Name: Chinese Style Pan Fried Peanuts Recipe
Prep time: 2 min
Cook time: 6 min
Total time: 9 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 340 g {2 cups} raw peanuts (skin-on); 2 tbsp avocado oil; 1/8 tsp freshly ground Himalayan pink salt, optional

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Pan-fried peanuts are such a traditional & classic food item in China

People enjoy the pan-fried peanuts as an appetizer item to go with a beer, a side dish to go with porridge, a garnish for a dish such as Kung Bao chicken, or an everyday snack to munch on.

While I roast my peanuts most of the time, I do make these traditional Chinese-style peanuts from time to time. Their richly aromatic flavors are irresistible, especially when it is Kung Pao Chicken time.

Kung Pao Chicken {Easy Delicious Family Style}

How to make Chinese Style Pan-Fried Peanuts Perfectly Every time

Simple Ingredients

You will need raw skin on Peanuts, avocado oil, and an optional pinch of salt to make this delicious dish.

The red skins of peanuts are eye-catching. It also prevents peanuts from burning too easily during the frying process.

Batch size and oil needed for the recipe

For a family of four, I usually make a batch using 2 cups (approximately 340 grams) of raw peanuts at a time. This shall provide sufficient volume to make a Kung Pao Chicken dish and some extra to snack on.

I use avocado oil for all my frying and some baking needs. Avocado oil has a high smoking point and has a neutral taste & flavor. For the amount of 10.6 oz peanuts, a quarter cup of avocado oil is all you need.

Wash & rinse peanuts and air dry them in advance

Use a strainer to wash & rinse peanuts well, but do not scrub. We’d like to leave the skins un-touched as much as possible. After rinsing, leave the peanuts in the strainer to drain the residual water, and then spread onto a large plate to air dry.

Use a quality hard-anodized frypan plus a pair of wooden or bamboo spatulas

A quality hard-anodized fry pan can handle the heat better, and it requires much less oil compared to alternative pan choices.

A 12-inch frying pan is just the right size for the peanuts in this recipe {2 cups} to spread across the base surface nicely during the frying.

Use a pair of wooden turners to toss peanuts during the pan-frying process.

Make a small batch at a time

Fried peanuts taste much better when freshly made, I highly recommend making a small batch at a time. You can make this fairly quickly with ease, as long as you have learned a few tips and tricks.

Tips & Tricks for How to make Chinese Style Fried Peanuts yummy and healthy:

Tip No.1 is to use a minimal amount of oil just to cover the peanuts

toss and cover peanuts in the fry pan with a minimal amount of oil

Add the air-dried peanuts to the hard-anodized frying pan. For 2 cups of peanuts, you will need about 2 tablespoonfuls of avocado oil.

Tip No.2 is to mix the room temperature oil with peanuts first before pan-frying

Use a pair of bamboo or wooden spatulas to toss and mix well before you turn on the heat to medium. Spread out the peanuts in the pan and let it cook for 2 minutes. Then use a pair of bamboo spatulas to continuously toss and turn for about 6 minutes.

Last but not least is to use medium heat all the way through for an easier pan-frying process

It is truly straightforward to pan-fry a yummy Chinese Style Pan Fried Peanuts. Toss the peanuts with just enough room temperature oil first, and then turn the heat to medium and pan-fry for 8 minutes.

For the first two minutes, you just spread out the peanuts, lay them flat, and let them cook. Following that, use a pair of bamboo spatulas continuously toss and mix, like mixing a salad for 6 minutes. That’s it.

Turn off the heat, and let the peanuts stay in the pan to cool down to room temperature before storing them in an air-tight glass jar.

The actual active cooking time is merely 6 minutes. However, the air-dry process takes time after washing the peanuts. I usually wash the peanuts one day ahead of the cooking.

Don’t forget to make the traditional & classic Kung Pao chicken.

Do you like traditional Chinese food cooked in a healthier way? Make sure you check out these recipes too.