, gently break them at this point. Now flip and cook for another 4-minutes till the masala peanuts look crispy and well cooked.
- Depending on the size of your batch and your air fryer's setting, one batch should take between 10-12 minutes to cook.
- Allow the peanuts to cool down completely and then sprinkle some chaat masala on them.
- As the peanuts cool down, they become crispy and flavorful.
- Masala peanuts are ready.
- Enjoy them as a snack or the way you love.
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