This is an irresistible recipe for cocktail nuts, perfect for the holiday season. It's sweet and spiced and incredibly easy to make. Customize how hot and spicy they are according to your taste. They are ready to eat in less than an hour and last several days.
Irresistible sweet and spicy nuts
This recipe (with two variations) for sweet and spicy nuts is very easy to make and can be a last-minute addition to your holiday table. Just in case you think you need one more thing on your list.
We serve them every New Year's Eve with flavored olives, baked ricotta with olive oil crackers and sun-dried tomato appetizers.
We're sharing two options with the same base ingredient: one has cinnamon and the other chili powder.
So you can make a large batch, divide it in half before adding the final spices, and flavor each slightly differently.
What nuts can you use?
Any type you like! It's a great recipe to use those last handfuls left in the packets.
- Walnuts and almonds: this is one of my favorite combinations for cocktail nuts, and we use them for the first flavor option.
- Sweet and spiced pecans are the eternal favorite, creamy and crunchy, with that unique flavor we all love. We use them on their own for the second option.
This is a recipe to have handy when you have leftover egg whites.
The first one is the old, reliable favorite I made constantly. Not only for Christmas and New Year's but for everyday snacking.
The second one, a variation, came to be when I ran out of two of the ingredients and had to improvise. It turned out amazing!
So I started alternating between both, depending on the hotness I wanted in my nuts. Because one has cayenne pepper, and that always comes with a lot of heat attached.
Ingredient list
These sweet and spicy nuts are made with simple ingredients. Give or take.
- Nuts: my favorites are pecans, walnuts, and almonds. I used pecans for the process shots for this post, but some images have walnuts and almonds. They all work wonderfully.
- Sweet part: I use regular granulated sugar. But you can use any type you like. Brown sugar works well and adds a caramel undertone. If you use coconut sugar or muscovado, consider that they don't sweeten as much as white does.
- Spiced part: the recipe with cayenne pepper is spicier than the other. This spice can be very hot, so consider that; you may want to start small the first time you make them. And then the paprika can be sweet paprika, hot, or smoked paprika. We use a mix of smoked and hot paprika.
Quantities are listed on the recipe card towards the end of this post. The Ingredients page has more details and lists the brands we use.
How to make sweet spiced nuts
Grab a bowl, a fork or whisk, and a spatula.
Lightly beat egg yolk with sugar until foamy (image 1). You can use an electric beater and beat until it begins to form peaks.
Add all spices and mix (image 2). It will be a reddish-brown, quite ugly color if you ask me.
Add pecans (or whatever nuts you're using) and mix well (images 3, 4).
Baking
- Line a baking sheet with aluminum paper if you want. I always do this to avoid having to clean the baking sheet.
- Spread the nut mixture with the spatula (image 5). Overlap them as little as possible to avoid clumping during baking.
- Bake as directed and stir them after 5 minutes in the oven (image 6). This is important for them to bake as evenly as possible. Do this carefully and try not to tear the paper.
- When done, remove the pan from the oven and move the nuts around carefully with a spatula so they cool down without sticking to the aluminum paper.
This sweet spicy nuts recipe is a great appetizer for a party, a gathering, or a buffet table. Even a picnic, if you ask me.
They keep well and are ready so fast that it is a savior recipe for celebrations!
Related recipes you might like:
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Sweet Spiced Cocktail Nuts (2 options)
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Ingredients
For both:
- 1 egg white
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 2 cups nuts of choice
Spicy option:
- Dash to ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Cinnamon option:
- ½ teaspoon ground chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC).
- Line a baking sheet with aluminum paper. Reserve.
- In a bowl, lightly beat 1 egg white with ¼ cup sugar and ¼ teaspoon salt until thick and foamy, about 1 minute with a fork or whisk.
- Add 1 tablespoon smoked paprika.
- Cayenne nuts: add between a dash to ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper and 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce.
- Cinnamon nuts: add ½ teaspoon ground chili powder and ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon.
- Add nuts to the mixture you choose, and stir until well coated.
- Spread on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes.
- Remove the pan, stir the nuts with a spatula being careful not to tear the paper, and return to the oven 10-15 more minutes, stirring once more before they're done.
- Remove from oven and immediately stir again so they don't stick while cooling down.
- Let cool completely and store in airtight containers.
Sharon Koszuta says
I am going to try the cocktail smokies, I will let you know how they turned out. Thank you.
Tami Price says
This was perfect for gifts for my co-workers! Made Christmas jars with this recipe and passed them out as gifts! They were a huge hit! Thanks so much for sharing!
David says
Mmm, thinking this would be perfect to nibble on with a glass of bubbly on New Year's!
angiesrecipes says
That's how I made my sweet cinnamony nuts too. Merry Christmas, Paula.