Made with only four simple ingredients, these candied almonds make the most delicious sweet snack. Made stovetop and ready in minutes.
How do you elevate the humble almond? Candy it up.
Some may think candied nuts are just for the holiday season, but for us, it’s a daily snack. We often do the classic pecans or sometimes go with cashews, but nothing beats the delicious flavors of caramelized almonds.
Table of Contents
Stovetop candied almonds
While almonds are healthy and good in and of themselves, elevating them with sugar and cinnamon every now and then certainly won’t hurt. A single pan and a few simple ingredients are needed to make this delicious almond treat.
- Crispy and sweet. You only need four simple ingredients to transform plain almonds into crispy and sweet candies.
- Quick. These candied almonds are made in less than 20 minutes.
- The perfect snack and gift. Candied almonds not only make a good snack but are also great a gift to friends and family. Put them in mason jars or small bags for the perfect handmade gift.
You don’t need a lot of ingredients to make candied almonds. Here are the only five ingredients you’ll need.
- Almonds. Raw unsalted almonds.
- Sugar. Granulated white sugar is preferred, but brown sugar and coconut sugar will also work.
- Water. To make the sugar syrup.
- Vanilla extract. To flavor the almonds.
How to make candied almonds
Candied almonds are easy to make. Just keep stirring and keep an eye on the syrup to not burn it.
Step 1 – Make the syrup
Start by adding sugar, water, and vanilla extract to a large pan. Stir with a spatula and heat the mixture on medium heat. Keep stirring until the syrup starts to bubble.
Step 2 – Add the almonds and cook
As soon as the syrup starts to bubble, turn the heat to low and add the almonds. Keep stirring until the water evaporates and the sugar sauce thickens. This will take around 7 minutes.
Remove the almonds from the pan as soon as they are coated in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Transfer the almonds onto a tray lined with parchment paper. While the almonds are still hot, use a spatula to break them apart.
- Use more spices. Ground nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger create an amazing flavor.
- Swap water with liquor. Substitute two tablespoons of water with equal amounts of rum, whiskey, or bourbon to spice up your candy almonds.
- Top with sea salt. If you love the combination of sweet and salty, sprinkle the candied almonds with flaky salt as soon as you remove them from the hot pan.
- Cut the sugar. Similar to sugar free candied pecans, you can cut the sugar from these almonds by swapping out the white sugar for allulose.
To store: These candied almonds are the crispiest when eaten fresh. If you want to keep them longer, transfer them into an airtight container or bag and store them somewhere cool for up to 5 days. There’s no need to refrigerate candied almonds.
To freeze: Place leftovers in a ziplock bag and store them in the freezer for up to 6 months.
More sweet snacks to try
Energy Balls, Bars, and Bites
Fruit Leather
No Bake Desserts
Tanghulu
Energy Balls, Bars, and Bites
Protein Balls
No Bake Snacks
Cereal Bars
Turn the stove to medium-low heat. Add the almonds to the pan and roast them for around 5 minutes. Stir the almonds to get them evenly roasted.
This particular recipe doesn’t work well for the oven as the water in the sugar syrup needs to evaporate and cause the sugar syrup to thicken.
There are no wheat based ingredients in this recipe, making them suitable for celiacs.
Candied Almonds
Ingredients
- 2 cups almonds raw
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 6 tablespoons water
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- On medium heat, heat a large pan or skillet.
- When hot, add the sugar, water, and vanilla extract. Bring everything to a boil, while stirring regularly.
- Once the syrup boils, add the almonds and mix until completely coated. Continue mixing the almonds around until the water evaporates and the syrup darkens.
- Once the water has completely evaporated, remove the almonds from the heat and use a spatula to break them apart. Let them cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I may earn a small commission for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, and/or link to any products or services from this website.
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Hi Arman,
These look so good! I wanted to let you know that maltodextrin, one of the ingredients in the monk fruit sweetener you linked to, is something many people who do keto try to avoid. I’m going to make this today or tomorrow with Lakanto classic. Love your recipes!!
No worries, thanks for letting me know!
These look amazing! I so miss Cinnamon toast crunch! Woul coconut sugar be an okay substitute?
YES! Coconut palm sugar would be perfect!
These candied almonds look so delicious and perfect for holiday season!
How many almonds is one serving?
2-3 tablespoons, or a small handful 🙂
Can you do a pumpkin pie recipe but single serving? Also, these almonds are so good looking!
Maybe for 2019!
Hello! I made these and for some reason the last step (shaking with remaining sugar substitute (used splenda granular,Equal granular and cinnamon) is not working. It will not stick and all of it keeps settling to the bottom of my container. I tried coating when both completely cooled and then again (thinking it would work better) when almost cooled. No luck. Can you please tell me what I am doing wrong? I am really looking to get that “sugary” coating look. Thank you!
Hi there I haven’t used those sugar substitutes- Only monk fruit sweetener or traditional white sugar 🙂
Can’t wait to try these! Thanks for including the nutritional information, but can you tell me what one portion is considered? Or how many portions the recipe makes? I’m on Weight Watchers and have to keep track of that sort of thing. Thanks!
Hi there it is around 2-3 tablespoons, or a small handful!
These were delicious and super simple.
I NEED to try this now. I’ve been snacking on pistachios like no other (LOL) so it’s a sign that I’m on some kind of nut craze. Anyhow, I’ll dbe sure to try this out, as well as experiment with other varieties of nuts and seeds like cashews, walnuts, macadamia nuts, pistachios, hazelnuts, and more!
What kind of sweetener did you use? I used granulated stevia and it was a disaster
I never use granulated stevia, just monk fruit or swerve.
About how long does it take for the sweetener to become granulated aftercooking. I am using Monkfruit and i am afraid of burning it.
You let it sit and it hardens 🙂
I’ve been looking for lower carb recipes to mimic the roasted nut vendor that shows up in the local mall near the holidays. I made this recipe exactly as published using Swerve as the sweetner. The Swerve crystalized nicely, and the flavor was great. Using raw almonds produced a final product that tasted good, but was a bit more chewy than crunchy. I’m planning to make the recipe again, but will either roast the almonds ahead of time (~15 min at 325), or purchase them plain and roasted to get that crunch that my family prefers. Overall, a great receipe that would work well with other nuts, too. Thanks!