Nuts are perfect for snacking! This easy cinnamon-spiced walnuts recipe is no exception! They are full of sweet delicious flavor. With just a few simple ingredients, you can enjoy these cinnamon sugar walnuts in about 20 minutes!

I love making spiced walnuts. I leave them out on the counter in a bowl, and everyone loves to grab some. Candied nuts also make great gifts! If you love candied nuts as much as we do, you will also want to try my Honey Roasted Cashews recipe.

Walnuts are healthy and a great way to entice kids to eat them. You can easily adjust of sugar you use in the recipe, making this cinnamon roasted walnuts recipe easy to customize.

Why This Recipe is Great:

  • Cinnamon is a warm, comforting spice that gives the nuts a delicious aroma and flavor. It adds a sweet, slightly spicy, and fragrant taste that enhances the overall flavor of the nuts.
  • Cinnamon-flavored nuts make a versatile snack. They can be eaten as a standalone snack, added to salads or yogurt, or used as a topping for oatmeal or smoothies.
  • I love this recipe because it is so easy to make and much cheaper to make flavored nuts than to buy them in the store.
  • Not only are these cinnamon-spiced walnuts easy to make, but they are also perfect for snacking!

These candied walnuts also make a perfect DIY holiday gift, teachers’ gift, etc. They are naturally gluten free, dairy-free, and egg-free! If you love cinnamon, try my popular Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls and these Gluten Free Brown Sugar Cinnamon Biscuits recipes.

Ingredient Notes:

Photos of the spiced walnuts ingredients.
  • Walnuts – You can use walnut halves or pieces in this recipe. If you don’t have walnuts, you can use ANY nuts for this candied nuts recipe.
  • Sugar – White sugar works in this recipe. Coconut and brown sugars will not work well, so I do not recommend substituting them.
  • Ground Cinnamon – Any variety.

Tips For Sucess:

🔑 Sandi says: The best way to ensure your recipe turns out is to use a candy thermometer to test that your sugar mixture is at the right temperature.

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Recipe Step-By-Step Directions:

Photos of step 1 and 2 making candied walnuts.

Step 1: In a small saucepan, heat the water, sugar, and cinnamon over medium heat.

Step 2: Place a candy thermometer in the pan and allow the ingredients to melt. DO NOT STIR until it reaches 238º F. This will take about 8 minutes.

Photos of steps 3 and 4.

Step 3: Preheat your oven to 350º F. Place the walnuts (or any nuts you plan to use) onto a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 10 minutes or until the nuts are lightly brown.

Step 4: Pour the nuts into a large bowl and pour the liquid sugar mixture on. You can see my photo in step 4. The steam blurred the photo. Mix well.

Candied walnuts on parchment paper.

Step 5: Spread the walnut mixture onto a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Ensure the walnuts are not too bunched up so they harden individually.

After the walnuts have cooled, you can serve whole or crush them into small pieces and place them in a serving dish.

Ways To Enjoy Candied Nuts:

  • Sprinkled these cinnamon walnuts on yogurt
  • Crushed to make a praline topping for cake or pie
  • On your favorite ice cream
  • By the hand full plain!
A close up of the cinnamon sugar walnuts.

Recipe FAQ:

Can you use walnut pieces to make this recipe?

You can make this recipe with whole walnuts, halves, or pieces!

How long will these spiced walnuts keep fresh?

These walnuts should keep up to 1 week in a sealed container.

Why are the candied nuts sticky?

If your nuts were sticky, your sugar mixture wasn’t hot enough to create that hardened, brittle effect.

Can you fix the nuts if they are sticky?

You can fix the nuts on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Bake them at 325º F for 5-15 minutes. Allow them to cool completely.

Can you freeze these candied nuts?

You can easily freeze these nuts. I put them into a freezer-safe baggie and freeze them. They should keep up to 2 months.

A Christmas tin filled with cinnamon spiced walnuts.
These candied walnuts make a great holiday gift!

More Gluten Free Snack Ideas:

The top view of a jar of cinnamon spiced walnuts.

Cinnamon Spiced Walnuts

Sandi Gaertner
A quick and easy candied walnuts recipe. They are cinnamon spiced and are delicious by themselves or on yogurt or ice cream.
5 from 9 votes
dairy free allergen icon
an egg free allergen icon
gluten free allergy icon
soy free allergy icon
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Gluten Free Candy Recipes, Gluten Free Snacks
Cuisine American
Servings 6
Calories 257 kcal

*As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.

Ingredients
  

  • 1 ½ cups walnuts * see note
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350º F.
  • Place the walnuts on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly brown.
  • In a saucepan over medium heat add the sugar, water, salt, and ground cinnamon.
  • Place a candy thermometer in the pan and allow the ingredients to melt. DO NOT STIR until it reaches 238 degrees. (This will take roughly 8 minutes.)
  • Remove from heat and immediately stir the hot sugar mixture into the walnuts.
  • Lightly spray a cooled baking sheet with non-stick spray. Spoon the walnut mixture onto it. (You can put the mixture onto parchment paper if you prefer for cooling.)
  • After the walnut mix has cooled you can serve whole or crush them into small pieces and place in a serving dish. Snack on it, or add it as a topper to yogurt or ice cream!

Notes

  1. You can use walnut halves or pieces in this recipe. 
  2. If you prefer, you can use pecans or any nuts you have on-hand. If you want to get fancy, you can add seeds like chia and sunflower to make a brittle.
  3. If your nuts mix turns out sticky, it means you didn’t cook the sugar mixture until it was hot enough. To fix sticky nuts, place them onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and bake at 325º F for 5-15 minutes. Allow them to cool.
  4. These nuts will keep in an air-tight container up to 5 days. If you freeze them they will keep up to 2 months.

SPECIAL NOTE

Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn’t test, you may need to adjust your moisture levels in your baked goods.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 257kcalCarbohydrates: 21gProtein: 4gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 2gSodium: 98mgPotassium: 132mgFiber: 2gSugar: 17gVitamin A: 7IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 34mgIron: 1mg
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Nutrition Disclaimer

Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.

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