Easiest Candied Cashews Recipe
You’ll never need to buy those extremely over-priced fancy candied cashews again. The kind that are so good you can’t stop eating them. Like, $20 dollars worth in 20 minutes. Never again. You can make your own. This is best and easiest recipe for homemade candied nuts I’ve tried. The recipe is adapted from my Classic Candied Nuts recipe and I made it even easier. Everything is mixed in one bowl and they’re ready in 30 minutes. Can’t beat it.
They’re salty-and-sweet with just the right amount of cinnamon to add great depth of flavor. Add a pinch of cayenne for extra shazaam. Although almonds seem to be a cult favorite, I’ve never been as big of an almond fan as either cashews or peanuts. I could eat honey-roasted peanuts all day long, and the same goes for these candied cashews. Cashews are softer and more buttery than almonds, which I prefer. I use them in vegan desserts as a butter replacer.
The cashews have the perfect amount of satisfying crunch, thanks to the cinnamon sugar coating. It’s crunchy and really bakes in rather than just falling off, which is all too common with homemade candied nuts. The secret? An egg white. It serves to coat the nuts before they’re tossed with cinnamon and sugar so it adheres. And while baking, the egg white binds and solidifies the coating onto the nuts. Between the salty-and-sweet factor along with the crunch factor, I went to town on the cashews immediately as they came out of the oven. The scent in your house while they bake is just heavenly. They make excellent easy, inexpensive, and impromptu gifts, but because they’re so addictively good you may not have any left over to give.
What’s in the Candied Cashews?
For this easy candied cashews recipe, you’ll need:
Egg white Water Cashews Granulated sugar Light brown sugar Cinnamon Kosher salt Cayenne pepper (optional)
How to Candy Nuts
First, you’ll want to whisk the egg white and water until frothy. This will take about 2 minutes. Then, stir in the nuts and the remaining ingredients. Transfer the nuts to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, making sure they’re in an even layer. Bake the cashews for about 30 minutes. The coating will appear bubbly and soupy and wet in the center of tray even when nuts are ready to be pulled from oven. It will seem like nuts should bake longer so the coating dries out more, but it firms up dramatically as nuts cool.
Can I Use Another Type of Nut?
Yes! The recipe works with almonds, pecans, walnuts, macadamia nuts, and peanuts, although you may need to adjust the baking time slightly.
Can the Egg White Be Substituted?
No, not to my knowledge. The egg white helps bind the sugars and spices to the cashews.
How Long Do Candied Nuts Last?
If stored in an airtight container (like a jar) at room temperature, the candied cashews will last up to 1 month.
Tips for Making Candied Nuts
I used whole roasted, lightly salted cashews from Trader Joe’s. Their nuts are the best value for me. I don’t have room to store Costco-sized quantities of things. I prefer using already roasted rather than raw nuts because they have more flavor. The cashews firm up and get crunchier as they cool so waiting an hour — or even overnight — is best. But I couldn’t. I highly recommend adding a pinch of cayenne to the spice mixture for a salty-sweet treat with a kick of spice at the end. Delicious!
More Easy Snack Recipes:
ALL OF MY SNACK RECIPES! Tried this recipe? Leave a review! Consider leaving a 5 star rating if you’ve made and loved one of my recipes! Cinnamon Sugar Candied Nuts — The smell of candied nuts is one of the best parts of holiday shopping! Munch on a these shopping mall-style candied nuts at home, year-round.
Cinnamon Sugar Trail Mix — Marrying candied nuts with trail mix was one of the best, and most dangerous, kitchen decisions I’ve had. So addicting!
Piña Colada Chex Mix — An EASY and addictively AMAZING salty-sweet Chex mix!! It’s crunchy, chewy, and between the pineapple, coconut, banana, and lime you’ll feel like you’re on a tropical vacation!!
5-Minute Pumpkin Spice Chex Mix — Two kinds of Chex, peanuts, pretzels, dried cranberries, and candy corn! If you need a quick fall party snack, make this! It’s dangerously fast, super easy, and SO CRAZY GOOD!!
Pumpkin Spice Crock-Pot Chex Mix— This Crock-Pot Chex Mix is LOADED with pumpkin spice flavor! It’s so easy to make and can easily be adapted to suit the ingredients you have on hand.
Dill Pickle Chex Mix Recipe— Loaded with dill pickle flavor thanks to the addition of dill pickle juice and dried dill, this Chex mix recipe is easily my favorite one yet!
Big Clusters Maple Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Granola — The granola is a cinch to make, vegan, gluten-free, and highly adaptable based on personal preferences. Swap out the type of oil, nuts, or dried fruit based on taste preference.
