Healthy meals are easy to plan, but snacks can tempt many people! Meals are relatively well-rounded, while snacks are often sugar-laden and highly processed. My Sweet and Spicy Healthy Nut Snack Recipes are a tasty alternative to unhealthy options and are easy to put together. Whichever variation you choose, it is my go-to for cravings and snacks.
Nuts are full of omega-3s and are a fantastic source of protein. This snack is lightly sweetened, and you can customize it to fit your preference!
Table of Contents:
The Ultimate Healthy Fat
Many of us grew up in an era that believed all fat is bad fat. Studies have proven those old ways of thinking wrong! There are such a thing as healthy vs. unhealthy fats, though, so it’s essential to be mindful of the fats we are consuming.
Healthy fats include fatty acids that can benefit your body in many ways! Omega-3 fatty acids are linked to brain health, mood stability, and skin health (1) (2). Nuts and seeds are fantastic sources of these nutrients.
Nuts are high in vitamins and low in carbohydrates. They’re also high in fiber, especially when sprouted.
One of the things we cover in our book, The Essential Oils Diet, is bioactive foods. Bioactive-rich foods contain compounds such as polyphenols, antioxidants, and fiber.
Nuts and seeds are part of the plant that creates new plants; soaking them helps increase the bioavailability of the nutrients. This means your body will absorb more vitamins and minerals.
Some people sensitive to gluten can tolerate sprouted grains and flour made with organic sprouted seeds.
Nut Sprouting Tutorial
For nut snacks, recipes can include sprouted nuts to enhance the health benefits. Sprouting nuts and seeds is an easy process. It’s a great skill to hone, especially if you live in an area without access to many specialty products! Here’s how to sprout nuts in 2 easy steps.
Step One: Wash and Soak the Nuts
It’s important to only use raw nuts when soaking, as kinds with additives will not sprout properly.
First, rinse your nuts of choice for at least one minute. Then, place them in a jar and cover them with several inches of water. Mix in 1 tablespoon of sea salt, which helps break up enzymes.
Here’s how long to soak each type of nut we use in this recipe.
- Almonds: 8+ hours
- Pecans: 6+ hours
- Walnuts: 4+hours
- Cashews: 3+ hours
- Pistachios: 8+ hours
- Macadamias: 2+ hours
Note: If certain nuts (I’m looking at you, cashews!) change color, that is perfectly normal. That does not mean the nut has gone bad. Cashews tend to turn lavender, especially when soaked with other nuts.
I prefer separating my almonds from cashews, walnuts, and macadamias, as their soaking time varies.
Step Two: Sprout the Nuts
To make the sprouting process a breeze, you can use one of these jars that automatically drains and lets air circulate.
Strain the water out of the jar and rinse the nuts.
Cover your jar with a reusable coffee filter or cheesecloth and secure it with a rubber band.
Change the water each morning until your almonds start to grow little tails. Once the little tails are poking through, like in the above photo, you’ll know they’ve sprouted!
Note: Walnuts, cashews, pistachios, pecans, and macadamias won’t show signs of sprouting, as their “tails” are unseen. In this case, consider the other nuts sprouted as well when the almonds start to show signs of sprouting, which should happen after 1-2 days.
Many people keep their nuts in the fridge, but you can dehydrate or roast them to make this recipe.
To roast them, place them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake them at 150ºF for 12-24 hours or until crisp. Alternatively, dehydrate them for at least 12 hours or until crisp.
Healthy Nut Snack Recipes & Variations
This recipe takes just 15 minutes to put together and makes 6 cups! This is the perfect treat to take in the car, on school field trips, and on hikes! We love storing it in individual containers for grab-and-go snacks. Here is the Sweet and Spicy option, with several variations of the nut snack recipes for you to try. Which will be your favorite?
- 1 cup sliced or slivered organic almonds, preferably sprouted
- 1 cup organic pecan halves, preferably sprouted
- 1 cup organic walnut halves, preferably sprouted
- 1 cup organic cashews, preferably sprouted
- 1 cup organic pistachios, preferably sprouted
- 1 cup organic macadamias, preferably sprouted
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pink Himalayan salt or sea salt
- ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon organic ground cayenne pepper
- 1 to 2 tablespoons raw organic honey or manuka honey
- Pumpkin pie spice powder, to taste
- Ground Organic Ceylon cinnamon, to taste
- Supplies:
- Mixing bowl
- 4-ounce glass jars
- Place all the nuts in a large bowl. Add the sea salt and spices.
- Cover the top of the nuts with a light drizzle of honey and toss to mix it throughout. Continue stirring until the honey is well incorporated and barely binds the nuts.
- Divide the mixture into twelve ½-cup portions and store them separately in 4-ounce canning jars or other small containers.
Step One: Add Spices
Place all the nuts in a large bowl. Add the sea salt and spices.
Step Two: Add Honey
Cover the top of the nuts with a light drizzle of honey and toss to mix it throughout. Continue stirring until the honey is well incorporated and barely binds the nuts.
Step Three: Portion in Jars
Divide the mixture into twelve ½-cup portions and store them separately in 4-ounce canning jars or other small containers. Enjoy your healthy snack!
Nut Snacks – Recipes & Variations
You can still enjoy this snack even if you’re not a massive fan of cayenne pepper. I encourage you to get creative and experiment with various herb combinations! Here are a few ideas to get you started.
Ranch: Mix together ½ teaspoon sea salt, 1 teaspoon organic parsley, 1 teaspoon organic garlic powder, 1 teaspoon organic onion flakes, and ⅛ teaspoon organic ground white pepper. Use 1-2 teaspoons of this spice blend on your healthy nut snack.
Garlic and Basil: Use garlic powder, basil, and vegan Parmesan cheese for a delicious, Italian-inspired nut snack mix.
Curried Nuts – Add lemon juice to the honey for added zest, and use curry powder instead of cayenne. Yum!
Fruit Bits – Add dehydrated fruit pieces such as raisins, unsweetened cranberries, banana chips, or other dried fruit to make your healthy nut snack a trail-mix-style treat. If you grow your own garden, you can dehydrate your own fruit to add to your favorite variation of this snack!
Eating healthier doesn’t mean cutting out snacking as these nut snacks & recipes have proven! You can enjoy all the delicious foods God has for you; just choose wisely! Some other great snack options include things like:
These snacks are all plant-based and help you curb cravings naturally. Over time, you’ll find yourself reaching for healthy alternatives over processed foods.
We love packaging this snack in a pretty container tied with a glass jar for a lovely homemade gift. All it takes is one person to influence others positively! You never know what delicious treat will win someone over to healthy eating.
Are you inspired to make better choices in your home? We would love to join hands with you as you create a toxic-free haven!
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4404917/
- https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/omega-3-fatty-acids-for-mood-disorders-2018080314414
