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This savory Spiced Nuts Recipe is the perfect anytime snack or appetizer. The mix of almonds, pecans, cashews, pistachios, and pumpkin seeds are crunchy, salty, savory, sweet and even a little spicy. And with just 10 ingredients and only 10 minutes of prep work, this is definitely a recipe to save!
My mom makes these nuts every year around the holidays to have around the house and also gift to family and friends. Everyone always asks for her recipe! And luckily, she gave me her tried-and-true recipe to share with you which is based off of a recipe by Ellie Krieger.
Ingredients You’ll Need
The ingredient list is fairly straight forward. Everything is easy to find at the store and may already be in your pantry. Jump down to the recipe card for exact measurements.
- A mixture or raw nuts: My favorite combination is almonds, pecans, cashews, pistachios, and pumpkin seeds. This combination hits all the crunch levels but feel free to use what you like or have on hand. Just make sure to use raw unsalted nuts.
- Pure maple syrup: this is what adds sweetness. But it also makes them even more crunchy once cooled. Make sure you use pure maple syrup, not pancake syrup.
- Dried Rosemary: adds a wintery/earthy flavor to the nuts. Nothing else does the trick.
- Spices: curry powder and cayenne add major oomph to the mixture. I don’t recommend substituting the curry powder for something else, but if you have to, check out this DIY curry powder recipe. Use as many of the spices it calls for, if you’ve got ‘em.
- Salt: kosher salt is an important ingredient here. Table salt just isn’t the same. I also like to sprinkle flaky sea salt over the nuts right before they go in the oven—but that’s completely optional.
How to Make this Spiced Nuts Recipe
The process couldn’t be simpler. Jump to the recipe card below for the full recipe instructions!
- Heat oven to 325°F (163ºC); coat a baking sheets with nonstick spray.
- Whisk together maple syrup, rosemary, curry powder, kosher salt and cayenne in a mixing bowl.
- In a large bowl, combine the raw nuts.
- Add sweet-spice mixture to nuts and toss to evenly coat.
- Transfer nuts to prepared baking sheet and spread into an even layer.
- This is optional, but I like to sprinkle a bit of flaky sea salt over nuts.
- Bake the nuts until they are toasted and golden brown, 20—25 minutes, stirring a couple of times throughout baking.
- Let the nuts cool completely on the baking sheet. Then use a metal spatula to scrape nuts off the pan and into an airtight container. Store the spiced nuts at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. *For longer storage, you can keep them in the freezer.
Expert Tips
- Be sure to fully cool the nuts before storing. This ensures the maple syrup caramelizes onto them to make them crispy and not soggy. If you place the nuts into jars while they are still warm, they will lose their crunchy texture.
- We recommend sticking with maple syrup as the sweetener. We’ve tried brown sugar and honey but both don’t crystallize correctly on the nuts or burn.
- Be sure to stir the nuts a couple of times throughout baking. This ensures that they are evenly roasted and coated in the syrup mixture.
- Swap cayenne for black pepper for less spice. If you like your nuts mild, use black pepper rather than cayenne.
Storage
Store the savory nuts in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
You can freeze these nuts for up to 1 month. I recommend letting then thaw, spread out on a baking sheet, at room temperature, for a few hours.
These are the ideal make ahead recipe for entertaining or for giving as a gift. Buy some cellophane bags or cute gift boxes and everyone will love them as a snack!
FAQs
I haven’t tested this, but I predict the sugar will burn. I recommend sticking with pure maple syrup.
You can freeze these nuts for up to 1 month. I recommend letting then thaw, spread out on a baking sheet, at room temperature, for a few hours.
If the nuts are not fully cooled before being transferred to an airtight container they will release steam in the jar and cause the nuts to soften and become sticky. It’s absolutely imperative that the nuts cool completely before being stored.
Additionally, if the jar or container of nuts are left open and the air is relatively humid, the nuts can soften and become sticky. Keep them sealed when not being eaten.
No olive oil or melted butter needed! Some recipes even rely on egg white for crisping, but the maple syrup does all the heavy lifting here!
If you can find mixed nuts that are raw and unsalted, go right ahead! I have never found that which is why I call for a cup amount of each.
More Appetizer Recipes
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Did you make this Spiced Nuts Recipe? Let me know in the comments below and be sure to leave a star rating!
Easy Spiced Nuts Recipe
Description
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Ingredients
- 1 cup raw almonds
- 1 cup raw pecans
- 1 cup raw cashews
- ¾ cup raw shelled pistachios
- ⅔ cup raw pumpkin seeds
- 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1¼ teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Flaky sea salt optional
Instructions
- Heat oven to 325°F (163ºC); coat a baking sheets with nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl whisk together maple syrup, rosemary, curry powder, kosher salt and cayenne. Add the nuts and toss to coat evenly.
- Transfer nuts to prepared baking sheet and spread into an even layer.
- Sprinkle a bit of flaky sea salt over nuts; optional.
- Bake until toasted and golden brown, 20—25 minutes, stirring a couple of times.
- Let nuts cool completely on sheet. Use a metal spatula to scrape nuts off pans; transfer to an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
Equipment
Notes
- If you’re sensitive to spice, you can use black pepper instead of cayenne.
- Raw, unsalted pumpkin seeds (also called pepitas) can be hard to find sometimes. Look in the bulk bin section of your grocery store. Roasted unsalted pepitas will work fine—they won’t burn.
- It’s imperative that you let the nuts cool completely before storing in an airtight container.
Super easy and very tasty. I could even add a bit more cayenne, but I like hot spicy. Thanks for the yummy recipe.
Thanks for the comment Lisa, a little extra heat sounds delicious!
Huge hit at the family gathering!
I followed recipe and felt the spices could have been doubled. Smelled great while cooking but the flavors mellowed out with cooking. I tasted the marinade before coating the nuts and afterwards and it was flavorful. After it was cooked the flavors fell short
Hi. I want to try this recipe but maple syrup isn’t available in my country. Can I use honey instead?
Yes, honey will work but I would add in 1 tablespoon olive oil to the honey and spice mixture. This will make it easier to combine and evenly toss with the nuts.
Love the flavour explosion of sweet and savoury. I made a few changes/additions because that’s just me. I added fenugreek seeds, dried coconut, cranberries and used honey instead of maple syrup. I wasn’t sure what I would think about the curry powder, but it totally works! Thanks for this new addiction.
Fenugreek is such a great addition!! I have some and will be trying this next time. Thanks for sharing!
I love this stuff!!!BUT, it doesn’t handle Florida humidity too well. I made a batch a few weeks ago before our historic snowfall. Perfect addictive snack. Just made a batch yesterday, temps back in the 70’s and humid and it’s all sticky. Not drying out. Still good just sticky.
Hey Kate, oh my gosh, good to know!! I wonder if instead of letting the nuts cool outside of the oven, if you cool them in the oven if that would help. I’d try baking them for 5–8 minutes less than noted in the recipe. Then, instead of removing them from the oven, turn the oven off and let them cool completely in the oven (as the oven cools down). This will take a while but I think it might work! Once they are completely cool, quickly transfer them to an airtight container.
You know what I did not like. How stinking addictive they are. Awesome recipe, perfect heat for a old guy.
I made this recipe for a baby shower and everyone raved!
Hi Mary! I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for giving it a try.
Everyone at the baby shower raved about the perfect balance of sweet to heat! Easy to make and they stay fresh a LONG time
I don’t have raw nuts but have a huge can of mixed nuts plus sunflower seeds and pistachios. How should I adjust the recipe?
Hi Theresa, great question. I haven’t tested these with roasted mixed nuts before; my only concern is they will become over-roasted and potentially burnt. Just keep an eye on them as you may need to pull them from the oven early. I would also skip the added salt (or add just 1/4 tsp), assuming the mixed nuts are already salted. I hope this helps!