• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

MyIndianStove

  • Recipes
    • All Recipes
    • Recipes By Category
    • Best Indian Cookbooks, Food Blogs, & YouTube Cooking Shows
    • Top 20 Indian Dishes eCookBook
    • Almond Flour Chocolate Cookies with Walnuts
    • Indianish Winter Cookies
    • Glorious Chicken Mulligatawny Soup
    • Homemade Potato Roll Recipe
    • Indian-Spiced Kabab Recipe
    • Spiced Crunchy Roasted Potatoes
    • Gluten-free Spiced Carrot Cake
    • 6-Ingredient Indian Mango Custard
  • Articles
    • All Articles
    • About Indian Food
      • About Indian Food
      • Flavors of India
      • Typical Indian Meals
      • Indian Food in 2020
      • Indian Drinks
      • Indian Grocery List for Advanced Cooks
      • Curry Leaf Substitutes & Where to Buy Plants or Leaves
      • Coconut Facts, Substitutes, & Measures
    • Assumptions I Avoid
    • Essential Indian Pantry
    • Indian Cooking Basics
    • Top 20 Most Popular Indian Dishes & Recipes
    • Top 10 Tips for Indian Cooking Basics
    • Take a Look at Our eCookBook
    • 2020 Best of MyIndianStove
    • 10 Things To Do With Leftover Curry
  • Substitutes
  • Glossary
menu icon
go to homepage
  • All Articles
  • All Recipes
  • Free eBook
  • Weekly Digest
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • All Articles
    • All Recipes
    • Free eBook
    • Weekly Digest
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Snacks and Appetizers

    Sweet and Spicy Nuts

    Published: May 28, 2020 · Modified: Jun 3, 2021 by Alonna

    A little sweet and a little spicy (or very spicy, it is up to you), and very crunchy, these nuts will be your go to, when you need a little something with drinks, or just for snacking.
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Spicy, crunchy served up in clear glass bowl with beaded rim.
    Sweet and Spicy Nuts—Indian-Style Served up in clear glass bowl with beaded rim. Looking all crunchy and spicey.
    Addictive, crunchy and full of flavor, these sweet and spicy nuts are the perfect mid-afternoon pick-me-up, or a little healthy something extra with drinks.

    A Little Bit of Spice

    These sweet and spicy nuts are crackly and crunchy, full of flavor, and a little bit spicy! Or a lot spicy, as you wish. I am always looking for a quick something to pull together for appetizers with drinks, or a mid-afternoon pick-me-up. No matter what I am serving, it seems that some sort of roasted or candied nut always seems to fit the bill.

    Candied Spicy Nuts—Always Perfect!

    My sister-in-law Stephanie serves up the Silver Palate’s spiced pecans for Thanksgiving, and we can’t seem to keep our hands out of the nut bowl. When I make Mexican food, I use peanuts and swap out the spicing below for cayenne, balanced with plenty of sugar. I’ve even served peanuts before a Chinese meal spiced with Sichuan peppercorns and five-spice powder.

    This method of roasting nuts is from the book “Maximum Flavor” by Aki Kamozawa & H. Alexander Talbot. By the way, this is a great book to help you explore ways of making your food even more interesting and flavorful.

    Happy Cooking!

    ~ Alonna

    See the Notes below before you cook.

    • Spicy, crunchy served up in clear glass bowl with beaded rim.
      Sweet and Spicy Nuts
    • Easy Microwave Curry Popcorn Served with sweet and salty nuts and flavored with Indian spices.
      Easy Microwave Curry Popcorn
    • Chaat Recipe with Goldfish - Indian street dish with sev, veggies and goldfish crackers.
      Chaat Recipe with Goldfish
    • Potato Pakora Served with three chutneys on the side.
      Potato Pakora
    Spicy, crunchy served up in clear glass bowl with beaded rim.

    Sweet and Spicy Nuts

    A little sweet and a little spicy (or very spicy, it is up to you), and very crunchy, these nuts will be your go to, when you need a little something with drinks, or just for snacking.
    Print Pin Comment
    Course: Appetizer, Snack
    Cuisine: International
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 12 minutes
    Simmer Nuts: 5 minutes
    Total Time: 27 minutes
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 286kcal
    Author: Alonna

    Ingrediants

    • 2 cups raw cashews
    • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
    • 1 1/4 cups water
    • 1/2 teaspoon sea or table salt
    • 1/2 teaspoon Kashmiri ground red chili   ~ Or more to taste; substitutions
    • 2 teaspoons chaat masala ~ Or substitute lemon juice added at the end
    • 1 teaspoon garam masala ~ Buy or Make
    • 1/8 teaspoon turmeric
    • 2 tablespoons ghee ~ Or butter
    • 2 teaspoons coarse salt ~ Kosher, Malden, or coarse sea salt. Add 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt if you don't have coarse salt.
    • 1 tablespoon coarse sugar ~ Demerara or turbinado sugar. Regular white sugar will work as well.
    • 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice ~ Chaat masala substitution
    US Customary - Metric
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Gather your ingredients
      Sweet and Spicy Nuts Ingredients gathered
    • Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
    • In a medium saucepan add the nuts, water, sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Over medium-high heat, bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.
      Sweet and Spicy Nuts Simmering the nuts in syrup
    • Strain the nuts and place into a medium-sized bowl. 
    • Add ghee or butter into the pan used to simmer the nuts; no need to wash it out. Add the chili, chaat masala (if using), garam masala, and turmeric. Bloom the spices for a minute or two, then pour over the nuts and mix well.
      Sweet and Spicy Nuts Add ghee and spices
    • Spread nuts evenly out on the lined baking sheet and roast. At the 7 minute mark, remove from the oven and sprinkle coarse sugar and salt evenly over the nuts, and turn the baking sheet around so that nuts will brown uniformly. 
      Sweet and Spicy Nuts Spread the nuts evenly on a tray and bake
    • Toast for another 4 to 6 minutes, or longer until medium brown. Some nuts brown more quickly than others (cashews and pistachios), so keep a close eye on the nuts, especially during the last 4 to 6 minute roast. If you are using lemon juice rather than chaat masala, add juice now and stir to mix. The nuts will get crunchier as they cool.
      Sweet and Spicy Nuts Letting the nuts cool
    • Let cool completely and store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
      Yield: 2 cups
      Spicy, crunchy served up in clear glass bowl with beaded rim.

    Notes

    • Feel free to spice these nuts in any way you like. As usual, the heat level from chilis is mild; you can scale up as your tastebuds and eaters dictate.
    • I’ve used cashews, but please use your favorite nut or a combination of nuts.
    • If you change up the nuts you are using, make sure that you still have the same weight (300 grams) of nuts to 300 grams of sugar, and 10 ounces, or roughly 300 ml of water. These measurements will keep the recipe in balance.
    • The step of simmering the nuts in the syrup removes some of the bitter notes, leaving a mild, sweet nut.
    • To make this vegan, substitute ghee or butter with oil.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 0g | Calories: 286kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 470mg | Potassium: 170mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 31g | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 2mg

    Your Private Notes

    Click here to add your own private notes.
    Hungry for more?Subscribe to my free Weekly Digest!
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @AlonnasIndianStove or tag #MyIndianStove!
    • Facebook
    • Yummly
    • Email
    • Twitter

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Alonna Smith owner of My Indian Stove dot com
    Alonna Smith, Publisher (and chef!)

    As an adventurous and accomplished home cook, I am having the time of my life, cooking through the many regions of India, learning different cooking methods, and the many ways of using spices, pulses, and creating unforgettable food, if I may say so myself.

    Learn more about us

    Get my free eBook


    My Indian Stove all recipes icon
    MyIndianStove all recipes icon
    MyIndianStove Basics Icon
    MyIndianStove Basics Icon

    Glossary: Hindi-English
    Glossary: English-Hindi
    Substitutions


    Yeah, it is summer!

    • Almond flour chocolate cookies on a cooling rack garnished with flaky salt, chocolate chips and walnuts
      Almond Flour Chocolate Cookies with Walnuts
    • Served with lemon wedges, and spray of fried curry leaves, a beer, on a bed of sliced green cabbage.
      Crispy, Juicy Kerala Fried Chicken
    • Skinless, boneless tandoori chicken thighs on a bed of bell peppers with a side of turmeric yellow rice.
      Easy Grilled Boneless Tandoori Chicken Thighs
    • Two tacos garnished pickled red onions, sliced radishes, cheese crumbles and a flutter of cilantro leaves.
      Indian Fusion Tacos ~ Fillings & Toppings
    • The chicken served in a pita with pickled onions and yogurt sauce.
      Chicken Shawarma Wrap
    • Indian Cucumber Salad (Kachumber) This colorful salad of cucumber and tomato is erved with a sprinkling of peanuts and chopped cilantro.
      Indian Cucumber Salad (Kachumber)

    Trending

    • Tandoori masala powder on a bed of the individual spices.
      Easy Tandoori Masala Powder & Paste From Scratch
    • Served with buttered, toasted buns, a wedge of lemon, and a flurry of cilantro.
      Easy and Comforting  Beef Keema Curry (Indian Ground Beef)
    • A pork masala served in a beautiful red dutch oven. Rich with spices and chilies, this is the curry of your dreams.
      Rich and Tangy Pork Vindaloo
    • Madras Curry Powder finished and in a glass bowl with a small wooden spoon.
      Hot or Mild Madras Curry Powder Recipe
    • A spice tin filled with spice powder with whole spices keeping it company.
      Goan Spice Mix Recipe (Garam Masala)
    • Indian Spaghetti Bolognese a bowl full of bolognese and a fork twirled full of perfectly coated pasta
      Indian-Style Pasta ~ Spaghetti Bolognese

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    Resources

    • Glossary
    • Substitutions

    Newsletter

    • Get our Free eCookbook
    • Get our Weekly Digest

    Contact Us

    • Contact Us
    • Use Our Content
    • About Us
    • Privacy and Disclosure
    • Copyright

    Copyright © 2022 Alonna Smith

    20 shares