This recipe for candied walnuts is walnut halves coated in a sweet cinnamon sugar mixture and baked to crispy and crunchy perfection. Candied walnuts are perfect for salads, or package them up for a fun homemade gift idea!
Walnuts are a staple in my house. I add them to recipes such as apple crisp, Waldorf salad, charoset, muhammara, baked apples and even rocky road fudge! I also love to make candied walnuts for a satisfying snack.
When I make salad recipes, I like to add some fun ingredients to elevate them from basic greens with dressing. I often toss in some homemade candied walnuts to turn an ordinary salad into a culinary delight! Best of all, it’s so easy to candy nuts at home.
Table of Contents
Candied Walnuts Ingredients
To make this recipe, you will need granulated sugar, light brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, egg white, water and walnut halves.
How Do You Make Candied Walnuts?
Preheat the oven, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place both types of sugar, cinnamon and salt in a small bowl, then mix to combine. In a large bowl, whisk the egg white with the water until you have a frothy mixture. Add the walnuts into the egg white and toss to coat evenly. Pour the cinnamon sugar mixture into the bowl and stir to combine. Place the nuts in a single layer on the sheet pan. Bake until the coating on the nuts has hardened, then serve and enjoy.
Tips For The Perfect Dish
- This recipe works best with walnut halves. You can use walnut pieces if you prefer, but they may need less time in the oven.
- It’s important to stir the nuts at least once during the cooking process so that they don’t burn.
- Candied walnuts will stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.
- If you plan to give your nuts as a gift, I recommend packaging them up in little clear bags with a ribbon, or place them into small mason jars.
- This recipe can also be prepared with other types of nuts such as pecans or almonds.
- Feel free to get creative with the spices. Instead of cinnamon, try adding other flavors such as nutmeg, a dash of vanilla extract or ground ginger. You can even add some cayenne pepper for sweet and spicy nuts.
Quick Tip
You can easily double or even triple this recipe if you need a larger quantity.
Recipe FAQs
The standard serving size for nuts is 1 ounce, which is equal to 1/4 cup. This equates to approximately 14 walnut halves.
Candied nuts should not be sticky on the outside. If they are sticky, it means that they were not cooked long enough so the sugar crust did not harden properly.
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Ways To Use Candied Walnuts
- Salads: Try these nuts on fall favorites such as brussels sprout salad, Tuscan kale salad, fennel salad, pear salad or fig salad.
- Appetizers: Use your nuts to decorate a charcuterie board or cheese board. Chop the nuts and use them to coat cheese ball bites.
- Desserts: Add a handful of chopped walnuts as a garnish for eggnog cake, pumpkin cupcakes, pumpkin cheesecake or pumpkin bars.
- Side Dishes: Candied walnuts pair beautifully with sweet potato souffle, pomegranate brussels sprouts or rice pilaf.
- Breakfast: Add some nuts to your french toast casserole, or sprinkle them over pumpkin pancakes. They also make a great topper for chia pudding.
Whether you’re looking to recreate your favorite restaurant salad or simply looking for an addicting snack (hey, nuts are healthy at least!!), try whipping up a batch of these cinnamon sugar nuts. You’ll be glad you did!
More Recipes For Nut Lovers
Candied Pecans
35 mins
Pecan Pie Bars
1 hr
Homemade Chex Mix
10 mins
Peanut Brittle
45 mins
Sticky Buns Recipe
3 hrs 30 mins
Love This Recipe?
Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments section further down the page.
Candied Walnuts
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg white
- 1 teaspoon water
- 8 ounces walnut halves
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Line a sheet pan with a silicon baking mat or parchment paper.
- Place the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a small bowl. Mix until thoroughly combined.
- In a large bowl, whisk the egg white with the water until the mixture is frothy. Pour the walnuts into the egg white mixture and toss to coat. Pour in the cinnamon sugar mixture and stir until nuts are thoroughly coated in the sugar.
- Place the nuts in a single layer on the sheet pan.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, stirring halfway through the baking time, until the coating on the nuts has hardened.
- Cool completely and store in an airtight container until ready for use.
Notes
- This recipe works best with walnut halves. You can use walnut pieces if you prefer, but they may need less time in the oven.
- It’s important to stir the nuts at least once during the cooking process so that they don’t burn.
- Candied walnuts will stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.
I was wondering if you could replace the sugar with a little maple syrup instead.
I haven’t tested it this way, but my concern is that the liquid from the syrup would make the coating wet and not adhere to the nuts.
Perfect amount of sweetness. I make the recipe with pecans as I prefer them over walnuts. And I like to do some replacing the cinnamon with about 1- 1.5 tsp of yellow curry powder for a more savoury option. We snack on them. But they’d make a good salad topping, I’m sure.
great recipe will be using this to make candied pecans as well!
Does this recipe work with pecans?
Yes pecans will work!
This recipe is soo good! I ate them fresh out of the oven and had to stop myself. I made them specifically to go on my yogurt and it hit the spot.
I did take the suggestions of other commenters and substituted half the water for vanilla extract and added the cayenne. *chefs kiss*
Very good. Like another reviewer I substituted half of the water with vanilla extract. And I threw in a 1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper. They have to cool to get that crunch but then thay are a little addictive.
I used this recipe for Christmas. They turned out so great,the flavor was perfect! I put them in mason jars which Carla made such a special extra gift. Everyone enjoyed!!
Excellent recipe as written. I made it for a Strawberry and Mandarin Orange Salad for a baby shower brunch. As soon as I tasted it, I knew it would be an awesome homemade party favor for the holidays, too. Thanks for the recipe!
Delicious! I left out the cinnamon and added 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla and reduced the water to 1/2 teaspoon. Used as a garnish with a lamb rib and tzatziki dish. Ate the rest of the candied walnuts for breakfast!
These turned out perfect. Love this recipe, quick and easy. I’m making more for Christmas 🎄.