4.91 from 11 votes

How to Make Candied Walnuts

Name: Candied Walnuts
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 1 large egg white; 1 teaspoon water; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 2 cups halved shelled walnuts; ⅓ cup sugar; ⅓ cup light brown sugar (tightly packed); 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; ¼ teaspoon salt

By Sam MerrittUpdated Feb 11, 2020

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29 Comments

Servings: 2 cups

1 hr

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Have you ever wanted to make your own Candied Walnuts at home? Skip the high price tags and make them yourself with a handful of ingredients you probably already have in your pantry. You can also choose to substitute a different type of nut for the walnuts, if you prefer. These are great for adding to your favorite salads, are perfect for snacking, and they also make a great edible gift!

Candied walnuts in a white bowl

Considering the high price tag that candied walnuts typically tout at fairs, expos, and carnivals, you would think that this delectable snack was difficult, time-consuming, and ridiculously expensive to make. Spoiler alert: It’s not. Like, not at all.

You only need 7 simple ingredients (8 if you count water) and literally less than 10 minutes to prepare.

What You Need:

1 egg. Rather, you need one single egg white only.
Water (again, do we count water as an ingredient?)
Vanilla extract
Walnuts — you’ll want to buy halved shelled walnuts.
Sugar — I use a blend of regular granulated and light brown sugar for the best flavor.
Ground cinnamon — for cinnamon candied walnuts
And just a pinch of salt for the best possible flavor.

Walnut halves in a bowl

How to Make Candied Walnuts:

We start with a single egg white combined with water and vanilla extract (or Madagascar bourbon vanilla, if you have it — yum!) which we’ll whisk vigorously until foamy. This gives us the liquid that will be necessary for our cinnamon/sugar mixture to fully coat each walnut. Then we’ll add our halved walnuts (see photo above) before tossing them with the cinnamon/sugar mixture (see photo below).

They’ll then be baked for 45 minutes, but you’ll scrape the pan with a spatula to turn the walnuts every 15 minutes so that nothing can burn and so that they’ll be evenly baked with perfectly crisp (not burnt) exteriors when finished. Very similar to how you prepare my homemade granola, though maybe a bit less healthy…

Like my caramel popcorn and funnel cakes, these candied walnuts are just not only less expensive when made at home, they’re also so much cheaper.

Walnuts in a bowl with brown sugar and vanilla extract

Tips for Making Candied Walnuts

Make sure you turn your walnuts frequently (every 15 minutes) with a spatula while they are baking in the oven! This ensures that the nuts are evenly distributed and that no burning occurs.
Line your baking sheet with parchment paper so that the nuts can be easily turned during baking without sticking to the pan. Don’t use wax paper as it could melt and burn in the oven, and I don’t recommend using foil as the nuts tend to stick to that and the foil tends to tear.
My candied walnuts have always finished baking within 45-50 minutes, but keep an eye on yours. If your oven runs hotter they may finish baking sooner, and the last thing you want is to accidentally burn them and have to throw them out. You can tell that the walnuts are done when they look dry when you remove them from the oven and there’s no liquid left on the pan.

Can I substitute another nut instead of walnuts?

Absolutely! I’ve made this recipe with pecans (see my candied pecans recipe) and almonds and think that it would work great with cashews, too!

How long will they keep?

They will keep for about two weeks if stored in an airtight container. Store them at room temperature in a cool, dry place.

Candied walnuts on a pan fresh out of the oven

Enjoy, and watch my video below to see exactly how I make candied walnuts at home!

More Recipes You Might Like:

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4.91 from 11 votes

Candied Walnuts

A simple and fool-proof recipe for candied walnuts! These are delicious and make a great edible gift!

Prep: 10

Cook: 50

Total: 1

Servings: cups

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Ingredients

▢ 1 large egg white
▢ 1 teaspoon water
▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
▢ 2 cups (225 g) halved shelled walnuts
▢ ⅓ cup (70 g) sugar
▢ ⅓ cup (70 g) light brown sugar, tightly packed
▢ 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
▢ ¼ teaspoon salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 250F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Combine egg white, water and vanilla in a large bowl and whisk vigorously for 30 seconds (mixture should be foamy/frothy).
1 large egg white, 1 teaspoon water, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Add walnuts and stir until all walnuts are coated in egg white.
2 cups (225 g) halved shelled walnuts
In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugars, cinnamon, and salt.
⅓ cup (70 g) sugar, ⅓ cup (70 g) light brown sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon salt
Pour the sugar mixture over the walnuts and stir until completely combined.
Spread nuts in an even layer onto prepared cookie sheet.
Bake on 250f for 45-50 minutes, removing cookie sheet from oven every 15 minutes and using a spatula to stir/flip the walnuts (be sure to stir ALL of the sugar mixture as well, or it may burn to the pan).
Candied walnuts are done when they appear dry and there is no liquid left on the nuts or on the pan.
After baking, allow to cool at least 15 minutes before enjoying.
Store uneaten candied walnuts in an airtight container at room temperature.