These air fryer masala peanuts turned out super crunchy and perfectly spiced. This Haldiram-style sing bhujia makes the perfect tea-time snack.
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❤️About This Recipe
Traditionally, peanuts are coated with thick spiced besan paste and then deep-fried until crisp and golden brown. Alternatively, you can bake in the oven or use an air fryer.
Healthier option than deep frying:
- Instead of deep frying, we are making these masala peanuts in air fryer.
- During the festive season, we make many deep-fried Diwali snacks like farsi puri, namakpara, mathri. Amongst all these masala peanuts makes a healthy snack to munch on.
- Because these sing bhujia are not loaded with calories, you can make them on daily basis as your evening snack.
Tea-time snack: Do you need something to munch on with your evening tea or coffee? Try this healthy snack and you’ll be hooked.
- Texture: These are super crunchy (just like fried masala peanuts) and not dry (even though made in air fryer).
- Taste: These are less spicy compared to the Haldiram pack of sing bhujia as my kids also love eating this air fryer masala peanuts.
- Customizable: The spice level can be increased if you prefer a super spicy flavor.
🧾Ingredient Notes
Here is a pic of the ingredients you’ll need to make masala peanuts (sing bhujia).
- Raw Peanuts: I have used peanuts with skin because that’s what I keep in my pantry. If you have skinless then you can use that as well.
- Besan (gram flour): This is the second main ingredient here and it helps to create the coating around the nuts.
- Rice flour & Corn flour: Both help to create the crunchy and crispy outside layer.
- Spice powders:
- Red chili powder, black pepper powder and garam masala give the spicy taste and hot flavor. Increase the amount of these three spices if you prefer to have super spicy masala peanuts just like a store-bought packet.
- Amchur powder adds a nice tang or chatpata taste to sing bhujia. You can also add some chaat masala here.
- Turmeric powder is added just for the color.
- Oil (2 times): It is added to the besan peanut mixture. Plus, we are spraying it with oil spray two times while air frying masala peanuts.
👩🍳Step By Step Photo Instructions
1) Take peanuts in a colander and rinse them using water.
2) Let the access water drain out. (NOTE: We need to just wet the peanuts so besan can stick easily. Do not soak them otherwise they can get soft, and soggy).
3) Take besan, rice flour, corn flour, salt, baking soda and spices (turmeric, chili powder, black pepper, garam masala and amchur) in a bowl.
4) Mix everything using a spoon.
5) Add drained peanuts.
6) Mix it until the nuts are coated with the flour mixture.
7) Now drizzle the oil all over the nuts.
8) Mix it roughly.
9) Now sprinkle or drizzle the water over the peanuts (do not dump all water in one place).
10) And mix until all the peanuts are coated well with besan paste. It will be large big clumps at this moment. Cover it and let it rest for 15 minutes.
11) After the resting time, sprinkle rice flour,
12) Use your finger to separate the nuts. Rice flour will help to break the lumps and keep the peanuts separated and avoid sticking to each other.
At this moment, you can deep fry them in the oil or air fry them.
13) Lightly spray the air fryer basket with oil spray. Spread the batter-coated peanuts in the basket in a single layer. You’ll need to air fry masala peanuts in 2 batches.
14) Spray the peanuts again.
15) Air fry at 350F (180C) for 4 minutes, shake the basket, spray the oil again and air fry for another 4 minutes.
16) Remove them from the basket and let them cool down on a plate before storing them. Repeat the same for the next batch.
💭Expert Tips
- Do not keep the peanuts wet for longer or do not soak them otherwise they’ll get soft and soggy. Just wet the peanuts, so besan sticks to it easily.
- Do not dump all the water in one place. Drizzle or sprinkle all over the peanuts evenly.
- 15 minutes of resting time for batter-coated peanuts is a must. It helps to stick the besan batter to the peanuts.
- Sprinkling rice flour and mixing it at the end will help to separate the nuts. So you’ll get separated sing bhujia instead of a big clump.
- To make this sing bhujia spicy, increase the amount of chili powder, pepper powder and garam masala. The given measurements below make medium-mild masala peanuts.
- Storage: It stays good for 2 weeks in an airtight container. Make sure that masala peanuts cool down completely before storing them.
Check Out Other Tea-Time Snacks
- Kadak poori (crispy masala puri)
- Banana chips
- Cocktail samosa
- Methi mathri
Did you try this masala peanuts recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Leave a review in the comment section below.
📋 Recipe Card
Masala Peanuts (Air Fryer Sing Bhujia)
Ingredients
- 1 cup Peanuts
- ¼ cup Besan (gram flour)
- 1 tablespoon Corn flour (corn starch)
- 1 tablespoon Rice flour
- Salt to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon Baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon Turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon Red chili powder
- ½ teaspoon Black pepper powder
- ½ teaspoon Garam masala
- ½ teaspoon Amchur powder (dried mango powder)
- 1 tablespoon Oil
- 1 ½ tablespoons Water
- ½ tablespoon Rice flour to sprinkle over batter-coated peanuts
- Cooking oil spray
Instructions
- Take peanuts in a colander and rinse them using water. Let the access water drain out.
- Take besan, rice flour, corn flour, salt, baking soda and spices (turmeric, chili powder, black pepper, garam masala and amchur) in a bowl. Mix everything using a spoon.
- Add drained peanuts. Mix it until the peanuts are coated with the flour mixture.
- Now drizzle the oil all over the peanuts. Mix it roughly.
- Now sprinkle or drizzle the water over the nuts (do not dump all water in one place). And mix until all the nuts are coated well with besan paste. It will be large big clumps at this moment.
- Cover it and let it rest for 15 minutes.
- After resting time, sprinkle rice flour. Use your finger to separate the nuts. Rice flour will help to break the lumps and keep the nuts separated and avoid sticking to each other.
- At this moment, you can deep fry them in the oil or air fry them.
- Lightly spray the air fryer basket with oil spray. Spread the batter-coated peanuts in the basket in a single layer. You’ll need to air fry masala peanuts in 2 batches.
- Spray the peanuts again.
- Air fry at 350F (180C) for 4 minutes, shake the basket, spray the oil again and air fry for another 4 minutes.
- Remove them from the basket and let them cool down on a plate before storing them. Repeat the same for the next batch.
Notes
- Do not keep the peanuts wet for longer or do not soak them otherwise they’ll get soft and soggy. Just wet the peanuts, so besan sticks to it easily.
- Do not dump all the water in one place. Drizzle or sprinkle all over the peanuts evenly.
- 15 minutes of resting time for batter-coated peanuts is a must. It helps to stick the besan batter to the peanuts.
- Sprinkling rice flour and mixing it at the end will help to separate the nuts. So you’ll get separated sing bhujia instead of a big clump.
- To make this sing bhujia spicy, increase the amount of chili powder, pepper powder and garam masala. The given measurements below make medium-mild masala peanuts.
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