Maple Cinnamon Spiced Nuts

These maple cinnamon spiced nuts are sweet, fragrant, and just a touch spicy. They’re perfect for gifting but so good you’ll want to have them on hand year-round!

If you’ve ever walked around a mall, a farmer’s market, or a street vendor selling spiced nuts, you know exactly what they smell like. Nutty, sweet, with all those cozy, warm spices that beckon us to buy a bag to take home (or eat immediately). These maple cinnamon spiced nuts are my copycat version—and you’ll be surprised by how easy it is to make them! 

I’ve been making these spiced nuts for holiday gifts these past few years; they’re the kind of thing that’s perfect for neighbors, co-workers, and those distant relatives who are notoriously hard to shop for. Lately, I’ve been making them to keep on hand for snacking at home too. They make a great garnish for desserts (try them on my Apple Cinnamon Monkey Bread or Air Fryer Pumpkin Pie), salads, and even sweet-and-savory sides like Sweet Potato Casserole. 

What You’ll Need

If you cook or bake often, you probably have most of the spices on hand for this recipe already.

• Egg white – Don’t throw the yolk down the drain! My Chinese Curry Pockets use exactly one egg yolk, so you can make them for dinner after making your spiced nuts.
• Maple syrup
• Pecans – Buy whole, raw nuts for this recipe. You’ll be roasting them in the oven.
• Almonds
• Granulated sugar
• Salt
• Ground cinnamon
• Cardamom
• Nutmeg
• Cayenne pepper – You can omit this if you’re worried about the heat level, or use a smaller amount.

What other nuts can I use?

Pecans and almonds are the best nuts for making spiced nuts, but if you want, you can also use walnuts, cashews, or hazelnuts.

How to Make Maple Cinnamon Spiced Nuts

I have to warn you before you make this: your house is going to smell amazing and it might just tempt you into eating a whole batch of these nuts as soon as you take them out of the oven. That’s understandable, but you should definitely let them cool a little bit first.

Prepare. Preheat your oven to 350ºF and line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Make the coating. Beat the egg white and maple syrup in a mixing bowl until frothy.

Mix the spices and sugar. Whisk the sugar, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, and cayenne pepper in a small bowl.

Coat the nuts. Place the pecans and almonds in the bowl with the egg white and maple syrup. Toss to coat, then pour in the sugar and spices; toss again.

Bake. Pour the nuts onto the prepared baking sheet, spreading them in an even layer. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring the nuts occasionally so they don’t burn.

Tips for Success

Here are some hints and tips to help you make perfect maple cinnamon spiced nuts.

• Vegan spiced nuts. If you want to make this recipe vegan, don’t just omit the egg white! You can use aquafaba instead, which is the liquid in canned chickpeas. Two tablespoons is roughly equivalent to one egg white.
• Gifting tips. I usually put these spiced nuts in a mason jar and tie a ribbon around it for gifting. You can also scoop the nuts into a cellophane bag and tie it with a bow, or place them in decorative tins.
• Make it your own. You can use five-spice powder, pumpkin pie spice, or any other spices you like. Just make sure the amount you use adds up to the same amount used in the recipe.

How to Store

You can keep these spiced nuts in glass jars or airtight containers for up to a month at room temperature. 

Other creative homemade edible gift ideas:

• Christmas Crack
• Grandma’s Chex Mix
• Maple Peanut Brittle
• Candied Bacon Nut Brittle

Maple Cinnamon Spiced Nuts

These maple cinnamon spiced nuts are sweet, nutty, and full of cozy spices. Perfect for holiday gifting!

4.67 from 6 votes

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes minutes

Servings: 10 servings

Author: Julie Chiou

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Ingredients 

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• ▢ 1 egg white
• ▢ 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• ▢ 3 cups (297 g) pecans
• ▢ 2 cup (286 g) almonds
• ▢ ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ▢ ½ teaspoon cardamom
• ▢ ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

The default measuring system for this website is US Customary. Unit conversions are provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. While we strive to provide accurate unit conversions, please be aware that there may be some discrepancies.

Equipment

• Large rimmed baking sheet

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Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 °F (177 °C) and line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
• In a large bowl beat the egg white until frothy with the maple syrup.
• In a small bowl, whisk together sugar, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, and cayenne pepper.
• Pour the pecans and almonds into the bowl of the egg white and maple syrup. Toss the nuts and coat them well.
• Pour the bowl of the sugar and spices over the nuts and toss and make sure everything is coated well with the spice mixture.
• Pour the entire bowl onto the lined baking sheet and spread in an even layer.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes, occasionally turning the nuts so they don't burn.
• Store in an airtight container.

Video

Recipe Notes

I’ve made this with 2 cups pecans and 2 cups almonds before (so 4 cups nuts total). I also have made them with 4 cups all almonds. The amount of egg white you get from an egg is extremely different, given that every egg is different.

If you feel that there is too much egg white after you’ve poured in all the nuts according to the recipe above, you can add more nuts (gives you more treats!). The seasoning amount stays the same.

These bake in 20-30 minutes. Different ovens yield different bake times. I have baked them for 30 minutes in one oven, 20 in another, and 25 minutes in another. All different ovens. With that said, please watch your baking and do stir them frequently as just leaving them to bake without monitoring them will cause them to burn.

NUTRITION FACTS

Serving: 1 serving | Calories: 422 kcal | Carbohydrates: 23 g | Protein: 9 g | Fat: 36 g | Saturated Fat: 3 g | Trans Fat: 1 g | Sodium: 122 mg | Potassium: 341 mg | Fiber: 7 g | Sugar: 15 g

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For the most precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator based on the actual ingredients you used in the recipe.

Course: Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cinnamon almonds, cinnamon pecans, edible gifts