These air fryer honey spiced walnuts are sweet, crunchy, and loaded with the flavors of autumn. Grab them for a quick snack, or add them as a topping to salads, oatmeal or ice cream.
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Looking for a sweet treat that doesn’t take much time to make? These spiced walnuts are such a flavorful snack. Just like my candied almonds, these honey roasted walnuts are sweet and crunchy. They are perfect for holiday snacking.
These spiced walnuts are coated in fall spices, brown sugar and drizzled in honey. They will caramelize in the air fryer giving them such as delightful taste that will keep you coming back.
With using the air fryer, these nuts can be roasted in just 15 minutes. I love using the air fryer as it cuts down on so much time. These honey walnuts make a great snack just like my homemade granola. Both are wonderful to prep ahead for times when you are on the go.
If you enjoy air fryer snacks, may also want to try my homemade tortilla strips or pasta chips. They both are great when you are having a craving for something crunchy.
Ingredients
- Walnuts: Use raw nuts for the base of the recipe.
- Brown sugar: You can use any sweetener of choice, but this gives the nuts a rich molasses flavoring.
- Honey: Use raw if possible. Another layer of natural sweetness they will coat the roasted walnuts.
- Spices: Ground cinnamon, allspice, cloves and nutmeg will be used.
- Olive oil: Olive oil spray will be sprayed over the walnuts so the sugar and spices can stick better.
Scroll down to the recipe card for quantities used.
Instructions
To start, you'll want to preheat the air fryer and gather up the ingredients. Then, follow these simple steps to have this crunchy, sweet snack ready in minutes.
Add walnuts to a small shallow bowl. Then, combine cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and nutmeg in a small dipping bowl.
Sprinkle half of the cinnamon mixture over the walnuts, then mix well. Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon mixture and continue to mix until well combined.
Drizzle honey over the walnut mixture.
Mix until walnuts are completely coated with honey.
Sprinkle brown sugar over the walnut mixture
Mix until the walnuts are evenly coated with brown sugar.
In a parchment lined Air Fryer tray, transfer walnut mixture and spread in a single layer.
Air Fry Honey Spiced Walnuts for 12 to 15 minutes while keeping an eye on the last 3 minutes to avoid overcooking. Stir the walnuts every 5 minutes for even browning.
Once the Honey Spiced Walnuts are golden brown, remove from the cooking chamber. Place Air Fryer tray on a baking sheet, spread out the walnuts, and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes.
Hint: The honey can caramelize quickly, so keep an eye on them in the last few minutes to avoid burning. Lining the air fryer basket with parchment paper can also help make cleanup easier.
Variations
There are so many ways you can customize spiced walnuts. Here are a few suggestions:
- Try a different nut. If you don’t have walnuts on hand, try using cashews, peanuts or pecans instead. Candied almonds can be made with this spice blend, too.
- Change up the fall spices. You can use a blend of pumpkin pie or apple pie spice for alternative flavorings.
- Make it spicy. Use chili powder, paprika or cayenne pepper to spice it up.
- Favorite add-ins. Give the sweet walnuts another layer of crunch by adding in coconut flakes or chocolate chips once roasted.
- Change up the sweeteners. You can use maple syrup in place of honey and white sugar in place of brown sugar.
- Give them a zesty twist. Sprinkle over top some lemon, lime or orange zest before roasting.
- Make in the oven. If you don’t have an air fryer, you can always roast in the oven. Preheat oven to 375°F. Place the sugar and spiced coated walnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast for 15 minutes, stirring halfway.
Tips
Top tip: Do not overcrowd the air fryer. Roast the walnuts in a single layer in the air fryer basket. If there are too many they will steam instead of roasting. Work in batches if you need too.
- Preheat the air fryer. Each air fryer is different but pre-heating will allow the temperature to be accurate so the nuts will roast evenly.
- Line tray with parchment paper. This will make clean up a breeze especially with the honey.
- Stir the nuts. To be sure the nuts get an even brown finish, stir them every 5 minutes.
- Check for doneness. Keep an eye on them the last 3 minutes of roasting to avoid overcooking. They should be a nice golden brown but not burnt.
- Let cool. Spread the caramelized walnuts out on a baking sheet and let fully cool for 10 minutes. They should harden up and be ready to enjoy!
Serving suggestions
There are so many ways to enjoy these honey roasted walnuts. This is a great afternoon snack for when you want a little something sweet and crunchy. If you liked these candied almonds, you will love these spiced walnuts.
They go great on top of salads, oatmeal and yogurt parfaits. You might like to try sprinkling over this berry salad or this apple and kale salad. They also provide a wonderful crunch to contrast the smooth texture of vanilla ice cream or give an added crunch to this apple crisp.
Spiced walnuts make a great topping for butternut squash or these sweet potatoes. The caramelized nuts are perfect with these winter vegetables.
During the holiday season, these spiced walnuts make great gifts to give to family and friends. You can put them in a mason jar along with a cute tag. These nuts are not only delicious but also budget friendly when made at home.
Storage
Let the roasted honey walnuts cool then place them in an airtight container or bag. Store them in a cool, dry place for up to 2 weeks to maintain freshness.
If the nuts begin to soften, place them back in the air fryer to crisp them back up.
You can also store them in the freezer for up to 3 months in a freezer safe container or bag.
FAQs
It is not necessary to soak them. This is optional but if you do, they will need to roast a bit longer due to the water content.
If they have completely cooled and still are soft, place them back in the air fryer to crisp back up. They might not have been in there long enough.
Be sure to stir the walnuts every 5 minutes during the roasting process. Also, placing the walnuts in a single layer helps them roast evenly.
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Recipe
Honey Spiced Walnuts
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw walnuts
- 2 tablespoons raw honey
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- olive oil spray
Instructions
- Preheat Air Fryer at 300°F (149°C). Set at 15 minutes.
- In a small dipping bowl, combine cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and nutmeg.
- In a large shallow bowl with walnuts, spray olive oil.
- Sprinkle half of the cinnamon mixture over the walnuts, then mix well. Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon mixture and continue to mix until well combined.
- Drizzle honey over the walnut mixture, then mix until walnuts are completely coated with honey.
- Lastly, sprinkle brown sugar over the walnut mixture and mix until the walnuts are evenly coated with brown sugar.
- In a parchment lined Air Fryer tray, transfer walnut mixture and spread in a single layer.
- Slowly insert Air Fryer tray into the middle cooking chamber, near the rotisserie catch.
- Air Fry Honey Spiced Walnuts for 12 to 15 minutes while keeping an eye on the last 3 minutes to avoid overcooking. Stir the walnuts every 5 minutes for even browning.
- No need to wait for the “turn food” reminder provided by the Air Fryer.
- Once the Honey Spiced Walnuts are golden brown, remove from the cooking chamber. Place Air Fryer tray on a baking sheet, spread out the walnuts, and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes.
- Serve as is, use as appetizer on charcuterie boards, top on salads, and more.
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