Okay, new rule: These Candied Almonds are NOT allowed in my house. I’m bringing them with me to work tomorrow. Hopefully, I can survive the night without eating them all. These are some dangerous little almonds… because once you start eating them it’s nearly impossible to stop. Their sweet, buttery, toasty nut flavor is totally addictive.
But say you need a gift to bring to a holiday party and wine isn’t up your alley. Making this candied almonds recipe would be the perfect alternative. Or, if you like to give homemade gifts for Christmas, these candied almonds will make everyone will love you. I mean really, really love you.
This recipe makes about 3 times what you would get in one of those little paper cones from the mall kiosk, all for about the same price. Now that you’ve unlocked their secret, the smell of sugar-coated roasting nuts wafting from their kiosk will no longer hold any power over you. You are free.
Ingredients for Candied Almonds
These candied almonds are incredibly easy to make. Here is what you’ll need to make your own homemade candied almonds:
- Raw Shelled Almonds: Make sure to get raw almonds because they will be roasted in the oven. If you buy pre-roasted almonds they may overcook. Hot tip: if you have an ALDI near you, they have the absolute best prices on nuts!
- Sugar: We use a combination of white and brown sugar for this recipe. The white sugar helps crystalize the coating on the nuts, giving them that crunchy finish, while the brown sugar gives them a deep, rich caramel-like flavor.
- Cinnamon: Cinnamon gives these nuts a super cozy, Christmasy flavor.
- Salt: A little bit of salt goes a long way toward making these candied nuts extra flavorful. It really helps all those flavors POP.
- Egg White: Egg white acts as the binder, helping the sugar coating adhere to the nuts as it bakes and it creates an airy-texture in the crystalized sugar, making it extra crispy and crunchy instead of a glossy glaze.
- Vanilla: Vanilla adds warmth to the flavor of the nuts.
How to Store Candied Almonds
Make sure you let your almonds cool completely at room temperature before packing them into an air-tight container. This makes sure there is no residual moisture in the nuts that can cause them to get sticky or moldy during storage. Once cooled and packed in an air-tight container, they’ll keep for up to one week at room temperature.
You might also like our recipe for Candied Pecans!
Candied Almonds
Servings 15 ¼ cup eachIngredients
- 1 lb. raw shelled almonds ($5.99)
- 1/3 cup brown sugar ($0.11)
- 1/3 cup white sugar ($0.05)
- 1 tsp cinnamon ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1 large egg white ($0.25)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract ($0.14)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300ºF. In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon, and salt until evenly mixed.
- Separate the egg white from the yolk. Place the white in a large glass or metal bowl and whisk until light and frothy, but it is not yet forming peaks (no clear liquid should remain in the bottom of the bowl). Add the vanilla extract and whisk again until incorporated.
- Add the almonds to the egg whites and stir to coat. Add the sugar spice mixture and stir to coat again.
- Spread the sugar coated almonds out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or foil coated with non-stick spray. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring once half way through. After baking, allow the almonds to cool, during which time coating will solidify into a crunchy candy shell.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Nutrition
Video
Scroll down for the step by step photos!
How to Make Candied Almonds – Step By Step Photos
In a small bowl, stir together 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup white sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, and 1/2 tsp salt until evenly mixed.
Separate one large egg and whisk the whites until they are light and fluffy, but not yet forming peaks. Make sure there is no clear, liquid white left on the bottom of the bowl. Add ½ tsp vanilla extract and whisk it into the egg whites.
Add the almonds to the egg whites and stir to coat. Pour the cinnamon sugar mixture over the nuts and stir until the almonds are evenly coated in sugar.
Spread the coated almonds out on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Bake in a preheated 300ºF oven for 30 minutes, stirring once halfway through.
After baking allow the almonds to cool so that the candy coating can harden and get nice and crunchy.
And now you have a whole pound of seriously addictive Candied Almonds. Oh boy. #sorrynotsorry
hahhaha “anonymouse” … a mouse with no identity.
Anonymouse #1 – Not a stupid question! Almonds are usually sold already shelled :)
Seaward – I bet you could use a fork. It doesn’t even need to be as whipped as my pictures were, just enough so that it’s not really liquidy anymore. I think I”ve heard people say that two forks back to back is a decent sub for a whisk.
Anonymous #2 – Hmm, my only guess is that your oven might be running hot. Sometimes they’re not as accurate as we’d like. 15 minutes at 300 degrees shouldn’t be enough for it to burn :( Also, is your oven rack in the middle position? If it’s all the way at the top that can increase the temperature, too.
I just made these, and they turned out really well. I used a mixture of almonds, peanuts and cashews and added 1/2 tsp of cloves to the recipe to make it more Christmassy. They turned out really well, and will definitely be given as gifts this year. Thanks!
Not sure what I could have done wrong here, but after only 15 minutes the sugar was starting to burn on the parchment and I had to pull the trays out of the oven. Any thoughts?
I really wanna make these, but my 2 year old hidden my whisk and I can’t find it ANYWHERE. I can get away with just using a fork, right? I hope?
thank you soo much for this recipe beth!!! i had no idea they were so easy to make. these are a staple at the christmas markets here in germany & they come in a wide variety of flavors (including coconut, bailey’s, and nutella!) but they cost something like €3 per 100 grams. i’ll probably never buy them again now that i know how ridiculously easy it is to crank out a big batch. :)
This may be a dumb question but, are almonds typically sold shelled? Or do I need to look for them specifically? Thanks for all your great recipes! :)
While I’m sure that you can buy them via other venues, Almonds are sold shelled at most Supermarkets in the US. Shelled, Chopped, Sliced, etc. For this particular recipe, I’d recommend using either WHOLE (especially if you’re thinking in terms of “Holiday” or other Gifts) or SLICED Almonds. I’ve done both, and both using this recipe and both have worked well for me.
Eb – I’m not sure if Egg Beaters are just 100% egg whites or if they have other ingredients (like preservatives or stabilizers) added, which might affect the whipping process. But it’s worth a shot!
Mark – I haven’t tried it with peanuts, but I bet it would work! Just make sure to use unsalted… and probably raw instead of roasted, since they’ll be in the oven for a while.
That was going to be my question. Whether or not the almonds needed to be raw? Love your recipes!
Well, you want to use raw because roasted almonds might “over roast” during the cooking time. Plus, pre-roasted almonds usually have oil added to them, which might affect how well they coat in the mixture. I hope that helps!
Ummmmmmm these looks delicious and I am going to bring these to Christmas dinner for sure. I’m hungry now.
Would the same recipe work for other nuts, specifically for peanuts? I love peanuts you get from the carts, and this looks amazing, but almonds are a tougher sell.
Ooo, these look good! My great-great-great aunt used to make some kind of candied pecans every Christmas. I never got the recipe from her (I thought it was my grandma who made them and did not find out until after my aunt’s death that she was the one who brought them). I’ll be excited to try these!
I was wondering the same thing about the yolk – instead of separating the egg, could I just use Egg Beaters? If I recall, those are just egg whites, right?
Thanks for posting this just in time for me to make coworker gifts!
To my knowledge, EggBeaters are NOT just Egg Whites. Rather, EggBeaters are Eggs that are first dehydrated and then reconstituted (including the Yolks), allegedly without the CHOLESTEROL component of “real” eggs, Full disclosure: I, personally, have NEVER used EggBeaters in ANYTHING I have ever cooked (I just happen to like Eggs, and just the thought of finding an alternative to being able to eat “real” Eggs was just a notion with which I could not abide). And, perhaps, they have come out with an “Egg Whites Only” variety since the time when they were first introduced. For me, it has always been “just easier” to separate the Eggs and reserving either the “White” or the “Yolk” for using in future recipes. Eggs are still “economical” while EggBeaters (by comparison) just aren’t. Given somewhat recent scientific/health studies, Egg Yolks are actually GOOD for you. (given BOTH their High Protein and “Good” Cholesterol” components). Do what you feel what you believe you need to do (of course), but, to my mind, I just don’t feel that you will ever have have to purchase another carton of EggBeaters in order to accommodate a “healthy lifestyle. Just sayin’..
WHEN I add the spice (and I will be making these)I will let y’all know how it goes!
Janiece – Nope, you don’t need the yolk! And yep, a spicy version would be awesome! Cayenne goes wonderfully with cinnamon, so you can add a pinch or two in there :D
Yummo! I take it we do not need the yolk? (which would be great since I throw away sooo many whites during the holidays from cheesecakes and biscotti-yea, I know, I could do all sorts of things with them…I have tried so many things…I hated them all)
I am wondering….do ya think ‘we’ (by which I mean you of course) could come up with a spicy almond recipe? Perhaps just add some heat to these or do you think the cinnamon would hinder it????