A potluck charcuterie hike to an epic view of the Blue Ridge Mountains where we feast on our spread and celebrate my friend’s birthday? Yes please! I was over the moon to attend. But I was stumped because I wanted to bring something Thai, but all the fancy cheeses, dried apricots, figs, salami, crackers, bread and such that are on a charcuterie are more European and rarely seen on a Thai table.
So after brainstorming, all the things that a charcuterie has, I remembered nuts are one thing you’d find on a wooden charcuterie board that you’d also find in Thailand. And then I remembered Spicy Lime Thai Cashew Nuts!!!
One of the girls on the hike fell in love with my Herb Roasted Thai Cashews Nuts that I brought to share. A month or so later, she came to my Thai cooking class, and before the class started when I asked her what her favorite Thai food was, she said it was my Spicy Lime Thai Cashew Nuts since it was the only Thai food she’s ever had, and she adored it!
What a fun first Thai food?!
And it’s super simple! Cashew nuts can be pricey though, so if you are on a budget like me, instead of getting the whole cashews that aren’t roasted yet, I go for the most affordable 16 oz container of cashews that I can find from the grocery store, whether it’s unsalted, or salted, or pieces or whole, all of those will work.
I made this recipe with salted cashews, and added a little more salt at the end because thought it needed more, but it really depends on each cashew brand and your salt preference. So add salt to taste!
If you use cashews that are already roasted, they will brown a little more in the oven, but not too much. The time in the oven is really to get the marinade stuck onto the cashews, and as long as you leave the oven on 300, you don’t have to worry about the nuts getting too dark before the marinade soaks in. But keep an eye on them since every oven is different and nuts can go from golden brown to black quickly.
Herb Roasted Thai Cashews Holiday Nut Recipe
If you love to make your own holiday nuts to give to friends, co-workers or neighbors, you should totally make these, put them in some mini mason jars, tie a ribbon, write on it cute, “Spicy Lime Thai Cashew Nuts”, and pass them out to your loved ones cuz sharing food like Herb Roasted Thai Cashews is one of the best ways to share your love!
This recipe is adapted from a Thai herb roasted cashew recipe in Simple Thai Food by Leela Punyaratabandhu. Leela is one of my favorite Thai chefs, and I highly recommend that cookbook, add it to your holiday wish list!
Really you can adapt this Spicy Lime Thai Cashew Nuts recipe to whatever herbs you have on hand, or nuts. I love making Thai roasted cashews with herbs with Thai flavors like cilantro, kaffir lime leaves, mint and green onions, but it’s just a blueprint. I’d love to see your take on it! My favorite place to hang out on the Internet is Instagram, so feel free to share your Thai herb roasted cashew creation with me @thaifoodie!
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Spicy Lime Thai Cashew Nuts
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
Thai herb roasted cashews, spicy, zesty, sweet, irresistible, and the quickest thing to disappear from your charcuterie board or kitchen table!
Ingredients
16 oz cashews whole, or halves and pieces of your choice (salted, or unsalted, roasted or not roasted it still works)
Juice from 2 limes, about 1/4 cup
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp minced fresh cilantro leaves
2 fresh kaffir lime leaves, stems removed and thinly chopped (optional, but amazing flavor bomb if you can find them)
1 tbsp minced fresh mint leaves
1 tbsp minced green onion, green part only
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp Thai red chili powder, more or less to spice preference
Salt to taste
Instructions
Preheat oven to 300 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Mix all ingredients in a bowl until all the cashews are coated. Bake cashews for 15-20 minutes, stirring halfway through, until more golden and the marinade is stuck to it.
Let cool to room temperature. Store in airtight container for up to 1 week, but don’t worry, they wont last that long!
Notes
I’ve never tried other nuts with this, but go for it! I think peanuts would be amazing, almonds, the nut sky is the limit!
Use whatever herbs you have handy! The ones I listed are more Thai, but try out different things if you want!
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 20
- Category: Snack
- Method: Sheet Pan
- Cuisine: Thai
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