Crispy, baked peanuts spiced with Indian spices! These Baked Masala peanuts make a great chai/coffee time snack and are also vegan and gluten-free.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cook time: 25 minutes
  • Total time: 34 minutes
  • Yield: 2 cups
  • Category: Snack
  • Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

  • 1 cup raw peanuts (160 grams)
  • 2 tablespoons oil (30 ml, I used avocado oil)
  • 1/2 cup besan (57 grams, gram flour)
  • 2 tablespoons rice flour (28 grams)
  • 1.5 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
  • 2 teaspoons kashmiri red chili powder (replace 1/2 teaspoon with regular chili powder for spicy peanuts)
  • 1/8 teaspoon turmeric (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon chaat masala
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
  • 1.5 tablespoons water (as needed)

Method

  1. Pre-heat oven to 375 F degrees and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with a oil spray. Set aside. To a large bowl add- besan, rice flour, ginger-garlic paste, kashmiri red chili powder, turmeric (if using), chaat masala and salt. You can replace 1/2 teaspoon of kashmiri red chili powder with regular chili powder if you prefer spicy peanuts.
  2. Mix until everything is well combined using a whisk. Set this aside.
  3. To another bowl, add 1 cup of raw peanuts and then add 2 tablespoons oil to peanuts and mix so that the peanuts are coated with the oil.
  4. Now transfer the prepared besan-rice flour-spice mixture to the bowl of peanuts. Using your hands, mix everything together so that peanuts get coated with the masala.
  5. Start adding water, little by little until peanuts are just moistened. Around 1 to 1.5 tablespoons water, do not add more water. You just want the masala to stick to the peanuts, that's all.
  6. Arrange the peanuts in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. If you see peanuts which don't have masala stuck to them, just push some of the masala on top of those peanuts. Bake at 375 F degrees for 25 minutes. You may stir it once in between. Keep an eye after 20 minutes, every oven is different so keep an eye after 20 minutes so that they don't burn. Let the masala peanuts cool completely and then store in an airtight container. Enjoy with chai or coffee!

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.