If you are looking for an easy party appetizer, look no further than these spiced nuts! Five minutes of preparation and then into the oven it goes.
When it’s finished, you will have a snack mix packed full of flavor made from shelled peanuts, cashews, pistachios, and almonds.
The Spices
These mixed nuts feature a unique blend of spices that hit nearly every taste bud note on your tongue… except sour of course. Roasting amplifies the flavors and the egg whites assist the mixture in clinging to the surface.
This spice mix is meant to be sweet and spicy, but the volumes and spices themselves are a guide, not set in stone.
If heat doesn’t fit your audience at all, simply omit the chili powder and cayenne. I’d suggest keeping a smidge of the smoked paprika for a little variance. This is a great recipe for variation and personalization. And if you want a totally different vibe, make a batch of Rosemary Spiced Nuts.
Sugar will caramelize and form a shells around each one. If your nuts are already salted, omit salt in the recipe. Brown sugar is also acceptable.
The Nuts
You can lose or add any type of nut you want to in this recipe. That said, keep the total amount of nuts roughly the same so the spice mixture can really do its thing.
Try your best to make sure they are roughly the same size so things roast evenly. You don’t want some really burnt nuts while others need some additional time in the oven.
Nuts that work well:
- peanuts
- cashews
- almonds
- walnuts
- pine nuts
- pecans
- pistachios
When you are purchasing make sure they are raw, not roasted nuts. You will roast them yourself. Also, be sure they are not salted or seasoned. Again, you will do that with the spice mixture. If you do have salted ones, omit additional salt.
If you are buying from the bulk bins, be sure to pack any nuts you have not used in an airtight container. I prefer glass mason jars. Nuts are packed with oils which means they can go rancid. The smell of them will give it away.
Spiced Nuts Recipe
Here we go, how to make homemade spiced nuts.
- Line a large rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat well with cooking spray or line with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk egg white until foamy. In another small bowl mix spices.
- Fold nuts into egg whites. When sufficiently coated, fold in spice mixture.
- Spread nuts in a single layer on baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes, flipping once.
- Remove from oven. Nuts can be served warm or room temperature.
Make Ahead, Storage & Freezing
These are a dream for making ahead of time. Simply store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to a week. If you’d like to serve them warm, heat in the oven on 200°F for 10 minutes.
If you know you might not be using some of the nuts for a while, go ahead and store them in those airtight containers or bags, and freeze them. In the freezer, they can last up to six months.
If you loved this party snack mix, be sure to check out some of these other easy snack recipes:
- Garlic Dill Oyster Crackers
- Monster Trail Mix
- Candied Walnuts
- How to Roast Chestnuts
- Ranch Oyster Crackers
- Southwest Pepitas
Spiced Nut Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups assorted nuts ,raw and unsalted
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon fine sea salt
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 large egg white
- Cooking Spray
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300°F degrees. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat well with cooking spray or line with parchment paper.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the egg white until foamy. In another small bowl combine the sugar, salt, chili powder, cinnamon, cayenne and paprika.
- Fold nuts into egg whites. When sufficiently coated, fold in spice mixture.
- Spread the nuts in a single layer on baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes, flipping once.
- Remove from oven. Nuts can be served warm or room temperature.
- If you've tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or ratings.
Nutrition
This recipe was adapted from one that graced the pages Food and Wine magazine from Chef Bronson van Wyck. Van Wyck believes that spicy flavors stimulate endorphins and make people happy.
I made several batches of this recipe in 2021 as Christmas gifts for various people as well as some for entertaining guests at home. I couldn’t find raw unshelled pistachios, so I substituted pepitas. The spiced nuts were such a big hit with everyone that I’m making them again this year. Great recipe — easy and delicious. Thank you, Jessica.
Thank you for coming back to let us know!
Can you buy the traditional canned nut mix or do I need to find them raw somewhere?
You can use a traditional one, just make sure they aren’t already roasted and/or seasoned.
Have you tried these in an air fryer?
I haven’t, but it is totally a good idea! I’d probably do 300°F for 2-3 minutes and check them. Maybe even lower than that.
These are truly addictive. The perfect nut for a cocktail wedding. Tried this recipe out, this will be the one I am using. Thank you.🥰
Awesome, thank you Lisa! And congratulations!
Just made these! They are tasty but thank goodness I cut down the cayenne by 1/2! A little spicy for me ! 🙂 I am sure that everyone will like the kick!
Ve Thanks for coming back to let us know your feedback- we like spicy in our house 🙂
I am so excited to try out this recipe for all my gifting to family, friends, and neighbors this year.
I cannot imagine anyone not loving this new tasty sensation.
Thank you for your amazing recipes. I am a new follower and I so appreciate tried and true recipes that work out every single time.
I’m looking forward to more goodies and would love to try making crackers with my new pasta roller.
If you have any fun new recipes for pizza-flavored or garlic- parmesan, etc. I would love to try them out.
I live in Switzerland and we don’t have many crackers varieties here and they are extremely expensive for the tiny amount that you get. I would love to make a club type or oyster or even Ritz type cracker.
I’ll be watching to see if you have any inspirational recipes.
Have a lovely start to a New Year!
Thank you, Susanna! There are a lot of cracker recipes, just use the search bar at the top of the page and search for “garlic parmesan” or “pizza” and all sorts of stuff will come up 🙂
I am making these ahead for gifts. Can they be stored in the fridge or at room temp if in an air tight container longer than 3 days!
Yes! Room temperature is perfectly fine. They will probably last over a week in an airtight container. Probaly longer to be honest, but they never last that long at my house.
I love how you combined all my fave nuts in one tasty appetizer – peanuts, cashews, pistachios and almonds! Now I don’t have to pick out what I don’t like ’cause I love them all. So perfect!!!
This went so fast! Thank you for this recipe!
You are welcome!