Mexican Chili Lime peanuts are covered in fresh lime juice, zest, hot spices and sweet honey then roasted. Perfect as a snack with a cold beer cocktail.
Are you like me in a grocery store? I get excited and inspired walking through the aisles of a grocery store. The colourful fresh produce, the smells of the bakery, and the look of the meat and fish counters just make me buzz with the excitement of possibilities. So, is this a bit sad? Possibly, but I’d like to think not.
Anyway, before the holidays I went in and perused the snack food section. Recently, Graze box has started selling their individual boxes in the grocery store. One of my favourites was always their chili and lime nuts. I love the tang and spice in one bite, but the cost of those boxes adds up.
Mexican chili lime roasted peanuts are the perfect gameday snack
So, I decided to make my own version. While Graze’s version has almonds and cashews, mine are using peanuts as they are good at soaking up the flavour, and I was craving peanuts. The original ingredient list is quite good, but these copycat Graze Chili and Lime nuts are using a paired down list, but because it’s using some Mexican hot sauce as well I’m calling them Mexican Chili Lime peanuts. It is a perfect snack to have while watching the game or a nice cold beer.
What do you need to make chili lime peanuts?
- Peanuts
- Fresh limes
Chili powder- Cumin
- Your favourite hot sauce
- Honey
- Sea Salt
What equipment do you need to make roasted nuts at home?
The most important piece of equipment is a good baking sheet. As I’ve said before, my favourite is my Nordicware quarter sheet pan. It is durable, has a great size edge to it, and distributes the heat well.
Tip and Tricks to making homemade roasted nuts
What temperature do you need to roast nuts at?
How do you make chili lime roasted nuts?
Honestly, it is as easy as mixing all the ingredients, and the tipping them out onto a prepared baking sheet. One bowl, one pan, but a whole lot of deliciousness!
How long do you roast nuts for?
You do not need to roast nuts for very long, only about 15-30 minutes. It depends on how many peanuts you have on a pan, and your oven.
How do you stop nuts from burning in the oven?
The simple answer is by watching them, and carefully. You also want to stir the nuts frequently to both distribute the nuts and flavourings, but this will also help reduce the chance of them burning. Finally, use parchment paper. The paper will allow for a quick clean-up, but also lessen the chance of the nuts burning on the sheet.
These chili and lime peanuts have honey, which means you will get both oils from the nuts as well as the sugar from the honey. The result is that you can easily get the nut caramelised, but also the sugar can burn.
I would suggest setting your timer (Hey Siri) for about 10min, and then checking every minute or so afterwards.
Are these Mexican Chili Lime Peanuts vegan?
Well, as they use honey, no they are not. You can, however, change the honey for maple syrup (like these almonds) and make them fully vegan.
What flavours can I add to roasted nuts?
Peanuts are great at soaking up flavours, so you could experiment with flavours. Ginger would be an interesting mix with the lime, as would soy sauce (but you would want to reduce the amount of salt you add). Dried spices work great as you can add them with the wet ingredients and have them stick to the nuts easier.
What food and drink go well with roasted nuts?
- Rosemary Maple almonds
- Sausage rolls
- Chelada – from Craft Beering
Chili and Lime Nuts recipe
Mexican chili lime peanuts
Equipment
- Sheet pan
Ingredients
- 3 cups Unsalted peanuts (shelled)
- 3 tbsp Lime juice Juice
- 1 Zest of lime
- 3 tsp Chili powder
- 1/2 tsp Cumin powder
- 2 tbsp Hot sauce
- 2 tsp Sea salt
- 1 tbsp Honey
Instructions
- Turn oven to 300°F. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl, and the tipping them out onto a prepared baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, stiring halfway through. When they start to darken, they are finished. Let cool and then enjoy!
Salty, savory, delicious nuts like these are my downfall. I would eat the whole batch! I can have one bite of cake and then quit, but salty snacks, no way! I have no will power. The chili lime flavor is fantastic!
Thanks Katherine
Thanks Katherine!
Definitely a winning flavors combo here. I am a huge fan of chile lime seasonings and love your addition of honey and cumin to the peanuts. Simply beer perfect!
Thanks Milena
what a delicious combo of flavours. yum!
🙂
These totally remind me of a trip to Mexico my hubby and I went on years ago. The resort we stayed at had endless amounts of chili lime peanuts in their lobby bar, where we spent a lot of time. Needless to say, I ate a lot of peanuts on that trip! These look great Matt!
Thanks Leanne! Yes, we did something similar in Cuba a few years back!
I have a serious love for peanuts. I’ll be happy sitting down to a bowl of traditional salted nuts, but add in the chili lime flavors here? Oh man, those peanuts wouldn’t last long in this house! Plus, these are perfect for serving with cold beers while watching sports or having friends over for cocktail hour. I definitely want to try these out…and soon!
Perfect for Super Bowl Sunday!
These sound delicious, Matt! I’m sure I could devour the entire batch! What a fabulous game day (or random Monday) snack 🙂
Thanks Dawn
Oh I love spicy nuts! I always travel with them but I’ve never made them at home. I may try it out this time.
You gotta give it a go!
Fabulous flavours! Can we ever have enough chili-lime?? Perfect for the upcoming Super Bowl Sunday!
Totally agree Elaine!
You know it is a good recipe when it inspires you right off the page of your post. I can’t wait to try these Mexican Chili Lime Peanuts, Matt. I am also a savoury snack person (even though I specialize in pastry!) 🙂 I am looking forward to trying them very soon. Thanks for sharing.
Hope you like them Denise!
Omg this recipe looks amazing!! I love toasted peanuts and the combo of chili and lime sounds divine. That being said, i feel like these would be dangerous because I’d eat them all. LOL
It is a risk….. I may have eaten all of the ones in the photo… 🙂