These 5-minute candied walnuts are sweet, crunchy and coated evenly, with no clumps. Everything goes into one skillet, so there's no pre-toasting. Toss them on salads or enjoy them as a snack.
Prep time: PT5M
Cook time: PT5M
Total time: PT10M
Rating
4.88 stars (691 reviews)
Keywords
candied nuts, Candied Walnuts, how to candy walnuts
Ingredients
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 (*optional)
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
pinch of salt
Categories
Appetizer
snack
Cuisine
American
Steps
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!
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 237 kcal
Carbohydrates: 16 g
Protein: 4 g
Fat: 19 g
Saturated Fat: 3 g
Trans Fat: 0.1 g
Cholesterol: 8 mg
Sodium: 1 mg
Sugar: 13 g
Unsaturated Fat: 15 g
Reviews
Sarah on 2026-11-04 (5 stars): Great, easy recipe! I think the addition of the water helps with making the recipe more fool-proof. I sprinkles in a little cinnamon too. Yum!
Stewart on 2026-10-11 (5 stars): Easy. Perfect results. Saved a step and used salted butter, as I had only that. Any reason not to use salted butter?
Amy on 2026-10-06 (5 stars): I made both this recipe and another recipe (one involving egg whites and baking, so it was a different method and I expected different results), and this one is hands down the best. I saw a previous comment say that they made one batch, only to clean out the pan and make a second batch. I pretty much did the same exact thing. I tried the finished products of both recipes and decided I wanted more of this one because it was so good.
Lea Gilligan on 2026-09-22 (5 stars): Brilliant recipe, so simple and so delicious. I usually add 1/2 to 1 tsp salt. I like the sugar/salt contrast.
Lauren on 2026-09-22 (5 stars): Turned out GREAT. 5 stars!
The first batch was so delicious, I cleaned out the pan and promptly made another. Thanks, Natasha...you're the BEST!!!!
Marcelo Miguel on 2026-09-21 (5 stars): This was so easy and so wonderful. I made them, then coated them lightly in corn starch and added to a black chocolate banana bread. It came out absolutely delicious. Thank you soo much!!
Jill on 2026-09-18 (4 stars): I added a bit of maple syrup because I ran out of sugar. It gave them more of a caramel/ turtle kind of texture and taste minus the chocolate. And I ate them slightly warm. Something to try.
Nick on 2026-09-13 (5 stars): So easy to make and delicious. I’ve used these on an antipasto salad 😀
Michelle Loetsch on 2026-06-23 (5 stars): I made these with the intent to use them as a topping on cream cheese and prosciutto breadstick bites. Then my daughter found thema bsolutely delicious and utterly devine.
