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Slow Cooker Sweet and Spicy Nuts

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Make these Sweet and Spicy Nuts and let your slow cooker do most of the work for you. Walnuts, sweetened with a spiced glaze are roasted in a Crockpot and then finished in the oven. Perfect for snacking, salads, cheeseboards, and holiday gifting!

slow cooker sweet and spicy nuts on a plate

Salads are one of those things that taste SO much better when someone else makes it for you. Lucky for me, my mom makes the best salads. She was just here, and I bugged her for a salad every single day. Even better, Clay is super into dinosaurs right now, so he’s been asking for “tyrannosaurus salads.”

So what makes a great salad? It’s all about a variety of flavors and textures, which is why I love adding nuts to my salads for sweetness and crunch (and a boost of plant-based protein).

Hayley shared this brilliant slow cooker spiced nut method, so I immediately had to make it. Seriously, why have I never thought of this before? I love how easy and versatile this recipe is. Whether added to a salad or just as a snack, these slow cooker sweet and spicy nuts are absolutely delicious. So dust off that Crockpot and let’s slow cook some nuts.

Slow Cooker Sweet and Spicy Nuts Ingredients //

  • Walnuts – or any nut of your choice.
  • Brown Sugar – develops into a sugary-sweet candied coating.
  • Cinnamon & Freshly Ground Nutmeg – are warming flavors that spice things up.
  • Honey – adds an additional layer of sweetness.
  • Pure Maple Syrup – adds hints of caramel and vanilla.
  • Butter – develops into a decadent brown butter when slow-cooked and adds rich color and flavor.
  • Sea Salt – I love to use fleur de sel. The saltiness enhances the rest of the flavors.
ingredients for slow cooker sweet and spicy nuts

How to Make // The Steps

Step 1. Put all of the ingredients into the slow cooker.

ingredients for slow cooker sweet and spicy nuts in the slow cooker

Step 2. Mix it together.

Step 3: Cook on Low for 1.5 hours. Stir every once in and while.

Slow cooker sweet and spicy nuts

Step 4: After an hour and a half, the sugar will have melted, and the nuts will be coated.

freshly made slow cooker sweet and spicy nuts in the slow cooker

Step 5: Spread the nuts out onto a parchment or wax paper-lined baking sheet. Taste them and see if they need more salt. I like mine salty. Let the nuts cool.

slow cooker sweet and spicy nuts on a plate

Step 6: You can store the nuts in an air-tight container for about 2 weeks.

Tips & Tricks

  • Slow cooking dry-roasted nuts are essentially cooking them twice (aka overcooking them), so use RAW unflavored nuts for the best texture and flavor.
  • Using a variety of your favorite nuts is encouraged! Just be sure to use nuts that are similar sizes so they cook at the same rate. For instance, pistachios will slow cook much faster than walnuts and thus burn.
  • Line slow cooker with parchment paper or Crockpot liners for easy clean-up.
  • Place a layer of heavy-duty paper towels over the nuts in the slow-cooker. The paper towels will absorb the moisture from the nuts and catch condensation from the lid -resulting in a crunchier nut.

Why are Slow Cooker Sweet & Spicy Nuts So Good?

  • Fix it and forget it. Roasting nuts low and slow creates a beautifully caramelized coating (and makes your house smell amazing).
  • Great for entertaining. These nuts are heavenly served alongside charcuterie and cheeses.
  • Holiday gifting! Store in glass jars for the perfect DIY gift.
  • Customizable. You can use any combination of nuts, spices, herbs, etc.
slow cooker sweet and spicy nuts on bowls of salad

Variations//

  • There are dozens of different directions you can take these nuts.
  • Try sweetening things up even more by adding a vanilla bean to the slow cooker or add heat with a dash of cayenne, cumin or chili powder.
  • Cut out the refined sugar by using date sugar or coconut sugar in place of brown sugar.
  • Try these yummy nuts added to DIY trail mix with mix-ins like pretzels, dried bananas, M & M’s, etc.

How to Store //

Homemade spiced nuts are best stored in an airtight container away from stinky foods like onion and garlic as they absorb flavors fast. Roasted nuts can be stored in a dry, cool place for up to 2 weeks.

FAQ

Should nuts be refrigerated?

To extend the flavor of fresh nuts, they can be refrigerated in a sealed glass container for 4 to 6 months.

Can you freeze spiced nuts?

Spiced nuts freeze well when stored in airtight single-serving containers. Defrost in the refrigerator before using.

slow cooker sweet and spicy nuts on a plate

More Recipes Using Nuts

Orange & Rosemary Pecans

Blueberry Pecan Granola

Pear Almond Tart with Amaretto Cream

slow cooker sweet and spicy nuts recipe

Slow Cooker Sweet and Spicy Nuts

bakedbree
Slow Cooker Sweet and Spicy Nuts are great to snack on or my favorite way to eat them in on a salad. They give the perfect amount of sweetness and crunch.
No ratings yet
Course Appetizers & Snacks
Cuisine American
Servings 1 pound

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound walnuts or any kind that you like
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
  • 2 Tablespoons honey
  • 2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup
  • 2 Tablespoons butter
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt I love to use fleur de sel

Instructions
 

  • Put all of the ingredients into the slow cooker.
  • Mix it together.
  • Cook on Low for 1.5 hours. Stir every once and awhile.
  • After an hour and a half, the sugar will have melted, and the nuts will be coated.
  • Spread the nuts out onto a parchment or wax paper lined baking sheet. Taste them and see if they need more salt. I like mine salty. Let the nuts cool.
  • You can store the nuts in an air tight container for about 2 weeks.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Recipe Rating




Top 10 Healthy Nut Recipes - The Food Explorer

Friday 8th of February 2019

[…] Ingredients: walnuts, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, honey, pure maple syrup, butter, sea salt. Full recipe at bakedbree.com […]

Shana

Monday 28th of December 2015

I added a little red pepper and a little ginger, and swapped the butter for coconut oil. Still turned out delicious, and so easy. I also used a bag of mixed nuts. Thanks for the recipe.

Shavonne

Monday 19th of August 2013

Were the nuts cruchy? Would it work well with just spices and no liquid?

bakedbree

Wednesday 21st of August 2013

Yes, after they cool, they get crunchy. It will not work with out liquid. It needs it form the glaze.

Lisa

Saturday 22nd of December 2012

These are WONDERFUL!!! I just finished making all of my holiday goodies and I had multiple bags of opened nuts left over. I decided to mix them all up and make this recipe using walnuts, pecans and almonds. Sinfully good and easy! I loved them so much, I put the nuts inside 4 oz mason jars tied with a pretty ribbon and added them to my Christmas treats I was delivering to friends and family.

My only suggestion is that if you make a batch using only almonds, you may want to add more than the pound of almonds that the recipe calls for. I ended up having quite a bit of extra syrupy goodness in the crock pot and the almonds themselves were very heavily coated. Not that this is a bad thing at all, but the coating didn't quite dry as much and I felt like the coating left in the crock pot was a complete waste of something that tastes like heaven. I would almost add 1.25 - 1.5 pounds of almonds, I had that much extra coating. (I'm thinking the extra resulted from almonds being heavier, smaller and having no nooks n crannies like walnuts and pecans had for all of that yumminess to stick to?)

Many thanks for this recipe Bree!!! I will be making it often. :)

bakedbree

Monday 24th of December 2012

That is really good to know, thanks! I made this tonight as a matter of fact, a really spicy one, and it was great on our cheese plate.

Shannon

Monday 23rd of January 2012

I NEVER thought of using a slow cooker for making sweet/salty nuts. What a great idea!

bakedbree

Monday 23rd of January 2012

Me neither! Hayley is so smart.