Candied Almonds (Cinnamon Roasted Almonds)
Posted Oct 21, 2020, Updated Mar 18, 2024
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This candied almonds recipe is easy to make with 6 ingredients. Homemade cinnamon roasted almonds are even more delicious than the nuts you can get at the mall or fair!
These homemade candied almonds are better than the cinnamon roasted nuts you find at the mall or fair (like these cinnamon sugar pecans)! They are easy to make with only 6 ingredients and make your house smell like absolute heaven while they’re roasting!
These cinnamon roasted almonds can be eaten warm as a sweet snack, served as a salad topper, etc. They also make great gifts for friends and neighbors for the holidays! Wrap them in a cute cellophane bag or mason jar and give your loved ones an extra special treat they will love!
Plus, they’re freezer-friendly, so you can make a large batch and munch on them for months!
Candied Almonds: Ingredients & Substitutions
- Raw Almonds. Use raw, unsalted almonds in this recipe. I don’t recommend any substitutions, although I have had other people using a variety of nuts with great success (try these candied pecans and candied walnuts)!
- Egg white. I do not recommend making any substitutes for the egg white.
- Vanilla Extract. Technically you can substitute 1 Tablespoon water for the vanilla extract, although I do not recommend that substitution. Use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor.
- Granulated Sugar. Regular granulated sugar and organic cane sugar are the two varieties I have used to make these cinnamon sugar almonds.
- Fine Sea Salt. If you only have iodized table salt, you will need to cut the amount of salt in half.
- Ground Cinnamon. Use a high-quality ground cinnamon for the absolute best flavor.
How to Make Candied Almonds
This candied almonds recipe is so easy! As always, we’ll walk through the process step-by-step, and don’t forget to watch the video.
Begin by combining the sugar, sea salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl, then set it aside.
Next, beat the egg white and vanilla with a whisk until frothy (about 1 minute). I use whisk and beat by hand, but you could use a hand-held mixer.
Then, add the almonds to wet mixture and stir until evenly coated.
Once the almonds are coated, sprinkle the dry ingredients over the almonds and stir until evenly distributed. Make sure to scrape any extra cinnamon sugar mixture off the sides and bottom of the bowl and incorporate it into the almonds.
Spread the almonds evenly, in a single layer, on the prepared baking sheet. Bake at 250 degrees F for 1 hour. Stir every 15 minutes. Even if they look done after 45 minutes trust me and bake for the full hour. Baking them low and slow is the key to the best candied almonds that retain their crispiness (no soggy almonds here) and light texture.
After one hour remove the almonds from the oven, give them a final stir and let them cool on the baking sheet or enjoy them warm!
Serve
There is no wrong way to enjoy these cinnamon almonds. I can’t keep my family away from them, so many end up getting eating warm, straight off the baking sheet. Here are some other suggestions:
- Serve with this balsamic vinaigrette on a salad for a delicious combo.
- Sprinkle some on these roasted beets! SO GOOD!
- Add a few to this burrata salad, brussel sprouts salad and this roasted vegetable quinoa salad!
- Sprinkle some on top of these overnight oats with yogurt!
- They make a great topping for the best homemade vanilla ice cream (or this Paleo vanilla ice cream).
Store
This cinnamon roasted almonds recipe makes a lot of nuts. I always make the full recipe and enjoy some, then freeze the rest for later. I like to have them on hand to pull out and use on salads or eat as a snack. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
Freeze
- Let roasted almonds cool completely
- Transfer to a freezer-friendly, airtight container.
- Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Let thaw at room temperature and enjoy! They thaw very quickly, and even taste great frozen!
Candied Almonds Recipe FAQS
These last for up to 1 week at room temperature, 2 weeks in the refrigerator, and 2 months in the freezer.
Yes! These freeze very well. Let them cool completely then store them in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months.
If they are soft you likely did not bake them long enough. Follow the directions exactly. If you did and still ended up with soft almonds, it’s likely your oven isn’t heating to the correct temperature. Use an oven thermometer to check and make sure it’s heating properly.
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Candied Almonds (Cinnamon Sugar Almonds)
Ingredients
- 16 ounces raw almonds (about 3 cups)
- 1 egg white
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Grease a large baking sheet. (Do NOT use parchment paper or foil. Bake directly on the greased pan).
- In a small bowl, combine sugar, sea salt, and cinnamon, set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whip egg white and vanilla with a whisk until frothy (about 1 minute).
- Add almonds to wet mixture and stir until evenly coated.
- Once almonds are coated, sprinkle the dry ingredients over the almonds and stir until evenly distributed. Make sure to scrape any extra cinnamon sugar mixture off the sides and bottom of the bowl and incorporate it into the almonds.
- Spread the almonds evenly, in a single layer, on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake at 250 degrees F for 1 hour. Stir every 15 minutes. Even if they look done after 45 minutes trust me and bake for the full hour.
- After one hour remove the almonds from the oven, give them a final stir and let them cool on the baking sheet or enjoy them warm!
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature or in the freezer!
Video
Notes
- Raw Almonds. Use raw, unsalted almonds. I don’t recommend any substitutions, although I have had other people using a variety of nuts with great success.
- Egg white. I do not recommend making any substitutes for the egg white.
- Vanilla Extract. Technically you can substitute 1 TBS water for the vanilla extract, although I do not recommend that substitution. Use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor.
- Granulated Sugar. Regular granulated sugar and organic cane sugar are the two varieties I have used to make these cinnamon sugar almonds.
- Fine Sea Salt. If you only have iodized table salt, you will need to cut the amount of salt in half.
- Ground Cinnamon. Use a high-quality ground cinnamon for the absolute best flavor.
- Let almonds cool completely
- Transfer to a freezer-friendly, airtight container.
- Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Let thaw at room temperature and enjoy! They thaw very quickly, and even taste great frozen!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Have made these delicious nuts several times.. they are the best …I lost the recipe and was almost in tears going through my recipe box looking for it… I said get back to Pinterest and don’t stop until you find it again lol…I found you ..sigh of relief. I am making goodie bags for 50 people (not sure how many batches I will be making lol) but I’m sure it will be nut week once I start. Thank you for sharing this recipe with us.
Phew! I’m so glad you found the recipe! Make sure to bookmark my website for the future! 🙂
This recipe rescued some raw almonds that were getting a bit stale! I had success using foil BUT you have to make sure the dull side of the foil is up. Sprayed the dull side and worked great. Thanks!
I’m looking forward to making these, what grease do you recommend for the pan?
You can spray it with cooking spray (lightly) or grease it with butter.
Just wondering why you say to not use parchment paper?
The parchment paper soaks in the wet mixture – so instead of it all being nicely roasted to the nuts, it gets stuck to the paper. you can use a silicone baking mat but honestly you don’t need to line the pan with anything.
i love these but would love to make them vegan. Can i replace the egg with something else that is vegan friendly ?
I have never tried replacing the egg, I’m sorry!
Hi Laura, can we use coconut sugar in place of granulated sugar? Also, if using a convection oven, what temperature should we use? Thanks for your help and can’t wait to try this!
Did you ever try it with a convection oven? Iam curious too.
I made these using raw almonds and roasted almonds. The raw almonds were spectacular! The already roasted almonds were good but not as good as using the raw almonds.
Thank you Christine!
Delicious!!!
Thank you Debbie!
I know the recipe states to have no substitutions for the raw almonds, but do you have any recommendations if you do use salted almonds? I have looked high and low for unsalted, raw almonds but I only found salted. I know you need to halve the salt if you use iodized table salt so I plan on halving it with the fine sea salt too or do you suggest omitting additional salt altogether?
Jane, you can get raw almonds from Amazon.
Would it be possible to use roasted almonds .. Can’t find raw ones .
Angela, you can find raw almonds on Amazon.
I just finished my fourth batch of these (for family Christmas gifts) and each batch turned out amazing! I did add an extra 1/2 tsp of cinnamon because my family loves cinnamon. This is a very easy recipe. I made sure to set my timer to stir the nuts every 15 minutes and I think that is essential to getting them crisp. I have 2 more batches to make – one just for me. I will definitely be making these again!