Happy Monday, Friends! I have a little something for you to help kick-start your Monday: Sriracha Honey Roasted Cashews. I hope you’re as excited as I am!
The idea for Sriracha Honey Roasted Cashews came from an advertisement for one of those order-a-box-of-fresh-healthy-food-and-it-comes-straight-to-your-door companies. Their example of a snack item was sriracha roasted cashews. I heard that and just had to find out what that would taste like, because I love sriracha on everything – even in my ketchup – and nuts are a daily part of my life. And let’s be honest, cashews are THE best!
Guys, I know how much you love a healthy snack such as nuts, right? You can rely on nuts; they’re packed with protein, fiber, and healthy fats to provide fuel for your body. They are quick and easy: grab a handful, walk out the door and toss them in your mouth as you climb into the car. They travel well. Throw them in a baggie and you can keep them in your purse, car, suitcase, or office for months. There are a variety of different types of nuts, and don’t even get me started on seeds. My point is, nuts are there for you when you get hangry at 3:00, or when you run out of time for a proper meal, and they’re a snack you can feel good about. Plus they’re delicious.
Yet, with all of the varieties of nuts there are, somehow they can turn on you, and you get sick of them. You’re like, “ugh not another plain old nut again. Maybe I should head to the vending machine for a candy bar. Just for today.” You end up going for the candy bar because you just NEED to have something different, and you end up feeling…well like you ate a candy bar at 3:00. Your brain is in some deep fog for the rest of the day, your energy has hit the floor, and you just want to go to bed. You begin wishing you would have eaten those nuts instead of that stupid, no-nutrition-yet-oh-so-delicious candy bar!
Sriracha Honey Roasted Cashews to the rescue! They will solve all of your snacking problems, ever! Not really, but they will add a little spice into your 3:00 snack time, literally.
Sriracha Honey Roasted Cashews have that unique spicy flavor that only sriracha can provide, with plenty of sticky, caramelized honey, and cashews that have been roasted to crunchy perfection. You could make these with any nuts you prefer, but I really love the sweet creaminess of the cashews with the sriracha-honey combo.
If you’re worried about the spice level, I would rate it as mild to medium with a subtle building heat. You’re going to want some water nearby, but it’s nothing that will set your mouth on fire for an hour. Best part is, you are in control. If you don’t want them to be so spicy, then simply back off the sriracha a little.
Side note: sriracha is a really hard word to spell! It’s tripping me up every single time! I want to spell it, siracha. Let’s spell it together: S-R-I-R-A-C-H-A, sriracha. Good, I think I’ve got it down now!
These sticky little dudes would also make a great party snack food, although I suggest placing napkins nearby for guests to wipe their fingers on.
Did I mention that Sriracha Honey Roasted Cashews only take 20 minutes to make? I bet you already have all the ingredients on hand, too. No excuses this week for vending machine candy bars at snack time!
Sriracha Honey Roasted Cashews
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 25 mins
- Yield: 16 servings 1x
- Category: Snack
- Cuisine: Gluten Free
Description
Sriracha Honey Roasted Cashews make the perfect snack food. They are slightly spicy, with plenty of sweet, sticky, caramelized honey. This is a really easy recipe to make with only 7 ingredients!
Ingredients
- 2 cups raw, unsalted cashews
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1 to 2 tablespoons sriracha *
- 2 to 3 tablespoons honey
- Extra salt for sprinkling on at the end
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a medium-sized baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat mat.
- Roast the cashews for 5 minutes. Remove and allow to cool slightly.
- In a medium-sized bowl mix the spices, sriracha, and honey together. I suggest adding in less sriracha and giving the sauce a taste to determine if you want to add more.
- Add the cashews to the sauce and stir until they are well coated. Transfer the cashews to the baking sheet. Spread them out in a fairly even layer. Roast for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring the nuts every 5 minutes. The liquid should mostly be cooked down; the honey on the nuts should be slightly caramelized.
- Sprinkle the nuts with a little salt. Allow them to cool for 10 minutes before handling. Once they are cool enough to touch break the big clumps apart. I like to leave some clusters of nuts.
- Serve once they are completely cooled.
- Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 to 3 weeks. They may last longer.
Notes
*I would rate these nuts to be mild to medium spicy with a gentle build of heat as you eat them.
I used the 2 tablespoons sriracha and 3 tablespoons honey, which I thought gave the nuts a nice balance. If you want to tone down the spice level I would try reducing the sauce mixture to 1 tablespoon sriracha and 2 tablespoons honey. You could reduce the sriracha even more, but you will need to add more honey to make up for the lack of volume. Therefore you will end up with a sweeter nut, which will still be delicious.
Nutrition info is calculated for a serving size of about 2 tablespoons.
I’m convinced Sriracha is good on anything…because those look pretty darn delicious! Yum!
Jackie
Something About That
I agree Jackie, Sriracha is good on anything! 🙂 I hope you love this one!
I tried your Sriracha honey roasted recipe and everything went great I need to add extra sriracha next time we like them hot. My question is do they remain real sticky or did I dry them incorrectly? I would like them not so sticky for appetizers. thank you so much
Terry & Kay
Hi Terry, I am glad to hear that you enjoyed them. They are on the stickier side, because of all the honey. I would suggest maybe trying 1.5 tablespoons coconut sugar (or other type of granulated sugar) and 1.5 tablespoons of honey. They might still be a little sticky but not nearly as much and you would still have the same amount of sweetness. I hope this helps. Let me know if you try it. 🙂
Just made and they are SO good. I used the coconut sugar/honey split and there’s little to no stickiness after cooling. I like really spicy flavor so will up to 3 tbsp of sriracha next time.
Thanks for a tasty recipe!
That’s awesome, Katherine. I am so glad to hear that you enjoyed the recipe. I will have to give them a try with the coconut sugar and honey mixture. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Emily…yes I am very much enjoying…these are so good I have to ration out some to eat and store the others away…lest I eat all of them!
Haha that’s awesome. Glad you are enjoying them so much. 🙂
I found this back when we lived in Az. As we like things a little spicy it sounded so good. It most definitely is!!!
Made some this morning.
That’s awesome. So glad to hear you like it. Thanks for the kind review. 🙂