This recipe for Candied Walnuts is quick, easy, and ready in less than 10 minutes! Perfect for the holidays, snacking, or topping a salad, these candied walnuts are absolutely addicting. They’re laced with a rich, buttery, sweetness and that added crunch. It’s hard to stop eating them!
We love snacking on treats throughout the holiday season! Some other festive favorites include sweet & minty Peppermint Bark Caramel Corn, and these Chocolate Covered Pretzel Rods!
Table of Contents
Whether it’s for a festive gift for friends and neighbors, grazing during movie night, or adding a little something extra to a healthy cranberry salad at the Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner table, these Candied Walnuts are something you don’t want to miss out on! It takes just 7 minutes (yes, SEVEN!) to whip up a batch, and they taste absolutely amazing!
For this 4 ingredient recipe, the walnuts are lightly toasted in a pan on the stovetop as they’re cooked along with butter, sugar, and cinnamon. The cinnamon really brings the warm, cozy flavors out. They taste amazing!
There are a few ways to eat these easy candied walnuts, although if I’m being perfectly honest, my personal preference is to just grab a handful in passing to enjoy them all on their own as a snack. But be sure to try them as a garnish on yogurt with fresh fruit, on top of a scoop of ice cream, or you can try these candied walnuts for salad.
Another idea (and the one I’m going to try next) is topping baked brie with candied walnuts and some dried cranberries, served with crackers or pita chips. Perfect Christmas party food!
Ingredients for Candied Walnuts
- Walnuts: The star of this recipe is walnuts! You could easily substitute pecans, almonds, or another nut if that’s what you have on hand, but I’ve gotta say that walnuts are my absolute favorite.
- Butter: Walnuts themselves are rich, but the salted butter adds so much more to this recipe! It also helps break down the sugar so that it melts and everything sticks together well.
- Sugar: Much needed sweetness! I used white granulated sugar this time, but you could make candied walnuts with brown sugar instead. It would add a more caramel flavor, than just sweetness.
- Cinnamon: Just a touch of cinnamon gives warmth and brings all of the other flavors together. This spice is perfect for the holiday season.
How to make Candied Walnuts
- Add it all together. Firstly, add the walnuts, sugar, butter, and cinnamon to a nonstick pan over medium heat.
- Cook. Next, stir your candied walnuts ingredients constantly in the pan, until the sugar and butter are melted and coating the nuts. Usually, this will take about 3 to 5 minutes. It’s important not to get distracted and forget about them or the sugar or nuts could burn.
- Cool. Finally, transfer the hot candied walnuts to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and separate to cool. Serve whole or chopped.
How to store Candied Walnuts
After these candied walnuts have cooled completely, I recommend storing them in an airtight container. They’ll last for up to a week. However, if you want them to last even longer you can store them in the refrigerator. They’ll last for 3 weeks, although they won’t be as crunchy.
Can I freeze candied walnuts?
Yes! You can make a double or triple batch and freeze them for up to 2 months in an airtight container. They won’t be as crunchy, but they’ll still taste great.
Can I use a different kind of nut for this recipe?
Yes! Here are a few that will work really well:
- Pecans
- Almonds
- Brazil nuts
- Hazelnuts
- Cashews
- Macadamias
- Mixed nuts
How do I use these candied nuts?
There are so many great ways to eat these!
- Give them as a gift at Christmas with a festive tag!
- Add them to a salad
- Ice cream topping
- Yogurt topping
- Fresh fruit topping
- On their own as a snack or party food
- With cheese (particularly baked brie!)
- On toast with cream cheese spread
This is my Apple Salad with these candied walnuts and it’s one of my favorites!
More recipes with walnuts you will love
- Pan-Fried Butterscotch Bananas & Walnuts
- Baked Brie with Figs, Walnuts & Honey
- Cinnamon, Walnut & Raisin Rugelach
- Chocolate Walnut Fudge
- Maple Walnut Ice Cream
- Kentucky Chocolate Walnut Pie
- Easy Honey Walnut Shrimp
Be sure to FOLLOW ME on INSTAGRAM, PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and TWITTER for more great recipe tips and ideas!
Candied Walnuts
Ingredients
- 1 cup walnuts
- 1 Tablespoon salted butter
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Add the walnuts, butter, sugar, and cinnamon to a nonstick pan over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the sugar and butter are melted and coating the nuts, about 3 to 5 minutes.1 cup walnuts, 1 Tablespoon salted butter, ¼ cup granulated sugar, ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and separate to cool. Serve whole or chopped.
LOVE candied nuts of any kind, and yours look so great! Ill try this technique!
Five stars! It’s almost 100 degrees with high humidity today…perfect for a spinach salad. But I was out of the candied nuts that help to make it special. This recipe didn’t require using the oven and heating the house up. And it was done in 5 min. The best part? They are delicious! I used half white sugar and half brown sugar and doubled the recipe. It all fit in my standard size large skillet. Thank you for sharing this recipe! It’s an oh-yeah!
Thank you for such a great review, Lisa! I’m so glad you liked this recipe!
This recipe didn’t work for me and was a disappointment. I followed it as written. I ended up with clumps of sugar that looked like ground beef. Only a tiny bit actually stuck to the walnuts. So they aren’t really sweet or coated. Just a bunch of plain walnuts and sugar clumps. 🙁
I’m sorry this didn’t work out for you!
If this happens to anyone else (likely with brown sugar) simply add a tiny bit of water and it will loosen up the clumps!!!
Do you have the recipe for the salad in the picture?? It looks great!
Yes! It’s my Apple Salad with Candied Walnuts! I updated the post with that info too. 🙂
I’m eating this recipe because I actually tried it which is what the stars are for. It’s irritating when people rate when something “looks good”. I loved the idea of this no-bake recipe but the glaze didn’t set up for me. I just ended up with sweet and soggy nuts. I believe water or oil of some kind is needed to cause the glaze to harden.
This worked really well for me. I got the sugar and butter melted together and warm but not liquid yet before adding the walnuts because I was afraid I’d burn the nuts but now I don’t think that was necessary. The sugar has to get hot enough to liquefy and I think the negative results were from people not cooking Ling enough to melt the sugar. I added a bit of scotch and vanilla extract at the end and held off on the cinnamon. They turned out perfectly!.
I was making a beet salad and it called for walnuts—not my favorite nut. Well, I used this recipe and WOW they were yummy. Many thanks for sharing.
I’m glad you liked them!
Amazing!! I have made these so many times. I have to say I have put much more cinnamon than you had in your recipe and I use Saigon cinnamon for a rich taste! We top salads, oatmeal and snack on them as well. I am trying to come up with a dessert recipe to incorporate them as well as a pleasant surprise!