Spicy Cajun Peanuts

By
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
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Updated on 01/3/23
Spicy Cajun seasoned peanuts
Rachel Husband / Getty Images
Prep: 4 mins
Cook: 2 mins
Total: 6 mins
Servings: 2 servings
Yield: 2 cups

Peanuts are a wholesome and rich snack that is portable, filling, and very nutritious. Our recipe for spicy peanuts flavored with Cajun spices, cayenne pepper, and salt makes a great snack that you can eat on its own or add to trail or pretzel mixes. Use it in any sweet or savory combo in which you'd regularly use plain roasted peanuts. These hot peanuts are cooked in a skillet in a small amount of oil until they're warm and well coated with the seasonings. The peanuts take a little over 5 minutes to make and are a great last-minute snack to prepare for surprise visitors or to bring to game watches, board game nights, or casual cocktail parties.

Although usually bunched under the same designation as nuts, peanuts are actually legumes, closer to beans than they are to almonds, but because their culinary uses can be similar most cuisines group them together. Because of their high oil content, peanuts are also grown as an oil crop, as both the seeds and the oil represent sources of income for peanut farmers. Peanuts are found in their raw and unprocessed form as well as already roasted, salted or unsalted.

For this recipe, we chose lightly salted dry roasted peanuts because the seasonings are powerful and it's easier to increase the salt level in a dish than it is to get rid of too much. When dry roasted peanuts are exposed to dry heat, and there's no added oil used in the process. Peanuts are very nutritious and provide great amounts of protein and niacin. One cup of unsalted dry roasted peanuts like the ones you'd use for our recipe has 857 calories, 35.6 grams of protein, and 14.4 milligrams of niacin—or vitamin B3—key to keeping healthy nervous and digestive systems.

Store the spicy peanuts for up to three weeks in a tightly covered container at room temperature away from light and humidity. Mix with pretzels and honey granola clusters for a sweet-savory treat, serve with chive cream cheese to make a crunchy and spicy dip, or use to top salads, roasted vegetables, or pad thai.

Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons vegetable oil

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder, or Cajun or Creole seasoning blend

  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

  • 2 cups dry roasted peanuts, lightly salted or unsalted

Steps to Make It

  1. Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat.

  2. Add the Cajun seasoning and cayenne pepper to the oil and cook, stirring, for a few seconds.

  3. Add peanuts to skillet and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. stirring constantly. Serve warm or at room temperature.

  4. Enjoy.

Tip

  • To make a homemade Cajun seasoning blend, combine 2 tablespoons of onion powder, 2 tablespoons of ground paprika, 1 1/2 tablespoons of garlic powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons dried leaf thyme, 3/4 teaspoon dried leaf oregano, 1 teaspoon of chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper in a bowl. Blend thoroughly. Use 1 teaspoon of this blend in the recipe along with 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of salt, or to taste.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
903 Calories
77g Fat
32g Carbs
36g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 2
Amount per serving
Calories 903
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 77g 99%
Saturated Fat 12g 58%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 67mg 3%
Total Carbohydrate 32g 12%
Dietary Fiber 13g 47%
Total Sugars 7g
Protein 36g
Vitamin C 0mg 1%
Calcium 92mg 7%
Iron 3mg 15%
Potassium 969mg 21%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)
Article Sources
The Spruce Eats uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

  1. Peanuts, Dry Roasted, Unsalted. FoodData Central. United States Department of Agriculture.