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A wonderfully sweet and salty snack, Easy Candied Walnuts Recipe make a great addition to any cheese plate. Equally amazing sprinkled on salads and perfect for gift giving, you won’t believe how simple they are to make.
Every year, as the holiday season approaches the spiced nut carts start popping up around town. Mainly at outdoor shopping complexes or in the city but, wherever they are, I can smell them from a mile away. I love them. I go nuts for the nuts, it reminds me of the roasted chestnut carts steaming away on the corners of New York City at Christmas time.
Right now, let’s get back to the nuts. And by nuts, I mean the Cinnamon Candied Walnuts I promised.
Candied Walnuts are really handy to have in your back pocket, literally. You may need them to broker a deal on a parking space, to win that last pair of suede gloves or to give to a last minute surprise holiday guest during the holiday season. You know those people that pop in without notice, they happen.
Super Simple Ingredients
- Nuts – It all starts with the nuts. I like to use whole walnut halves for my candied nuts. You can substitute with pecans to make Candied Pecans, if you prefer.
- Sugar – I love the rich flavor of brown sugar. You can use light brown sugar or dark brown sugar. It caramelizes beautifully and goes well with the buttery flavor of the walnuts.
- Seasoning – You can keep it simple with cinnamon or you can go with something a bit more trendy like Chai Spice Mix.
- Eggs – The egg whites act as a binding agent helping the cinnamon sugar mixture adhere to the nuts. They also help the coating become glossy and and crisp when baked.
For the full ingredient list and instructions, see the recipe card below.
How To Make Candied Walnuts
Candied Walnuts are a super addicting snack that’s crazy easy to make from scratch. The cinnamon adds a subtle spice and the vanilla is lightly fragrant. It’s like a Snickerdoodle cookie but in crunchy nut form. You only need about 5 minutes of prep time to make your nuts!
- In a large bowl, mix together the nuts, egg whites, brown sugar, vanilla and cinnamon with a wooden spoon.
- Spread the nuts on a baking sheet lined with a sheet of parchment in a single layer and bake at 350˚F for 12-15 minutes until the candy coating is bubbling and thick.
- Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack and cool completely.
- Break the nuts apart and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
Candied Nut Variations
Though the ingredient list is short and sweet you can mix things up a little when adding flavor to your candied walnuts by adding any of these additions or substitutions.
- Substitute the brown sugar with 1/3 cup maple syrup for Maple Candied Walnuts
- Substitute the brown sugar with 3 tablespoons honey
- Add 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper with the cinnamon for a Spicy Candied Walnut recipe
- Substitute the brown sugar and cinnamon with 1/3 cup Cinnamon Sugar for an extra punch of cinnamon flavor
What To Serve With Candied Walnuts
We like to serve the best candied walnuts with an amazing cheeseboard or Charcuterie Board for the holidays or to top this crazy amazing Pear Salad! They’re also a great lunchbox snack with your Homemade Peanut Butter and Jelly Uncrustables Sandwich for a little sweet treat that’s not actually candy.
You could also sprinkle them on these Green Beans for a sweet and savory side dish or crush them to top this easy Butternut Squash Risotto!
More Easy Food Gift Ideas
You could also make a batch of these sweet and spicy almonds to go with the walnuts and a jar of caramel sauce for the ultimate holiday treat.
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Candied Walnuts Recipe
Equipment
- 1 baking sheet
- 1 spatula
- silicone baking mat or parchment paper
Ingredients
- 2 cups walnut halves and pieces
- 1 large egg white
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the nuts, egg white, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon until well blended.
- Spread the nuts on a baking sheet lined with parchment and bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes.
- Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Break the nuts apart and store in an airtight container for up to 7 days.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Amazing! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe. Did pecans and walnuts!!!! Cannot wait to try more of your recipes!
Peace.
Thank you so much!
I would use 1/4C of brown sugar instead of 1/3 – was too syrupy.
Thank you for your comment.
Have you ever added these caramelized walnuts to banana bread
I haven’t but that’s a splendid idea!
Why do all “Foodies” on the internet basically string you along and make you scroll thru endless pages of their personal opinions & never ending stories first ?? They all do it! Ugh! It’s a waste of my time and annoying, no matter how good the recipe is. Just give me the ingredients and instructions please.
You know what, Ava? It’s because we have to pay for the recipe ingredients, the testing, the hosting fees, etc and to do that we need to serve ads so we don’t have to charge you for the recipe. Free recipe and maybe 1/2 a second extra of your scrolling time seems like a small price to pay from a user stand point. Or you can even click the Jump to Recipe button at the top.
Amazing and awesome sauce
Thank you!
These have a WOW factor for sure. Have made several times. Am bringing as gifts for friends around the holidays.
Thank you so much for your comment! I’m so happy you like them!
I made them and they are DELICIOUS!!! I used maple syrup instead of the brown sugar, doubled the amount of cinnamon and added a little sprinkle of cayenne pepper! Can’t taste the cayenne pepper at all….but there are health benefits from it, so it’s all good!
I love cayenne with candied nuts, we actually have a recipe for sweet and spicy almonds. Thank you for your comment! https://thesuburbansoapbox.com/spicy-cinnamon-maple-roasted-almonds/
Love it!!
Can you sub with pecans?
Yes, this works very well with pecans!
Delicious! But,,,I found the cooking time a bit short. Gave the walnuts a good stir after 9 minutes
and cooled. Cooked 15 more minutes till they were browned. Absolutely perfect crunch!
thank you so much! I’m happy you enjoyed them!
So easy to make and so yummy! I think next time I will add a hint of salt, though.
We do add some salt on occasion but I have a lot of readers that are salt sensitive so I tend to go less in the recipe as written and adjust for my family. We love salt. :-). I’m so happy you liked them!