spiced nuts
These spiced nuts with cinnamon and chili are a great fall or holiday snack, appetizer or gift. The maple and spice coating is made with egg whites which gives them the best crispy texture!
Add making these candied pecans to your to-do list this season. You’ll be so glad you did. First of all, the smell of the cinnamon and maple and the toasted nuts is like wrapping yourself up in a cozy fluffy sweater. But also because you can package them up to give as a gift, nibble on them for a snack or you can add them to a salad like my Holiday Kale Salad with Roasted Delicata Squash for crunch and sweet and spicy flavor. Just beware they are addictively good!
What Are Spiced Nuts
- Spiced Nuts is a catchall phrase for nuts that have been seasoned and roasted. They vary from unsweetened to coating in a crisp sugary coating.
- Unsweetened spiced nuts have oil on them to coat the nuts so the herbs and spices and salt can stick to the nuts as they roast.
- Typically Spiced nuts are sweet and have warm spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg.
- There are also candied nuts that have sweet and shiny coating like my Chili Chocolate Spiced Pecans.
- And then there are Sugared Nuts that have a crispy coating made with egg whites.
This recipe is like a combination of sweet and hot candied nuts and sugared nuts. They have the crispy coating of sugared nuts, but they have sweet and hot spices too!
How To Make This Recipe
Before you Begin
- Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees.
- You’ll need to line your baking sheet with a silpat or silicone baking mat. If you don’t have one, generously grease your sheet pan.
Using Egg Whites in Spiced Nuts
The very special part of this recipe is the crispy coating which is created from beaten egg whites. I know it sounds really strange, but they work with the sugar to create a thin, hard and crispy sugary coating around the nut and in every nook and cranny.
Tips For Beating Egg Whites
- Use a clean bowl and a clean whisk or egg beaters. Any trace of yolk or fat will prevent the whites from whipping.
- Room temperature egg whites whip better and faster than cold egg whites. To quickly warm up your whites you can set the unbroken egg into a mug of warm tap water for a couple minutes. {While the oven preheats and you’re gathering your ingredients, try it!}
- You only need to whip them until they are foamy. It is not necessary to beat them to soft peaks.
Add Pecans To Whites
Next take your nuts (I used Pecans, but any kind of nut works in this recipe) and stir them with the whites.
Allow the whites to soak into all the nooks and crannies, because they will make the spices and sugar stick to it, and that’s what will make the delicious sugar and spiced coating!
Add Sugar and Spices
Next you’ll sprinkle on the sugar and spices. Then stir it to coat the nuts in the spices and sugar. It will cling to the egg whites. Here is the combo I used:
- granulated maple sugar, coconut sugar or white sugar
- coarse kosher salt
- ground cinnamon
- ground chipotle chili or cayenne (or to taste)
- ground allspice
Seasoning Variations
You can also come up with your own variation of spices.
- If you cannot find maple sugar, which is what I recommend you can use white sugar or coconut sugar.
- Also, if you’re not a fan of hot and spicy food then you can most certainly skip the chili.
- You can use 1 1/2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice for the cinnamon, chipotle and allspice.
How to Roast Spiced Nuts with Egg Whites
Spread the coated nuts out onto the silpat or prepared baking sheet and use a spatula to separate them. You want the hot air in the oven to circulate all around them to dry them out.
Roast them for 7 to 8 minutes. Note that smaller or larger nuts will need timing adjustment, so to know if yours are ready to be stirred, take a look at them. They should look dry at this point.
Stir them well and then return them to the oven to roast for 3 to 6 minutes longer. In addition to the spices, you will be able to smell the toasted nuts too. They will darken slightly, but don’t let them darken too much as the coating makes it hard to tell just how toasted they are.
Let them cool completely on the baking sheet.
How To Store Spiced Nuts
Once they are completely cool, you can transfer them to jars or resealable containers. Keep them at room temperature for a week. Freeze them for 1 month.
Why Spiced Nuts Get Sticky
If you try to seal them into jars before they are completely cool, they will become sticky and loose their crispy texture.
Occasionally, when the air has a lot of moisture, they will become sticky. This is due to the sugars in the coating pulling the moisture into them. Typically in cold winter weather this isn’t a problem.
Step By Step Photos
- Step 1. Whisk egg whites until they become white and foamy.
- Step 2. Stir the nuts into the whites and coat them completely.
- Step 3. Add the sugar and spices and stir to coat the nuts.
- Step 4. Spread them out onto a lined baking sheet and give them space so they can dry out in the oven.
- Step 6. Allow the nuts to cool completely on their baking sheet before transferring them to a jar or resealable container.
- Step 5. Roast them until they are dry, then stir them. Return them to the oven to toast completely for a couple minutes longer.
What To Serve With Them
- Spiced Nuts make a great addition to a cheese board or grazing board.
- For vegetarian appetizers serve Roasted Red Pepper Hummus or Vegan Paté with fresh veggies and crackers.
- You can serve them with a cheese ball, fruits and crackers.
- If you make these nuts to top a salad, pair it with my amazing Maple Sherry Vinaigrette. It is such a great combo! Try it with apples, cheddar cheese chunks and roasted squash!
- They are a classic compliment to beets. My husband loves salads with beets, goat cheese and spiced nuts. Citrus can be added too!
- My life changing beet recipe with spiced nuts, cranberries and raspberry vinegar is so fantastically delicious and super duper easy!
More Related Recipes You May Like:
- For more holiday appetizers and snacks, make sure to browse the appetizer section of my website.
- These Roasted Grape and Goat Cheese Crostini with honey and walnuts are the thing of legend.
- For a fast and tasty option these 15 Minute Chicken Salad Bites are a hit! They have cranberries and nuts in them!
- This is another holiday gift from the kitchen idea: Salted Bourbon Caramel Sauce
- These pecan and sweet potato cakes are adorable and make a great holiday gift for the GF foodie in your life: Gluten-Free Sweet Potato Praline Mini Bundt
Thank you for reading. If you make this recipe, please come back and let me know by leaving a star rating and review. Thank you! Happy Cooking! ~Katie
PrintSpiced Nuts
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 2 1/2 cups 1x
- Category: snack
- Method: oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
These spiced nuts with cinnamon and chili are a great fall or holiday snack, appetizer or gift. The maple and spice coating is made with egg whites which gives them the best crispy texture!
Ingredients
- 1 egg white
- 2 cup pecans or other nuts
- 4 teaspoons granulated maple sugar, coconut sugar or white sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground chipotle chili or cayenne (or to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
Instructions
- Preheat Oven and Prep Pan: mat or coat generously with cooking spray.
- Make Egg white and Spice Coating: Beat egg white in a medium bowl until foamy. Add nuts and stir to coat. Add sugar, cinnamon, salt, chili and allspice and toss to coat. Spread out on the prepared baking sheet and transfer to the oven.
- Roasting Instructions: Roast, until the mixture starts to look dry, 7 to 8 minutes. Stir and continue roasting until the nuts are browned and fragrant, 3 to 6 minutes longer. Cool completely and store in a jar at room temperature up to 1 week.
Notes
Granulated maple sugar is made from maple syrup that has been boiled to a hot temperature and then stirred continuously as it is cooled. Once it is cooled, the mixture turns to granulated sugar that tastes like the essence of maple. You can purchase it online or find it in health food stores near the other natural sweeteners.
You can use any type of nut to make this recipe but the cooking times will vary depending on the size of the nuts. In step 3, make sure they look dry before stirring them. Then roast them until you can smell the toasted nuts but before they darken too much. This will only take 3 or so minutes for nuts the same size of pecans, and less for smaller nuts, more for larger.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 cup
- Calories: 168
- Sugar: 2 g
- Fat: 16 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Carbohydrates: 5 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 4 g
It looks totally addictive!! Can’t wait to give it a try!
★★★★★
These nuts are irresistible! They are great for snacking and I also added them to my salad for lunch, yummy!
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Loving how simple these are to whip up! Great tip on using the egg white!
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Super easy and delicious!
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Yay! These are the best, aren’t they! I am so glad you found the recipe and that you came back to review. It is much appreciated.
These are the most delicious! I am making more this weekend!
★★★★★
I love how quick and easy you can make this!! It was a huge hit at my house!
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These are perfect for snacking or for gifting! We are making them by the panful!
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These were so perfect on our holiday charcuterie tray!
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Yay! I am so happy you liked them! Thanks for coming back to let me know and Happy New Year!