Cinnamon Sugar Candied Nuts
This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our privacy policy for details.
You won’t believe how easy this is to make, and it’s the perfect budget-friendly gift for family and friends!
Featured Comment
Candied nuts. What a holiday staple! Made so easily on a sheet pan (thank you parchment paper for a quick and easy clean up), and so perfect for snacking, entertaining or gifting. These bad boys disappear fast though so a double batch may be absolutely necessary here.
why make candied nuts at home
- Budget-friendly. Candied pecans or candied almonds are so easy to make with a short ingredient list (about 5-6 ingredients) using pantry staples.
- Versatile. Great for salad toppings, appetizers, cheese boards and holiday snacking.
- Makes for great gifts. Candied nuts also make for a lovely last-minute holiday treat for friends, family, teachers, neighbors, dog walkers and co-workers.
Ingredients
Egg white
This serves as a great binder to help the cinnamon sugar coating adhere to the nuts.
Sugar and brown sugar
A combination of granulated and light brown sugar is ideal. Coconut sugar can also be substituted.
Cinnamon
A good quality cinnamon is best.
Nuts
Use a combination of your favorite nuts! Just be sure to start with raw, unsalted nuts to avoid any unwanted added flavors.
tips and tricks for success
- Try different nuts. You can use your favorite combination of nuts – almonds, pecans, walnuts, or cashews – all of them will work very well here.
- Double the recipe. Need a big batch? The recipe can easily be doubled using two sheet pans to avoid overcrowded pans.
- Mix it up. Add chopped fresh herbs (thyme or rosemary) or a pinch of cayenne pepper for a little bit of heat!
Tools For This Recipe
Baking sheet
Cinnamon Sugar Candied Nuts: Frequently Asked Questions
Any combination of almonds, pecans, walnuts or cashews are all solid choices.
Store-bought cinnamon sugar is fine to use in a pinch but we recommend making it homemade (using granulated sugar, light brown sugar and good quality cinnamon) for the best results possible. This allows you to control the cinnamon-sugar-ratio for the most perfect spice level.
You can add a little bit of chili powder or cayenne pepper for a kick of heat!
Candied nuts can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 week.
Pack them into mason jars or clear gift bags, tied off with a ribbon or bow.
Cinnamon Sugar Candied Nuts
Ingredients
- 1 large egg white
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar, packed
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 2 cups raw almonds
- 1 cup raw pecans
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together egg white and 1 tablespoon water until frothy, about 2 minutes; set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine sugars and cinnamon; set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine almonds, pecans and egg white mixture until well combined. Stir in brown sugar mixture until evenly coated.
- Spread almond mixture onto prepared baking sheet in an even layer. Place into oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, stirring at halftime.
- Let cool completely before serving.
Video
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
Tried this last year for the first time, and boy was it well received! I add 1/8 tsp cayenne for a little spicy with the sweet. Actually making my third batch tonight!
Oh wow! That’s a great addition, I bet it’s yummy!
Would this work in a Toaster oven?
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without having tried this myself, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment when making substitutions and modifications.
Super easy and delicious. Made a variety of nuts and packaged them as gifts. Added a little salt to them before baking and it makes them even better. Also discovered almonds need a few extra minutes to toast since they are a bit thicker.
That’s great!
Can u use a sugar substitute like trivia ?
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without having tried this myself, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment when making substitutions and modifications.
How long can sugar coated nuts keep
As I am not an expert on food safety, I cannot really say with certainty. Methods for optimal food storage and shelf life should be based on good judgment and what you are personally comfortable with. Hope that helps, Rosematie!
I put these in my smoker and cooked with cherry wood. AMAZING! Sams has 3 lbs of raw almonds for $12. Selling these at the farmers market on Saturday.
Heather, What a great idea! How long did you smoke them for?
Can you freeze these for a couple weeks?
Unfortunately, I cannot answer this with certainty as I have never tried freezing this myself – there were no leftovers left to freeze! Please use your best judgment for freezing and reheating.
What would the shelf life be for these? I would like to make them as Christmas presents but don’t know how early I can make them.
Methods for optimal food storage and shelf life should be based on good judgment and what you are personally comfortable with.
Thanks so much, Chungah! This is just what I’ve been thinking about doing for presents this Christmas. Yes, the nuts are expensive, but not as expensive as what I would spend on a nice “bought” present. I love your site! – Maureen
My sister brought candied nuts as a treat rot add to dinner munchies after or befor! Unfortunately they are all sticky! We tasted but didn’t eat any. Two things…she didn’t coat them in an egg white nor did she toast them….just discovered they are not raw either….can I do egg white at this stage and then put in oven to toast?
Yes!
This is exxactly i finding, I am so excited to try these recipes, It combines two of my favorite things – cinnamon and candied. Thank for sharing
Looks delicious! Is it best to use dark brown or light brown sugar? Thank you!
It is best to use light brown sugar. Recipes typically specify when dark brown sugar is required. Hope that helps!
For those that are curious. I used truvia brown sugar blend and truvia scoopable sugar and it is wonderful, maybe just a little too sweet. I followed the recipe exactly but next time I will use less white and more cinnamon. The whole recipe divided by 8 servings is 298 Kcal as calculated by my fitness pal.
Incredibly easy to make, and delicious. Keep finding reasons to nip in to the kitchen to dip into the jar! I also added a little sea salt to the sugar mix. Just off to check something in the kitchen again …
Thanks for this recipe, they’re delicious! I used a mix of coconut sugar and golden caster sugar, plus a mix of almonds, hazelnuts, pecans and cashews. My egg white was pretty large, and I think the mixture could have coated more nuts if I had wanted – as it was, they were just coated decadently. Thinking of making these as little Christmas gifts. Thanks again 🙂
Made these just now! Do I really have to let them cool completely as they are fantastic warm!!!
I made these using pecans, almonds and cashews. They were amazing! I made them for Christmas gifts…perfect! Also I tried freezing the finished nuts and they thawed just fine, still nice and crispy. Thanks!
Could you use peanuts?
Unfortunately, I cannot answer this with certainty as I have never tried using peanuts. Please use your best judgment.
did you ever try with walnuts?
I actually have not tried with walnuts – only pecans and almonds!
Walnuts are great for this recipe and usually less expensive than almonds and pecans.
Did you coat them again after baking, with more sugar. The picture rather looks like you have added more, but don’t want to do that if it’s not called for and I don’t see any mention of it in the recipe. Plan to try them soon. Thanks.
No, I did not. The pictures here are the exact replica of what is written in the recipe.