Fall Spiced Nuts Recipe: How to Make the Best Crunchy Nuts

This fall spiced nuts recipe comes out every October, roughly the week the evenings start needing a sweater. It’s lazy baking, really. One egg white gets whisked with a splash of maple syrup until it looks like bubble bath, 4 cups of nuts get tumbled in, then a drift of brown sugar and warm spices, and the tray slides into a low oven (300°F, 150°C) for about 36 minutes while you wander back now and then to stir. No oil anywhere. One pan to wash. And, best part, the coating clings to the nuts instead of collecting as sad brown dust at the bottom of the bowl.

I started doing this the winter I finally got annoyed at paying silly money for a dinky tin of candied pecans (half of what you’re buying is the tin, trust me). A homemade tray costs a fraction of that and tastes better warm, which no tin can promise. From now until New Year’s a jar lives on my counter and gets raided for salads, cheese boards, and the odd sneaky handful on the way past.

Fall Spiced Nuts Recipe at a Glance

Quick facts

• Total time: about 1 hour 16 minutes (10 min prep, 36 min bake, 30 min cooling)
• Makes: about 4 1/2 cups (18 servings of 1/4 cup)
• Difficulty: easy, beginner friendly
• Key ingredients: mixed nuts, 1 egg white, maple syrup, brown sugar, warm fall spices
• Make ahead: yes, keeps 2 weeks at room temperature and 3 months frozen
• Oil free: yes, the egg white does the sticking

Why This Fall Spiced Nuts Recipe Works

Most batches I’ve botched over the years went wrong one of two ways. Either the spice slid straight off and sulked at the bottom of the jar, or the sugar never set and every nut welded itself to its neighbor. This method sidesteps both, without any fuss at all.

It all hinges on the foamy egg white, which is why spiced nuts with egg white beat the old butter-and-sugar kind every single time. Whisk it with the maple until frothy and that foam turns tacky enough to grab every grain of sugar and spice; then the oven slowly dries it into a thin, crackly shell. Same idea as meringue, honestly, only smeared over pecans rather than piped on a sheet. What comes out are maple glazed nuts with a dry coat you can actually hear when you bite down, not a puddle of syrup.

Why the Low Oven and Stirring Matter

Then the low oven, the other half of the trick. At 300°F (150°C) each nut gets time to toast right through while the sugar dries gently. However, if you crank it hotter, the outsides brown before the shell sets, leaving you with chewy, tacky nuts that nobody asked for. On the other hand, go much lower and you’ll be hovering for well over an hour; some older recipes bake walnuts at 200°F, which is a whole afternoon gone.

And the stirring. I know, it sounds fussy. But hauling the pan out every 12 minutes or so lets the steam escape and breaks clumps apart before they lock, whereas skipping it gets you one enormous slab of nut brittle. Delicious in its way, sure. However, it’s not what anyone wants on a cheese board.

Because the egg white handles all the gluing, there’s no butter or oil in here whatsoever. In addition, nuts carry plenty of their own fat, so the finished batch tastes toasty and clean and won’t leave your fingers slick.

Fall Spiced Nuts Recipe Ingredients (and Easy Swaps)

In short, you won’t need to hunt for anything. Odds are this spiced nuts recipe with maple syrup is mostly hiding in your October pantry already. One batch, in cups and grams:

• 4 cups raw, unsalted mixed nuts (about 480 g): 1 cup pecan halves, 1 cup whole almonds, 1 cup raw cashews, 1 cup walnut halves
• 1 large egg white (about 2 tablespoons / 30 g)
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) pure maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup (71 g) packed light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional, for a gentle kick)
• 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or 1/2 teaspoon Morton kosher or fine sea salt)
• Optional finish: 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary and 1/2 teaspoon flaky salt

For example, squint at that spice list and you’ll notice cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves add up to more or less homemade pumpkin pie spice. Got a jar of it already? Use 3 1/2 teaspoons and skip the four separate bottles.

Easy Swaps for This Fall Spiced Nuts Recipe

Short on something? Here are the swaps I’d genuinely reach for, plus what each one changes:

If you went the honey route and there’s half a jar staring at you, our easy honey recipes collection has loads of ways to finish it off this fall.

Which Nuts Are Best for This Fall Spiced Nuts Recipe?

With spiced mixed nuts, texture is the whole game, so I like a bit of everything on the tray. For example, pecans and walnuts are soft and buttery, all wrinkly nooks that trap the coating; almonds bring the hard snap; cashews are creamy and faintly sweet on their own. Walnuts solo make lovely fall spiced walnuts, and around here the spiced cashews somehow vanish first. Mixing them means no two handfuls taste quite alike, which is probably why hands keep drifting back to the bowl.

On top of that, fall is also harvest time, so fresh nuts hit the shelves right now. In the US, pecans, walnuts and almonds come in across late summer and fall, meaning October bags are usually new crop. That matters more than people think, because older nuts have had months for their oils to go stale, and stale oil is exactly what gives that bitter, faintly paint-like aftertaste.

A few rules I stick to:

• Use raw and unsalted. Salted nuts plus salt in the coating is overkill, and nuts that are already roasted burn faster.
• Keep sizes similar. Adding something tiny like pepitas or peanuts? Put them in halfway through baking (see the chart below).
• Sniff before you bake. Open the bag at home and have a smell. Fresh nuts smell sweet and mild; rancid ones smell sharp, oddly like crayons.

Cooking for someone with a nut allergy? Our guide on how to roast pumpkin seeds uses the seeds out of your carved pumpkin, and this very spice blend is gorgeous on them.

Equipment for This Fall Spiced Nuts Recipe

Nothing fancy is required for this fall spiced nuts recipe, although the right pan makes a real difference to how crisp things end up.

• A large rimmed baking sheet (a half-sheet pan, 18 x 13 inches). The nuts want a single layer with a bit of breathing room, because crowded nuts steam and stay soft.
• Parchment paper or a silicone mat. Sugar coating welds itself to bare metal and foil.
• A large mixing bowl for tossing, plus a little one for the sugar and spices.
• A whisk or even a fork to foam the egg white.
• A flexible spatula for stirring on the pan.

Doubling up? In that case, use two pans on separate racks and swap them halfway. After all, piling 8 cups onto one sheet simply doesn’t work; the bottom layer steams instead of roasting and stays limp no matter how long you leave it in.

How to Make This Fall Spiced Nuts Recipe, Step by Step

This is where folks tend to get jittery. However, if you can whisk an egg, you can make this fall spiced nuts recipe. There’s a photo under every step so you can hold your bowl up against mine as you go.

Step 1: Heat the oven and line the pan

Get the oven going at 300°F (150°C), rack in the middle, and line your biggest rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Keep in mind that plenty of home ovens drift 20 or 25 degrees off what the dial claims, which wrecks timing once sugar’s involved, so if yours is getting on a bit, a cheap oven thermometer pays for itself.

Step 2: Mix the sugar and spices

In a small bowl, stir the brown sugar with the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, salt and the cayenne if you’re using it. Next, rub out any brown sugar lumps between your fingertips until the whole lot looks even and sandy; whatever lumps survive here turn into little sugar blobs on the nuts later.

Step 3: Whisk the egg white until foamy

In a big bowl, whisk the egg white, maple syrup and vanilla for somewhere between 30 and 45 seconds, until it’s frothy and full of tiny bubbles and no clear liquid is skulking at the bottom. You’re not making meringue, so quit well before soft peaks.

Step 4: Coat the nuts in the egg white

Now tip all 4 cups of nuts into that foam and keep turning them with a spatula, a good 30 seconds, until every last one looks wet and glossy. Any spot left dry now becomes a bald patch on the finished nut.

Step 5: Add the spiced sugar

First, scatter about half the sugar and spice mix over the nuts and fold it through, then the rest, folding again until there’s no loose sugar and everything wears an even sandy-brown coat. At this point, your kitchen will smell like the inside of a candle shop.

Step 6: Spread in a single layer

Next, pour the nuts onto the lined pan and nudge them into a single layer, scraping the bowl out properly because that last syrupy smear is pure flavor. Also, leave little gaps where you can. A few nuts touching is fine; however, heaps are not.

Step 7: Bake and stir every 12 minutes

To start, bake for 12 minutes, then pull the pan out and give everything a vigorous stir, flipping nuts and prying apart any that are starting to stick. Back in for another 12, stir again, then a final 12 to 14 minutes, which lands you somewhere around 36 to 40 minutes overall depending on your oven’s mood.

Step 8: Check for doneness

You’ll know they’re ready when the coating looks dry and matte rather than wet or glossy, the nuts have gone deep golden and the kitchen smells properly toasty. That said, don’t hold out for crunch while they’re still in the oven; hot nuts always feel a bit soft and only crisp up as they cool. Still spotting shiny wet patches? Give the tray another 3 to 5 minutes.

Step 9: Add the finishing touch (optional)

Then, the moment the pan comes out, while everything’s still hot, scatter the chopped rosemary and flaky salt on top and toss gently. Heat coaxes the oil out of the rosemary and the salt sticks to the still-tacky coating; that sweet-salty-herby finish is usually what guests quiz you about.

Step 10: Cool completely, then break apart

Finally, leave the nuts on the pan for at least 30 minutes, until they’re fully at room temperature, during which they’ll go from slightly bendy to properly crackly. After that, break up any clusters with your hands and move the lot into an airtight container.

Never made candied nuts of any sort? Then start with this fall spiced nuts recipe. The oven is far more forgiving than the stovetop versions, where sugar lurches from amber to burnt in the few seconds it takes to grab a spoon.

Fall Spiced Nuts Recipe Roasting Time Chart

When I went digging through the top recipes for this, not one of them said how long different nuts actually take, which drove me a bit mad. So here’s a rough guide for each type at 300°F (150°C) with this coating. Handy for swapping nuts around or baking a single kind, but treat the numbers as a starting point and let color and smell have the final word.

Fancy just one kind? A spiced pecans recipe, a spiced walnuts recipe or a spiced almonds recipe all use this identical coating; only the timing shifts, with maple spiced pecans and maple spiced walnuts finishing first and maple spiced almonds dawdling longest. (Pecan devotees, our sugar and spice pecans are a sweeter, pecan-only take.) Similarly, toss pepitas or sunflower seeds on for the last 18 to 20 minutes and you’ve got a spiced nuts and seeds recipe. On a mixed tray, bake for the slowest nut and keep half an eye on the pecans; if they darken ahead of the pack, spoon them off and let the others carry on.

How to Scale This Fall Spiced Nuts Recipe for Gifts

Making a mountain of these for gifts? Here’s how I scale things up:

Can You Make Spiced Nuts in the Air Fryer or on the Stovetop?

Yes, you can make spiced nuts in the air fryer: cook the coated nuts at 300°F (150°C) for 12–16 minutes on a perforated parchment liner, shaking the basket every 4 minutes. The stovetop works as well, though it gives a different, more candy-like nut, and for a full batch the oven is still the most even option.

Spiced nuts in the air fryer. Air fryers blast hot air around pretty aggressively, so work in smaller rounds of about 2 cups in a single layer, on a perforated parchment liner so the sugar doesn’t cement the nuts to the basket. Also, they tend to look finished sooner than in the oven, so start peeking at 10 minutes, and let them cool on a parchment-lined tray rather than in the basket.

Spiced nuts recipe on the stovetop. Melt 2 tablespoons butter with 1/4 cup (53 g) brown sugar and 2 tablespoons maple syrup in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, add 2 cups of nuts plus the spices, and keep stirring for 5 to 7 minutes until the syrup coats everything and smells caramelized. Tip them onto parchment straight away and pry them apart with two forks. In contrast, these turn out glossier, nearer to sugared nuts or praline, and they scorch fast, so this is not the moment to wander off and check your phone.

What’s New With Spiced Nuts This Fall

A couple of things happening this October that are worth knowing if you’re plotting holiday snacks:

Simple, oil-free snacks are having a moment. These days, plenty of people are cutting back on seed oils and hunting for snacks with a bit of protein, and homemade spiced nuts happen to tick both boxes: no added oil in this recipe, and roughly 5 grams of protein per 1/4-cup serving, all of it from the nuts themselves.

Fall flavored nuts are getting bolder. More home cooks are folding warm blends like garam masala and cardamom into their holiday nuts. Because garam masala already carries cinnamon, cardamom and cloves, it slots into a fall mix without a hitch; you’ll find a chai-style version among the variations further down.

The holiday calendar is tight. Thanksgiving lands on Thursday, November 26, 2026, which is on the late side and leaves just four weeks before Christmas. Since spiced nuts keep for two weeks, one batch baked mid-November can stretch across your Thanksgiving appetizer spread and the first wave of gifts.

How to Get Spices to Stick to Nuts

It’s one of the most-asked questions about spiced nuts, and the answer’s simpler than you’d guess.

Spices stick to nuts when there’s a tacky binder for them to cling to, and a foamy egg white works best because it dries into a crisp shell in the oven, while butter, oil or syrup alone leave the spices loose or the nuts sticky. Coat the nuts in the binder first, then add the dry spices. That single difference explains why some candied spiced pecans and candied spiced walnuts stay crisp for weeks, while cinnamon sugar nuts made with butter often go tacky by day two.

A few other things that help a lot:

• Foam the egg white properly. A flat, runny white pools on the pan and causes clumps; a foamy one spreads thin and even.
• Add the dry mix in two rounds. Dump it all at once and you’ll get some wet nuts and some dry lumps.
• Use finely ground spices. Coarse stuff like cracked pepper just tumbles off, so grind it fine first.
• Herbs go on last. Fresh rosemary or thyme burns if it goes in before baking, so add it hot, straight out of the oven.

Common Mistakes With This Fall Spiced Nuts Recipe

Even an easy recipe hides a few traps, though. These are the ones that crop up most, plus how to dig yourself out.

That first one is by far the most common: someone nibbles a warm nut straight off the pan, decides it’s too soft, and keeps baking until the whole tray is scorched. Worth tattooing somewhere, they’re always soft in the oven and crunchy on the counter.

5 Ways to Change Up This Fall Spiced Nuts Recipe

Once the basic fall spiced nuts recipe feels familiar, start messing about with it. Best of all, every version below uses the same egg white method and roughly the same baking time.

Savory Spiced Nuts with Rosemary (No-Sugar Option)

The savory one is what I put out when the wine’s open and nobody wants dessert yet. Knock the brown sugar back to 1/4 cup (53 g), ditch the nutmeg and cloves, and add 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper plus 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder. Then, and this is the bit people never guess, whisk 2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce into the egg white; it lends a deep, almost meaty edge. Shower them with 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped rosemary and flaky salt when they come out, and that’s your spiced mixed nuts with rosemary sorted.

Cutting sugar completely? That is fine by me, too. Leave out the brown sugar and maple syrup altogether; the egg white and Worcestershire grip the spices just as well, and the result tastes a lot like a classic bar mix. Pull the tray 2 or 3 minutes early though, since there’s no sugar left to dry out.

Maple Chipotle Sweet and Spicy Nuts

My favorite, if I’m forced to choose. These sweet and spicy nuts with maple syrup swap the cayenne for somewhere between 1/2 and 1 teaspoon of chipotle powder plus 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika, and suddenly the maple has smoke and a slow burn behind it, which is dangerous next to a cold beer or a bourbon cocktail. For a lazy version, simply double the cayenne and call them spicy maple nuts. Spiced pecans with cayenne pepper, on their own, might be the best thing on this whole page. Meanwhile, honey fans can use 2 tablespoons honey for sweet and spicy nuts with honey; just take them out 2 to 3 minutes sooner, because honey browns quicker.

Chai Spiced Nuts with Garam Masala

For this one, out go the ginger and cloves, in go 1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala and 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom. Picture a chai latte that somebody turned into a crunchy snack and you’re close. Cashews and almonds suit this one best.

Pumpkin Pie Spiced Nuts

In this version, three and a half teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice replace the separate jars, and 1/2 cup (65 g) of pepitas join the tray for the last 18 minutes. It’s the most “fall” thing you can do to a nut, and it tends to be the batch kids grab first. Hungry for more squash-season ideas? Browse our easy pumpkin recipes for fall.

Christmas Spiced Nuts Recipe with Orange and Cranberry

Whisk 1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest into the egg white, then once the nuts have cooled stir through 1/2 cup (60 g) dried cranberries. As you can imagine, the red berries and flecks of orange peel look very festive. It’s the version I’d pack into gift jars come December, a sprig of rosemary tucked into each so you end up with Christmas spiced nuts with rosemary that look every bit as good as they taste. Baking in the UK, Australia or New Zealand? The gram weights in the recipe card will keep you spot on.

How to Serve This Fall Spiced Nuts Recipe

Spiced nuts slot in just about anywhere, so they are easy to use up. A few ways I lean on them:

• On a cheese or charcuterie board. Spiced nuts for a charcuterie board are a classic for a reason. Put a small bowl next to blue cheese, brie and sliced apples, where they fill the gaps and add crunch. For more party bites, see our Thanksgiving appetizers ideas.
• On salads. Spiced pecans for salad (or spiced walnuts for salad) add crunch and sweetness in one go. Chop them roughly and scatter over greens with pears, goat cheese and a maple vinaigrette. They’re great on our hearty fall salad recipes.
• On roasted vegetables. Sprinkle over roasted honeynut squash just before serving.
• On desserts. Chop and spoon over vanilla ice cream, yogurt or a caramel apple dip platter.
• Instead of a casserole topping. Use the pecan-only version on a sweet potato casserole with pecan topping for extra crunch.
• With drinks. They’re the classic bar snack for good reason. Try them next to a glass of homemade damson gin or hot cider.

One small warning if you’re hosting, though: they disappear fast, so put out half and stash the rest somewhere out of sight.

How Long Do Spiced Nuts Last? Storage Guide

Spiced nuts last up to 2 weeks at room temperature in an airtight container and up to 3 months in the freezer, as long as you let them cool completely before storing them, keep them away from heat and humidity, and skip the fridge, where moisture makes the sugar coating tacky.

Here’s the whole picture:

Why do nuts go off at all? Mainly because they’re packed with natural oils, and air, heat and light slowly nudge those oils toward rancid. The University of California’s guide to storing nuts from the home orchard names rancidity among the biggest causes of storage loss and notes that cold storage keeps plain walnuts good far longer than a cool room does. For this reason, my raw nuts sit in the freezer until baking day, even though the finished spiced ones live happily on the counter.

For storage times on the rest of your pantry, the USDA-developed FoodKeeper app on FoodSafety.gov is a handy thing to keep bookmarked.

Fall Spiced Nuts Recipe as a Homemade Holiday Gift

Holiday seasoned nuts, holiday spiced pecans, plain old candied nuts, call them whatever you like; this fall spiced nuts recipe might be the easiest food gift going, and they never get shoved to the back of a cupboard the way some presents do. Besides that, they look pretty in a jar, they travel well, and they cost a fraction of the shop-bought tins.

How to package them:

• Jars: 16-ounce (pint) mason jars hold about 2 cups, so one standard batch fills 2 jars with a little left over for you. For smaller gifts, half-pint jars hold about 1 cup each. Tie on twine and a sprig of rosemary.
• Bags: Clear cellophane or food-safe kraft bags with a twist tie work for teachers, coworkers and neighbors.
• Tins: Line with parchment for a bakery look.

Make a label. In short, jot down the flavor, the date you made them and “Best within 2 weeks,” and always add “Contains tree nuts and egg,” since tree nuts and eggs both sit among the nine major food allergens listed by the FDA, and a clear label keeps your friends safe.

Shipping them? First, seal the nuts in a zip bag inside the jar or tin, wedge crumpled paper around it so nothing rattles, and post early in the week. Kept airtight and away from heat, they’ll still be at their best inside that 2-week window.

Timing for 2026: I’d bake the gift batch the weekend of December 12–13, which leaves a few days for wrapping and still gets everything delivered well before Christmas Day on Friday, December 25.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you make your own spiced nuts?

Whisk 1 egg white with 2 tablespoons maple syrup until foamy, toss in 4 cups of raw nuts, then fold in brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Spread them on a lined pan and bake at 300°F (150°C) for 36–40 minutes, stirring every 12 minutes, then leave them to cool completely so they turn crunchy.

What spices go well with nuts?

For sweet spiced nuts, warm spices win: cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, allspice, cardamom. Savory nuts love rosemary, thyme, black pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika, cumin or chipotle. And if you’d rather open one jar, garam masala and pumpkin pie spice are easy all-in-one blends that taste great on pecans and cashews.

What nuts are in season in fall?

Pecans, walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts and chestnuts are all harvested in late summer and fall, so October and November bring the freshest bags to stores, with pumpkin seeds in season alongside carving pumpkins. Fresh-crop nuts have sweeter oils, so your spiced nuts taste better and keep longer.

Why are my spiced nuts sticky?

Usually they’re under-baked, or they got shut in a jar before they’d cooled completely. The coating needs to look dry and matte before the pan leaves the oven, so give sticky nuts 5 more minutes at 300°F (150°C), cool them fully on the pan, then store them airtight away from humidity.

Can you make spiced nuts without egg white?

Yes. Use 2 tablespoons of aquafaba, the liquid from a can of chickpeas, whisked until foamy. It binds the spices nearly as well and makes the recipe egg-free, so it covers spiced pecans with no egg too. Melted butter works in a pinch, although the coating comes out less crisp.

Can you make spiced nuts without sugar?

Yes. Skip the brown sugar and maple syrup, whisk 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce into the egg white, and go with savory spices like black pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika and rosemary, then bake at 300°F (150°C) for 33–37 minutes. They come out crisp and savory, a lot like a homemade bar mix.

Can you make spiced nuts in the air fryer?

Yes. Coat the nuts as usual, then air fry about 2 cups at a time at 300°F (150°C) for 12–16 minutes on a perforated parchment liner, shaking every 4 minutes. Start checking at 10 minutes because air fryers run hot, and cool them on a tray so they crisp up.

Can you freeze spiced nuts?

Yes. Freeze fully cooled spiced nuts in a freezer bag with the air pressed out for up to 3 months. When you want some, let the bag sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes before opening it so condensation doesn’t settle on the nuts, and re-crisp them for 5 minutes at 300°F (150°C) if needed.

Can I use salted or roasted nuts?

You can, with a couple of tweaks. With salted nuts, leave the salt out of the spice mix; with roasted nuts, trim 8–10 minutes off the bake and watch closely, since they’re already toasted and burn faster. Raw, unsalted nuts still give the best flavor and the most control.

How many calories are in spiced nuts?

One 1/4-cup serving of this recipe comes to about 185 calories, 15 grams of fat, 11 grams of carbs, 6 grams of sugar and 5 grams of protein. That’s an estimate built from USDA FoodData Central values for the nuts and sweeteners, and it’ll shift with the nut mix you choose.

Are spiced nuts gluten-free?

The ingredients here are naturally gluten-free: nuts, egg white, maple syrup, sugar, spices and salt. Baking for someone with celiac disease? Check that your spices and nuts are labeled gluten-free, because some get packed in facilities that also handle wheat.

One Last Tip Before You Bake This Fall Spiced Nuts Recipe

Give a nut a full 30 minutes of cooling before you judge the texture. That’s when you’ll really know, and if it snaps clean, you’ve nailed it.

If you’ve been hunting for the best fall spiced nuts recipe for your holiday table, this is the one I’d bookmark. Make a batch this weekend, set a bowl out and see how long it survives. Then leave a star rating in the recipe card below and tell me in the comments which nuts and spices you went with; it genuinely helps other home cooks find the recipe. Save it to Pinterest so it’s ready for Thanksgiving week, and if you’re mapping out the rest of your fall menu, our simple fall desserts are a good next stop.

Fall Spiced Nuts

Author: Olivia Stone | Home Chef

185kcal

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Prep 10 minutes mins

Cook 36 minutes mins

Cooling 30 minutes mins

Total 1 hour hr 16 minutes mins

Crunchy maple spiced nuts with cinnamon, ginger and a pinch of cayenne. A foamy egg white holds the coating, so there is no oil, and the low oven makes them crisp. Great for snacking, cheese boards and holiday gifts.

Servings 18 servings (1/4 cup)

Course Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine American

Ingredients

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Nuts

• ▢ 1 cup pecan halves (about 100 g), raw, unsalted
• ▢ 1 cup whole almonds (140 g), raw, unsalted
• ▢ 1 cup raw cashews (130 g), unsalted
• ▢ 1 cup walnut halves (100 g), raw, unsalted

Coating

• ▢ 1 large egg white (about 30 g)
• ▢ 2 tbsp pure maple syrup (30 ml)
• ▢ 1 tsp vanilla extract (5 ml)
• ▢ 1/3 cup light brown sugar (71 g), packed
• ▢ 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• ▢ 1 tsp ground ginger
• ▢ 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• ▢ 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• ▢ 1/8 to 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper optional
• ▢ 1 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or 1/2 tsp Morton kosher or fine sea salt)

Optional finish

• ▢ 1 tbsp fresh rosemary finely chopped
• ▢ 1/2 tsp flaky salt

Method

Prevent Sleep ModePrevent Sleep Mode

1. Heat the oven to 300°F (150°C) with a rack in the middle. Line a large rimmed baking sheet (half-sheet pan) with parchment paper.
   
2. In a small bowl, stir the brown sugar with the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, salt and cayenne (if using). Rub out any brown sugar lumps with your fingertips.
   
3. In a large bowl, whisk the egg white with the maple syrup and vanilla for 30 to 45 seconds, until frothy with no clear liquid left at the bottom. Stop before soft peaks form.
   
4. Add the nuts and toss with a spatula for about 30 seconds, until every nut looks wet and shiny.
   
5. Sprinkle half the spiced sugar over the nuts and fold it in, then add the rest and fold again until no loose sugar remains.
   
6. Spread the nuts in a single layer on the lined pan, scraping the bowl clean. Leave small gaps where you can.
   
7. Bake 12 minutes, then stir well and break up any clumps. Bake another 12 minutes and stir again, then bake a final 12 to 14 minutes (36 to 40 minutes total).
   
8. The nuts are done when the coating looks dry and matte, not glossy, and the nuts are deep golden. If you still see wet patches, bake 3 to 5 minutes more. They will feel soft while hot.
   
9. Optional: while the nuts are still hot, sprinkle the chopped rosemary and flaky salt over them and toss gently.
   
10. Cool on the pan for at least 30 minutes until completely at room temperature and crunchy. Break up any clusters and store airtight.
    

Nutrition

Serving1servingCalories185kcalCarbohydrates11gProtein5gFat15gSaturated Fat1.5gSodium65mgFiber2gSugar6g

Notes

Nut swaps: use any 4 cups (about 480 g) of raw, unsalted nuts. Pecans and walnuts finish fastest, almonds take longest. Add pepitas for the last 18 to 20 minutes only.

Egg-free: replace the egg white with 2 tablespoons aquafaba whisked until foamy.

Air fryer: cook about 2 cups at a time at 300°F (150°C) for 12 to 16 minutes on a perforated parchment liner, shaking every 4 minutes.

Storage: airtight at room temperature up to 2 weeks, or frozen up to 3 months. Skip the fridge, it makes the coating sticky.

Allergens: contains tree nuts and egg. Nutrition is an estimate per 1/4 cup based on USDA FoodData Central values.

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Try This Fall Spiced Nuts Recipe This Week

Go on, make a batch. It’s one bowl, one pan and about an hour, most of which is the oven doing the work while your kitchen smells like cinnamon. Use whatever nuts you’ve got in the cupboard, even if it’s only pecans and a handful of almonds, and don’t worry about getting it perfect the first time.

Once you’ve tried it, come back and leave a star rating in the recipe card above, and drop a comment with your nut mix and any spice you changed. Your tweaks really do help the next person decide what to make. If you snap a photo, pin it to Pinterest so your friends can find the recipe before Thanksgiving.