Can Roasted Peanuts be Boiled?

by Lucy
(Beaufort, SC, USA)

Can roasted peanuts be boiled? Will they still taste good?

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Nov 02, 2011
 Can Roasted Peanuts be Boiled?
by: Bret

Lucy,
No. You cannot make boiled peanuts from roasted peanuts. Boiled peanuts are made from raw peanuts. Raw peanuts are available in two types, dried and green. Dried peanuts are available year round, because they have been carefully dried for long term storage. Green peanuts are fresh harvested.

Think of peanuts like they are peas or beans (legumes). Dried peas and beans are available all year long. Fresh peas and beans are seasonal.

I imagine you are asking this because you are having difficulty finding raw peanuts to buy.

Dried peanuts are more commonly available than green peanuts. Green peanuts can be purchased locally only in peanut growing regions during harvest time.

Many groceries sell dried peanuts, as do farmers markets, Asian markets and health food stores.

You can purchase dried peanuts online, and during harvest season you can purchase green peanuts online. I've purchased both dried and green peanuts online.

Shipping charges for green peanuts are much higher than shipping charges for dried peanuts. Green peanuts must be shipped 2 day air to insure freshness, and they are heavier by volume than dried peanuts due to their moisture content. Green peanuts have about 35% to 50% moisture content. Dried peanuts have been carefully dried to 10% moisture.

I sometimes find dried peanuts in the grocery store, but not often. I order them online instead. Here are some examples I found when I googled 'raw peanuts': Whitley's Peanuts, Virginia Peanuts, Nuts Online, Sunland Raw Peanuts Shelled, Sunland Peanuts in the Shell

My favorite peanut variety for boiling is Valencia. I like Runner peanuts boiled also. Some people prefer Virginia Jumbo peanuts for boiling.

I've been buying the Sunland Organic Valencia Raw Peanuts and really like them both boiled and roasted.

Oct 28, 2012
 Wrong
by: Anonymous

Yes you can. It takes forever but you can. You can rehydrate a pepper. You can also boil a roasted peanut.
Nov 17, 2012
 Boiling roasted peanuts
by: Bret

Dear Anonymous,

While you can put roasted peanuts in water and boil them, and they will hydrate and soften, you cannot create the taste of boiled peanuts this way.

I ran a blind taste test to determine if roasted peanuts could be used to make boiled peanuts.

First I roasted some dried raw Valencia peanuts. These are the same dried raw peanuts that I boil in a pressure cooker. I roasted them in the oven for about 35 minutes at 320 degrees Fahrenheit. My wife and I ate some of the roasted peanuts and determined that they tasted great.

I took these home roasted peanuts and boiled them in a pressure cooker as I do dried raw peanuts. I boiled them for 60 minutes (a bit longer than dried raw peanuts), in salt water, in my pressure cooker at 15 lb pressure.

I soaked the boiled roasted peanuts in the brine overnight, in the refrigerator, as I often do with boiled raw peanuts.

I then took these boiled roasted peanuts to a group of family members that are experienced boiled peanut eaters. I often take samples of new boiled peanut recipes to them, to get their feedback. My boiled peanut taste testers had no knowledge that there was anything unusual about this particular batch of boiled peanuts.

Their comments were "tastes like roasted peanuts", "tastes like peanut butter", "don't have that meaty taste of boiled peanuts", "I don't like them". None of them wanted me to make boiled peanuts like this again.

I threw away the rest of the boiled roasted peanuts because none of us wanted to eat them.

In our opinion, boiling ruined these great tasting roasted peanuts, and the flavor of these boiled roasted peanuts was nothing like boiled raw peanuts.

No, you cannot make boiled peanuts by boiling roasted peanuts, any more than you can create mashed potatoes by boiling french fries.

If you like to ruin roasted peanuts by boiling them, fine. Don't try to pass them off as boiled peanuts.

You don't have to agree with my opinion.

What do I know about boiled peanuts? I've eaten them for more than 50 years.
Dec 24, 2012
 Can boiled peanuts be roasted?
by: Anonymous

Is it possible to roast the peanuts after boiling them?
Jan 20, 2013
 Roasting Boiled Peanuts
by: Bret

Boiled peanuts can be placed in the oven and dried, but they won't taste like roasted peanuts. They won't taste like boiled peanuts, either.

Boiled and dried peanuts have a unique taste and texture. The seasoning is concentrated, and the texture is rather chewy.

I first read about these being sold in Hawaii. I've also read about dried boiled peanuts in Thailand.

I've never seen a recipe for them, but have made boiled and dried peanuts myself.

First, I boiled the peanuts normally. Then I placed a single layer of the boiled peanuts on a baking sheet. I preheated the oven to 320° F. I cooked the boiled peanuts in the oven for about 25 minutes, tasting samples until they were dried.

Here is a picture comparing boiled peanuts with boiled and dried peanuts.



Sep 03, 2014
 Yes
by: Anonymous

You can, but they won't be the same as boiled green peanuts.
Dec 23, 2014
 Great Roasted Peanuts Boiled
by: Anonymous

Some of the best boiled peanuts I ever had were made from roasted peanuts. The vendor had boiled them for 8 hours and they were fantastic.
Jan 10, 2016
 Roasted peanuts
by: Anonymous

Can you fry peanuts that have been roasted?
Feb 12, 2016
 yes
by: Priscilla

I do mine for 24 hours in a crock pot on high with spices and chicken stock. Add water as needed and stir about every six to eight hours. Taste great to me.
Apr 17, 2016
 Bret thanks
by: Rob

Bret you weren't cool with me at first but then you wowed me with your blind taste test extravaganza. You're the man with the plan, and I would love to try those nuts sometime.
Apr 22, 2016
 Enough nuts
by: AnonMuse

Rob, I think Bret has enough people tasting his nuts already.
Jun 21, 2016
 an actual peanut flew out my nose
by: usmc.mama

That comment right there☝ lucky I didn't choke on a peanut. Thank you for the laugh!
Dec 13, 2016
 Yes
by: Anonymous

I have cooked roasted peanuts.... They are good...but not as good as raw peanuts boiled...:)
Jan 16, 2017
 YES! ABSOLUTELY!
by: Jan

I used roasted peanuts to make Cajun spicy boiled peanuts and they are delicious! The thing is you must boil them sooo much longer to get them soft and delicious.....i did mine in a crock pot on high and it took about 38hrs, just over a day and a half, just test them as you go along until they are as soft as YOU want them.
Apr 15, 2019
 Boiled roasted peanuts
by: Tom

I just tried it and they are not bad. Soaked them for 24 hours first in salt water, boiled for three hours. Just finished them. waiting for them to cool to eat.
Sep 05, 2019
 Dry Roasted Boiled Peanuts
by: Anonymous

That’s not true at all. I make the best Cajun Boiled Peanuts from only Dry roasted peanuts!!! My grandparents recipe!
Nov 01, 2019
 Roasted are not real boiled peanuts
by: Vitaly

I live in Florida where boiled peanuts are sold in like half of the gas stations here. I eat them all the time and decided to finally start making my own to save some money.

I bought roasted peanuts from Walmart thinking you can use them to make boiled peanuts. I noticed they were staying hard even after 24 hours. 3 days later now in the crock pot and they still don't taste like real boiled peanuts!

This is what led me to find this website. Bret is 100% correct. You can NOT use roasted peanuts to make true great tasting boiled peanuts. Not even close to same taste and texture.

Don't waste your time and money trying to make boiled peanuts from roasted peanuts. I wasted the roasted nuts, good amount of salt & almost 2 gallons of distilled water. Live and learn I guess. Now I'm searching for raw and green peanuts online to make it the right way :)
Jan 13, 2020
 Wow
by: cb

Bret, Thanks for your comments, almost 8 years later! boiled peanut butter, yuck!!
Dec 13, 2020
 WAY Later, that same lifetime...
by: Anonymous

You can make an excellent bean soup with dried, shelled peanuts. What about a shelled, presoaked (w/salt) roasted peanut? Anyone tried it? Getting ready to.... (realizing it's not so much in a 'boiled-peanut-world' direction.. but we are All apparently peanut-lovers ,right?....)
Mar 30, 2021
 Roasted peanut recipes please!
by: Megan

Would love to see and try that G-parents cajan recipe! Trying to use up a bunch of unsalted, unwanted roasted peanuts =)
Re: Sep 05, 2019
Dry Roasted Boiled Peanuts
by: Anonymous

That’s not true at all. I make the best Cajun Boiled Peanuts from only Dry roasted peanuts!!! My grandparents recipe!
Jun 20, 2021
 Let’s all be honest, Bret was a pretentious asshole.
by: Anonymous

You can make boiled peanuts with already roasted peanuts. Some people will not like the taste compared to them being made with raw peanuts, but that’s their opinion on flavor.
boiled peanuts
Aug 29, 2021
 Pnuts
by: Anonymous

Can you roast peanuts then boil them and roast them again?
Oct 25, 2021
 Sure you can boil roasted peanuts!!!
by: Gary Branigan

Boiled roasted shelled peanuts are much my favorite!
It does take a long time though. I dump a 1lb bottle in the Insta Pot, cover 1 1/2" with water and or chicken broth, salt pepper, 3-5 crumbled bacon slices, whatever else strikes my fancy that day. Pressure cook in insta Pot for 2 hours. Vary the cooking time to achieve the texture you want from crumbly to mushy. Good as or better than pinto beans.
Feb 01, 2022
 Of Course You Can
by: Anonymous

I`ve been boiling dry roasted salted peanuts for like ever.
They`re delicious.
12-14 hrs and the come out just right for us.
We like them better than any we`ve had from the roadside stands.
Try it and don`t let some pseudo expert decide for you.
Feb 24, 2024
 Definitely YES
by: Anonymous

I've been boiling roasted salted shelled peanuts for many many years now and I love it.
It comes salted or unsalted in a bag.
First I rinse off the salted peanuts before I put it in an Insta pot pressure cooker with enough water to cover the peanuts then select beans and set it for 2.5 hours.
You may not have all the health benefits from boiling roasted peanuts but taste-wise, it's fantastic!

Mar 16, 2024
 Confused
by: Jabe

I’ve read every comment from above and I’m more confused now than before! Everyone has an opinion and idea and I understand it’s their own…so what I’m going to do is go get me some raw peanuts, boil them and be on my way! Thks for all the confusing advice… LOL
May 30, 2024
 also confused
by: Anonymous

Hahaha same Jabe. I’ve read them all and also more confused I accidentally bought two bags of roasted not raw and really want to just do it but don’t want to waste the time but others are saying it works 🤣 i don’t know what to do!
Aug 14, 2024
 You CAN boil roasted peanuts!
by: Anonymous

I am SO glad I didn’t listen to the original comment lmao just made some boiled peanuts after accidentally buying roasted ones and they were better than other boiled peanuts I’ve had!!! Crockpot 12 hours!

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