Sweet, Salty, Spicy Party Nuts

See how to make homemade gourmet spiced party nuts. See more

READY IN 27 mins

Sweet, Salty, Spicy Party Nuts

Read Reviews (23)

"I find this technique much easier than the stovetop pan method. You'll get beautiful, perfectly frosted nuts that are roasted evenly, with no bitter burned spots." — Chef John

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.
Combine walnut halves, pecan halves, almonds, and cashews in a large bowl. Add salt, black pepper, cumin, and cayenne pepper; toss to coat.
Heat sugar, water, and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until the butter is melted. Cook for 1 minute and remove from heat. Slowly pour butter mixture over the bowl of nuts and stir to coat.
Transfer nuts to the prepared baking sheet and spread into a single layer.
Bake nuts in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Stir nuts until the warm syrup coats every nut. Spread into a single layer, return to the oven, and bake until nuts are sticky and roasted, about 6 minutes. Allow to cool before serving.

Kitchen-Friendly View

PREP 10 mins
COOK 17 mins
READY IN 27 mins

Reviews More Reviews

Dec 14, 2012

OMG, these are delicious and they're not even cold yet! I followed the recipe exactly, but have had to really watch them in my fan oven! I had to pull them out well before the first ten minutes was up because they were threatening to burn, so turned the oven down (to 125 degrees C) for the final six minutes. I would recommend that, if you have a fan oven, lower the heat proportionately. And watch them closely whatever oven you're using! I would also suggest that you take them off the foil whilst they're still warm and sticky. Seems to me they'd be murder to break off if they were left on the foil to get cold. For my taste, they're not quite spicy enough (although they may become more spicy when they're cold)! I think there's plenty of cumin, but next time I think I'll heap the quarter teaspoon of cayenne pepper and use a little less sugar - perhaps 3/4 of the half cup. That's just me though - I love spicy but am not so keen on too sweet! Otherwise, these come highly recommended by me! Thank you so much for sharing, Chef John!

—Fernsong

See full review »

Dec 10, 2012

These are delicious! I followed the recipe to the letter, except that I bought a big jug of deluxe mixed nuts that contained pecans, hazelnuts, almonds, cashews and Brazil nuts and measured out four cups of that since this recipe called for 1 cup of 4 different types of nuts. They turned out really well, and are so easy to make. I'm giving them as gifts and will have to make at least another batch, if not more.

—jackiew

See full review »

27 Ratings

See other versions of this recipe!

Dec 29, 2012

These nuts are really good. Next time I will add a little more cayenne pepper as I like them with a little more kick. However if giving these as a gift or serving them for friends the spice is just right. P.S. If you have any kind of juvenile sense of humor, watch the video (I used to teach Jr. High, I can't help it).

—rowlsaround

See full review »

Dec 11, 2012

We loved these nuts. If you had problems breaking them up, try separating them a little more before they go back in for the last six minutes. As Chef John stated in his video, you could use any varieties of spices. Since cumin isn't my favorite, I used a specialty mix of Cajun spices gifted to me by my friend ~Lissa~. I might try adding the spices to the butter/sugar mixture to see if it will more evenly coat the nuts and then the salt at the end. These would make a very nice hostess gift as stated by other reviewers. I would also perhaps like some snipped rosemary added to these. Thanks for this recipe! Yum!

—Marianne

See full review »

Dec 07, 2012

These are amazingly delicious and so easy to make! I like them much better than the ones done on the stove top.

—AlpineMt.Momma

See full review »

Jan 03, 2013

Very good and easy!

—Angela

See full review »

Jan 01, 2013

Excellent, easy & delicious treat! Making second batch for holidays (& may take some to the movies!) to share with friends. Recommend using Silpat type baking sheet liners- no problems with sticking & cleans up easily. Bought nuts in large bags at Costco, or could buy in bulk (if fresh?)- enjoy!

—KAllgood

See full review »

Jan 01, 2013

Reeeeaaaaly good! My daughter, who hates spicy anything, loved this mixture.

—Tim

See full review »

Edit

Glad you liked it! Your friends will, too:

Did you tweak the recipe? Edit and save your own version of it!

Edit this recipe

More Recipes Like This See all

Spicy Mixed Nuts

Spicy Sweet Nuts

Sweet and Spicy Nuts

Sweet and Spicy Roasted Almonds

Sweet and Spicy Almonds

No Guilt Spiced Mixed Nuts

Sweet and Salty Chocolate Bark

Shreddies Sweet and Spicy Snack Mix

Sweet Party Mix

Nuts and Bolts Party Mix

Nutrition

Calories
219 kcal
11%

Carbohydrates
12.7 g
4%

Cholesterol
2 mg
< 1%

Fat
18.1 g
28%

Fiber
2.4 g
10%

Protein
4.8 g
10%

Sodium
206 mg
8%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Information

Sweet, Salty, Spicy Party Nuts

Serving Size: 1/16 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 16
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 219
Calories from Fat: 163

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 18.1g 28 %
** Saturated Fat 2.4g 12 %
Cholesterol 2mg < 1 %
Sodium 206mg 8 %
** Potassium 171mg 5 %
Total Carbohydrates 12.7g 4 %
Dietary Fiber 2.4g 10 %
Protein 4.8g 10 %
Sugars 7.5g
Vitamin A < 1 %
Vitamin C < 1 %
Calcium 5 %
Iron 13 %
** Thiamin 10 %
** Niacin 11 %
** Vitamin B6 5 %
** Magnesium 23 %
** Folate 9 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.