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    Recipes » Recipes » Baking & Desserts

    Candied Nuts (Vegan + Gluten-Free)

    Last updated - July 15, 2021; Published - December 8, 2018 By Rhian Williams 8 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe
    Photo of caramelised nuts on a green plate against a red background

    These Candied Nuts are salty-sweet, perfectly crunchy, incredibly moreish and satisfying. They're super easy as they take less than 10 minutes to make, are made using basic ingredients and are made in a frying pan (not the oven). They're vegan, gluten-free, refined sugar free optional, not too sweet, a good source of protein and fibre and are much healthier than the shop-bought version. They're perfect for sharing as an appetizer or dessert, great as a snack for meal prep, and make great edible gifts.

    Candied nuts on a green plate against a red background

    How to make this recipe

    Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe.

    • Heat the water, oil and agave syrup in a large frying pan until it starts to bubble (should take around 30 seconds).

    Tip: You can use any type of oil eg. coconut oil, vegetable oil, olive oil etc and the agave syrup can be substituted with honey if you're not vegan.

    A silver frying pan with water, oil and agave syrup
    • Add the nuts and stir until they’re coated with the oil and syrup mixture – do this for around a minute until they’re slightly brown and crispy.
    A silver frying pan with nuts and pumpkin seeds inside
    • Mix together the sugar, salt and black pepper in  a small bowl, then add to the pan and stir into the nuts.
    A silver frying pan with nuts and pumpkin seeds and sugar
    • Keep the pan on a medium heat and stir continuously for a few minutes – the nuts should become nicely caramelised quite quickly.
    • Remove the pan from the heat as soon as you think the caramel coating has turned a nice golden brown colour.

    Tip: Be careful to not heat for too long as the sugar will burn very quickly.

    A silver frying pan with golden brown nuts and pumpkin seeds
    • Spread the nuts out over a plate or a sheet of baking paper, separating out any clumps, and leave them to dry out for a while until completely cooled.

    Tip: This step is crucial to make the nuts crispy and crunchy - if you don't spread them out until cooled, the heat from the nuts will create moisture and they won't get as crispy.

    Candied nuts spread apart against a sheet of brown baking paper

    What nuts can you use?

    • Almonds.
    • Peanuts.
    • Hazelnuts.
    • Macadamia nuts.
    • Pecans.
    • Walnuts.
    • Brazil nuts.
    • Pistachios.
    • Pumpkin seeds.
    • Sunflower seeds.

    How to make these refined sugar free

    For a refined sugar free version, you can use the same recipe but replace the sugar with 3 tablespoons agave (or maple syrup) and instead of using a frying pan, mix together all the ingredients and roast in the oven on a rectangular baking tray at 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit) for around 10 minutes.

    I have tried the recipe in a frying pan replacing the sugar with coconut sugar/maple syrup/agave syrup, but unfortunately it just doesn't seem to work!

    How long do these Candied Nuts keep for?

    They keep in an airtight container for about a week.

    More vegan appetizers

    • Muffin Tin Sushi Cups
    • Sausage Rolls
    • Cashew Cheese Ball
    • Lazy Samosa Lettuce Cups
    • Vegan “Crispy Duck” Lettuce Wraps

    If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog, I’d really love to hear any feedback! Please give it a rating, leave a comment, or tag a photo @rhiansrecipes #rhiansrecipes on Instagram! Thank you.

    Watch how to make it

     

    Candied nuts on a green plate against a red background

    Candied Nuts (Vegan + GF)

    These Candied Nuts are an incredibly moreish and satisfying snack that takes less than 10 minutes to make! 
    4.67 from 6 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Snack
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: candied nuts, caramelized nuts, christmas appetizer
    Prep Time: 5 minutes
    Cook Time: 5 minutes
    Total Time: 10 minutes
    Servings: 8 people
    Calories: 256kcal
    Author: Rhian Williams

    Ingredients

    • 1 tablespoon water
    • 1 tablespoon coconut oil (or sub olive, vegetable or rapeseed oil)
    • 1 tablespoon agave syrup (or sub honey if you're not vegan)
    • 300 g (10 oz) mixed nuts
    • 3 tablespoons sugar *see notes for substitution options
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • Pinch ground black pepper to taste

    Instructions

    • Heat the water, oil and agave syrup in a large frying pan until it starts to bubble (should take around 30 seconds).
    • Add the nuts and stir until they’re coated with the oil and syrup mixture – do this for around a minute until they’re slightly brown and crispy.
    • Mix together the sugar, salt and black pepper in  a small bowl, then add to the pan and stir into the nuts.
    • Keep the pan on a medium heat and stir continuously for a few minutes – the nuts should become nicely caramelised quite quickly.
    • Remove the pan from the heat as soon as you think the caramel coating turns a nice golden brown colour - be careful to not heat for too long as the sugar will burn very quickly.
    • Spread the nuts out over a plate or a sheet of baking paper, separating out any clumps, and leave them to dry out for a while until completely cooled – they may be quite soft at this stage, but ready to eat once they’ve cooled down. This step is crucial to make the nuts crispy and crunchy - if you don't spread them out until cooled, the heat from the nuts will create moisture and they won't get as crispy.
    • Keeps in an airtight container for up to a week.

    Video

    Notes

    *For a refined sugar free version, you can use the same recipe but replace the sugar with 3 tablespoons agave (or maple syrup) and instead of using a frying pan, mix together all the ingredients and roast in the oven on a rectangular baking tray at 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit) for around 10 minutes.
    I have tried the recipe in a frying pan replacing the sugar with coconut sugar/maple syrup/agave syrup, but unfortunately it just doesn't seem to work!
    Nutrition Facts
    Candied Nuts (Vegan + GF)
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 256 Calories from Fat 180
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 20g31%
    Saturated Fat 2g10%
    Sodium 73mg3%
    Potassium 264mg8%
    Carbohydrates 14g5%
    Fiber 4g16%
    Sugar 7g8%
    Protein 7g14%
    Calcium 99mg10%
    Iron 1.4mg8%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    Made the recipe?Tag @rhiansrecipes on instagram and use the hashtag #rhiansrecipes!

    Disclosure: This posts contains affiliate links to Amazon. If you purchase any of these products, a small percentage will come to me with no extra cost to you! This income will go towards the running of this blog – thank you.

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Emma

      November 24, 2015 at 11:37 am

      This looks really yummy. I'm definitely going to try this

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        November 24, 2015 at 11:45 am

        Please do! Hope you like them 🙂

    2. Dan

      April 04, 2018 at 12:11 am

      5 stars
      so easy and nice 🙂

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        April 04, 2018 at 9:50 am

        Thank you!

    3. Becca

      April 04, 2018 at 12:12 am

      5 stars
      really great recipe

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        April 04, 2018 at 9:49 am

        Thank you!

    4. Pat Connolly

      July 16, 2019 at 9:48 am

      5 stars
      Difficult to stop eating these delicious candied nuts. Very easy to prepare with Rhian's recipe

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        July 16, 2019 at 10:53 am

        Thank you, so glad you like them!

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    Photo of Rhian Williams from Rhian's Recipes

    Hi, I'm Rhian! I make easy, undetectably vegan + gluten-free recipes, including healthy comfort food and naturally sweetened desserts using plant-based ingredients.

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