Easy Candied Walnuts

❤️ Why You’ll Love These Candied Walnuts

• Perfectly balanced – Crisp, crunchy, sweet, and salty in every bite without being overly sugary like store-bought versions.
• Quick & easy – Ready in just 5 minutes on the stovetop—no oven needed!
• Minimal ingredients – Made with only 3 ingredients.
• Versatile – Great for tossing into salads, serving as a snack, or gifting during the holidays.
• Brown sugar caramel – Creates a rich, buttery glaze with deep caramel flavor that coats the walnuts beautifully.

• Walnuts – Use raw walnuts. There’s no need to toast them beforehand, as they’ll toast perfectly while caramelizing in the skillet, simplifying the prep.
• Brown Sugar – Brown sugar adds more than just sweetness—the molasses content gives the walnuts a rich, caramelized flavor and golden color. Light brown sugar works well for a milder taste, while dark brown sugar adds deeper caramel notes.
• Butter – Use unsalted butter to better control the salt level in the final dish. If you only have salted butter on hand, reduce or skip any added salt to prevent the glazed caarmel walnuts from becoming overly salty.

💡 Secret to Make Perfect Candied Walnuts

1. Let the brown sugar caramel cook fully: Wait until all the moisture has evaporated and there’s no visible liquid in the skillet. The sugar should coat the walnuts in a glossy glaze and start to crystallize slightly—that’s when you know it’s ready. Removing them too early can result in sticky, under-caramelized nuts.
2. Cool in a single layer: Spread the nuts out evenly in a single layer on the prepared surface. Avoid piling them up or overcrowding the pan, as this traps steam and causes them to clump or stay sticky instead of crisping up properly.
3. Prep your surface: Always line a baking sheet or plate with parchment paper or a silicone mat before you start cooking. This ensures the hot caramel won’t stick as they cool and makes for easy cleanup.

🍯 Delicious Ways to Use Candied Walnuts

These chewy, caramelized nuts are addictive on their own, but their real magic is in how versatile they are.

• Salads - Sprinkle the caramel nuts over fresh greens, spinach, or even fruit-based salads. Try replacing the almonds with these in the roasted sweet potato and kale salad recipe.
• Desserts - Scatter them over ice cream, puddings, or yogurt parfaits.
• Cheese Boards - Add them to your charcuterie, cheese board or fruit and cheese platter for a sweet contrast to sharp or creamy cheeses.
• Crostini Topping - Finely chop and sprinkle over crostini for a touch of crunch—especially on goat cheese crostini, ricotta, or blue cheese toasts with a drizzle of honey.
• Trail Mix - Toss candied walnuts into homemade trail mix with dried cranberries, popcorn, dark chocolate chips, seeds, and roasted almonds for a gourmet snack.
• Edible Gifts - Pack them into cellophane bags, tins, or small mason jars tied with a ribbon. These make excellent homemade food gifts for Christmas, holidays, teacher appreciation, or hostess gifts.
• In Asian-Inspired Dishes - Use them in savory dishes like Honey Walnut Shrimp Noodles to add an irresistible sweet crunch.

Seasoning variations

• Cinnamon - Add ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon during the last minute of cooking.
• Pumpkin pie spice - Similar to cinnamon, add ½ teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice during the last minute of cooking.
• Cocoa powder - Once you transfer the caramel walnuts onto the parchment sheet, sprinkle them with cocoa powder and salt.
• Maple syrup - Although I prefer using brown sugar with this stovetop candied nuts, maple syrup can be swapped for a healthier option.
• Vanilla extract - Add a dash of vanilla extract before removing from heat.
• Cayenne pepper - Sprinkle a pinch or two of ground cayenne pepper or chili powder when cooking.
• Rosemary and sea salt - Add finely minced rosemary leaves towards the end of the cooking process, like in cranberry orange sauce. If using dried rosemary, add it along with all the other ingredients at the start of cooking.
• Coconut - Toss the caramel walnuts in sweetened shredded coconut for a tropical flair.
• Coffee- Add ½ to 1 teaspoon of instant coffee for a rich and slightly bitter undertone.
• Alcohol - Add a teaspoon or two of whiskey towards the end of cooking, but exercise caution when adding alcohol into a hot pan as it may cause flare-ups.

How to make candied walnuts with brown sugar?

You can find full printable recipe below, but here is a quick overview of the procedure along with step-by-step photos.

1.Add walnuts, brown sugar, water, butter and salt in a medium non-stick skillet.

2. Place skillet over high heat and cook, stirring occasionally for 4 minutes.

3. Stir continuously at the last minute and cook over medium heat until all the moisture evaporates, causing the walnuts to darken, become glossier, and begin to clump together.

Tip: It is important to make sure that all the liquid is evaporated before removing from heat. Otherwise, any remaining moisture might cause the nuts to become sticky and compromise their intended crunchiness.

How to store candied nuts?

1. Room Temperature: Store them in an air tight container at room temperature, away from direct sunlight and moisture, for 1 to 2weeks.
2. Fridge: Although they can be refrigerated for up ton a month, for longer storage, the nuts may get a little sticky or tacky. To restore their crunchiness, spread them on a lined baking sheet and warm in a preheated oven at 250°F for a few minutes. This will help re-crisp the walnuts.
3. Freezer: Storing candied walnuts in the freezer maintains their quality for several months. Enjoy them as a frozen snack straight from the freezer, or allow them to thaw at room temperature for approximately an hour before using.

Recipe tips

• Non-stick skillet is best for this recipe.
• Cook on high heat for the first 4 minutes. This rapid cooking process allows quick moisture evaporation, resulting in faster cooking. Additionally, it prevents the nuts from absorbing any moisture, allowing them to develop a delightful crunch.
• Cook until no moisture remains.
• Spoon any remaining caramel in the pan over the nuts.