These caramelized, candied walnuts are quite a treat. Toss them into your salad, over popcorn, or straight into your mouth. Crunch. Crunch.

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These caramelized, candied walnuts are quite a treat. Toss them into your salad, over popcorn, or straight into your mouth. Crunch. Crunch.

I love this easy method of making the candied nuts where everything goes into the pan at once. Other methods I’ve tried left me with globs of candy on the nuts rather than a more even coating.

It also roasts the nuts at the same time so you don’t have to pre-toast them, then add them back to the pan to be coated, blah, blah. Who needs extra steps?

It seriously takes about 5 minutes on the stove and 5 minutes to cool. The finished product is delicious! My husband was sampling them right out of the pan. P.S. This recipe can easily be doubled.

Ingredients for Candied Walnuts:

1 cup walnut halves/pieces (you can also use this recipe for candied pecans)
1/4 cup white granulated sugar (not coarse sugar)
1 Tbsp unsalted butter

How To MakeΒ 5 Minute Candied Walnuts:

1. Heat a medium non-stick skillet over medium heat, add 1 cup walnuts, 1/4 cup granulated sugar and 1 Tbsp butter.

5 minute Candied Walnuts-4

2. Heat over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring frequently (with a heat proof non-plastic spatula) so your mixture doesn’t burn (especially towards the end). When the sugar mixture starts melting, stir constantly until all sugar is melted and nuts are coated.

5 minute Candied Walnuts-5 5 minute Candied Walnuts-6

3. Transfer immediately onto a sheet of parchment paper and separate the nuts right away. Using two spatulas will make this task go faster.

You don’t want to give the nuts a chance to turn into a wad of inseparable delicious goodness unless you are the only person who will be enjoying the wad ;). Seriously, move quickly from the time the nuts are coated until they are separated out on the parchment paper.

5 minute Candied Walnuts-75 minute Candied Walnuts-8

Once the coating hardens (5-7 minutes), you can transfer them to a bowl and either inhale them right then and there or save ’em for a salad or something.

These caramelized, candied walnuts are quite a treat. Toss them into your salad, over popcorn, or straight into your mouth. Crunch. Crunch. These caramelized, candied walnuts are quite a treat. Toss them into your salad, over popcorn, or straight into your mouth. Crunch. Crunch.

Enjoy, Β {crunch}Β pin it to your “recipes to keep forever” board, {crunch. crunch}Β and let me know how you liked the candied walnuts! {Crunch. Cruuunch. Crunch}Β 

5 minute Candied Walnuts

4.88 from 666 votes
Author: Natasha of NatashasKitchen.com
These caramelized, candied walnuts are quite a treat. Toss them into your salad, over popcorn, or straight into your mouth. Crunch. Crunch.
Toss these caramelized walnuts into your salad, over popcorn, or straight into your mouth. Crunch. Crunch. I love this easy method of making the candied nuts where everything goes into the pan at once. Other methods I've tried left me with globs of candy on the nuts rather than a more even coating. It also roasts the nuts at the same time so you don't have to pre-toast them, then add them back to the pan to be coated, blah, blah. Who needs extra steps? It seriously takes about 5 minutes on the stove and 5 minutes to cool. P.S. This recipe can easily be doubled.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients 

Servings: 1 cup
  • 1 cup walnut halves/pieces, you can also use this recipe for candied pecans
  • 1/4 cup white granulated sugar, (not coarse sugar)
  • 1 Tbsp unsalted butter

Instructions

  • Heat a medium non-stick skillet over medium heat, add 1 cup walnuts, 1/4 cup granulated sugar and 1 Tbsp butter.
  • Heat over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring frequently so your mixture doesn't burn (especially towards the end). When the sugar mixture starts melting, stir constantly until all sugar is melted and nuts are coated.
  • Transfer immediately onto a sheet of parchment paper and separate the nuts right away. Using two spatulas will make this task go faster. You don't want to give the nuts a chance to turn into a wad of inseparable delicious goodness unless you are the only person who will be enjoying the wad ;). Seriously, move quickly from the time the nuts are coated until they are separated out on the parchment paper.
  • Once the coating hardens (5-7 minutes), you can transfer them to a bowl and enjoy!
Course: Appetizer, snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Candied Walnuts
Skill Level: Easy
Cost to Make: $
Natasha's Kitchen Cookbook

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P.S. If you haven’t allready, make sure to try ourΒ honey roasted almonds. They are also amazing

4.88 from 666 votes (361 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




Comments

  • Selena
    March 10, 2023

    I didn’t have butter on hand so I used cooking oil, I was going to add a dash of salt but I forgot to…the walnuts were delicious anyway! My next batch I added a heaping tablespoon of raw sesame seeds to the walnuts… delicious!

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      March 10, 2023

      I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Selena!

      Reply

  • Carmella
    March 4, 2023

    Natasha, Thank you for this recipe. They are perfect every time.

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      March 4, 2023

      You are welcome, Carmella! I’m so glad you love the recipe.

      Reply

  • Kim
    February 28, 2023

    For those having problems getting the sugar to melt. Cook your sugar & butter together 1st on medium until it turns into a syrup. Then add your walnuts, turn the heat down and stir and brown until fully coated. Add salt and whatever flavorings you want. You basically didn’t cook it long enough at a high enough heat:)

    Reply

  • Oksana
    February 17, 2023

    I love your recipes. And loved this one, too. I’d like to know what’s the best way to store these after they’ve cooled. Thanks for your time.

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      February 18, 2023

      Hi Oksana, I’m so glad you enjoyed them! You can store them at room temperature in Tupperware for 3-5 days. I wouldn’t refrigerate them since the caramel can become sticky in a moist environment.

      Reply

  • Penny
    February 11, 2023

    I have tried several candied walnut recipes that took longer were more work and not as tasty. I always paid over $3 for this amount in a package at Trader Joe’s. This helped me use up the walnuts left from Christmas baking and took less than 10 minutes. I will make my own from now on. Thank you.

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      February 11, 2023

      Hi Penny! That’s wonderful. I’m so glad to hear that.

      Reply

  • Kate
    January 26, 2023

    I was skeptical that anything this simple would work. HA! They are perfection!
    The only modification that I made was because I have a glass top stove that runs a bit hot so I used 3.5 on a scale of 10. Just right.
    Thanks, Natasha!

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      January 26, 2023

      You’re welcome! We’re glad you enjoyed!

      Reply

  • Judy
    January 23, 2023

    So I’ve had the same problem with the sugar balling up. It’s worked for me most times, but others not. The key is to NOT stir the mixture together until the sugar melts. If you are using a gas stove, this can take a little while. Mine was set to more of a medium-high level before I could get the sugar to melt. Once it starts melting, then mix-quickly. Let it brown a bit for flavor but not too much or it simply burns.

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      January 23, 2023

      Thank you for sharing your advise, Judy!

      Reply

  • Angie
    January 22, 2023

    Thank You for his amazing simple recipe. I use it often. Loves, Angie

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      January 22, 2023

      You’re so welcome, Angie!

      Reply

      • JJ
        May 29, 2023

        I spent 30 minutes trying to get the sugar to melt. It coated very unevenly. I ended up burning the sugar because I was trying to even out the coating. I should have read the reviews first.

        Reply

        • Natasha
          May 30, 2023

          HI JJ, did you use a non-stick pan and the right heat settings? I haven’t had that experience (especially not 30 minutes). I may need to do a video tutorial on this one.

          Reply

  • Marcia
    December 25, 2022

    Worked like a charm! After reading the comments, I did cut back a little on the sugar and added some kosher salt, cayenne, and nutmeg to the mix. Very easy recipe and the results fully justify the good reviews!

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      December 26, 2022

      So glad to hear that!

      Reply

  • Anita Rose
    December 23, 2022

    Natasha, Thank you for a simple and delicious recipe, We added a little cinnamon, and enjoying our treat on a cold almost Christmas Night!! Have Been enjoying your cooking for a long time. First time to comment. Thank you for every Recipe you share Anita Rose

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      December 23, 2022

      Hi Anita! You’re so very welcome. I’m glad you’re enjoying my recipes. Merry Christmas!

      Reply

  • Lorraine R Gould
    December 21, 2022

    I looked through a lot of sugared walnuts recipes online and chose this 5 min. one. Super easy and really delicious, thank you. I’ll add these to my Christmas cookie gifts. Gluten free too!

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      December 21, 2022

      Hi Lorraine! I’m so glad you tried this recipe. Thank you for sharing. Merry Christmas!

      Reply

  • Patty
    December 17, 2022

    These candied walnuts were so good and so easy!

    I followed the instructions as directed, adding a few more nuts and a pinch of sea salt to balance out the sweetness as others had suggested, and they turned out wonderfully glazed and crunchy. So many great ways to use them!!!

    Thanks for sharing, Natasha!

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      December 19, 2022

      Hi Patty! You’re very welcome. I’m so glad you loved this recipe!

      Reply

  • Christine Thill
    December 15, 2022

    I am wondering why my sugar never melted to get these to stick together. I followed the recipe exactly and have done this before with other recipes. Just curious what May Fl have happened. Still makes good salad toppings.

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      December 16, 2022

      Hi Christine, I recommend reviewing the steps again to ensure nothing was altered. I wonder if you used a different type of sugar that may take longer to dissolve.

      Reply

  • Roz
    December 13, 2022

    I tried three times to make these – sugar didn’t melt and the walnuts didn’t get coated. Sugar just went into little balls.
    Did anyone else have this problem?

    Reply

    • Maria
      January 7, 2023

      Same here, I don’t understand the good reviews? Not sure what I did wrong, followed the recipe perfectly and used the right ingredients.

      Reply

    • Carrots
      January 7, 2023

      Same exact result here! Did it twice too. Failed recipe! I’m usually a pretty good cook/baker too.

      Reply

      • NatashasKitchen.com
        January 7, 2023

        Hi! Did you make any substitutions or changes to the recipe? If not, here is a comment from a reader who had a similar issue: “If you turn down the heat or stir too much then the sugar won’t melt. Keep the heat at medium and stir intermittently so the sugar has a chance to heat up and melt. It’s a fine line between letting the sugar melt but not burn!”
        You may experiment with this to see if that helps your situation.

        Reply

  • Darrel
    December 11, 2022

    This is awesome. I did 3/4 walnuts and 3/4 pecans. Added cayenne. Oh my! Suddenly, it was done, so came with a bit of carbon…still, they are delicious and I will be making this for my teachers and staff for Christmas. Thank you for an incredible 5 min recipe. Merry Christmas.

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      December 11, 2022

      Thank you for sharing, so glad you loved it!

      Reply

  • Patti
    December 11, 2022

    I have made these twice. The first time exactly as the recipe was written. Pretty good, but too sweet for my taste. Just made them again, and added a pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Much better… added a little complexity.
    Very easy recipe, and I’ll definitely hold onto it!

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      December 11, 2022

      That’s great! Thanks a lot for your good comments and feedback, we’re happy to know that you love them!

      Reply

  • Marianne
    November 24, 2022

    Made them tonight for my thanksgiving day salad dressed with cinnamon shallot vinaigrette – they were so easy to make and paired perfect with the salad.

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      November 25, 2022

      Sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing.

      Reply

  • Veela
    November 22, 2022

    This is the best candied nut recipe I’ve ever used by a mile. Thank you!

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      November 22, 2022

      You’re welcome! I’m so glad you loved it!

      Reply

  • rosemary patterson
    November 22, 2022

    No need to change or add anything (in my opinion)! These are walnut crack. Oh my God!

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      November 22, 2022

      I’m so glad you love this!

      Reply

  • Clarissa
    November 22, 2022

    Is there anything I substitute the butter with to make this dairy free?

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      November 22, 2022

      Hi Clarissa, I haven’t really tried any substitute ingredient for butter to advise.

      Reply

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