Masala Peanut Chaat
Roasted peanuts tossed with diced onion, tomato, fresh lime, chaat masala, and cilantro. A classic Indian street snack with zero cooking required.
This is the snack that every street vendor in India sells in paper cones, and it costs about 20 rupees. I grew up eating it after school and didn't even think of it as a protein source until I started tracking my macros. Turns out a serving of roasted peanuts has more protein than most people realize.
The beauty of masala peanut chaat is that it takes ten minutes, requires absolutely no cooking, and the flavor is way more interesting than eating plain peanuts out of a jar. You chop up some onion, tomato, and fresh green chili, squeeze lime over everything, hit it with chaat masala and a pinch of salt, toss in a big handful of cilantro, and you're done. The lime juice and chaat masala do all the heavy lifting. There's something about that sour-spicy-salty combination that makes peanuts taste ten times better.
I keep a jar of roasted peanuts in my desk drawer specifically for this. When I need a snack, I pull out a cutting board, dice an onion and tomato, and have this ready in the time it would take me to microwave something. It travels well too. I've packed this in a container for road trips and it holds up for hours. The peanuts stay crunchy because there's barely any liquid.
The Protein Upgrade
Standard peanut chaat uses a small handful of peanuts, about 7-8g protein per serving. We use a generous 1.5 cups of roasted peanuts divided across 4 servings, bringing each portion to 12g protein. The peanuts are the star, the vegetables are just dressing.
Masala Peanut Chaat
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups roasted peanuts (skin-on or skinless) 11g protein
- 1 small red onion (finely diced)
- 1 medium tomato (deseeded and finely diced)
- 1 green chili (finely chopped, adjust to taste)
- 2 tbsp lime juice (about 1 lime)
- 1 tsp chaat masala
- ½ tsp red chili powder (optional)
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 tbsp fresh cilantro (chopped)
Instructions
- If using raw peanuts, dry-roast them in a pan over medium heat for 5-6 minutes, stirring constantly, until they turn golden and smell toasty. If using pre-roasted peanuts, skip this step.
- Dice the onion and tomato finely. Chop the green chili.
- In a large bowl, combine the peanuts, diced onion, tomato, and green chili.
- Add lime juice, chaat masala, red chili powder, and salt. Toss everything together until the peanuts are coated.
- Add the chopped cilantro and give it one final toss.
- Serve immediately for the best crunch. You can prep the vegetables ahead, but toss with peanuts just before eating to keep them from getting soft.
Boost Your Protein
- Add a tablespoon of roasted chana dal (split chickpeas) for an extra 3g protein.
- Mix in a handful of roasted soybeans for a higher-protein version, adds about 5g per serving.
- Serve alongside a glass of buttermilk for an extra 4g protein.
Ingredient Substitutions
- No chaat masala? Use cumin powder with a squeeze of extra lime.
- Swap peanuts for roasted cashews or a mixed nut blend.
- No fresh green chili? Use a pinch of cayenne pepper.
- Add diced cucumber or raw mango for extra crunch and tartness.