The Best Flavored Almonds, Ranked by a Nutcase

Flavored almonds have a cult following. Before I went into this taste test, I had a very specific image in my head of the kind of person who frequently buys them. His name is Gunner, he’s a wilderness guide with an intimidating build, and he could probably name two dozen species of local bird. Now, after trying three full shopping bags of flavored almonds, that image has expanded to include, well, me. A similarly intimidating 5’3’’ writer who rarely leaves her apartment and only knows (not confidently) one or two local species of bird. I understand now that flavored almonds are an incredible snack and a pretty decent source of fiber. What’s not to love?

How we found the flavored almond brands

Honestly, if you want to find flavored almonds, drugstores are your best bet. A good chunk of the flavored almonds for this taste test came from CVS—they had a larger selection compared to Walmart and Ralphs. That being said, we also tried generic store brand flavored almonds from places like Target and Kroger, and found some hidden gems on Amazon. For the most part, this initial flavored almonds taste test focused on popular, nationally-available brands. If you have a more niche flavored almond brand you’d like to recommend, please drop it in the comments! We’ll try to grab it next time around. 

What we’re looking for in the best flavored almonds

The best flavored almonds should be crispy, fresh-tasting, and caked in flavor dust. Personally, I don’t like it when almonds taste dry. “But nuts are a dry food, Ariana,” you say, not incorrectly. Yes, fine. I just mean that some almond brands (looking at you, Blue Diamond) understand that a generous layer of seasoning can make almonds taste buttery and rich instead of chalky and bland. 

Here are the best flavored almonds you can buy. 

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Best Spicy-Sweet

HBAF Cheongyang Mayo Almonds

iHerb

Amazon

HBAF is a Korean nut brand you can find on Amazon, and it features a line-up of unique flavors you definitely won’t find in U.S. stores. These Cheongyang Mayo Almonds have a bright burst of spicy and sweet choengyang—a green, slightly sweet, reportedly quite spicy Korean chilli pepper. For an almond flavored with a chili pepper with a scoville rating of 10,000, these aren’t very spicy. But I’m okay with that. The chili has a fresh and clean taste to it, similar to a serrano pepper. If you like spicy almonds and want to try something new, we really recommend them!

Credit: Merc / iHerb

Rating:

8/10

Sporks

Best Honey Roasted

Blue Diamond Honey Roasted

Walmart

Amazon

I tried eight different Blue Diamond almond flavors for this taste test, and one thing became clear: This brand goes hard on the flavor dust. Every almond is completely coated. Every crease and crag gets its share, and there’s always a little pile of seasoning waiting at the bottom of the tin. That’s part of what makes Blue Diamond so addictive, and Honey Roasted is a prime example of that. These almonds are extra toasty and slightly shriveled on the outside, which helps the salty-sweet coating cling even better. They’re only a few steps away from full-on candied almonds, and I love that about them. Honey Roasted might be the best Blue Diamond almond flavor for sweet tooths, but as a savory gal myself, I have to relegate it to fourth place. 

Credit: Merc / Walmart

Rating:

8/10

Sporks

Best Smoked Almonds

Blue Diamond Smokehouse

Instacart

Amazon

Can someone explain why cooking show judges act like liquid smoke is a crime against humanity? Every time a contestant even mentions it, the judges act so condescending, it’s unbearable! I get it: Not everyone likes the taste of artificial smoke. But when we’re talking about smoked almonds and other snacks, the deeper and richer the smoke, the better. I tried a couple variations, and Blue Diamond’s were the best smoked almonds of the bunch. They’re super salty and savory. I really thought this would be the best Blue Diamond almond flavor we tried, but one did manage to surpass it.

Credit: Merc / Instacart 

Rating:

9/10

Sporks

Runner Up

HBAF Tteokbokki Almonds

Amazon

I couldn’t resist ordering these Tteokbokki-flavored almonds from Amazon. Tteokbokki is a popular Korean street food made with chewy rice cakes in a spicy-sweet sauce of gochujang, sugar, soy sauce, and gochugaru. It’s not a common flavor found in the U.S.—but these almonds taste exactly like it. They’re warm, comforting, savory, spicy, and sweet all in one. I definitely want to try more Korean-inspired almond flavors from HBAF (those Hot & Spicy Chicken look good), because they totally nailed this. Fans of honey roasted almonds would probably really enjoy the sweetness level of these. (My one critique of HBAF almonds is that the almonds themselves aren’t as satisfyingly crunchy and fresh-tasting as Blue Diamond. But we can’t have it all, okay?) 

Credit: Merc / Amazon

Rating:

9/10

Sporks

Best of the Best

Blue Diamond Wasabi & Soy Sauce

Walmart

Oh, Blue Diamond Wasabi & Soy Sauce Almonds. My Shayla. I love everything about you. The heat of that wasabi, the savory, salty umami of the soy sauce. They bite. They burn. They tingle with a spicy, smooth tang. And they’re addictive as hell. I ate the whole tin in a day—and mind you, I had over a dozen flavored almond brands to try. These are the boldest, deepest flavored almonds of the bunch. The almonds are practically slippery with flavor dust. This is the best Blue Diamond almond flavor and the best flavored almonds we tried, period. If you have a road trip coming up, buy them. If you’re looking for a fiber-rich snack, buy them. If you’re bored, buy them. 

Credit: Merc / Walmart

Rating:

10/10

Sporks

Other products we tried: Great Value Wasabi Soy Almonds, Great Value Cocoa Roasted Almonds, Great Value Honey Roasted Almonds, Great Value Smoke Flavored Almonds, Simple Truth Maple Butter Flavored Almonds, Kroger Smokehouse Almonds, Good & Gather Glazed Doughnut Almonds, Good & Gather Honey & Lavender Glazed Almonds, HBAF Korean Injeolmi Rice Cake Chocolate Almonds Nut Protein Snack, Blue Diamond Salt & Vinegar Almonds, Well Market Zesty Dill Pickle Almonds, Well Market Wasabi Almonds, Well Market Smoked Almonds, Well Market Greek Yogurt Almonds, Well Market Maple Cinnamon Almonds, Daily Crunch Cacao & Sea Salt Almonds