This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
These spiced nuts are sweet and crunchy, vanilla-scented, and completely irresistible. Use your favorite mixed nuts and roast them in the oven with a blend of festive spices. You’ll be gobbling these by the handful in no time!
I love gifting jars of fragrant, crunchy spiced nuts to friends and family during the holiday season. If you’re looking for more festive snacks, try my chocolate granola, honey-roasted almonds, and orange cranberry Chex Mix, next.
My love affair with spiced nuts began in college when I’d receive a jar of toasted, spiced mixed nuts in my care package every exam season. Later in life, I discovered roasted nuts flavored with cinnamon, allspice, and vanilla at the Vienna Christmas Market. And, WOW. I think my husband even caught my reaction on video! But let’s just say, I was smitten. I’ve been recreating these festive, vanilla-flavored spiced nuts every holiday season since. They’re seriously addictive!
Why I Love This Spiced Nuts Recipe
- Easy ingredients. These nuts might look fancy, but the recipe is SO simple. I take my favorite mix of nuts and toss them with a few pantry ingredients, including vanilla paste, sugar, and spices.
- All year snacking. Yes, spiced nuts make the perfect holiday appetizer. But, as someone who snacks on nuts daily, I can attest that these are just as delicious year-round!
- Great for gifting. I love giving spiced nuts as teacher and hostess gifts, or I’ll make a big batch to pass on to friends and family during the holidays. They stay fresh for weeks!
Ingredients You’ll Need
All you need to make spiced nuts is, well, nuts, and a few simple flavorings. I’ve included some recipe notes here, and you’ll find a printable ingredients list and full recipe details in the recipe card below the post.
- Vanilla Paste – Vanilla extract will work here, too, but vanilla bean paste has a stronger flavor.
- Egg White – Egg white helps the ingredients stick to the nuts. I like egg white because it’s tasteless and glossy, but you could use olive oil or melted butter to make this recipe egg-free.
- Nuts – Any kind of nut you’d like! Almonds, walnuts, cashews, pecans, hazelnuts, peanuts, or mixed nuts. I recommend buying raw, unsalted nuts since you’ll be toasting and seasoning them yourself.
- Sugar – This can be granulated sugar or brown sugar.
- Spices – Ground cinnamon, allspice, and salt. You can play around with different spices like nutmeg, ginger, and cardamom, and blends like pumpkin pie spice. You can also make savory spiced nuts! I’ll share more ideas further in the post.
How to Make Spiced Nuts
Roasting is the best way to bring out nuts’ richness and flavor. Add holiday spices to the mix, and it doesn’t get much better! It’s also super easy to coat the nuts and roast them in the oven. You can even make small batches in the toaster oven. Here’s what you’ll do:
- Coat the nuts. To season the nuts, stir your mix of nuts with a beaten egg white and vanilla. Afterward, toss them in spices.
- Bake. Spread the mixture in an even layer over a greased baking sheet. Bake the spiced nuts at 300ºF for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through.
- Enjoy! Once the nuts have cooled down, break them up and serve. You can also package these up to gift to your besties. See below for serving and storage suggestions.
Mix It Up!
Instead of cinnamon, season the nuts with savory spices like cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper, etc., or dried herbs like thyme and rosemary. You can also coat them with maple syrup or honey instead of egg white and sugar.
What to Serve With Spiced Nuts
Spiced nuts and the holidays go hand in hand. I always have a bowlful on our appetizer table next to our annual fruit Christmas tree centerpiece! They’re a great way to enjoy some crunch alongside favorite holiday snacks like grape jelly meatballs and crab stuffed mushrooms, washed down with eggnog or a Christmas cocktail. It’s the perfect way to kickstart a festive feast!
More Ways to Use Them
Even though they’re a staple during the holidays, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy these spiced nuts year-round! Here are more ways to eat them outside of the festive season:
- Salads. Chop them up and sprinkle these spiced nuts over your favorite salads, like a pear and gorgonzola orzo salad, or use them as the nuts in a walnut chicken salad.
- As a garnish. These nuts make a great spiced garnish for candied yams, mashed sweet potatoes, or sweet potato gratin.
- Casseroles. Crushed nuts are a nice way to add a sweet, crunchy note to savory recipes like this wild rice chicken casserole or mushroom orzo pilaf.
- Dessert topping. Spiced nuts make a great garnish for desserts like pumpkin bars. I also love them as an ice cream topping!
- Breakfast. Use these as a pancake topping, or sprinkle them over yogurt, smoothie bowls, or baked oatmeal.
- Add-in. Bake these spiced nuts into fudgy brownies or cookies, or stir them into the batter for pumpkin bread or muffins.
Proper Storage
- To store. Stored airtight, these roasted nuts last 1-2 weeks at room temperature. I like to keep them in mason jars or resealable bags in a cool, dry location, like the pantry. You can extend their shelf life further by storing them in the fridge or freezing them, see below.
- Freeze. Freeze the cooled nuts for up to 3 months and thaw them out at room temperature before serving.
More Holiday Treats
Pin this now to find it later
Pin It
Spiced Nuts
Ingredients
- 1 egg white
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste , (you can also use the same amount of pure vanilla extract)
- 4 cups mixed nuts, (I use almonds, cashews, walnuts)
- ¾ cups sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Prep. Preheat oven to 300ºF. Grease a baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside.
- Coat the nuts. In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg white with the vanilla bean paste until frothy. Add the nuts to the egg-white mixture and stir to combine.
- Mix the spices. In a separate bowl, combine sugar, salt, allspice, and ground cinnamon. Mix until thoroughly incorporated.
- Combine. Add spices to the nuts and stir to combine. Transfer nuts to the previously prepared baking sheet and spread them out in one single layer.
- Bake. Bake for 20 minutes, stirring once halfway through baking. Remove from oven and transfer to a wax paper-lined baking sheet; let cool. Break apart and serve.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
Is there any substitute of egg white in this recipe
Hi!
The egg white helps the spices stick to the nuts and creates that nice roasted coating. You can try using aquafaba (the liquid from a can of chickpeas) or a small amount of oil or melted butter, but keep in mind it might not achieve the same crispiness. I hope that helps!
Do you use unsalted nuts?
Do you use unsalted almonds?
Hi! Yes, use unsalted almonds.
nice snack recipe, I’ve been buying similar mixed nut stuff at TJ’s but why not make it and control the ingredients, never thought about it until I saw this, so thank you!