Sweet Spicy Christmas Nuts
Inside: Why egg whites beat oil for a coating that stays on the nuts and off your fingers, which nuts to use (and which to skip), the oven mistakes that scorch a batch, how I package them for gifting, and how long they keep.
These Sweet Spicy Christmas Nuts are the most requested holiday treat in our house, and the gift my friends and neighbors start hinting about every December. This isn’t just a cinnamon-sugar nut. Cumin brings a smoky depth, ginger adds a sweet spiciness, and cayenne leaves a tingle on your tongue, all held in place by whipped egg whites so the spice stays on the nuts, not your fingers. I make about 30 cups every year for gifting. (Craving straight cinnamon sugar? That’s my Candied Almonds.)
It’s the gifting season, and every December I make a bevy of homemade treats for co-workers, neighbors, family, friends and the mailman. These Christmas nuts make the shortlist every year. There would be an uprising if they didn’t.
I’ve also got some delicious Curry Coconut Roasted Cashews and Mexican Hot Chocolate Spiced Nuts that are awesome, but if you don’t make this recipe, well, much like the Grinch, I’m sure it would prevent Christmas from coming.
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- They are crunchy, sweet, spicy and flavorful.
- These Christmas nuts aren’t greasy, sticky or messy. You can eat them out of hand without leaving telltale streaks on your holiday attire.
- These spiced nuts go great with holiday cocktails.
- They’re a great food gift for friends, neighbors, teachers, mailmen, everyone.
Ingredients for Christmas spiced nuts:
- Cayenne Pepper – gives a spicy kick to the spice blend.
- Ground Cumin – for a smoky flavor that adds a savory note.
- Cinnamon – to add a seasonal holiday flavor.
- Ground Ginger – adds a spicy, floral flavor.
- Salt – Use regular iodized salt, not kosher salt.
- Sugar – regular granulated sugar.
- Egg Whites – the secret ingredient for varnishing the nuts.
- Water – thins the egg whites a bit for a more even, less gloopy coating.
- Raw, Unsalted Nuts – Use your favorite nut or a blend. Avoid peanuts, as their distinct flavor can overpower the recipe.
Which nuts to use for spiced mixed nuts
The short answer is: make what you like! The spice blend in these Christmas nuts pairs well with any type of tree nut you throw at it. Some of my favorites include:
- Pecans
- Walnuts
- Almonds
- Cashews
- Hazelnuts (a.k.a. filberts)
- Macadamia Nuts
- Brazil Nuts
One nut (that’s really not a nut at all) I wouldn’t throw into the mix: peanuts. Peanuts have such a distinct flavor that they would compete with any other nuts you use. If you want to do peanuts, do ALL peanuts. (I avoid peanuts for another reason—my daughter is allergic.)
How to make non-greasy, non-sticky Christmas nuts.
Spiced mixed nuts aren’t new, and there are as many ways to make them as there are elves in Santa’s workshop. Some are all sugar and cinnamon, while others call for Indian or Caribbean spices. I love trying them all, but I always stick to one thing: egg whites.
Of all the methods I’ve tried to achieve a well-varnished nut, egg whites are my hands-down favorite.
Others use oil to coat the nuts before dousing them with their secret ingredients. I don’t like this approach because your fingers get greasy while munching the spiced mixed nuts. You’ll find yourself wiping your hands on a napkin after every morsel, which is tough when you have a glass of wine in the other hand. (Don’t judge.)
The key is getting the nuts tacky, not wet. Tacky nuts grab the spice coating; wet nuts make a big mess on the sheet pan. That’s why you whisk the whites with a little water until frothy and keep adding nuts until no liquid is left in the bowl.
How to make Spiced Christmas Nuts:
1. Combine the sugar, cinnamon, salt, cumin, ginger and cayenne in a mixing bowl. Whisk until well combined. Check for any clumps of spice and mash them with your fingertips.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites and water together until they’re very frothy, foamy and light; this usually takes a full minute of serious whisking.
3. Add the nuts to the egg white mixture and use a large rubber spatula to fold the nuts and frothed whites together very well. The nuts should be tacky, not wet; every nut should be coated, and no liquid should be visible in the bottom of the bowl. If there’s still egg white liquid, add more nuts – ½ cup at a time and fold them in until they’re coated and no egg white remains at the bottom.
4. Pour the spice mixture over the nuts.
5. Use the spatula to fold it in so that all the nuts are completely coated by spices and sugar and no dry bits remain in the bottom of the bowl.
6. Spread the nuts onto a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet in a single layer and bake for 10 minutes at 350°F.
7. Use a metal spatula to flip the nuts, then spread them back into a single layer and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
8. Once the nuts are done baking, they’ll still be a bit soft and tacky. As they cool to room temperature, they will become dry and crunchy. They must cool completely before packaging to avoid “steaming”.
Pro-Tips:
- I use parchment paper to cut down on cleanup, and it also helps when making multiple batches of spiced nuts. When one batch comes out, tip the pan slightly, hold the parchment and pull it off onto the countertop to cool. Then line the pan with another piece of parchment — it’s ready for the next batch.
- Making gifts in bulk? I spend a few hours on a Saturday making about 30 cups. I mix all the raw nuts in one big container, then portion out 6 cups per batch.
Mistakes to avoid
- Baking too close to the heat. Use the center rack. A pan near the top or bottom heating element scorches the sugar coating before the nuts toast through. Baking two pans at once? Use the middle and bottom racks, and when you flip the nuts at the 10-minute mark, swap the pans so the top one goes on the bottom and the bottom one goes on top.
- Crowding the pan. Spread the nuts in a single layer with no clumps. Piled or clumped nuts can’t dry out, so they never crisp all the way.
- Skipping the flip. At the 10-minute mark, flip and stir the nuts, then spread them back into a single layer so every side browns evenly.
- Winging the time. Set a timer for both 10-minute rounds. Sugar-coated nuts go from toasty to burnt fast, so guessing is how batches get lost.
- Trusting an oven that runs hot. The times here assume your oven holds 350° F. If you’re not sure yours runs true, an inexpensive oven thermometer will tell you.
- Wet nuts. If egg white pools in the bottom of the bowl, add more nuts, a half cup at a time. You want tacky, not wet.
- Scaling up the coating. Making gifts in bulk? Mix the spice blend and egg wash fresh for each 6-cup batch. One giant batch of either is asking for trouble.
Christmas nuts FAQs
Mixed nuts roasted with sugar and warm spices, a holiday staple for cocktail parties and gift tins. Mine get their depth from cumin, sweet spiciness from ginger and a tingle from cayenne, not only cinnamon sugar.
Pecans, walnuts, almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamias and Brazil nuts all work, alone or mixed. Skip peanuts. Their flavor takes over the whole batch.
Whipped egg white grabs the sugar and spices and bakes into a dry, crackly shell. Oil-coated nuts leave your fingers greasy. Egg white doesn’t.
Up to a month at room temperature in an airtight container. Don’t refrigerate or freeze them once they’re spiced and baked.
Make ahead:
- They keep up to a month at room temperature, so you can bake all your gift batches in one weekend.
- You can make the nuts ahead of time, which is especially handy for hostess gifts and holiday gift-giving.
Storage:
- Store baked and cooled nuts at room temperature in an airtight container (like Tupperware or resealable zip-top bags) for up to a month. Don’t refrigerate them.
- For gifting, use cellophane bags with twist ties or ribbon, or opt for glass storage containers with tight-fitting lids for fancier presentations.
Freezing:
- I don’t recommend freezing spiced nuts. Condensation from the freezer can affect the egg white and spiced sugar coating, impacting the crispness and clean-fingers promise.
- Freeze the raw nuts instead. If you buy nuts in bulk for gift season, keep the bags of raw nuts in the freezer until you’re ready to bake. It keeps the oils inside from going rancid.
How to package and gift Christmas nuts
Cool completely before packing. Warm nuts steam in a sealed bag and lose their crunch.
How I package them. I put about 2-3 cups in each gift bag, so one 6-cup batch makes two to three gifts. For something a little fancier, I pick up decorative resealable glass jars at HomeGoods and finish them with a pretty bow. Whatever you use, seal it well.
How long do spiced nuts last? Up to a month at room temperature in an airtight container or a well-sealed bag. Don’t refrigerate or freeze them after you’ve spiced them.
Freeze the raw nuts, not the finished ones. If you buy nuts in bulk for gift season, keep the bags of raw nuts in the freezer until you’re ready to bake. It keeps the oils inside from going rancid.
My friend Nola and I each make this recipe every year—and gift our Christmas nuts to each other—LOL!
More Food Gift Ideas:
- Duck Rillettes
- Rosemary Shortbread Cookies
- Easy Homemade Guava Jam
- Pecan Pie Cookies
- Cranberry Nut Pumpkin Loaves
Sweet Spicy Christmas Nuts
INGREDIENTS:
- ¾ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¾ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 egg whites
- 1 tablespoon water
- 6 cups raw, unsalted nuts such as walnuts, pecans, almonds cashews, macadamias, pistachios
DIRECTIONS:
- Position the oven racks in the center (or, if making two pans at once, position a rack in the center and one on the bottom rack (not the top rack) Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a half-sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup sugar, ¾ teaspoon cayenne pepper, ¾ teaspoon ground cumin, 1 tablespoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground ginger and 1 teaspoon salt and whisk well to blend thoroughly.
- In a large bowl, whisk 2 egg whites and 1 tablespoon water until very frothy and foamy.
- Add 6 cups raw, unsalted nuts and toss with a large rubber spatula to coat thoroughly with egg wash. The egg should coat the nuts without sinking to the bottom of the bowl. If there's additional egg white mixture pooling in the bowl after coating the nuts, add another ½ to 1 cup of nuts and toss again until well coated.
- Add the spice blend and toss with a spatula to coat the nuts entirely. All the spice mixture should adhere to the nuts, with NO leftover spice or egg white in the bottom of the bowl. Continue to toss until all of the spice mix coats the nuts.
- Spread nuts in a single layer on the sheet pan. Bake for 10 minutes, then stir or flip the nuts and re-spread them into a single layer. Bake an additional 10 minutes until the nuts are toasted, fragrant and crisp. Cool on the sheet pan. Nuts will get crisper as they cool.
- If using two oven racks, after tossing the nuts, return the pans to the oven, but flip them so the top pan previously on top moves to the bottom. This will give you more even baking.
- Store in an airtight container. Serve with cocktails or wrap in cellophane bags to gift.
- Fill festive cellophane bags, decorative jars or tins with nuts to gift them. Seal them well to keep them fresh.
Making Nuts in a Large Batch
- I spend a few hours on a Saturday making about 30 cups of nuts for my holiday gifts. To do this, I mix the nuts in a large Tupperware container and portion out the nuts in 6-cup increments.
- Make each batch of nuts individually. Do not mix a large batch of sugar-spice mixture or egg white and water mixture… You're asking for trouble – ask me how I know.
RECIPE VIDEO:
NOTES:
- Don’t package nuts until they’ve cooled completely to room temperature; the heat can create condensation, which will soften them and wreck the no-mess coating.
- In an airtight container, these spiced nuts will last up to a month.
- Don’t refrigerate the spiced nuts; the fridge’s humidity will soften their texture instead of keeping them crisp.
NUTRITION:
Nutritional Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate only and is provided as a courtesy. Values are calculated automatically based on the ingredients and quantities in each recipe and may vary depending on specific brands, exact measurements, and substitutions made. For precise nutritional guidance, especially if you have a medical condition or dietary restriction, please consult a registered dietitian or run the ingredients through your own nutrition calculator.Pin “Spiced Christmas Nuts” For Later!
My first batch came out a bit wet, so on the second, I added more nuts and mixed them until they were tacky, instead of really wet (and there wasn’t any liquid left in the bottom of the bowl), and it made all the difference. They cooled to perfectly crispy, not sticky, well-seasoned, spiced nuts that everyone loved. I’m making several more batches this weekend to give as gifts. How long will they hold up in cellophane bags?
I’m glad it worked out for you. They should last for two weeks, sealed in cellophane, glass jars, or airtight food storage containers; longer if you use a vacuum food saver to remove the air.
Hi there, im going to make these tomorrow for gifts for friends and im wondering when you store your nuts in a airtight container, do you put them in the fridge, in a dark cupboard, just ontop of a table ♀️ i dont want them to go tacky before i bag them and hand them out….any advice greaty received.
Never put them in the fridge. They can stay at room temperature for several weeks in an airtight container.
Thank you Lisa. My first batch burnt and i had to throw them away, i was so disappointed. So for my next batch i cooked them at 300 for the same amount of time, which worked for my oven, i also added extra cayenne for more spiciness!!
Looking forward to these… wish Ron, I’m wondering if I substitute sugar for maple syrup .. how this will turn out.. sticky or ok like sugar.?
Thanks
I don’t advise that switch. The sugar is part of the spice mix and the frothy egg whites coat the nuts helping the sugar and spices stick to the nuts. Maple syrup won’t do that.
These nuts were fabulous! I used a sugar substitute and they still turned out great.
I love the recipe! I have been making candied nut forever and have always baked them at 250
-300 for About 45 minutes. It allows time for the heat to evaporate moisture. They stay crispy, never weep or get tacky and limits the risk of burning
You’re right about doubling the recipe. I did that and I am having trouble getting them to dry. I have made single batches many times without a problem. In a hurry don’t work. Great recipe
Absolutely love them, never made spiced nuts before, was apprehensive of egg whites(?) but turned out fantastic! Can’t wait to experiment with other flavours now – thank you for sharing!
Can this be made with less sugar? Perhaps 1/4 to 1/3 cup?
If you want to reduce the amount by 1/4 cup, you can – but the flavors are balanced the way they are. I would not reduce it any more because the ratio of spice:sugar wouldn’t work and might be overpowering.
My husband loves these
AWESOME!!! SPICE MIX IS PERFECT only chgs I made: I used silpat, oven temp 325 and baked 10 extra min during to lower temp. I added 1/2 cup extra nuts. Used cashews, pecans and almonds
These are delicious! Word of caution – nuts go from being done to burned very quickly! Plus, the nuts continue to cook in the hot sugar after you take them out of the oven. I made another recipe that called to bake them at 300 for 20 minutes then stir and bake another 20. They looked good but the sugar got too dark and I had to throw them out. I just made this recipe and reduced the heat to 325 for 10 minutes, stirred and kept a close eye on them and took them out after about 17 minutes. They were just under where I wanted them to be when I took them out but perfect after they cooled
Will these nuts stay “dry” after jarring them? I’ve tried several other recipes and they always end up tacky after a day or so in the jar.
I’ve never had a problem with them being tacky, but the key is to make sure there is no extra liquid from the egg pooling in the bottom of the bowl — that may be where you’ve had issues in the past. If there is extra egg white in the bottom of the bowl, add more nuts and toss until the nuts are tacky but not wet… then add the spices and bake.
I plan on making Your recipe for mixed nuts for gift giving for 2022 one of the persons is a diabetic I plan on using splendor as a sugar substitute Any idea how they will come out have you tried it? Very interested do you know……. but I definitely will be making for the others thank you for sharing your recipe
I’ve never swapped sugar for splenda in this recipe and am not sure the outcome. It’s not a cup for cup substitution and splenda has different baking properties than sugar crystals.
Haven’t tried this yet, but would like to know can you use parchment paper or a silat?
I always use parchment paper. You could use a silpat too, but I’m lazy and hate to clean.