Candied Walnuts to Spruce Up Salad, Oatmeal, and Beyond!

My mom has been making these candied walnuts (or “sugared walnuts”) for years. Whenever she has a dinner party she tosses them on salad (they’re perfect on a fresh salad with sliced pear, figs, dried cranberries, and a tangy vinaigrette). And every single time mom serves this salad at least one person comments about how amazing the walnuts are.

So…

Last Thanksgiving I gave candied walnuts a try. I failed, miserably. I put them in the toaster and it was one big mess of burned sugar and wasted walnuts (which I had to throw away—and they’re not cheap!) So I vowed to bring my mom over to teach me how to make her famous candied walnuts. As it turns out, it’s ridiculously easy.

It’s a delicate art, as sugar can burn so quickly, but it’s just two ingredients tossed in a pan, and voila! You’ve got sweet, crunchy, protein-packed gold that will spice up any fall dish. Enjoy! 

Candied Walnuts

Author: Joan Cehn

5 from 8 votes

These delicious candied walnuts are perfect atop a fall salad, sweet potato dishes, oatmeal, and beyond. Plus, they're a delicious snack to nibble on their own!

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Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Servings 1 -2 servings

Ingredients

• ½ cup of raw walnuts
• ⅛ cup of sugar

Instructions

• In a cast iron pan over medium heat, add walnuts and sugar. Stir consistently until sugar begins to clump together.
• As soon as the sugar begins to melt and form a liquid, turn off heat and immediately transfer sugar crusted walnuts to a dish and allow to cool. Sugar burns very easily so keep a close watch. Walnuts should be caked with sugar, but there will also be little clumps of sugar separate from the walnuts—that's ok!

Notes

• There is a very fine line between perfectly sugar-coated and burned—if in doubt, take it off the flame sooner rather than later!

Course Side, Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword candied nuts, festive, holiday, walnuts

I love putting these candied walnuts on top of sweet potato dishes like our delicious fall-themed Stuffed Sweet Potato (pictured below). 

More Wonderful Walnut Recipes:

• Fall Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
• Apple Walnut Pastry Purses
• Vegan Stuffed Mushrooms With Crimini Walnut Pâté

Candied Walnuts photos taken by Michelle Cehn. Recipe and photographs copyright of World of Vegan™, all rights reserved. Article edited by Amanda Meth. Please note that this article may contain affiliate links which means shopping through them helps lights on at World of Vegan!