These sugary sweet Candied Spiced Nuts will up your snack game for any party! Grab whatever mixed nuts you enjoy and coat them in a flavorful, spiced and sugary coating. Toast until they are candied perfection and then enjoy!
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About this Spiced Nuts recipe
When the holidays roll around, I’m in my “make every cozy treat imaginable” mode. These candied nuts are always on the docket! Honestly, I make them even when it’s not wintertime because they are just that good.
Spiced nuts are the warming, delicious treat that everyone will enjoy. And bonus points, it makes your house smell so amazing while you make them! Far better than any candle or air freshener could — this is that real, freshly baked, comforting smell.
This recipe comes from my best friend who made me fall in love with this recipe on past trips to see her, and now she’s let me have the recipe so I don’t have to wait so long to get my fix between visits!
They’re now a staple of my holidays. I’ve used these nuts on top of my baked brie recipe before and it is out-of-this-world amazing! That sweet, nutty flavor combined with creamy brie is truly unforgettable. But there are so many other ways to serve these too.
These are also so fun to make for movie night. Serve them with some fresh caramel corn or buttered popcorn and you’ll never want movie theater concessions again. This quick candied nuts recipe is so easy to love!
More sweet recipes: Cookies and Cream Popcorn • Lemon Bars • Easy Pumpkin Bread
Why you’ll love this recipe
What’s not to love about an easy to make, sugary-sweet treat:
- This recipe is really adaptable! You can use whatever nuts you like, add any spices you want and make this recipe fit all of your preferences.
- Not only are these great for snacking, but they can be used as toppings in a salad, served on ice cream, mixed into baked goods and so much more.
- These make a fantastic gift! I’m all for bringing back the tradition of gifting baked goods to loved ones — and this recipe would make anyone smile.
Tools & equipment
To make these spiced nuts, you only need a few basic kitchen tools. Make sure you’ve got a really big nonstick skillet, a big spatula and measuring cups and spoons.
You’ll also need a rimmed baking sheet to cool the candied nuts. And grab a large airtight container, or multiple small containers, to store the nuts in once they’ve cooled.
Ingredients
While this list of ingredients is a bit long, the prep time is so quick. I promise, this recipe is so worth making! Here’s what you’ll need:
- pecan halves
- cashews
- pistachios
- pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds)
- sliced almonds
- olive oil
- ground cinnamon
- ground cardamom
- ground ginger
- cayenne pepper
- ground nutmeg
- ground cloves
- cayenne pepper
- black pepper
- fresh chopped rosemary
- maple syrup
- kosher salt
- flaky sea salt
- raisins, dried cranberries or dried cherries
- candied ginger
Substitutions & variations
Go nuts: You can pretty much use any kind of nut you want in this recipe! Grab your favorite unsalted mixed nuts. Raw or roasted (but NOT honey-roasted) is fine depending on your preference. Omit anything I used, too, if you prefer. Some options to add would be whole almonds, peanuts, macadamia nuts, and walnuts. You just want to have about 10 cups of nuts.
Adjust the spices: Feel free to omit or change any of the spices that this recipe calls for. You can pare down the cayenne pepper if you don’t like as much spice, but I still find this recipe to be pretty mild.
Oil swaps: Avocado oil, vegetable oil and coconut oil are all great swaps for the olive oil. You just want something neutral-tasting.
More mix-ins: I like to add raisins and chopped candied ginger for soft texture, but you can mix in so many other things! Dried cherries, craisins or other dried fruit would be perfection. Something sweet like M&M’s or other chocolate candies would be delicious. Snacky items like pretzels, Chex cereal or Cheerios would be great for extra crunch and texture too. The more you add, the bigger the batch will be, which can help you stretch these mixed nuts into more jars to share.
Instructions
Let’s make some spiced nuts! First, prepare a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Get out your biggest nonstick skillet and place it on the stovetop. Add all of the nuts you are using. Add a tiny bit of oil to the pan and toss until all of the nuts are coated.
Heat the pan over medium low heat and allow to sit to begin toasting. When you start to barely smell the nuts toasting, use a spatula to turn them, keeping them moving so they don’t burn.
At this point you’ll want to add the spices and herbs. Sprinkle on the cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, Cayenne pepper, black pepper and chopped rosemary. (Hold off on the salt until the very end though!) Once you add in all of the spices, keep turning the whole mix for a couple of minutes until you can smell the spices blooming.
Drizzle some maple syrup onto the nuts — the mixture will begin to sizzle. Turn vigorously now, coating everything but not creating pools of syrup.
Once everything is sizzling and coated, turn out all the nuts onto the baking sheet, spreading them out as much as possible. Sprinkle entire pan with kosher salt and/or flaky sea salt, and add some raisins or dried cherries. Allow to cool completely. Once cooled, adjust the spices and salt to taste and then put in jars or serve.
Tips & tricks
Check out these few tips to make these candied nuts extra tasty:
- You can use raw or roasted nuts in this recipe, but do not use honey roasted as they’ll burn in the toasting stage.
- I’ve also previously added honey to the maple syrup stage, but that results in a stickier end product, as does putting the nuts in the freezer. So I don’t recommend doing either of those things!
- I know some people bake their nuts again for crispiness, but I haven’t ever done that so can’t speak to it. I have a feeling that it may end up burning them though, so I don’t necessarily recommend it.
Food & drink pairings
What’s amazing is that these spiced nuts can be used in so many different ways. Serve them on this apple pecan salad in place of the pecans for an extra tasty twist!
They’re also so great with certain desserts too. Place some as a garnish on top of chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting — so delicious! Even mix them into peanut butter chocolate chip oatmeal cookies.
For cocktail hour, serve these candied nuts with drinks like a chocolate old fashioned or an espresso martini. Something nutty like a toasted almond cocktail or a nutty Irishman would be great too!
FAQ
It’s really important to make sure that you spread out the nuts to cool so that they don’t hold warmth and remain sticky. If you allow them to cool, the maple syrup won’t be sticky and instead you’ll have a delicious sweet treat!
Store din an airtight container, they’ll last at room temperature for about a week. You can store them in the fridge to extend their shelf life a big!
More Nutty Recipes
- Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie
- Peanut Butter Brownie Ice Cream
- Pink Squirrel Cocktail
- Peanut Butter & Jelly Old-Fashioned
— Did you make this recipe? —
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Candied Nuts
ingredients
- 2 cups pecan halves
- 2 cups cashews unsalted
- 2 cups pistachios shelled and unsalted
- 2 cups pepitas shelled pumpkin seeds, unsalted
- 2 cups sliced almonds unsalted
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or avocado oil
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon ground cardamom
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper or less for less spice
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 sprigs fresh rosemary chopped finely
- ½ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt to taste
- 2 teaspoons flaky sea salt such as Maldon, to taste
- ½ cup raisins dried cranberries or dried cherries
- ½ cup candied ginger chopped small
instructions
- Prepare a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large non-stick pan, add pecans, cashews, pistachios, pepitas, almonds. Drizzle oil over top and toss to coat.
- Turn pan on medium low, let sit to begin toasting. When you start to barely smell the nuts toasting, use a spatula to turn them often, keeping them moving so they don’t burn.
- Sprinkle on the cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, Cayenne pepper, black pepper and rosemary. (If you like, reserve some chopped rosemary to throw in at the end.) Hold off on the salt until the end. Keep turning the mixture for about 5 minutes until you can smell the spices blooming. Again, don’t let the nuts burn.
- Drizzle on the maple syrup and stir to coat. The mixture will sizzle. Turn vigorously, coating all of the nuts, but not creating pools of syrup.
- Once everything is sizzling and coated, remove from heat. Pour all the nuts onto the baking sheet, spreading them out as much as possible.
- While warm, sprinkle entire pan with kosher salt and flaky sea salt. Stir in raisins and candied ginger.
- Once completely cooled, toss. Taste and add more salt and pepper if desired. Put in jars or serve.
notes
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