Roasted Makhana or fox nuts are healthy, crispy, flavorful, and addictive. Make it easily in your oven or air fryer, for a quick and easy snack.
Guilt-free snacking at its best! Roasted makhana is crispy, crunchy, bite-sized, and spicy with numerous health benefits. Try this roasted fox nuts for movie time with your family, instead of reaching for a bag of microwave popcorn.
What is Makhana? Also known as phool makhana, Fox nuts, lotus seeds, or Gorgon nuts, they are edible dried seeds of water lily plants. You can find more details here.
The lotus seeds, which grow on the leaf in a pond or in stagnant water, are collected, washed, and then sun-dried. They are then roasted in a pan at high flame and then pounded immediately so that the black shells are broken and the white puff pops out.
They are often fried or roasted in large earthen pots, which causes them to pop like popcorn. They are usually found sold peeled and white in color.
It is an excellent source of several important nutrients, fiber, low in calories, filling, and satisfying. In India, it is generally during fasting or vrat, and also used to make dessert recipes like kheer or porridge.
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Why this recipe works?
- Makhana is traditionally slow-roasted on the stovetop with constant stirring until crispy. This recipe uses an oven or air fryer is a simpler and hands-free method!
- Although I have shared seasoning suggestions, you can toss them with any of your favorite spice combinations that your heart desires. Increase, decrease, skip salt, or make it sweet!
Ingredients
Scroll down to the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and amounts.
- Makhana - Also labeled as fox nuts or lotus seeds, you can buy them in Indian grocery stores or on Amazon.
- Oil - I like to use vegetable, olive oil, melted coconut oil, or ghee.
- Seasonings - I prefer to use basic Indian seasonings like turmeric powder, cayenne pepper powder, salt, and chaat masala, like in these baked pita chips.
Tip: Don't use melted butter! Butter contains water and milk solids that can make your roasted makhana soggy within a day or two. Opt for pure fats like ghee or oil instead.
Variations
There are endless possibilities to season roasted makhana. Here are a few ideas:
- Oil - Use melted coconut oil, ghee, olive oil or vegetable oil.
- Basic - Simple sea salt and ground black pepper.
- Italian - Black pepper, red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning and salt.
- Mexican - Use homemade taco seasoning.
- Mint - Finely crushed dried mint leaves, lemon salt and black pepper.
- Salt and vinegar - Use salt and vinegar powder.
- Sour cream and onion - Use store bought sour cream and onion seasoning powder.
How to make?
You can find full printable recipe below, but here is a quick overview of the procedure along with step-by-step photos.
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How do you know if your makhana is done roasting? Raw seeds are soft and chewy, making them hard to bite. A perfectly roasted fox nut should be crunchy and not stick to your teeth. Taste one immediately after removing it from the oven or air fryer. If it's not uniformly crunchy, roast or air fry for an additional minute or two.
Air frying instructions
- Toss makahna with oil and spices.
- Preheat the air fryer to 300 degrees.
- When hot, transfer the seasoned makhana into the basket and air fry for about 4 minutes until crisp.
- Transfer roasted makhana back into the bowl and toss some oil and chaat masala.
How to store?
Allow the roasted makhana to cool completely to room temperature before storing in an airtight container or zip lock bag. Store them away from moisture to maintain their crispiness for up to 2 weeks; even slight moisture can soften them.
Helpful tips
- Larger batch - Double the oven roasted makhana recipe to make a larger batch for healthy after school snacks. If air frying, then make sure to cook in batches.
- Air Fryer - The seeds pop in the air fryer basket when cooking, so it would be better to not over crowd. I used Instant vortex 6 quart air fryer, which was perfect for cooking 2 cups.
- Seasoning - Switch up the spice blend to make it your own.
- Don't use butter for roasting - The moisture in butter might soften them after a day or two.
Recipe FAQs
To preserve its crispness, ensure the makhana has cooled completely for a few hours before storing it in a tightly sealed container or zip lock bag. Always store them in a clean, dry container to maintain freshness.
Indeed. However, without any grease, the seasonings won't stick to the popped seeds' surface. Makhana itself is mild in flavor, relying on added seasonings to enhance its taste.
In its original form, makhana has a mild, delicate, almost bland taste. Its appeal lies in its ability to absorb flavors well, making it versatile for seasoning with various spices or sweeteners.
More spicy snacks
Roasted Makhana
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cup phool makhana (fox nuts)
- 4 teaspoons oil divided
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon salt use according to taste
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper powder (red chili powder)
- ⅛ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon chaat masala optional
Instructions
Oven instructions
- Pre heat oven to 300°F (148°C).
- Add fox nuts or phool makhana, 3 teaspoons oil, salt, cayenne or red chili powder and turmeric powder into a large bowl and mix well with a spoon until evenly combined. Save the bowl for later.
- Transfer to a baking sheet and bake for 13 to 14 minutes or it becomes crisp.Tip - Try tasting one as soon as it comes out of the oven. It should be crunchy and not stick to your teeth. If not, bake for an additional 2 minutes .
- Transfer hot nuts back into the bowl, toss with remaining 1 teaspoon oil and chaat masala (if using). The oil helps chaat masala stick to the seeds. Let cool completely before serving!
Air frying instructions
- Pre heat you air fryer to 300°F (148°C).
- Add fox nuts or phool makhana, 3 teaspoons oil, salt, cayenne or red chili powder and turmeric powder into a large bowl and mix well with a spoon until evenly combined. Save the bowl for later.
- Transfer combined nuts into the air fryer basket and cook for about 4 minutes or crisp.Tip - Try tasting one as soon as you remove from the air fryer. It should be crunchy and not stick to your teeth. If not, air fry for an additional 1 minute.
- Transfer hot nuts back into the bowl, toss with remaining 1 teaspoon oil and chaat masala (if using). The oil helps chaat masala stick to the seeds. Let cool completely before serving!
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.
All contents and images are my original work, unless and otherwise mentioned. Please do not use my recipes or images without linking back to www.kitchenathoskins.com. If you wish to republish a recipe, please rewrite in your own words and don’t forget to include a link back to the original recipe.
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