These Cocoa Roasted Almonds are crisp, sweet, and made in under 10 minutes! Lightly dusted with sweet cocoa powder, they deliver a deep chocolate flavor that's irresistibly addictive. Perfect for a snack or a homemade gift for the holiday season!
This recipe is a twist on my hugely popular candied almonds, made right in a skillet—just like the candied pecans.
What are cocoa-roasted almonds? They are whole roasted almonds that have been coated with a sweet cocoa powder. They’re a sweet, slightly chocolatey snack that’s crunchy, satisfying, and often a healthier alternative to traditional chocolate-covered almonds or almond clusters that are coated with melted chocolate.
Flavored with warm cinnamon and vanilla extract, candied almonds are delicious as a snack, for weddings, Christmas, salad or ice cream. Like the hot honey or the candied pecans, these can also be packaged as edible homemade gifts, especially during festive seasons like the holidays or as a Christmas treat.
🥰 Skip the store-bought! These homemade cocoa roasted almonds are so much tastier!
Table of contents
Why Our Recipe
- Ready in 10 minutes in the stovetop!
- Perfect for snacking or as homemade gifts for the holidays, especially for Christmas!
- Sweet, chocolatey, crispy and highly addictive!
Short Video
Ingredients you'll need
- Almonds: You will need toasted almonds! Raw almonds don't have enough time to crisp up in the quick cooking time.
- Sugars: You will need white granulated sugar for cooking and powdered sugar for coating the almonds.
- Butter: Just a dab of butter to give a shine and richness. You can use coconut oil to make it vegan.
- Cocoa powder: Just 2 tablespoons to coat the almonds. Check out our roundup for 30 delicious ways to use cocoa powder!
How to toast almonds?
In the oven: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread the almonds in a baking sheet. Bake until fragrant and a darker shade of brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Let the almonds cool completely before storing them.
In the air fryer: Spread the almonds in an air fryer basket. Air fry at 340°F for 5 to 7 minutes or until darker in color and fragrant.
In the skillet: Set a medium skillet on the stove over medium heat. When the pan is moderately hot, add the almonds. Cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant and deeper in color, 9 to 11 minutes.
👩🍳 Refer to our roasted cashews or toasted pecans recipe for more details on toasting nuts.
Visual guide on how to make cocoa roasted almonds?
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Recipe tips
- Skillet - Use a medium sized non-stick skillet.
- Cool completely - The nuts crisp up as they cool, so let them cool for at least an hour before transferring into a container.
- Bigger batch - Simply double the recipe and make in a larger skillet instead.
Frequently asked questions
These cocoa roasted almonds makes a small batch with just 1 cup of almonds—and honestly, they never last long in my house! My kids and husband finish them off the same day. But if you manage to save some, they’ll keep for about a week at room temperature in an airtight container.
I tested this recipe with raw almonds, which does make things easier by skipping the toasting step. However, they didn’t have enough time to fully crisp up during the short stovetop cooking, so the final texture wasn’t as crunchy.
Absolutely! While we haven’t tested this recipe with walnuts or pecans, there's no reason it shouldn’t work just as well. If you give it a try, we’d love to hear how it turns out—be sure to share your feedback with us!
More sweet snacks
Cocoa Roasted Almonds Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons white granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoon water
- 2 teaspoons butter
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup almonds toasted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix the cocoa powder and powdered sugar until well combined. Sift half of the mixture onto a large dinner plate using a strainer, and set the remaining cocoa mixture aside for later.
- Add 3 tablespoons white granulated sugar, water, butter, and salt into a medium non-stick skillet.
- Place over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until you begin to see bubbles around the edges, about two minutes.
- Add the toasted almonds and vanilla extract, then continue to cook—stirring constantly—until all liquid evaporates and the mixture begins to clump together, about 4 to 5 minutes. You'll notice thin sugar strings forming as you stir.
- Transfer the almonds onto the prepared plate with cocoa, spreading them out gently. Sift the remaining cocoa mixture over the top, then gently stir with a spoon until the almonds are evenly coated and also separated. Let it cool completely for at least 30 minutes.
- Place the almonds in a large strainer and gently shake over the sink to remove any excess cocoa powder. Enjoy or store in an airtight container.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information, based on third-party calculations, should be seen as estimates, not guarantees, as various factors like product types, brands, processing methods, and more can alter the nutritional content in recipes.
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