I love nuts for snacking, and almonds are probably my favorite. Crunchy and healthy,  my sprouted almonds are a tasty addition to your pantry.

Why sprouted? Most nuts you buy at the store are either raw (truly raw or pasteurized, this can be difficult to tell sometimes) or roasted. Store bought roasted almonds almost always contain added unhealthy highly processed oils, as well as lots of salt. 

Raw and roasted nuts also contain phytates. Phytates are naturally occurring plant chemicals that allow the seeds to stay fresh for long periods of time and still remain viable to produce a living, reproducing plant. 

Phytates are also known as anti-nutrients, and problems can occur when we eat too many of them in the form of whole grains and nuts. Anti-nutrients require a lot of nutrients of our bodies to properly digest, which means that, depending on your overall digestive health and the quality of your diet, they may “use up” more nutrients than they provide. 

Due to poor soil quality and poor diet in general, many of us are eating calorie-rich diets that are actually nutrient deficient. Adding in large amounts of whole grains and raw or roasted nuts to this situation can cause problems even for a relatively healthy person if they don’t supplement. 

When you sprout almonds or other nuts, the soaking/sprouting process eliminates most of the phytates/ anti-nutrients. After sprouting you should dry or dehydrate the kernels to keep them fresh and to make them tasty. Roasting at a high temperature would produce a similar end result taste-wise, but naturally occuring enzymes woild be lost. 

Here’s my process:

Place raw almonds in a bowl and cover with enough warm filtered water that leaves room for them to double. Add a small amount of salt (I use about 1/2 teaspoon for a pound of almonds) and a small splash of apple cider vinegar. 

Let sit at room temp, checking every few hours at first. Add more water if nuts rise above the water level. 

After about 12 hours check for sprouting. Sprouts are tiny little white tips at the pointy part of the almond. 

When all or most are sprouted, drain in a colander and rinse well in fresh water. 

Place drained, sprouted nuts on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and place in oven at lowest temperature. For me this is 170 degrees Fahrenheit. A dehydrator can also be used. 

Leave them for a long time. My oven shuts off eventually, and I always have to turn it on again. It takes probably 10 hours or so, but timing isn’t exact because almonds vary in size and hydration levels. 

Start to taste the almonds after 4 or 5 hours. They are done when they are crunchy with no hint of moisture left. 

Allow to cool and then store in a dry air tight container.