5 Minute Candied Walnuts

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.

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Easy Candied Walnuts

This candied walnuts recipe happens in 1 step and 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.

Candied Walnuts Ingredients

• 1 cup walnut halves/pieces (you can also use this recipe for a skillet version of candied pecans)
• 1/4 cup white granulated sugar (not coarse sugar)
• 1 Tbsp water – helps the sugar melt without clumping together. I added this to help dissolve the sugar, but it is optional if you prefer to leave it out.
• 1 Tbsp unsalted butter – creates rich toffee-like flavor notes
• A pinch of salt – balances the sweetness

How To Make Candied Walnuts in a Skillet

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

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 the nuts are coated. Here are the stages you’ll see:

• Syrupy and Bubbling
• Thick and glossy
• Sticky, amber colored coating on nuts

3. Transfer immediately onto a sheet of parchment paper and separate the nuts right away. Using two spatulas or forks 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.

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

Tips for the Best Candied Walnuts

• If the sugar turns sandy or grainy, keep stirring, and it will re-melt.
• For a crunchier shell, cook a little longer.
• For lighter sweetness, stop at pale amber.
• Works the same for pecans.

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

P.S. If you haven’t already, make sure to try our honey-roasted almonds. They are amazing.

5 minute Candied Walnuts

4.88 from 680 votes

Author: Natasha Kravchuk

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.

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Prep Time: 5 minutes mins

Cook Time: 5 minutes mins

Total Time: 10 minutes mins

Ingredients 

Servings: 1 cup

• 1 cup walnut halves, you can also use this recipe for candied pecans
• 1/4 cup white granulated sugar, (not coarse sugar)
• 1 Tbsp water, *optiona
• 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
• pinch of salt

Instructions

• Heat a medium non-stick skillet over medium heat, add 1 cup walnuts, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1 Tbsp water, 1 Tbsp butter and a pinch of salt.
• 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. The caramelized sugar will be amber in color.
• 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!

Notes

*In my original recipe, I did not include water, but several people reported having difficulty with their sugar dissolving so I added 1 Tbsp of water. If you loved the original, you can just omit the water. 

How to Store: Once candied walnuts are cooled to room temperature, store in an airtight container and keep them in a cool, dry place away from heat and sunlight. They’ll stay fresh for about 5–7 days.

• Full Nutrition Label
• Nutrition Disclosure

Course: Appetizer, snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Candied Walnuts

Skill Level: Easy

Cost to Make: $

More Homemade Candy Recipes

• Easy Fudge Recipe
• Butterscotch Sauce
• Date Snickers
• Toffee Recipe
• Cream Cheese Mints
• Sugared Cranberries