Sweet, smoky, spicy and crunchy, these cocoa dusted almonds are going to become your next favorite snack to munch on. Inspired by Mexican hot chocolate almonds, these are seriously addictive!
Batch make these over the weekend with some spicy roasted cashews to have a week's worth of healthy snacks ready!
I'm a bit of a sucker for all things spicy- from my Tajin nuts and seeds to my chili lime pepitas- I love that tingle on my tongue, and always carry some with me to munch on while I'm out running errands or on my commute.
This time, I wanted to try something a tad bit different. Something to balance out that intense heat- and these seemed like a great idea! I'm so glad I tried these, because that spicy chocolate flavor is just irresistible!
Quick Look
- 🔪Prep time: 5 min.
- ⏲️Cook time: 20 min.
- 👪 Servings: 4.
- 📋Main ingredients: Almonds, coconut oil, cocoa powder, honey, seasonings.
- ♨️Cooking method: Dry roast almons 🡢 mix with coconut oil, cocoa and honey 🡢 roast again until crunchy 🡢 top with seasonings.
- ⭐Difficulty: Easy.
- 🥣Serving ideas: Roughly chop up these almonds and use them as a topping for cream cheese stuffed dates.
Jump to:
What's So Great About the Recipe?
- They're an incredible healthy snack- especially for the later half of the year.
- You'll need just a few simple ingredients and 5 minutes of prep time to make these.
- They're perfect to make and give as a DIY gift for the holidays- just like my strawberry sugar and mixed herb salt.
Recipe Ingredients
Almonds: Use raw, unroasted almonds. Since these are the hero ingredient, use the best quality almonds you can find.
Honey: Organic honey- for that sweetness. I like using my habanero hot honey sometimes for an extra kick of heat.
Cocoa powder: Unsweetened, pure cocoa powder.
Seasonings: I used some sea salt and a bit of my homemade Tajin seasoning for that kick of heat.
Coconut oil: To crunch up the almonds. You can use regular cooking oil too.
See recipe card for quantities.
Tajin powder seasoning enhances the flavor of food and turns them into something extraordinary. It delivers the right amount of "zing", an extra pop of flavor to almost any dish.
Substitutions & Variations
- Use an infused honey for extra flavor! I love alternating my jalapeno honey for a spicy kick and my spiced orange honey for that zesty, holiday flavor.
- You can also add a pinch of dried ginger powder if you don't want to go really spicy. Alternatively, just use a spicy finishing salt (I love using my Sriracha salt) instead.
- For a deeper, sweeter flavor, swap the honey for some homemade date sugar. Make sure you mix it well with the coconut oil to get a smooth consistency before you toss it with the almonds.
How to Make Cocoa Dusted Almonds
Step 1: Dry roast the almonds in the oven preheated at 375 F for about 5-10 minutes.
Step 2: Let them cool down and transfer to a bowl with cocoa powder, honey and coconut oil.
Step 3: Mix well to ensure all the almonds are coated nicely.
Step 4: Arrange on a lined baking sheet and roast again for 10-12 minutes. Top with
💭Top Tip
Forgot to preheat the oven? You can also roast the almonds in a pan over medium heat.
Ideal for everyday homemade jams, pickles, snacks and sauces, blending smoothies, or crafting delicious desserts.
Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- If you're using roasted almonds, cut down the oven time by a few minutes to ensure the almonds don't end up burning.
- You can also try using a mix of different nuts like cashews, hazelnuts and pecans in addition to the almonds. I did this when I made my spicy Tajin nuts mix.
- If you can't find
Tajin , just use a dash of cayenne or cinnamon for that bit of heat to cut through the sweetness. - Got some more almonds? Use them up to make a batch of salt and vinegar almonds.
- You can also air fry the almonds if you don't want to turn on the oven- make sure you cut down the roasting time by 5 minutes.
How to Serve Cocoa Dusted Almonds
Enjoy these spicy cocoa almonds as a quick snack at any time of the day. I love featuring them on my snack board along with some Turkish cheese rolls, my favorite Mexican deviled eggs and some candied dates to more fun.
Troubleshooting and FAQs
Store your leftover cocoa dusted almonds in an airtight container at room temperature. They should last for a week.
Yes, you can. Instead of honey, use agave or date syrup for the sweetness. You can also just use confectioner's sugar if you want to.
If your almonds are no longer crunchy, you can pop them back in a preheated oven or Air Fryer for a few minutes to get them nice and crunchy again.
More Easy Snack Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
If you tried these cocoa dusted almonds or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Cocoa Dusted Almonds
Ingredients
- 2 cups almonds
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ½ teaspoon Tajin seasoning
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Dry roast the almonds in the oven preheated at 375 F for about 5-10 minutes.
- Let them cool down and transfer to a bowl with cocoa powder, honey and coconut oil.
- Mix well to ensure all the almonds are coated nicely.
- Arrange on a lined baking sheet and roast again for 10-12 minutes. Top with Tajin seasoning and sea salt.
Notes
- If you can't find
Tajin , just use a dash of cayenne or cinnamon for that bit of heat to cut through the sweetness. - You can also try using a mix of different nuts like cashews, hazelnuts and pecans in addition to the almonds.
- If you're using roasted almonds, cut down the oven time by a few minutes to ensure the almonds don't end up burning.
- You can also air fry the almonds if you don't want to turn on the oven- make sure you cut down the roasting time by 5 minutes.
