Name: Air Fryer Candied Walnuts
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 17 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 4 cups raw walnut halves; 1 large egg white; 1 Tablespoon water; 1 cup granulated sugar; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract; 3/4 teaspoon salt

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Sweet and salty, these air fryer candied walnuts are super simple to make and delicious to eat. They make a great gift idea too!

This easy recipe for air fryer candied walnuts makes a delicious sweet and salty treat. You can enjoy them as a quick snack, over ice cream, or add them to salads and cheeseboards.

They also make a perfect edible gift over the holiday season. The walnuts are coated in a sugary coating made of sugar and egg white.

This creates a crispy crust and helps to give them the perfect crunch.

About this candied walnuts recipe

Easy to make. Simply whip up the egg whites, then toss in the rest of the ingredients and coat the walnuts.
A beautiful gift idea. Add them to a pretty mason jar with a ribbon or little bags and give them as amazing gifts.
Versatile. If you don’t like walnuts, you can make air fryer candied pecans or use other nuts instead.
Simple ingredients. You don’t have to use anything fancy for this

Ingredients

Find the ingredient amounts listed in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post. Here is a rundown of what you will need.

Walnuts. Or nuts of choice. Walnut halves or pecan halves are a great option because they have lots of creases that the sugar mixture can stick to.
Egg white
Granulated white sugar. There’s a lot of sugar in this recipe because they are candied nuts after all. This is not a healthy snack, just a delicious treat.
Ground cinnamon and vanilla extract. These are both optional but add some lovely flavor. You could experiment with other spices too, like pumpkin pie spice or add cayenne pepper for some spice.
Sea salt. Salt is a great contrast to the sweetness that sugar brings.

Equipment

Air fryer – These candied walnuts are made in a 5.8-quart air fryer but you can use whatever air fryer you have. For an extra small basket air fryer, the walnuts may need to be cooked in batches.

Electric mixer – to beat the egg white

Should you line your air fryer?

I leave my basket-style air fryer unlined for this. The candy coating does create a bit of a mess but it’s easy to clean with hot water. Simply pour just boiled water into the air fryer and let it soak until the sugar dissolves.

Method

In a medium bowl add an egg white and a tablespoon of water. With an electric mixer, whip the egg white and water until stiff peaks form.

Add the sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and salt to the mixing bowl and fold to create a thick and sticky cinnamon sugar mixture.

Next, add the walnuts to the egg white mixture and fold them in to ensure they are all coated in the mixture.

Now add the walnuts into the air fryer basket in a single layer.

a bowl of sugar and egg white coated walnuts.

Air fry at 300 degrees f / 150 degrees C for around 5-7 minutes. Remove the air fryer basket and use a rubber spatula to stir the nuts. They will still be sticky and wet from the sugar coating.

Place the basket back in an air fry for 5 minutes more and stir again. Cook for a few minutes more until the nuts are no longer wet. The cooking time will vary depending on your air fryer.

Tip the nuts onto a piece of parchment paper and let the nuts cool right down to room temperature. They won’t be crisp until they are cooled.

Once cooled, store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 months.

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Yield: 4 cups