Air Fryer Masala Cashews
Mar 23, 2021
Crispy spicy cashews roasted in the air fryer. These Masala Cashews make a nice chai time snack and are also vegan!
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Crispy Masala Cashews made in the air fryer. These cashews are coated with Indian spices and make the perfect chai time treat.
Really addictive and you need only 15 minutes to make these!
My evening chai time is probably my favorite time of the day. I just want to sit quietly and enjoy those 10 minutes with no interference.
And I like having something savory with my chai at that time. The morning chai, that I always have that with cookies but for the evening, I like a savory snack and these Masala Cashews are my new favorite.
These cashews are coated with some spices and then roasted in the air fryer. And you can make them in 15 minutes! Talk about easy snack!
With Holi around the corner, these would also make a great snack for Holi. I know most of us (including me) focus mostly on desserts for festivals but it’s nice to have few savory snacks thrown in between, agree?
These Masala Cashews
✔are packed with flavor!
✔so easy to make in the air fryer.
✔are vegan and gluten-free.
✔make a great snack for chai time.
I have been warming up to my air fryer recently. I know, I am so late to this game but better late than never I guess.
These days I have been using it for a lot of things and roasting nuts in the air fryer is definitely a top favorite. It is so quick!
In fact it’s so quick, that I have burnt quite a few batches while trying to do so. But I am getting better at it now.
This recipe requires only a handful of ingredients and if you cook Indian food often then you will be having all of these in your pantry.
Ingredients
Cashews: since this is the recipe for masala cashews, the cashews are obviously the main ingredient here. If you are not a fan, you can replace cashews with almonds.
Besan (gram flour): for taste and texture, I have used besan here. It’s a gluten-free flour commonly used in Indian cooking.
Rice flour: a little bit of rice flour makes these cashews extra-crispy. You can use cornstarch here if you don’t have rice flour.
Ginger-garlic paste: you can use either store bought or homemade ginger-garlic paste here. A teaspoon of this paste adds to the flavor.
Spices: the recipe uses three spices- chaat masala, Kashmiri red chili powder and turmeric. The Kashmiri red chili powder used here is not hot, it’s mild and mainly used for color.
If you prefer the cashews to be spicy, you can replace 1/2 teaspoon of the Kashmiri red chili powder here with regular chili powder.
Other than these, there is little oil, water and salt and pepper.
Making these in the oven: if you want to make these in the oven, try 350 F degrees for 12 to 15 minutes. The recipe will remain same.
Storage: store these in an air tight container and they should be good for couple of weeks.
Method
1- Take cashews in a large bowl and add 1 teaspoon oil and toss the cashews until they are all coated with the oil. Set aside.
2- To another bowl add- besan, rice flour, ginger-garlic paste, Kashmiri red chili powder, turmeric, chaat masala, black pepper and salt.
3- Using a wire whisk, mix everything together until well combined.
4- Now transfer this mixture to the bowl with cashews and toss it all together.
5- Start adding water, little by little now and keep mixing with your hands. Do not add more water than needed, you only need enough water for the spices to coat the cashews. Start with 1 tablespoon and then add more as needed.
6- I added around 2 tablespoons water here and all cashews got coated with the spices and besan mixture.
7- Pre-heat air fryer at 325 F degrees for 2 minutes. Then place the cashews in a single layer into the air fryer. If there’s any cashew which isn’t coated with the masala, you can just press some on top of that.
8- Air fry at 325 F degrees for 10 minutes, remember to give it a good shake at the 5 minutes mark.
Remove the masala cashews from the air fryer and let them cool completely. They will crisp up as they cool. Store in an airtight container and enjoy with chai!
Love this? Then try these Baked Masala Peanuts as well.
If you’ve tried this Air Fryer Masala Cashews Recipe then don’t forget to rate the recipe! You can also follow me on Facebook and Instagram to see what’s latest in my kitchen!
Air Fryer Masala Cashews
Ingredients
- 1 cup cashews 150 grams
- 1 teaspoon oil 5 ml, I used avocado oil
- 1/2 cup besan 57 grams
- 1 tablespoon rice flour 14 grams
- 1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste
- 1.5 teaspoon kashmiri red chili powder not hot, replace 1/2 teaspoon with regular chili powder for spicy cashews
- 1/8 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon chaat masala
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
- water around 2 tablespoons
Instructions
- Take cashews in a large bowl and add 1 teaspoon oil and toss the cashews until they are all coated with the oil. Set aside.
- To another bowl add- besan, rice flour, ginger-garlic paste, Kashmiri red chili powder, turmeric, chaat masala, black pepper and salt.Using a wire whisk, mix everything together until well combined.
- Now transfer this mixture to the bowl with cashews and toss it all together.
- Start adding water, little by little now and keep mixing with your hands. Do not add more water than needed, you only need enough water for the spices to coat the cashews. Start with 1 tablespoon and then add more as needed.I added around 2 tablespoons water here and all cashews got coated with the spices and besan mixture.
- Pre-heat air fryer at 325 F degrees for 2 minutes. Then place the cashews in a single layer into the air fryer. If there's any cashew which isn't coated with the masala, you can just press some on top of that.
- Air fry at 325 F degrees for 10 minutes, remember to give it a good shake at the half way mark. Remove the masala cashews from the air fryer and let them cool completely. They will crisp up as they cool. Store in an airtight container and enjoy with chai!
Notes
- The calories calculated is for 2 cups of this masala cashews. As cashews are high in calories, this is not a low calories snack and should be enjoyed in moderation.
- To make in the oven: bake at 350 F degrees for 12 to 15 minutes.Â
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi, how long is the shelf life of the masala cashews?
Thank you 🙂
couple of weeks
Do you start with raw cashews?
yes!
Which air fryer do you use? Do you recommend it?
Thanks,
Snacklover
I have a Gourmia
Looks yumm!! Definitely gotta try. Do you mind sharing the brand of air fryer you use.
gorumia