Spicy Rosemary Cocktail Nuts (Low Carb and Gluten Free)

Have you ever opened a tin of mixed nuts, only to find that someone had already gotten there and eaten out all the pecans or cashews? If you live anyw...

By Alex

• Aug 03, 2026 • 0 Comments •

4.2

Spicy Rosemary Cocktail Nuts (Low Carb and Gluten Free)

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

30 mins

Total Time

45 mins

Servings

4 People

Have you ever opened a tin of mixed nuts, only to find that someone had already gotten there and eaten out all the pecans or cashews? If you live anywhere in my vicinity, chances are that the culprit would be me. It’s horribly shameful, but I can’t help myself. The salted pecans are my favourites and there are so few of them in each tin. For the record, I don’t paw through all of the nuts to get to my beloved pecans, because that would be disgusting. Instead, I have a well-practiced way of tilting the tin back and forth to shake the pecans from their hiding places. I like the almonds too, and I love cashews but they are higher in carbs to I try not to eat too many. But let’s face it – the peanuts are just filler, and the brazil nuts taste like dirt (at least, I think they do – so much so that I even call them “dirt nuts”). The pecans are like the prize at the bottom of a box of Cracker Jacks.

Over the holidays, as I was digging down in our 3lb tin of mixed nuts, it suddenly hit me. I should just make my own damn nuts! This way, I could improve upon the pecan-to-dirt-nut ratio, preferably by eliminating the dirt nuts altogether. It’s not that I haven’t roasted my own nuts before, I’ve actually done it quite a few times (Spicy Roasted Almonds). I just get lazy, particularly when presented with an over-sized tin of mixed nuts from our local wholesaler. We go through a ridiculous amount of nuts in this house, and I am not sure I could quite keep up with that by making my own. But then again, I can’t complain about the ratio of pecans to brazil nuts if I am not willing to make them myself, now can I? And making my own also allows me to adjust the salt and any other seasonings to my own liking.

A few years ago, some friends came to dinner and made us some rosemary roasted cashews from The Barefoot Contessa. They were so good and I believe I may have stood over the bowl, forking them into my mouth and not really letting anyone else near them. My friend kindly let me copy the recipe and I’ve been meaning to make them for a long time. Alas, they are all cashews, and they are made with brown sugar. Not exactly the ideal snack for a carb-conscious diabetic. So imagine my excitement when I came across THIS recipe on Foodgawker. I bookmarked immediately, planning on making some over the holidays, but of course I never did. I had three sick children and a large tin of already roasted nuts, so it just wasn’t going to happen. But I did finally get around to making them this past weekend for the women in my bookclub.

The Results: These are phenomenal and a perfect addition to any party menu. They are definitely best served warm, so I only made a half-batch because I knew that the six of us couldn’t polish off 4 cups of nuts. I also cut back on the oil a bit, and my nut mix was made up of mostly pecans and almonds, with a few cashews for good measure. I didn’t really measure my spices, I just eyeballed them, but I probably put in a bit more rosemary, cayenne and red pepper flakes than called for in the original recipe. I found that they only needed 8-10 minutes in the oven before they were beautifully roasted.

A big thumbs up for these. I will be making more very soon. They are so easy and so amazingly delicious! Dirt nuts need not apply. Unless you like dirt nuts. Then have at it.

Spicy Rosemary Cocktail Nuts – minimally adapted from Gourmande In the Kitchen

3 cups mixed raw nuts
2 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
2 teaspoon kosher salt or sea salt
½ teaspoon cayenne
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine nuts in a medium bowl and add olive oil. Stir well. Add remaining ingredients and stir to comine thoroughly.

Spread nuts on prepared baking sheet in a single layer. Bake until lightly browned and fragrant, about 10 minutes, stirring occassionally. Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes before serving.

Makes approximately 8 servings. Carb count will depend on what types of nuts you use. The way I made it (mostly pecans and almonds with a little bit of cashews), each serving has 7.4g of carbs and 4.8g of fiber.

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Grandma Denny’s Homemade Ranch Dip

My Grandma Denny’s Homemade Ranch Dip was a Denny family favorite long before anyone heard of Ranch Dressing! And this family favorite Ranch Dip is a delicious low-carb and keto dip recipe and in my family this makes an appearance at every holiday gathering!

PIN Grandma Denny’s Homemade Ranch Dip to try it later!

My Grandma Denny’s Homemade Ranch Dip is one of my favorite memories from childhood! As early as I can remember, my Grandma Denny made a fantastic dip that she served with carrots and celery as an appetizer at every family gathering. In those days we called Grandma’s homemade ranch dip just *Vegetable Dip* as if there was only one kind of dip that could possibly be served with veggies.

This was long before the introduction of Ranch Dressing to the American culinary scene, and obviously my Grandma Denny was ahead of her time, because now people all over the country are eating Ranch Dip with veggies. And in my own extended family, there would never be a holiday gathering without this delicious homemade Ranch Dip on the table.

Of course there’s nothing wrong with making Ranch-Style Vegetable Dip using a package mix if that time-saver works for you. But my grandma’s Homemade Ranch Dip is a bit fresher tasting as well as being low in carbs, and if you usually use the mix but don’t have a package on hand I bet you’ll love my Grandma’s recipe.

Grandma Denny always used full-fat mayo and sour cream, but for anyone wanting lower fat you can obviously make this with reduced-fat products if you prefer. Or if you don’t like mayo, you might prefer the variation below for Greek Yogurt Ranch Dip, made with Greek yogurt and blended cottage cheese for a higher protein, lower-fat dip.

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

Can you make this dip with onion powder?

I love the flavor the grated onion gives to my Grandma Denny’s homemade ranch dip. But if you prefer or want to save time, just use 1 tsp. onion powder.

Can you make this homemade ranch dip with Greek Yogurt?

I sometimes make a variation of this that I call Greek Yogurt Ranch Dip that’s lower in fat and higher in protein. For that variation follow this recipe but replace the sour cream with one cup of cottage that’s blended in the food processor until it’s nearly smooth and replace the mayo with one cup fat-free Greek Yogurt. (This is the version I would make when I was strictly following the original South Beach Diet.)

Want a version of ranch dip with more texture?

You can make a variation of this homemade ranch dip recipe with a little chopped red onion, finely diced cucumber, and finely diced red pepper if you’d like a chunkier dip. I would use about 2 T of each.

How to Make Grandma Denny’s Homemade Ranch Dip:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

My Grandma always used Bon Appetit Seasoning Salt as the secret seasoning in her vegetable dip, but it’s no longer being made (sob!) If you still have Bon Appetit, use it, but now I use Beau Monde Seasoning (affiliate link). If you’re in Europe you can also use Trocomare Seasoning. (affiliate link)
Grate a small amount of raw onion into a bowl. (I use the large side of a box grater; don’t use a microplane grater which just turns the onion to liquid.)
Add mayo and sour cream to bowl.
Then add Beau Monde Seasoning and dried dill weed (affiliate link).
Mix all ingredients together well with a whisk. You can use a food processor as well, but the whisk is quicker.
Let the dip chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour or two for best flavor.
Serve with raw vegetables like celery, sugar snap peas, bell pepper strips, jicama, radishes, broccoli, or cauliflower.
This is also good with carrots or as a dip for baked sweet potato fries for those who don’t mind more carbs.
I tested this out on my friend Robin and she gave it two thumbs up!

More Tasty Vegetable Dips You Might Like:

Weekend Food Prep:

This recipe has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep where you’ll find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!

Ingredients

1 cup sour cream (see notes)
1 cup mayo (see notes)
1 tsp. grated onion
2 tsp. dried dill weed
2 tsp. Beau Monde Seasoning (see notes)

Instructions

Grate onion into a bowl, using the large side of a box grater or flat grater (not a microplane grater.)
Add all other ingredients to the bowl and stir together with a whisk (or you can use a food processor, but it’s not necessary.)
Chill an hour or so before serving.

Notes

I only use Daisy full-fat sour cream and full-fat mayo for this recipe but if you prefer to make a lower-fat version of the recipe you can definitely use reduced fat sour cream and mayo.

My Grandma always used Bon Appetit Seasoning for this. When that was discontinued I started making it with Beau Monde Seasoning (affiliate link), which is almost identical in flavor.

This will keep in the refrigerator for several weeks. Nutritional information doesn’t include vegetables and is calculated on 1/4 cup serving size.

Recipe from my Grandma Denny, who was a wonderful cook!

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 245Total Fat: 26gSaturated Fat: 6gUnsaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 29mgSodium: 564mgCarbohydrates: 2gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 1g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Grandma Denny’s Homemade Ranch Dip is great for low-carb diets.Eat with low-carb vegetables like celery, sugar snap peas, jicama, bell pepper strips, radishes, broccoli, or cauliflower for low-carb diets. If you’re making this for the original South Beach Diet the Greek Yogurt Ranch Dip variation above is better for South Beach.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Appetizers to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
Kalyn was making this dip recipe long before the existence of the internet, and it was first posted on this site in 2005 (probably without a single photo in those days.) The recipe was last updated with more information in 2023.

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