Easy Homemade Chinese Fried Peanuts

Craving for some good munchies? Look no further and learn how to make this easy fried Chinese peanut snack. Bet you can’t eat just one!

This is easily one my favorite snacks to make because it’s delicious and super addictive! A typical Chinese household staple, I was first introduced to the art of making your own peanut snacks by my mother-in-law who showed me how simple it was to prepare. Read on and let me teach you the basics!

First step is to choose good quality raw peanuts. You can find these at most Asian grocery stores, I usually get mine at my local 99 Ranch or H-Mart. Pick the ones that come in a bag already shelled with the skin on. Next step is to start cooking! So for this get yourself a nice big wok or deep dish pan and pour in about 2 cups of peanuts and spread evenly in a single layer. Then pour in enough canola oil to just cover your peanuts.

Pro tip: Use any neutral tasting oil like Canola, Vegetable, or Safflower Oil. Do not use Olive Oil!

Now you want to start the pan cold, the goal here is to slowly and steadily cook the peanuts not flash fry them. So go ahead and bring the pan to medium heat. Be patient here! It’ll take a few minutes before you start seeing bubbles. Once you get to the bubbly stage keep a close eye and continually stir those nuts…you don’t want them to burn! After about 7-10 min you should start hearing a popping sound and smell the fragrance of the peanuts.

At this point you want to keep cooking and stirring just until the flesh starts turning light brown. Take a piece out to taste as you go. The peanuts should be crunchy and have a fragrant peanut buttery taste and texture after you chew. If it’s still tasteless and chalky keep cooking longer.

Pro-tip: You don’t want to cook the peanuts until they are very brown as the will continue to cook from the residual heat after they come out of the oil.

Once the peanuts are ready, strain the from the oil and immediately sprinkle with salt and sugar. Then place on a large plate and let them cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

Pro-tip: Don’t throw out the oil! You can keep this oil for cooking other dishes.

I love this recipe because there are so many things you can add to make it your own! In this recipe I like to add fried seaweed to give an extra crunch and texture. You can also add some chilis, garlic powder, or pepper whatever floats your boat! Try this out and let me know your thoughts in the comments. Happy snacking!

Chinese Fried Peanuts

Prep time: 5 min     
Cook time: 10 min    
Total time: 15 min    
Servings: 4

Ingredients

2 cups of raw red skin peanuts
1.5 cups of canola oil
1 cup of dried seaweed laver shredded (optional)
1 tbsp sugar or to taste
3 tsp salt to taste

Instructions

In a deep frying pan, place in the raw peanuts and pour in oil to just about cover the surface of the peanuts.
Bring the temperature to medium and constantly stir the peanuts to ensure they do not burn. Do not use high heat as this will risk burning the peanuts too soon before they are cooked.
Continue to cook the peanuts for about 7-10 min until they start to become fragrant and you hear a popping sound every once in a while.
Once you see some of the peanut flesh starting to turn a light brown, strain them with a metal sieve and cool for a few minutes on a large plate.
Meanwhile fry the seaweed laver for 5-6 min in the oil on medium heat until crispy. Transfer onto a paper towel to drain and break into small pieces.
In a large bowl, mix together the peanuts, seaweed, sugar, and salt. Taste the peanuts and adjust the seasoning as needed. Make sure to do this while they peanuts and seaweed are still warm so the sugar and salt will stick.
Once completely cooled, store in an airtight container for up to a week. Enjoy!

Pro tip: Taste one of the peanuts after cooking, it should be crunchy and taste just like peanut butter after you chew. If it’s chalky, they need to be fried more so return them to the oil and cook longer as needed. Remember, don’t wait until they are dark brown in the oil as residual heat after they come out of the pan will continue to cook the peanuts. Feel free to be creative with the seasoning, adding some chili or spices to make it your own!