Most of the sugar-and-spice roasted nut recipes that we’ve seen online call for half a cup to a cup of sugar, so the healthy attributes of the nuts (good fats, fiber, antioxidants) get sabotaged. My “candied” walnut makeover has a hint of sweetness from just 1/4 cup brown sugar and lots of flavor from cinnamon, allspice, and ginger.
It’s impossible to eat just one of these nuts. They’re “more-ish,” because you always want more. Nuts are not low in calories, which is why I recommend a 1/4-cup portion, but they’re packed with good nutrition, so I encourage you to add a handful of nuts to your daily diet all year long.
Be sure to check out the Liz’s Healthy Table podcast. Learn about the show and listen to all my episodes over on the Liz’s Healthy Table PODCAST page.
From holiday parties to a hostess gift, my better-for-you spiced walnuts are easy to make and impossible to resist.
Make a batch, pack into Mason jars, and add a ribbon for good measure.
… or place into bowls and serve ’em up that way.
- Serves: 16
- Serving size: ¼ cup
- Calories: 200
- Fat: 19g
- Saturated fat: 2g
- Carbohydrates: 7g
- Sodium: 75mg
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 5g
- 1 egg white
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 pound walnut halves (about 4 cups)
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon (add 1 more teaspoon cinnamon for more of a kick)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly oil or coat a rimmed baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. For easier clean up, line the baking sheet with aluminum foil and then coat with cooking spray.
- Whisk together the egg white and water in a large bowl until well blended. Add the walnuts and toss to coat evenly with the egg white mixture.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger, and allspice, and sprinkle over the nuts. Toss until well coated.
- Spread the nuts in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet, and bake until the glaze is crisp and golden brown, 15 minutes. Toss and cook 3 to 5 more minutes until even more golden, as desired. Remove from the oven, toss, and cool completely. Store in an airtight container.
What’s your favorite, go-to holiday food gift?
will be trying your walnut recipe. we grow organic walnuts and look for interesting and healthy recipes
Excellent I have used other variations but the egg white must have made the difference
Glad you loved them!!
Dear Liz Made these walnuts yesterday.
My husband and I couldn’t stop munching on them-delicious!
I also brought a jar over to a birthday brunch and everyone loved them and asked for your recipe👍🏼🌸💗
Hooray. So happy to hear this!
This recipe is wonderful and quick ! I am completing my third batch
After 1st batch – I measured 2 cups of walnuts and 1 cup ea of almonds and pecans.
So appreciate only 1/4 cup of brown sugar – THANK YOU
I’m so glad you’re enjoying the recipe. And I love how you’ve added other nuts!
Waaaaaay too salty and I didn’t add the whole amount this recipe calls for. I can barely taste the spices!
Goodness. I have made this many times. Did you use kosher salt? Which brand? I make it with Diamond Crystal. It has half the sodium of regular table salt. Please let me know…
Some people just don’t like salt! If you don’t like salt don’t add it to your recipes. I thought the salt was fine myself. But I also love salt
I AGREE. But I call for kosher salt which has 40% less sodium than table salt. And it tastes better (cleaner)! Thanks for sharing.
Wow, I had no idea sodium content varied with the brand of salt – thanks for that. Is the kosher salt you use coarse grind or fine?
Trying this today for my book club!
Sorry for not getting back to you sooner. I use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt. That is the best brand (in my humble opinion)!
No flavor what so ever!
I am sorry you didn’t love the recipe. I’ve made it many times. Did you use kosher salt? You can definitely increase the spices for more flavor.
I agree, no flavor.
Sorry to hear you didn’t like the recipe. Double the spices next time!
People are often unaware that spices have a lijmited shelf life. Perhaps Ann’s spices were not fresh. Taste them and see.
Karen
You make a good point. I’m lucky because I have a Penzey’s about a mile from my house!
I read the recipe but only wanted to use minimal ingredients with no sweetener. But found it interesting to use cinnamon. It’s my favorite thing and since I had Penzey’s ship me tons of the Vietnam flavorful cinnamon last year, thought I’d try my own toasting to make a bag of bland walnuts better. I just used Kosher salt and cinnamon, put some coconut oil in the pan and swirled the walnuts around in it to hopefully give the salt and cinnamon something to stick to. Thought I used a lot of cinnamon but when I tasted them I could hardly taste any cinnamon, only salt. But then I didn’t use spoonfuls – only sprinkled salt then cinnamon. Will try it again with serious portions.
It DID taste better that those bland walnut pieces, but at the last minute, sprinkled some of my hot pepper mix on them, cayenne, ground red pepper, ground jalapeno, on about a third of them – and I think I liked it better than without. Then one third I left with just cinnamon and salt, and the last third of them I put in baggie that I had some hot spicy crispy remnants of Mutt & Jeff Pork Cracklin Curls, just to see what I could use that spicy leftover powder for. BUT I AM SO GLAD I DID THAT! Wow! That was good! Delicious!
Wow. What an experiment! I like the combo of sweet, salty, and spicy. I think you nailed it 🙂
This recipe looks great, and I am a fan of low sugar as well. But I am a lazy cook. Is the egg white necessary? Any other fixes? I try to avoid challenging things like separating eggs. 🙂
Try it with a few teaspoons of oil and see how that goes. I think it should be fine!
Halved this recipe to place on top of spicecake cupcakes. They turned out quite tasty. Just the right taste with the brown sugar frosting. Will definitely make these again and experiment with some different spices too.
I love how you used the spiced walnuts in your cupcake recipe. Thanks for sharing!!
Perfect. I mixed a little honey in with the wet mix. Really makes the kitchen smell like a bakery.
Oooh. I love that idea!
I added flax seeds and unsweetened shredded coconut to the recipe yummy
Wow. I’m going to try that! I have flaked coconut, which would be great.
Do you think the egg white technique will work if I leave out sugar altogether?
Do you think the egg white technique will work if I follow the recipe exactly but leave out the sugar?
Give it a try. The spices will have something to cling to. And you can always increase the spices a bit too. LMK how it turns out.
Very tasty, when still hot from the oven sprinkle with a little extra brown sugar and set to cool on paper towells and added a little spritz of worcestire sauce along with the spices. This is the recipe my late sister used.
I love your additions. I’m going to try it. Happy Holidays 🙂
Love this recipe and making several batches for the kids to take home at Christmas. Question: how long will these keep in a cookie tin??
I have not tested this yet, but based on what I’ve read, I’d say @ 2 weeks. Make sure they are completely cool before you place them in a jar. Glad you like them 🙂
Your recipe is excellent and I love the fact that you use egg white instead of butter and so much less sugar.. Bravo!
I’m looking forward to your other recipes where you can reduce the things that are bad for us and not loose the taste.
It’s what I do!! Glad you like the recipe.
Nut sugary or spicy enough at all
Double the spices!
Did you use Morton’s Kosher Salt or Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt? There is a huge difference between them. Thank you!
I only use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt. It’s the real deal!
Can you use a whole egg for the recipe instead of just the egg white part?
I have not tested it that way so I hesitate to weigh on … but why don’t you give it a try!