Toasting Nuts in the Oven
Whether you want to know how to toast walnuts in the oven or any other whole nuts or larger pieces of nuts, follow these directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread the nuts in a shallow pan ($10, Target). Bake 10 to 15 minutes, shaking the pan once or twice to prevent burning. The more finely chopped the nuts, the less time they’ll take to toast. Keep an extra close eye on finely-chopped nuts so they don’t burn and check them at 5 minutes.
Test Kitchen Tip: You can toast coconut the same way as nuts, but watch it closely so it doesn’t burn. The fine pieces and higher sugar content allow it to toast very quickly.
How to Toast Nuts in a Skillet
Toasting nuts on the stove is an even easier way to keep a close eye on nuts as they toast and is the ideal way to toast smaller pieces of nuts. Toast finely chopped nuts, seeds (such as sesame seeds), and small nuts such as pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring often so they don’t burn. You’ll know they’re close to done when you can start to smell them and they turn lightly brown. Whichever method you choose to make your toasted nuts, don’t step too far away. Nuts can go from perfectly golden to burned in what seems like the blink of an eye.
