Homemade Roasted Seaweed Snacks

Making roasted seaweed snacks at home is a breeze. This recipe takes just 25 minutes to roast 30 sheets, resulting in crispy, nutty, and delicious snacks that are perfect for munching. For best results, it’s important to use the proper ingredients, including raw dried seaweed sheets.

My kids snack on these homemade roasted seaweed sheets (gim-gui, 김구이) like they’re chips—lightly salty, perfectly crisp, and seriously addictive!

Korean roasted seaweed has become a popular snack in the U.S. and around the world. While it’s easy to find in bulk at stores like Costco or your local grocery store, there’s something special about making it at home. Plus, roasting seaweed is much easier than you might think!!

I’ve got a simple homemade seaweed snack recipe that’s perfect for beginners. Make as much as you like and store any extras in the freezer for later.

If you’re a seaweed fan, why not try your hand at kimbap for a delicious seaweed finger food? Or whip up a quick seaweed egg drop soup for an easy and satisfying breakfast!

Choosing the Best Seaweed for Roasting

For thin, crisp seaweed snacks, choose Korean raw dried seaweed sheets like Parae-gim (파래김) or Dol-gim (돌김). These seaweeds have a rough texture with visible holes, making them ideal for roasting.

Unlike sushi nori, which is thicker and smoother, Korean seaweeds are lighter and crispier when roasted.

• Dol-gim (돌김): Made from dried red algae laver, it has a rough, coarse texture and works well for roasted snacks.
• Parae-gim (파래김) A mix of red and green algae, this type is the most common choice for roasting.

Both types are authentic to Korea and offer a unique texture and flavor that set them apart from Japanese seaweed. You can find both of them in major Korean markets.

Tips on picking good seaweeds

When you purchase parae-gim, dol-gim, or any type of seaweed, make sure to check the following:

1. Expiration date: You don’t want old, expired, rancid seaweed.
2. Smell the seaweed if you can. If it smells slightly moldy and unpleasant, avoid it.
3. If the package is sealed and won’t let you smell, then check the color of the seaweed. Fresh, dried seaweed should be almost black with a hint of very subtle brownness.
4. Avoid the seaweed showing a purple tint throughout. It is old and rancid.

What You’ll need

• 30 sheets of plain raw dried seaweed (parae-gim) or dol-gim
• 1 tablespoon of sesame oil + 1 tablespoon of grape seed oil (or use 2 tbsp of olive oil)
• Fine sea salt or kosher salt
• A disposable plastic glove

Since sesame oil has low smoking point, it is a good idea to mix with other non-fragrant oil to increase heat resistance. You can use perilla oil (deul-girum, 들기름) instead of sesame oil. If you are not fond of fragrance of sesame oil, use olive oil to replace both oils.

How to make roasted seaweed snack

Combine two oils

Mix oils with 1:1 ratio.

The easiest and fastest way to grease the entire seaweed sheets is using a disposable food prep glove. (Of course you can use your bare hand if you don’t mind it becoming very greasy).

• I roasted 30 sheets of seaweed and used about 1 tablespoon of each sesame oil and grape seed oil.

Wear disposable plastic glove on one hand. Dab a little bit of oil with one finger (with glove on) and rub it with other fingers to spread all over on your hand.

Rub oil onto dried seaweeds

Rub seaweed sheet with your oiled hand gently to spread a very thin coat of oil. You don’t want too much oil on the seaweed. (Apply the oil to only one side of the seaweed, not to both sides)

Sprinkle a pinch of salt over the oiled seaweed. The amount of salt is up to you. Repeat the layers and continue on the seaweed as you stack them until all of the seaweed sheets are oiled and sprinkled with salt.

Pan-roast the seaweeds

Heat the skillet over medium heat until hot. I used a pancake griddle.

Using kitchen tongs, pick up 2 sheets of seaweed at a time and lay them on the hot skillet. Within a second, it will shrink and toast the surface. The color of the seaweed will turn slightly green.

Flip to the other side and continue to toast. It should only take between 3- 5 seconds on each side. Adjust the heat level accordingly if the seaweed toasts too fast or too slow.

Here is the homemade roasted seaweed – perfectly roasted and seasoned! The sesame oil adds just right amount of fragrance that I like and adds a nice sheen to the seaweed.

How to eat roasted seaweeds

Thin, crisp, and a hint of saltiness, they are good to munch as is for a snack or makes a good accompaniment to beer (anju) – the Korean way!

Try wrapping rice with these seaweed snacks or crumbling them into rice to make mini jumeokbap (rice balls), just like in my tuna kimchi rice ball recipe.

As a child, I couldn’t eat rice without roasted seaweed. Wrapping rice with a piece of seaweed—sometimes with a little kimchi—was all I needed for a quick and satisfying bite.

So, what do you think? Ready to try making your own seaweed snacks? I went through 30 sheets in less than 20 minutes—I couldn’t stop!

Storage Tips

Roasted seaweed snacks stay fresh on the counter for up to 3 days. For longer storage, place them in an airtight container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months.

Avoid storing them in the fridge, as the moisture can make the seaweed soggy. Freezing is the best way to keep them fresh and prevent them from going rancid.