These Cinnamon Roasted Almonds are made using just 6 ingredients and they make the perfect festive season snack. Crunchy almonds coated in a cinnamon sugar are great for batch cooking and keeping in a jar for months. They also make really easy homemade Christmas presents.
Be warned - this snack is seriously addictive! I love snacking on almonds anyway, but add a cinnamon sugar to them and the moreish levels just increase. So, I like to make a batch, save some for me and then put the rest of them in pretty jars with ribbon to give out as Christmas gifts. Who doesn't love edible presents?
These are so simple, and very little hands-on time, which is why I love making them at Christmas when everyone is hungry, but I have enough to be getting on with in the kitchen. Easy to adapt with other festive flavours and even different nuts, these are much cheaper than flavoured nuts that you can buy in the store.
If you are looking for other ways to use almonds, then why not check out our Vanilla and Honey Almond Butter, Almond Butter Cookies or Homemade Almond Milk?
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Why you will love it
- Easy snack - Although these cinnamon roasted almonds take an hour in the oven (they need to cook low and slow so they don't burn), they are really easy to put together and then you can just put them in the oven.
- Adaptable - This is a simple recipe, so there is not too much that can be changed, but we have a few option for different nuts and other flavours below.
- Full of festive flavours - Cinnamon just screams Christmas doesn't it? Add to that some vanilla and lots of sweetness, this is the ultimate festive snack.
- Stores well - The great thing about these roasted almonds is that they store really well. Put them in jar and they will keep for a couple of months. If you can resist eating them for that long that is.
Ingredients needed
- Almonds - We used standard skin on almonds, as they are the cheapest to buy and you can usually buy them in bulk.
- Cinnamon - Cinnamon adds an incredible warm flavour to these nuts and it is the dominating flavour. You could swap it for ginger or nutmeg, or use a mixture of all three. Make sure your ground cinnamon is in date and hasn't been opened long, as it won't have as much flavour.
- Sugar - We just used standard granulated sugar for these roasted almonds, which gives them a nice coating.
- Vanilla - This adds so much flavour and some lovely warmth. Use vanilla extract rather than essence.
- Egg white and water - There are no substitutions for these, as it is what is needed for the sugar to stick to the almonds.
A full ingredients list with measurements is in the recipe card below.
Step by step
One: Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4. Mix together the two sugars and cinnamon.
Two: In a small bowl, whisk together the egg white, water and vanilla extract.
Three: Put the almonds into a mixing bowl and pour in the egg mixture. Mix until all the almonds are coated.
Four: Pour in the sugar/cinnamon mixture and mix well to coat the almonds.
Five: Spread the almonds in a single layer over a lined baking tray. Put in the oven for 1 hour, stirring twice.
Health benefits of almonds
Whilst this is not the healthiest snack in the world due to all of the sugar, there are lots of health benefits from the almonds. Although almonds are often referred to as a nut, they are actually a seeds and they are the fruit of the almond tree. You can buy them blanched, which is when hot water has been put on them to remove the brown outer coating, leaving behind a smooth white interior, but we have used skin on almonds because not only are they cheaper to buy, but we like the dark colour.
Almonds are a great source of protein, fibre, zinc, calcium, magnesium, vitamin E, selenium, and B vitamins. Although they are high in fat, it is mostly monounsaturated fat, which helps to protect the heart by maintaining levels of HDL cholesterol (good) versus LDL cholesterol (bad).
Variations
There is not much that you can change with this recipe, as it is pretty perfect as it is. But, we have a few little changes that could be made.
Seasoning - It's all about the cinnamon and vanilla for us, but if you are not a huge fan of cinnamon, then you could swap it for nutmeg or ginger, or use a mixture of all of them for a really festive burst.
Nuts - We used almonds, but this cinnamon sugar coating works really well for pecans too. Maybe do a mixture of the two in one big pan. Cooking times may vary if you use another nut though, so check on them when stirring.
What to serve with Cinnamon Roasted Almonds
Although you could sprinkle these on top of a salad, we love them as a snack. Give us a hot drink and a jar of these and we are happy. Why not try one of these hot drinks perfect for the festive season:
- Vegan Eggnog
- Chai Tea Latte
- Cinnamon Coffee
- Slow Cooker Mulled Wine
- Snowman Hot Chocolate
- Mulled Apple Juice
- Peppermint Hot Chocolate
- Cinnamon Mocha
- Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate
They are also really good on top of overnight oats or porridge. Basically, anything you would put almonds on, you can add these. We love them on ice cream too.
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe makes a lot of almonds, so chances are you are going to have a lot leftover. That's no problem, because they store really well. You can put them in an air tight container or sterilised jar for 4 weeks.
Yes, these actually freeze really well. Once they have fully cooled, transfer to an air tight container and they will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. They thaw really quickly, but we actually quite like eating them frozen. Seriously, try it!
There are a few options when it comes to wrapping these. You could sterilise some jars and them wrap them in ribbon. Or, you could put them in cellophane bags and add ribbon, which would be much cheaper and make a super budget friendly gift.
If they are soft, it is most likely that you didn't cook them long enough. I know an hour is a long time, but that's why the temperature is so low. These are meant to be quite dark, but they won't burn. If you have cooked them for the full hour, but they are still soft, then your oven might not be at the correct temperature. Every oven cooks things differently, and some run hot or cold. An oven thermometer is the best way to ensure that your oven is the correct temperature.
Yes, if you make sure that there is no cross contamination and the ingredients are gluten free certified, then this is a delicious gluten free snack.
Yes, you need to make sure you stir these twice so they everything cooks evenly and nothing burns.
More Christmas snack recipes
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Recipe
Cinnamon Roasted Almonds
Ingredients
- 290 g (2 cups) Almonds
- 1 Egg white
- 1 teaspoon Cold water
- 50 g (0.25 cups) Granulated sugar
- 50 g (0.25 cups) Light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180°C/160°C(fan)/350°F/Gas 4.
- Mix together 50 g Granulated sugar, 50 g Light brown sugar and 1 teaspoon Ground cinnamon.
- In a small bowl, whisk together 1 Egg white, 1 teaspoon Cold water and 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract.
- Put 290 g Almonds into a mixing bowl and pour in the egg mixture. Mix until all the almonds are coated.
- Pour in the sugar/cinnamon mixture and mix well to coat the almonds.
- Spread the almonds in a single layer over a lined baking tray. Put in the oven for 1 hour, stirring twice.
Notes
- Although it is tempting to eat these cinnamon roasted almonds right away, they need to cool on the baking tray for a while. They will be very hot inside.
- Make sure to cook for the whole hour, so the almonds are nice and crispy, rather than soggy.
- You can adjust the cinnamon levels depending on how much you like it.
- Why not try using pecans instead of almonds - cooking times may vary.
Carole
Temperature is too high or cooking time too long, suggest to retain nutritional value of nuts roasting no hotter than 225F.