Masala Peanuts Recipe (Sing Bhujia)

Masala Peanuts, also called Peanut Masala or Sing Bhujia, is a crunchy Indian snack of raw peanuts coated in a spiced mixture of besan (gram flour) and rice flour and then deep fried until crisp. The fried peanuts are tossed in a tangy finishing masala made with chaat masala, dry mango powder, red chilli powder and black salt. They taste spiced, savory, tangy and chatpata. I also share an oven baked option if you want to skip deep frying.

Ingredients You Need

1. Raw peanuts: Use raw peanuts or groundnuts with the skin on. The skin helps the coating cling. Do not use roasted or salted peanuts.
2. Besan (gram flour): Besan forms the main coating and gives a nutty, savory taste. In the US, look for besan or gram flour at Indian grocery stores. Chickpea flour (garbanzo bean flour) can be used, though the texture will be slightly different.
3. Rice flour: Rice flour makes the coating crisp. I add it in two parts, which gives a better coating and helps keep the peanuts separate. For a lighter crunch, use a little less rice flour.
4. Spices for the coating: Kashmiri Chilli Powder gives color without too much heat. Cumin powder, coriander powder, fennel powder, turmeric, garam masala, Amchur Powder, dry ginger powder, carom seeds (ajwain) and asafoetida (hing) add flavor. If you do not have dry ginger powder, use ½ teaspoon ginger paste. You can also use 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste if you are fine with garlic.
5. Lemon juice: Lemon juice adds tang to the coating and replaces the citric acid used in packaged peanut masala snacks.
6. Finishing masala: Chaat Masala, dry mango powder (amchur), Kashmiri chilli powder, roasted Cumin Powder, black pepper, black salt and a pinch of powdered sugar. This spice mix gives the masala peanuts their tangy, chatpata finish.

If you enjoy crunchy homemade namkeen, try my Mathri, Namak Para, Sev, Aloo Bhujia, Masala Boondi and Peanut Chaat recipes as well, or browse more Evening Snacks.

How To Make Peanut Masala (Stepwise)

Rinse The Peanuts

1. Add 1 cup (160 grams) raw peanuts to a bowl of water. Rinse them 2 to 3 times, changing the water each time.

2. Transfer the peanuts to a colander and drain all the water thoroughly. Transfer the moist peanuts to a mixing bowl.

Note: Do not pat the peanuts dry. The moisture left on their surface helps the flour and spices stick. There should simply be no excess water collecting at the bottom.

Season The Peanuts

3. In a plate or bowl, take the following spices and salt.

• ½ teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder
• ½ teaspoon cumin powder
• ½ teaspoon coriander powder
• ½ teaspoon fennel powder
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
• ¼ teaspoon garam masala
• ½ teaspoon dry mango powder (amchur powder)
• ¼ teaspoon dry ginger powder
• ¼ teaspoon carom seeds (ajwain), lightly crushed between your palms or fingers
• ⅛ teaspoon asafoetida (hing)
• ½ teaspoon pink salt, or add according to taste

4. Add the above listed spices and salt to the moist peanuts.

5. Mix gently but well so that the spices coat the peanuts evenly.

Note: Do not mix or rub the peanuts hard. The skins (peels) on the peanuts need to stay on. If the skins come off, the besan coating does not stick to the peanuts.

6. Add 1 teaspoon oil.

Tip: If you are baking the peanuts, add 1 tablespoon oil instead. The extra oil helps the coating to become crisp in the oven.

7. Add 2 teaspoons lemon juice and mix gently.

Coat With Besan & Rice Flour

8. Add ¼ cup (30 grams) gram flour or besan and 1 tablespoon rice flour.

9. Gently mix and toss with your fingers. At first it will look dry and floury. The moisture from the rinsed peanuts will slowly start binding the flour.

10. Sprinkle 2 to 3 teaspoons water, 1 teaspoon at a time.

11. Mix gently after each addition. Do not pour all the water in at once. If the mixture still looks dry and floury, add a little more water. The amount depends on your flours, and coarser flours need more water.

Once mixed, the coating will look uneven, moist and sticky, and it will cling to the peanuts. It will not look like a batter, and the stickiness is fine.

12. Sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon rice flour.

13. Mix again gently. The rice flour dries out the coating a little. It will still be moist and cling firmly to each peanut. You should be able to separate most of the peanuts with your fingers.

Note: If the coating turns too wet and sticky, sprinkle in a little gram flour. Do not add a lot of extra flour.

Make The Finishing Masala

14. Before you start frying, take the following spices in a small bowl to make the finishing masala.

• 2 teaspoons chaat masala
• 1 teaspoon dry mango powder (amchur powder)
• 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder
• ½ teaspoon roasted cumin powder
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder
• ½ teaspoon black salt
• ¼ teaspoon finely powdered sugar

15. Mix very well and keep it ready. The peanuts need to be seasoned as soon as they come out of the oil.

Fry The Peanuts

16. Heat 1½ cups oil or as needed in a kadai or wok on medium heat.

To check if the oil is ready, add one peanut. It should come up steadily with bubbles without turning brown immediately.

Note: Do not let the oil get very hot. The coating will brown before the raw peanuts inside are cooked.

17. Take half of the coated peanuts in your hand. Rub them lightly between your fingers to separate them as you add them carefully to the hot oil.

Do not overcrowd the kadai. Depending on the size of your kadai, fry in 2 or 3 batches. I fried them in 2 batches.

18. Reduce the heat to low or medium-low. Leave the peanuts undisturbed for the first 1 to 2 minutes so that the coating sets.

Note: The right frying heat varies from kitchen to kitchen. For some, low heat works, and for others, medium-low heat works. It depends on your flame intensity, gas pressure, the size and thickness of your kadai, and how many peanuts you fry at a time. Adjust the heat so the coating browns slowly while the peanuts cook inside.

19. Then gently stir with a slotted spoon and separate any peanuts that have stuck together.

Continue to fry, stirring occasionally, until the coating is golden and crisp. The bubbling in the oil reduces noticeably as the peanuts become crisp.

Make sure the peanuts are fully cooked inside before you remove them. Take out one peanut, let it cool for a few seconds and taste it. It should be roasted and crunchy inside, not raw or hard.

Tip: Stay at the stove towards the end. Once the coating turns golden, it can go dark or burn very quickly.

20. Remove the fried peanuts with a slotted spoon and let the excess oil drip back into the kadai.

21. Place them on kitchen paper towels or a mesh strainer and drain briefly, for about a minute only.

Toss With The Finishing Masala

22. While they are still hot, transfer the fried peanuts to a dry mixing bowl. Sprinkle half of the finishing masala over them.

23. Toss gently but thoroughly so the masala coats the peanuts evenly. The heat of the peanuts helps the spices stick to the coating.

Note: Season each batch as soon as it is fried. Do not wait until all the peanuts have cooled, as the masala will not stick well to cold peanuts.

24. Spread the peanuts on a plate or tray to cool. Let the oil heat back to medium, add the next batch, lower the heat and fry it the same way. Season it with the remaining masala while hot.

Let the peanut masala cool completely before storing. Do not judge the crispness while the peanuts are hot. The besan coating becomes crisper as they cool.

Baked Peanut Masala (Oven Method)

1. Coat the peanuts with the spices, besan and rice flour as shown above, using 1 tablespoon oil instead of 1 teaspoon. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C/356 degrees F for 15 minutes.

2. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Spread the coated peanuts in a single layer, separating them with your fingers.

3. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, turning the peanuts well at the 15 minute mark. Bake until the coating is golden and dry. Timing varies with each oven, so start checking at 20 minutes.

4. Transfer the hot baked peanuts to a dry bowl and toss them gently with the finishing masala. Let them cool completely. They become crunchy as they cool.

Keep in mind that warm peanuts release steam in the jar and lose their crunch.

Note: Baked peanut masala is lighter and uses much less oil. The coating turns crunchy but is not as puffed and crisp as the fried version. Do not crowd the tray, or the peanuts will steam instead of crisping. If the coating still feels soft after cooling, bake for another 3 to 5 minutes.

Plain Roasted Peanuts (Oven Method)

If you just want simple roasted peanuts without any coating, the oven makes it easy.

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C/356 degrees F for 10 minutes. Spread 1 cup raw peanuts in a single layer on a baking tray or pan.

2. Roast at 180 degrees C/356 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring once or twice so they roast evenly. Ovens vary, so start checking at 20 minutes. The peanuts are done when they smell roasted and the inside of a split peanut is light golden.

Let them cool completely.

Tip: For salted peanuts, sprinkle fine salt or black salt over the hot roasted peanuts and toss well.

3. They turn crunchy as they cool. Store in an airtight jar and serve as a snack.

Serving Suggestions & Storage

Serve peanut masala as a tea-time snack with Masala Chai or coffee, add it to your Diwali Snacks platter, or pack it as a travel snack. You can also mix it with Chivda or sprinkle it over Bhel Puri and chaat for crunch.

Once completely cool, store masala peanuts in an airtight jar at room temperature for 2 to 3 weeks. If the peanuts lose their crunch, warm them in a frying pan on low heat for 2 to 3 minutes and let them cool again.

Coating Tips

1. Use raw peanuts with skin: Raw peanuts cook through as the coating fries. Make sure the peanuts have their skin on, as the besan coating sticks well to the skin and does not come off while frying.
2. Do not dry the rinsed peanuts: The surface moisture binds the flour and spices. If you dry them, the coating will not stick and you will end up adding too much water.
3. Mix gently: Toss the peanuts lightly at every stage. If you mix roughly, the skins loosen and the coating comes off the peanuts.
4. Add water a teaspoon at a time: The coating should be moist, uneven and sticky, not a batter. Coarser flours need a little more water. Too much water makes the peanuts clump together in the oil and the coating turns hard instead of crisp.
5. For a lighter crunch: Use a little less rice flour. Note that adding more rice flour will give a harder and crunchier coating.

Frying & Baking Tips

1. Start on medium, then fry on low to medium-low heat: Add the peanuts to oil heated on medium, then lower the heat. On higher heat, the coating browns while the peanuts stay raw and hard in the center. Whether low or medium-low works best depends on your flame intensity, the size and thickness of your kadai and the quantity you fry.
2. Fry in batches: Overcrowding makes the peanuts stick together and cook unevenly. Before each new batch, let the oil heat back to medium, add the peanuts, and lower the heat again, just like the first batch.
3. Baking the peanuts: Use 1 tablespoon oil in the coating, spread the peanuts in a single layer with space between them, and turn them halfway.

Seasoning Tips

1. Keep the finishing masala ready: Make it before you start frying, so you can season each batch immediately as it comes out of the oil.
2. Season each batch while hot: Drain the peanuts for only about a minute, then toss them with the masala in a dry bowl. The masala sticks well to hot peanuts.
3. Adjust the heat and tang: Kashmiri chilli powder is mild. If you use a hotter chilli powder or cayenne, reduce the quantity. For more tang, add a little extra dry mango powder or chaat masala.