MyTastr

Best roasted peanuts, according to chefs

Three picks, each tied to a named taster and a public source — from Peter Meehan, Tyler Brown, Floyd Cardoz and Katie Workman. Recommendations come from archive.nytimes.com, thelocalpalate.com, gardenandgun.com and thekitchn.com.

Pantry Staples · The ranking

  1. 1
    Top pick

    Feridies Salted Virginia Peanuts

    Chosen by
    Hand-cooked in small batches in pure peanut oil at the Peanut Patch in Courtland, Virginia, from the largest 2% of the crop. Meehan called them “the best peanuts I’d ever had”: bigger than rivals, seasoned with finer salt, and mellow enough that he saves them for cooking and cocktail hour (“perfect with a dry gin martini”). He also singles out Feridies’ honey-roasted peanuts for their “appreciably stronger peanut flavor.” A friend’s gift, not a sample.
    Where to buy · feridies.com ↗Instacart ↗Source: archive.nytimes.com ↗
  2. 2

    Hubs Salted Virginia Peanuts

    Chosen by
    Also chosen by
    Dot Hubbard’s 1954 recipe, still made by her family in Sedley, Virginia: hand-picked jumbo peanuts, blanched, then blister-fried until “impossibly crunchy.” Brown first opened a tin in the rooms at Keswick Hall: “I remember thinking, ‘This is a premier peanut!’… there’s nothing out there quite like that.” He later made Hubs the only peanut on the menu at Southall. The limited single-origin tins from farmer Elisha Barnes’ sun-cured crop are the splurge.
    Where to buy · hubspeanuts.com ↗Instacart ↗Source: thelocalpalate.com ↗
  3. 3

    Kirkland Signature Super Extra-Large Peanuts

    Chosen by
    Also chosen by
    Roasted, salted Virginia peanuts in a 2.5-pound tin. Cardoz bought them for years: “They’re large, they never get stale… and the salt balance is very good. In all the years I’ve been buying these, I’ve never had a single bad nut!” Workman: “generously salted, deeply nutty, and super crunchy,” at a fraction of the price of specialty Virginia tins. Costco only (sometimes on Amazon).
    Where to buy · costco.com ↗Instacart ↗Source: thekitchn.com ↗

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Questions, answered

What is the best roasted peanuts, according to chefs?
MyTastr’s top pick is Feridies Salted Virginia Peanuts, chosen by Peter Meehan (The New York Times; Lucky Peach). Hand-cooked in small batches in pure peanut oil at the Peanut Patch in Courtland, Virginia, from the largest 2% of the crop. Meehan called them “the best peanuts I’d ever had”: bigger than rivals, seasoned with finer salt, and mellow enough that he saves them for cooking and cocktail hour (“perfect with a dry gin martini”). He also singles out Feridies’ honey-roasted peanuts for their “appreciably stronger peanut flavor.” A friend’s gift, not a sample. Source: archive.nytimes.com ↗
What are the other top picks for roasted peanuts?
No. 2 is Hubs Salted Virginia Peanuts, chosen by Tyler Brown (chef, formerly Keswick Hall and Southall). No. 3 is Kirkland Signature Super Extra-Large Peanuts, chosen by Floyd Cardoz (Top Chef Masters winner); Katie Workman (cookbook author, AP food columnist). Each card above links to the original source.
How does MyTastr choose these picks?
Every pick is tied to a named chef, cookbook author or food expert and links to the public interview, panel or article it came from. We survey dozens, often hundreds, of top chefs, food writers and critics, and order reflects how often and how strongly a brand is recommended. Only organic recommendations count — paid endorsements don’t — and brands can’t buy a spot. Read how we pick.

The tasters behind this ranking

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