Brown Sugar Candied Walnuts make a quick & easy garnish for your favorite dish or a delicious homemade gift for the holidays. They have a sweet, rich taste and crunchy texture, and they’re SO much less expensive to make than purchase pre-made!
Quick Note: This is an updated version of a post that originally appeared on Bright-Eyed Baker in 2012. The update includes new text & photos, as well as a slight modification to the original recipe. I’ve increased the brown sugar by a small amount and added a touch of sea salt per reader comments. I’ve also added a few extra notes to the instructions for clarity.
Candied walnuts are a game-changer. In fact, let me level with you here; I did not like walnuts before I learned how to candy them. But in the five minutes it took me to make these Brown Sugar Walnuts for the first time, I had a change of heart.
Whether or not you like raw walnuts, I guarantee that once you get them all toasty and coated in brown sugar, their buttery smell and sweet, nutty taste will win you over. They’re perfect for adding flair to baked goods, garnishing a salad, gifting for the holidays, or just snacking. Just be warned, if you decide to give these as a gift, you’re absolutely going want to make extra for yourself!
Tips for Making the Best Brown Sugar Candied Walnuts:
Use Brown Sugar: While you can caramelize walnuts with granulated sugar, the rich, molasses-like taste of brown sugar really compliments the nuts and adds another layer of flavor.
Watch Them Closely While Cooking: I’m not kidding when I say that this is a five-minute recipe. Brown sugar and walnuts both burn quickly on the stove, so keep your eye on these the entire time you’re cooking!
Add a Touch of Sea Salt: As I mentioned earlier, this is a tip I got from you guys! Many readers who have already made this recipe mentioned how good it is with a sprinkle of sea salt. About 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt is enough to amplify the flavor in these walnuts without making them taste salty. Feel free to use less or more to suit your tastes!
Looking for more recipes like these Brown Sugar Candied Walnuts?
If you love pecans, these Candied Pecans are just as easy to make – and every bit as good!
You can use candied walnuts for these Sparkling Cranberry & Walnut Goat Cheese Crostini to make them extra elegant and enticing!
For a savory spin on walnuts, try these Maple Roasted Brussels Sprouts (with bacon!); roasted Brussels sprouts are always amazing, and this recipe transforms them into a super easy fall side dish.
DIY Brown Sugar Candied Walnuts
Brown Sugar Candied Walnuts make a quick & easy garnish for your favorite dish, or a delicious homemade gift for the holidays. They have a sweet, rich taste and crunchy texture you won’t be able to get enough of, and they’re SO much less expensive to make than purchase pre-made!
- Prep Time: 1 minute
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 6 minutes
- Yield: 1 1/2 cups candied walnuts 1x
- Category: snack
- Method: stovetop
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (5 5/8 ounces) raw walnut halves*
- 1/2 cup, packed (3 3/4 ounces) brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste (optional)
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix walnuts and brown sugar together in a large saucepan and set on a stove-top over medium heat (or just below).
- As the brown sugar melts, use a wooden spoon to move the mixture around in the saucepan, making sure that all of the nuts get coated and none of the sugar stays in one place long enough to burn. Don’t walk away from the stove; this will happen very quickly!
- Cook for about 5 minutes at the most, until all of the sugar has melted and all of the nuts are coated (or immediately if you smell anything burning). Then, remove from heat and quickly spread the nuts out on the lined baking sheet to prevent them from drying in a clump.
- Sprinkle nuts with sea salt, if desired, and allow to cool for a couple minutes before eating or using in a recipe.
Notes
*Shelled walnuts are typically sold as halves, but if you happen to have whole ones, simply cut them in half before mixing with the brown sugar.
Keywords: easy candied walnuts, brown sugar walnuts, candied walnuts, brown sugar candied walnuts, candied walnuts brown sugar
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Julia {The Roasted Root} says
I literally have 10 pounds of walnuts in my freezer. I’m ALL over this! Yum!
brighteyedbaker says
Haha DO IT!
Stacey says
OMG! I just made these – delicious! I am a sea salt caramel junkie, so I sprinkled sea salt on 1/2 of them while they were cooling – sooooo good.
brighteyedbaker says
They’re incredible, right?! Good idea :)
Cher-Cher says
Shut up!!!!! These were great until I added sea salt and now they’re effin amazeballs!! Thank you!!!
alexandra says
Haha yay! So glad to hear it! I guess I need to add sea salt next time. :D
A J Daw says
How about a sprinkle of cinnamon just before you turn them out of the skillet onto the cooling sheet ?
AJ
alexandra (brighteyedbaker) says
I would say yes to that. :)
Churchmouse says
I make these lots for gifts and selling at my church’s Bazaar. For fun, once, I added some cayenne pepper. That version sold out in minutes! Try it. It only takes about a quarter tsp and makes a nice, nippy difference.
alexandra says
Cayenne pepper sounds great! I add it to my granola a lot of times and love the little bite it contributes to the flavor, so I bet I’ll love it with this too. Thanks for the idea! :)
Barb says
Just made these for a salad on Thanksgiving. So easy and they taste just like in a fancy restaurant salad!
alexandra says
MMM that will be a delicious salad! We ate these so quickly I don’t think they made it to dinner-time at our house!
Brandy says
I just made a butterscotch cheesecake for dessert tomorrow. I think I am going to make a batch of these to add as a topping. Thanks for sharing!
alexandra says
Sounds fantastic! You’re welcome :)
carolyn says
Just made these with almonds (;cause that;s what I had,) Amazingly delicious! I just added a little salt, ’cause salt is good. :D Thank you for an easy, wonderful recipe.
alexandra says
Oooh sounds amazing! I’ll have to try the almonds sometime!
Zara from Ireland says
Yummy to garnish a lovely crisp green salad,
sliced pear and blue cheese – with the candied walnuts.
Great starter dish.
alexandra says
I agree, that sounds fantastic!
Lindsey says
Any time someone needs a salad for a group party, i always bring a spinch salad with strawberries, goat cheese, a balsamic vinaigrette i make myself and some candied nut of some kind. I cant wait until the next potluck to try these in it =]
alexandra says
I’ll bet these walnuts would be awesome on that salad! It sounds yummy!
Zelie says
Hey I have to try these!! They sound amazing!!:)thanx for sharing your recipe!!:)
alexandra says
Watch out; they’re pretty addicting!! You’re welcome. :)
Marissa says
These came out deliciously. I melted butter in the pan first and then to make things simpler, I just put the hot nuts onto a regular plate. They come off of there just fine, no need to waste parchment paper :) I put them on top of mashed sweet to give them some crunch.
alexandra says
Good to know about the parchment – thanks! Sounds like a tasty dish with the sweet potatoes!
Abby says
Try it with a pinch of salt and a drizzle of honey,OMG it is so delicious!!!
alexandra says
Ooh, sounds so good! I’ve heard from a few others that a touch of sea salt works well; I love the honey idea!
Deborah says
Raised in walnut orchards and had to pick my share of them and go to school with stained hands. Hated them! Now I take them home to SF from my Mom’s trees and crack them while watching football. Everyone loves this recipe in every dish imaginable, thank you so much. Sea salt and cinnamon yes! Will try pepper next since I too have lbs in freezer!
alexandra says
I’m so glad you liked them! I’ll bet a touch of cayenne would be good, perhaps even with the cinnamon. :)
At least the walnut-picking stained hands thing didn’t prevent you from liking them in your adult years!
TurtleDoctor says
Right now is harvest time for my walnut trees. So far I’ve shelled just over 300 pounds. Everyone I know gets organic walnuts for the holidays. I will include a note with this receipe. Thanks loads they’ll love these.
alexandra says
Thank you, that’s awesome!
Rachel says
This did not work for me. The brown sugar started to melt and then turned into small rocks, then was smelling like it was going to burn so I removed it for the heat
alexandra says
I’m sorry to hear that, but I honestly have no idea why that would have happened to you. Everyone else who I’ve heard from who’s tried the recipe has had success. Did you use regular brown sugar?
Sue says
Same thing happened to me. I now have 2 lbs of funky looking walnuts & brown sugar rocks.Such a waste plus now I need to find another hostess thing to bring to this event in a few hours.
Rachel says
Yes I did
alexandra says
Had all of the brown sugar melted already before it turned to rocks? If it had, perhaps you just cooked it too long…
Rachel says
No, it had not all melted before it turned into rocks.
alexandra says
Well, I’m sorry but I really have no other idea what might have gone wrong. Wish I could be of more help, but sometimes it’s hard to figure out these kinds of issues without being there. :(
Michelle says
Just wondering, can these candied walnuts be stored for a long time? and how should it be stored? room temp. or in the fridge?
alexandra says
I kept mine at room temperature. I’m really not sure how long they’ll keep; I would say at least a few weeks, but possibly longer.
Deb Webster says
My brother makes these for Christmas. We store them in the freezer with Christmas cookies until we are ready to eat them. The flavor stays good, usually we finish them in two to three months, with lots of self control. I once found a container which had slipped behind packages. It tasted fresh and good, even eight months later.
andrea says
omg.. stumbled upon this recipe when searching for ‘candied walnuts for salad’. I *literally* just finished making them and wanted to try it and to be honest, I don’t think these are going to last long enough to put on my salad!! Thank you for the recipe! Others required butter and I was trying to steer clear from that!
alexandra says
I totally know what you mean about these not lasting long enough! When I made them for this bread I’m pretty sure I had to make them a second time because we devoured the first batch so quickly. I’m so glad you liked them!
cindy nickel says
I pit cherries, cut them in half, sprinkle them on lettuce of choice, add blue cheese crumbles and candied nuts,& either a vinaigrette or blue cheese dressing, fantastic.
alexandra says
Sounds so good!
Gwyn says
I had the same problem as Rachel, all of the brown sugar didn’t melt and it more or less clumped up instead of coating the walnuts. I put that batch aside and started again with white sugar and the nuts came out beautifully coated and taste amazing. The brown sugar nuts are still edible, just not well coated. Thanks for the video and recipe.
alexandra says
Granulated sugar melts easier than brown sugar, so I can understand why it would have been easier to work with. I’m really not sure why you would have had an issue with the brown sugar in this case, but I’m glad you found a workaround!
Susie says
Holy cow, I made one batch to toss in a strawberry, spinach salad and then had to immediately make 2 more batches. Yum!
alexandra says
Hahaha I know how you feel! So glad you’re enjoying them. :)
Grace says
I’ve tried this recipe for the third time. Although the nuts are delicious, I can’t get the brown sugar to melt. It remains crystallized and lumpy and not evenly distributed on the walnuts. If I increase the heat it just starts to smoke. I also tried heating the sugar til it starts to melt before adding the nuts, but same results. I tried melting a bit of butter to help liquify but it doesn’t help. Any help or suggestions w would be appreciated. I’m looking for a more even smoother coating of brown sugar or is the crystallized version how it should be?
alexandra says
Hi Grace! Sorry for taking a while to get back to you, but I thought I’d try out the recipe again since I haven’t made it in a while, just so that I could better answer your question. For me the sugar does melt, and when it does it gets hot quickly, but as long as you don’t leave it on the stove long, it doesn’t actually burn. You’ll still see bits of sugar on the nuts, so they do appear somewhat crystallized I suppose, but you should definitely see the sugar melting while cooking. I’m not sure why you’re having this issue, but you could always use granulated sugar for a more even coating, since it tends to melt better.
Katrine says
I’m very late to the party, but wanted to mention that the sugar actually crystallises if you stir too much. So, stirring a little less (but keeping a close eye, burns fast) might help.
alexandra says
Yup, you got it! ;)
Sharmin says
I had that clumping problem as well, but it was easily solved by adding a tsp of water and lowering temp once it starts melting. Coated much more evenly! Also, the tiniest pinch of salt made a big difference. Yum yum yum.
alexandra says
Thanks for sharing that tip for anyone else who has the same problem! I’m sure a bit of salt could never be a bad thing either! :)
Hardhyan says
We live in the desert and our brown sugar dries out quickly, so I add a tb of coconut oil and a tb of water and cook on low stirring go frequently until melts and coated.
Thanks for the recipe, Hardhyan
alexandra says
Thanks for sharing your tips! :)
Matthew says
I probably wouldn’t add water if I had a bottle of bourbon around.
alexandra says
LOL, I like the way you think ;)
Jane says
If you brown sugar or old I find you have the problem of the sugar not melting and clumping, you need to just add a little liquid, butter, water coconut oil…
This is the best way I have found to make candied walnuts. Thank you sooooo much
alexandra says
Thanks for the tip for those who have had that problem. Glad you like the candied walnuts too! :)
Danielle says
I really like it a lot. My daughter and I had to add water to make it coat the walnut.
Fat Junie says
Works with pecans too. I added just a tiny bit of butter to the saucepan because I’m too lazy to wait for the sugar to melt. And yes, it was all I could do not to eat the whole jar before company arrived. Some of mine graced the top of my steak pizza — flank steak marinated in maple bourbon balsamic vinegar, caramelized onion, tomato, garlic, mozzarella, and candied pecans (with a dash of salt). KILLAH.
alexandra says
Yep it does! I did a pecan version here.
The pizza sounds amazing!