A Guide to Soaking and Dehydrating Nuts

Nuts are full of life-giving vitamins and minerals, fiber, fats, and protein, but have you ever noticed that when you eat a few too many they can tend to sit very heavily in the stomach? (Read more about why traditional preparation of / soaking nuts, beans, and grains is so important – here.)

Fortunately, you can ease digestion and greatly increase nutrient availability simply by soaking nuts in salt water overnight and then drying them in a low-temp oven or dehydrator until crispy. The salt in the water helps to activate enzymes as well as neutralize enzyme inhibitors.

Nuts prepared in this way are often called “Crispy Nuts” and make a delicious snack.

How to Soak Nuts

Step #1

Place your favorite variety of raw nuts into a large bowl.

Step #2

Add 1 tablespoon sea salt per 4 cups of nuts.

Soaking Nuts The

Step #3

Completely cover nuts with water and stir.

Step #4

Cover and leave in a warm place for at least 7 hours. This does not need to be exact. I usually set mine out to soak at bedtime and come back to drain them sometime the next morning. There is one exception to this – cashews can become a bit mushy if left too long.

Step #5

Drain and rinse the nuts thoroughly and then then either:

Option A – Spread onto stainless steel baking sheets and place in a low-temp oven (no more than 150 degrees) for 12-24 hours, or until completely dry and crispy.

-or-

Option B – Spread onto dehydrator sheets and dehydrate on a low temp (I keep mine at 110 or below to preserve enzymes) for 24 hours (or likely longer depending on the humidity of your kitchen).

After 24 hours I grab one out to taste. If it isn’t completely crispy, I reset the dehydrator for a few more hours and repeat if necessary.

We have the Excalibur dehydrator with nine trays. I had to save up for it, but it’s been more than worth it for the following reasons:

I love that I can set the timer and the dehydrator will automatically shut off at the appropriate time.
I can adjust the temperature down to 90 degrees for long, low-temp dehydrating, which helps to preserve enzymes.
I can move the shelves in and out, leaving lots of room for warming a bowl of sourdough or mason jars of yogurt.
With 9 shelves, I can dehydrate multiple things at once, which is especially helpful in the months of August and September when the garden is producing more than we can eat fresh.

The dehydrator is large and bulky though, so we’ve found the best way to keep it accessible (but not in the way) is to put it on the bottom shelf of this little kitchen caddy.

Once the nuts are crispy, remove them from the dehydrator and place in either an air-tight jar or plastic bag in the fridge.

Make a big batch and you’ll have delicious, digestible, crispy nuts available to munch on for snacks, throw into granola, on salads, or to grind into nut flour or nut milk.