Candied Almonds from 101 Cooking for Two

Name: Easy Candied Almonds
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 70 min
Ingredients: 1 pound raw nuts ((almonds, pecans, cashews, or walnuts)); 1 egg white; 1 teaspoon vanilla; 1 tablespoon water; 3/4 cup sugar; 1 teaspoon cinnamon; 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

Recipe Table of Contents

4.60 from 32 votes

Candied almonds are easy to make and have a delicious crusty mouthwatering, crunchy cinnamon-vanilla crust. You only need a few ingredients and minimal skill. They make the perfect holiday gift or just a snack for the party.

close up image finished candied nuts on the cooking tray with white parechment paper

Table of Contents

👨‍🍳How the make this recipe
Almonds or other nuts
❓FAQs
📖Candy Recipes
🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
📝Full Recipe

Blue ribbon divider used for visual effect

Introduction

Who can forget that aroma at the fair or mall of candied almonds? The cinnamon, the vanilla, and the nuts are all roasted together—and now your home can smell the same. But I never make them for myself—they wouldn't last an hour.

Candied nuts of any type make the perfect "hostess gift" for that holiday party. They are great to set out for parties. They seem to be a Christmas-time tradition for Christmas markets or parties of any type.

And to top it off, they are cheap and easy to make. Nobody will believe you did it yourself at home. But it is only a 2/10 skill level, so it's time to impress your friends with your cooking ability.

Candied almonds can be made on the stovetop or cooked in a crockpot—both have some positives and negatives. But the oven technique seems the most user-friendly for the home cook.

👨‍🍳How the make this recipe

Whip the egg white and vanilla extract
Mix in the almonds or other nuts
Add the sugar, cinnamon, and other ingredients
Spread over a parchment-lined baking sheet
Bake at 250 ° for 1 hour, stirring every 15-20 minutes

Almonds or other nuts

Generally, use almonds, but you can make other types of candied nuts—pecans, walnuts, cashews, or mixed. I put that option in the recipe.

Use raw nuts, if possible. Already roasted nuts will be roasted a second time here, affecting the texture. Raw nuts are commonly available, so it shouldn't be a big problem.

Use unsalted nuts, if possible. Most raw nuts are unsalted and will be labeled. If you must use previously roasted nuts, use unsalted or lightly salted.

❓FAQs

Can I spice the coating differently?

Sure, the suggested flavoring is excellent, but here are some other ideas I have seen. I frequently increase the cinnamon and vanilla extract in most of my recipes since I love them both.

1) Double the cinnamon and the vanilla extract.
2) Add a small amount of cumin or cayenne pepper.
3) Pumpkin spice mix.
4) Use brown sugar to replace half of the white sugar.
5) Some people increased the sugar, some decreased, and some used Splenda.

What size pan to use?

The best pan is an 18 by 13-inch rimmed baking sheet—commonly called a half sheet pan. An un-edged cookie sheet is not a good idea.

The caramelized sugar coating will stick to almost anything. Cover the bottom of the pan and up the edges with parchment paper. Or you could cover the bottom with a silicone baking mat and oil the sides.

How to store candied almonds?

Let the candied almonds cool completely, then seal airtight in small jars with lids for gifts or in a Tupperware-type container.

Keep moisture away from the nuts. They are good at room temperature for 1 week.

You can also store refrigerated for up to 2 weeks. Again, airtight and has no moisture.

Can you freeze candied almonds?

Yes. Be sure the candied almonds are entirely cooled and freeze airtight for up to 2 months.

📖Candy Recipes

Easy Oreo Fudge

Christmas Crack Candy

Pretzel Candies

Crock Pot Fudge

Christmas Candy Recipes

This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.

🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions

Preheat the oven to 250°. Prep a half-size sheet pan (18X13) with a large sheet of parchment paper that overhangs all edges of the pan. Spray the parchment paper with PAM.

mixing sugar and cinnamon in a mixing bowl

Mix ¾ cup sugar (white or a combination of white and brown) with 1 teaspoon cinnamon and ½ teaspoon coarse salt. Mix well.

whisking liquid ingredients in a white bowl

One egg white in a mixing bowl, add 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1 tablespoon water. Whip with a whisk until foamy—about 1 minute.

Add one pound of raw nuts and mix until nuts are coated. I used almonds, but pecans, walnuts, or cashews would be great also.

Add the sugar mixture to the nuts and mix to coat.

spread the almonds over a parchment cover baking tray

Pour the nuts onto the prepared pan and spread them into a single layer.

Place in the 250° oven. Every 15 minutes, flip and stir the nuts and then flatten into a single layer again—total cooking time 1 hour.

cinnamon candied almonds on a tray wide view

📝Full Recipe

finished candied nuts on the cooking tray with white parechment paper

Easy Candied Almonds

From Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan

Candied almonds are easy to make and have a delicious mouthwatering crunchy cinnamon-vanilla crust. You only need a few ingredients and minimal skill. They make the perfect holiday gift or just a snack for the party.

Tap to leave a Rating

4.60 from 32 votes

Print Collection

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Servings #/Adjust if desired 24 2 tablespoon servings

Ingredients

US Customary - Convert to Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 250°. Prep a half-size sheet pan (18X13) with a large sheet of parchment paper that overhangs all edges of the pan. Spray the parchment paper with PAM.
Mix ¾ cup sugar (white or a combination of white and brown) with 1 teaspoon cinnamon and ½ teaspoon coarse salt—mix well.
One egg white in a mixing bowl, add 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1 tablespoon water. Whip with a whisk until foamy—about 1 minute.
Add one pound of raw nuts and mix until nuts are coated. I used almonds, but pecans, walnuts, or cashews would be great also.
Add the sugar mixture to the nuts and mix to coat.
Pour the nuts onto the prepared pan and spread them into a single layer.
Place in the 250° oven. Every 15 minutes, flip and stir the nuts and then flatten into a single layer again—total cooking time 1 hour.
Remove from oven and allow the nuts to cool on the parchment paper.

See the step-by-step photos in the post. Some recipes have an option to display the photos here with a switch above these instructions but the photos DO NOT print.

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Recipe Notes

Pro Tips

Be sure to use raw nuts.
Use nuts of your choice.
Use the egg white only.
Do not do this without parchment paper.
You may double the cinnamon and vanilla if you want.
Don't stop short on cooking, or the nuts will be soft.
Cool completely before storing.
Always store airtight. Room temperature for one week, refrigerated for 2 weeks, or frozen for 2 months.
One pound of nuts will be about 3 cups. I set serving size as 2 tablespoons making about 24 servings in this recipe.

To adjust the recipe size:

You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.

Nutrition Estimate

Serving size is my estimate of a normal size unless stated otherwise. The number of servings per recipe is stated above. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.

Course : Snacks

Cuisine : American

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Originally Published December 1, 2012. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.