Super crispy and with just the right balance of spices and flavors, these crunchy masala peanuts are the perfect snack to whip up in your kitchen. They are surprisingly easy to make, super healthy (thanks to all that protein from the peanuts) and you can actually make and store them for later too!
Ready to try out the recipe? Here’s all you need to know about it!
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Ingredients For the Recipe
You’ll need a very short and simple set of ingredients to make the crunchy masala peanuts.
- Peanuts: 1 cup
- Water: As required
- Besan: ¾ cup
- Oil: 1 tbsp
- Salt: 1 tsp
- Black Salt: 1 tsp
- Black pepper powder: 1 tsp
- Red chili powder: 1 tbsp
- Onion powder: ½ tsp
- Garlic powder: ½ tsp
- Dry mango powder: 1 tsp
- Chaat masala: 1 tsp
- Garam masala: 1 tsp
- Asafoetida: A pinch
- Mint leaves (paste): 1 tbsp
How to Make the Crunchy Masala Peanuts
Once you have everything ready, here’s what you need to do to make the masala peanuts.
Preheat the air fryer to 400°F for 5 minutes.
Take a bowl of water and add the peanuts. Soak for 5 minutes.
Next, take a bowl. Add the besan, oil, salt, black salt, black pepper powder, red chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, dry mango powder, chaat masala, garam masala, asafoetida, and mint leaves paste. Mix all of them together.
Transfer the peanuts into the prepared mixture and mix well. Add a little bit of water if required so that the peanuts are properly coated with the besan mixture.
Spray the air fryer basket with oil and pour the peanuts into it.
Air fry the peanuts at 400°F for 8-10 minutes or until completely cooked.
Keep shaking the fryer basket every 5 minutes to ensure that the peanuts are evenly cooked.
Once cooked, take them out and let them cool. The peanuts will turn completely crisp.
Enjoy this delicious healthy spicy snack with a sprinkle of chaat masala for that extra twist.
Frequently Asked Questions
Besan aka chickpea flour is used to create an excellent coating for the peanuts, but if you don’t have it or are looking for an alternative, corn flour is the next best thing. You could also use a mixture of cornflour and chickpea flour to lend the peanuts a slightly different texture, or even better- just use rice flour. Rice flour can actually lend an extra crispy texture to the peanuts. 
Loved the idea of coating peanuts in a spiced mixture? You can actually replicate that with a lot of other nuts too- almonds, pecans, and even cashews! 
While the part where you need to soak the peanuts may seem like an extra step to you, it is actually what helps the peanuts absorb a bit more moisture, which helps them cook perfectly all the way through, regardless of whether you air fry or deep fry them. 
The best part about this recipe is the fact that you can actually batch make the masala peanuts and store them for upto 30 days. They can stay crispy at room temperature if you store them in an airtight container. 
Tips & Tricks to Make the Crunchy Masala Peanuts
Ready to give this surprisingly easy recipe a try? Wait up! You might want to keep these additional tips and hacks in mind before you do.
- If you are planning on deep frying the masala peanuts, remember to first heat the oil well, and keep the temperature medium-high while the peanuts are being fried. This will ensure that they have the perfect crispy outer while still being cooked from the inside.
- Regardless of whether you’re air frying or deep frying the peanuts, avoid overcrowding the pan. If you’re making the crunchy masala peanuts in a larger quantity, work in batches.
- When preparing the chickpea flour mixture, be careful to control the amount of water you add. Adding too much water will cause the mixture to be too runny, and it won’t coat the peanuts well.
- To lend the peanuts an extra pop of flavor, sprinkle some chaat masala over them right after you get them out of the air fryer, and toss it all well so that all the peanuts are nicely coated. Then, allow them to cool down and enjoy them as you would.
Serving Ideas & Suggestions
These crispy and crunchy masala peanuts taste great all on their own, or when paired with a cup of chai (Indian tea). And if you’re planning to make these for some guests coming over, you might want to team them up with some other snacks like air fryer samosas or air fryer tortilla chips.
📖 Recipe
Air Fried Crunchy Masala Peanuts
Ingredients
- 1 cup Peanuts
- 2 cups Water
- ¾ cup Besan
- 1 tablespoon Oil
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Black salt
- 1 teaspoon Black pepper powder
- 1 tablespoon Red chili powder
- ½ teaspoon Onion powder
- ½ teaspoon Garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Dry mango powder
- 1 teaspoon Chaat masala
- 1 teaspoon Garam masala
- 1 pinch Asofetida
- 1 tablespoon Mint leaves , (paste)
Instructions
- Pre-heat the air fryer at 400°Ffor 5 minutes.
- Take a bowl of water and add the peanuts. Soak for 5 minutes.
- Next, take a bowl. Add the besan, oil, salt, black salt, black pepper powder, red chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, dry mango powder, chaat masala, garam masala, asofetida, and mint leaves paste. Mix all of them together.
- Transfer the peanuts into the prepared mixture and mix well. Add a little bit of water if required so that the peanuts are properly coated with the besan mixture.
- Spray the air fryer basket with oil and pour the peanuts into it.
- Air fry the peanuts at 400°F for8-10 minutes or until completely cooked.
- Keep shaking the fryer basket every 5 minutes to ensure that the peanuts are evenly cooked.
- Once cooked, take them out and let them cool. The peanuts will turn completely crisp.
- Enjoy this delicious healthy spicy snack with a sprinkle of chaat masala for that extra twist.
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