Holiday Maple Spiced Almonds

Name: Maple Spiced Almonds Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 2 cups almonds (raw); 2 teaspoons olive oil; ¼ cup pure maple syrup; ½ teaspoon salt; ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon; ½ teaspoon ground ginger; ¼ teaspoon cardamon; ¼ teaspoon nutmeg; ¼ teaspoon allspice; ¼ teaspoon cloves

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These Holiday Spiced Almonds are the perfect balance of sweet maple syrup, warm spices, and a pinch of salt.

These almonds make the perfect DIY holiday gift, special snack, or addition to a holiday treat board.

holiday spiced almonds in a small mason jar with red & white string tied around top.

Holiday Spiced Almonds Recipe

I love this recipe for spiced almonds because it brings back a little nostalgia of the holiday season. One of my favorite memories of Christmas shopping is the overwhelming sweet aroma of the spiced nut vendors in the mall.

The smell of those sweet spices always lured me in for a snack break.

But good news, these sweet almonds are super easy to make at home. And they’re healthier too! So you can feel good about satisfying that hunger for deliciously sweet toasted almonds.

These almonds make a tasty and healthy snack, they make wonderful crunchy additions to a salad, are perfect for a holiday snack board, or can be used as a DIY holiday gift.

Ingredients

This recipe doesn’t use anything too complicated. In fact, you may have most of these items in your pantry already!

Here’s what you’ll need:

raw almonds
olive oil
maple syrup
salt
ground cinnamon
ground ginger
cardamon
nutmeg
allspice
ground cloves

Equipment

small mixing bowl
baking sheet
parchment paper
medium skillet
rubber spatula

ingredients for the spiced almonds recipe in small bowls and measuring spoons.

Instructions

Line a medium-sized baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the almonds and 2 teaspoons of olive oil. Mix together until evenly coated.

Spread the almonds evenly in a single layer across the lined baking sheet. Avoid overcrowding. Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven for about 14-15 minutes.

Once the almonds are done roasting, remove them from the oven and set them aside.

white bowl of almonds coated in olive oil.

almonds on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.

roasted almonds on the baking sheet with parchment paper.

Pour the maple syrup into a medium or large skillet and heat it over medium heat. Stir it and watch it carefully.

As soon as the maple syrup begins to bubble, reduce the heat. Lower the heat as low as you can and still maintain a slow bubbling.

Add the roasted almonds to the pan with the maple syrup and stir.

crystalizing the maple syrup in the skillet.

roasted almonds added to the skillet with the maple syrup.

Slowly start to add the salt and spices to the almond mixture, mixing as you go. At this point, you still want to maintain the slow bubbling of the syrup.

After the spices get mixed in the bubbling may stop and this is okay. Keep stirring the almonds over low heat until the sugars crystalize.

You will know that it is crystalizing when the almonds become more difficult to stir because the syrup is stiffening and it will look less glossy and more opaque.

spices added to the top of the roasted almonds in the skillet.

spices and maple syrup over the roasted almonds in a skillet.

Once fully crystalized, spread the almonds evenly on a fresh sheet of parchment paper and let them cool entirely before eating (about 10 minutes).

These almonds make a great DIY holiday gift. Once they have cooled completely, transfer them into clear glass jars with lids and seal.

Tie on a ribbon and you have a thoughtful healthy and homemade gift for your family, pastor, teachers, neighbors, or mailman.

parchment paper lined baking sheet with the spiced almonds.

finished spiced almonds in a small decorative mason jar.

black lid over the top of the mason jar with red and white string tied around the top of the jar.

✨ Recipe notes ✨

Roasted almonds should have a nice snappy crunch when you bite into them. If your almonds are chewy, they did not roast long enough in the oven. Roasting for about 15 minutes in the oven appeared to be the sweet spot between that perfect crunch but not tasting overcooked or burnt. Keep in mind that almonds fresh out of the oven will still be a little chewy until they have fully cooled. Keep an eye on the almonds for the last couple of minutes when roasting. A shade or two darker is normal, but if the almonds are getting dark brown/black remove them from the oven immediately.
Wait for the sugars to crystalize fully before removing the almonds from the stove. This will help most of the sugars coat the almonds. If you pull them off before they have crystalized fully, you will have a lot of crunchy sugar on the parchment paper and not a lot on the actual almonds.
Once the sugar has crystalized (looking for that stiff, opaque syrup), remove the almonds from the heat immediately to prevent them from getting overdone.
The time it takes the sugars to crystalize will depend on the type of cook surface you are using and how evenly it heats.
If you are doubling the recipe, I would recommend doing it in batches to avoid overcrowding both the baking sheet and the skillet.
As written, the recipe is not overly sweet. If you want more sweetness and a thicker sugar coating, you can increase the maple syrup used by 1-2 tablespoons. You will need to cook the syrup slightly longer in the skillet in order to get it to crystalize. Wait until the syrup is bubbling before adding the almonds to avoid overcooking them.

tying red and white twine around the top of the mason jar for a Christmas gift.

How to store leftover spiced almonds.

Once fully cooled, store leftovers in an airtight container or resealable zipper bag on the counter for 1-2 weeks.

More favorite sweet treats

Here’s a few of our favorite holiday recipes that we think you’ll love too! We think you’ll also love these Christmas desserts from around the world!

FAQ (frequently asked questions)

Are almonds healthy?

Almonds are an extremely nutritious food. They contain high amounts of vitamin E and several minerals (including calcium, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, and copper). Because of the high content of these specific minerals, almonds are a great food to support bone health and bone density. Almonds are high in fiber and healthy fats making them very blood sugar stabilizing. Almonds roasted at home are even healthier than store-bought roasted almonds because you can use higher quality oils like olive or avocado oil.

What diets are these almonds appropriate for?

These holiday spiced maple almonds are dairy-free, gluten-free, and free of refined sugar making them appropriate for people following a vegan, gluten-free, or paleo diet.

What does it look like when the maple syrup crystalizes?

The maple syrup will initially look glossy, even when it starts to bubble. It looks like melting plastic with a bit of a sheen. Once the syrup crystallizes it will no longer be clear and smooth because the structure of the sugar has changed. It will become grittier, like granulated sugar. It will be stiff and more difficult to stir the almonds and the coating will begin to form around the outside of the almonds and stick there. Even when it crystalizes and dries, the coating will not be hard (as it would be when you make candied nuts with granulated sugar) but it will have adhered to the almonds nicely.

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Maple Spiced Almonds Recipe

Homemade spiced almonds are simple but tasty…and healthy too. Sweetened with maple syrup and a delicious spice blend of cinnamon, ginger, cardamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. These almonds make a tasty and healthy snack, are perfect for a holiday snack board, or can be used as a DIY holiday gift.

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 20

Cool Time 10

Total Time 35

Serving Size