Cinnamon Sugar Candied Cashews — Make the fancy store-bought kind at home! Salty-and-sweet, ready in 30 minutes, and so good!
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!
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Cinnamon Sugar Candied Cashews
Ingredients
- 1 egg white, whisked to very frothy
- 1 tablespoon water
- 3 cups cashews, I used 1 pound bag of roasted, lightly salted; substitute with almonds, pecans, walnuts, peanuts or a combo
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 to 2 teaspoons cinnamon, or to taste (I used 2 heaping teaspoons)
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt, or to taste (salt will vary based on preference and if you’re using salted or unsalted cashews)
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional and to taste (reduce to 1/4 teaspoon for milder heat)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300F. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper. Don’t skip lining your baking sheet; set aside.
- To a large bowl, add the egg white, water and whisk vigorously until very frothy, foamy, and bubbly, about 2 minutes by hand.
- Add the nuts and stir to coat.
- Add the sugars, cinnamon, salt, and optional cayenne, and stir to coat evenly.
- Turn nuts out onto to prepared baking sheet, spreading them in an even flat layer.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes (I baked 28 minutes); don’t overbake or nuts can burn. Coating will appear bubbly, quite 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. As always, use your judgment and let your nose and eyes be your guide to doneness.
- Allow nuts to cool on baking tray for at least 30 minutes. Ideally, leave nuts on baking tray and exposed to air to cool overnight; this helps them get extra crispy and crunchy.
- When nuts are cool enough to handle, break apart large clusters.
- Transfer nuts to airtight containers or jars.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Just made these for Thanksgiving – had to make a second batch because the first one disappeared too fast! The cayenne is definitely a great touch. I’ll confess I replaced the water with a tablespoon of bourbon!
I think replacing the water with bourbon is a great idea! Glad that you even made a second batch!
Gosh these were good. First batch was perfect, second batch I got greedy and tried to double on pan,…not as good because I think the nuts were too crowded (still good but not as perfect as the first batchJ. Third batch I used vanilla extract instead of water, loved that way too. Great recipe. Thanks.
Mmm vanilla extract sounds delish and glad you loved the recipe and tried multiple batches!
My husband bought some candied cashews recently and I knew I needed to make them at home. I just tried your recipe and can’t believe how amazing these turned out. So easy too! We both like them better than store-bought (it’s the cayenne I think). Thanks for sharing this recipe! We’ll be making them again soon! (Your comment cracks me up about them lasting 1 month. These will be lucky to see tomorrow!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad you love it and that these turned out better than storebought!
As another commenter mentioned, you might want to check at the 12 minute mark. My first batch burned at 15 minutes. I’m waiting for these to cool so I can safely toss these and try again. I might reduce the temp a tad too. The few I nibbled on were a great baseline though for endless flavor combinations :)
Always too afraid to give these a try, this is a great simple recipe!
Thanks!
All ovens vary, climates, etc and with nuts they can sometimes surprise you with how fast they cook. Glad this is a good baseline recipe for you!
So I’ve made this recipe a bazillion times and my friends LOVE them. However…. this year I have a few more friends who’ve gone paleo…. could I use maple syrup instead? And if so, how? Thanks!
Not sure if that would work because it’s a liquid and this recipe uses dry sugars. You could experiment and see what happens. LMK!
My nuts never got crunchie. Stays chewie no mattee what i did. Great flavor. Not sure what I did wrong!
Sometimes baking a bit longer can help and/or drying out in the open air, provided it’s not humid where you live. Cashews aren’t a super crunchy nut to begin with compared to an almond for example, but as long as the flavor was great, that’s good to hear.
Just made this AWESOME recipe!! My hubby and I are totally addicted to these nuts!!! P
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! They’re very easy to get addicted to :)
I know I’m a bit late to this post, but I just had to say that this nut recipe is de-licious!! I made the recipe with walnuts and pecans as they are currently in season, and followed the recipe as stated. SO good, Averie! Thanks for yet another keeper ?
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you with the walnuts and pecans!
Well I made tusing the egg wash mixed in the nuts then the mustar along w/tsp. ginger and 20 min. in oven and cooling right now but they taste mighty good and your right to wait the next day as they are even better. Ill be doing more at a later date and use cin. and ginger.
P.S. Ill be adding them to popcorn also. TKS FOR A GREAT RECIPE AND CAN BE VERY VERSATILE.
Thanks for the update and glad to hear you’re loving the recipe and that it’s versatile!!
First time making these as I have a LOT OF CASHEWS OMG these are soooo EASY and only took 20 min in oven as I kept an eye on them. Cant wait till morning to try then but my next batch im goin to do cin. and ginger but maybe half cin. and half ginger????????? what is your thought on that combo as I dont want to mess that one up.I also would like to try using pineapple honey mustard but not sure how to use that. Any sugg. would be helpful. TKS
half cin. and half ginger = sounds great to me, I’m a huge fan of both!
Rather than tossing the nuts in egg, you could try tossing them in the pineapple honey mustard and/or a little egg (maybe half an egg) and then coat/dredge them…not sure how that will all play out but it’s worth a try if you have tons of cashews. Keep me posted!
I made these this weekend and after burning a batch of Buttery Captain Crunchies to beyond recognition, (note to self “put glasses on to set oven dial!”), I was afraid of burning the nuts (I used peanuts). So I took them out after 20 minutes. They were yummy but didn’t harden up. In fact, when they cooled and I tried to break them apart they were total goo in the center of the baking sheet. So I reheated the oven and popped them back in for 12 more minutes, checking each 4 minutes. When they cooled the second time they were nice and crunchy! Yay! My husband gave them his highest praise “These are damn tasty!” Thanks for another great recipe. :)
Glad they came out great for you after the 12 minute stint back in the oven. With things like this, you just have to watch them like a hawk and bake until they’re not gooey. Glad they got the husband’s seal of approval :) And sorry about the glasses/Capn Crunchies situation…that sounds like something I would do!
Candied nuts are my favorite. I cannot stop myself once I have some in front of me. The expensive prices are built in self control. High prices I can resist. Candied nuts I cannot. These are dangerously divine!
Well I hope you can save some money then and DIY!
That salty/sweet combination is the best, I could probably finish off a whole batch of these if left unattended.
I’ve never made my own sugar-spiced nuts before, but I need to get into it! Totally pinned!
Thanks for pinning, Tracy!
I’ve made candies pecans but never candied cashews. I LOVE cashews so I need to try this soon. Really digging the addition of cayenne pepper into your candied nuts. I enjoy a little heat in my food. Great recipe, Averie! Pinned!
Thanks for pinning, Julie!
Oh my gosh, candied nuts are my weakness! I love snacking on them, sometimes a little too much haha. I love that I can make these at home and that way I’m not devouring a whole ginormous Costco-sized jar :) Love the gorgeous pics – pinned :)
Thanks for pinning and exactly to what you said about the Costco sized jar :)