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This super easy candied walnuts recipe yields gorgeously coated sugary, crunchy nuts with a Chinese-inspired spice mix to add a spicy savory touch. They are perfect for holiday gifting, topping on your salad, or simply serving as a snack. {Vegan, Gluten-Free}

Easy Candied Walnuts with Spice

4 from 1 vote
This super easy candied walnuts recipe yields gorgeously coated sugary, crunchy nuts with a Chinese-inspired spice mix to add a spicy savory touch. They are perfect for holiday gifting, topping on your salad, or simply serving as a snack. {Vegan, Gluten-Free}
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Course: Snack
Cuisine: chinese american
Keyword: holiday cooking
Servings: 4 servings
Author: Maggie Zhu

Ingredients

Spice Mix

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/8 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground Sichuan peppercorn
  • Pinch cumin powder

Candied nuts

  • 1 cup skinless walnuts halves and pieces
  • 1/4 cup white sugar
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Instructions

  • For the spice mix: Combine the spice mix ingredients in a small bowl and stir to mix well.
  • Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat until just turning warm. Swirl the pan to let the oil coat as much surface as possible. Sprinkle the sugar into the pan in a thin layer.
  • Turn to medium-low heat. Cook, swirl the pan occasionally, until most of the sugar has melted and starts turning an amber color and small bubbles come up, 3 minutes or so.
  • Add the nuts. Stir everything together to let the sugar coat the nuts as evenly as possible. Keep cooking and stirring until all the sugar has melted and the sugar turns a golden brown color, about 2 minutes. Then immediately transfer everything onto the lined baking sheet.
  • Sprinkle the spice mix evenly over the nuts. Toss a few times to mix well. Spread out the nuts again and separate them as much as possible using a spatula. Let cool until the coating has hardened, 10 minutes or so. Then you can easily break apart the nuts using your hands.
  • Serve as an appetizer or a snack. Once they’ve cooled completely, store the leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 to 4 days.

Notes

  1. I rarely measure the oil in most of my savory dishes, but it’s important to measure out the oil in this recipe. If using too little oil, the sugar won’t melt properly. If using too much, the sugar syrup will have a hard time coating the nuts.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 271kcal, Carbohydrates: 15.7g, Protein: 7.5g, Fat: 21.9g, Saturated Fat: 1.7g, Sodium: 148mg, Potassium: 166mg, Fiber: 2.2g, Sugar: 12.9g, Calcium: 20mg, Iron: 1mg