This post may include affiliate links; see our disclosure policy.

These glazed walnuts have a crunchy coating of pure maple syrup! They’re easy to make and healthier than candied nuts: perfect for salads and snacking.

Glazed walnuts
Save this recipe!
Get this sent to your inbox, plus get new recipes from us every week!

Here’s a trick that’s perfect as a crunchy topping for salads, oatmeal, or just sneaking a few as a snack. Glazed walnuts! These walnuts are glazed in a crunchy coating of pure maple syrup, and they taste incredible. When Alex first made them for me, I couldn’t stop eating them! We made them as a part of our Spinach Apple Salad, and they’re the true icing on the cake. A healthier spin on candied walnuts, they could not be easier to make. Really, they beat a candied nut through and through!

Want to glaze pecans instead? Go to Maple Glazed Pecans.

How to make glazed walnuts: the basic steps!

These glazed walnuts are so easy to make, I almost doubted Alex when he created this recipe. It’s really that simple? Then why haven’t we been making these for years? Well, after making them I found it really is that simple…and I have no idea why they weren’t yet part of our repertoire! They’re so crunchy and the perfect addition to any green salad. Here’s everything you need to know about how to make them.

Step 1: Simmer the walnuts and maple syrup 6 to 8 minutes.

Make sure to use pure maple syrup here: none of that corn syrup version pretending to be maple! Combine ¼ cup of it with 1 cup walnuts. (You could actually do this with any type of nut you’d like.) Heat them in a non-stick skillet and when it just starts to bubble, turn down the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally.

Walnuts in pan

Step 2: In the last minute, stir constantly then remove from heat.

Here’s the only tricky part: in the last minute when the maple syrup looks like it is mostly evaporated, start to stir constantly! The maple syrup will become very thick and dark brown. This means that it’s done! Immediately remove the walnuts from the heat. It’s important that you watch very closely during this part so it doesn’t burn!

Easy glazed walnuts

Step 3: Place on parchment paper and cool to room temperature.

Place the walnuts on parchment paper and allow them to cool to room temperature so that the maple shell hardens. This should take about 15 minutes. At this point, you can store the glazed walnuts in a sealed container at room temperature, and the coating will stay crunchy!

Maple glazed walnuts

How to serve glazed walnuts

Now, you’re left with a beautiful bowl of shiny glazed walnuts! How to serve them? They’re a perfect easy salad topping (even better than croutons, in my opinion). Here are a few great ways to use them:

Want more ideas for walnuts? Try these 10 Tasty Walnut Recipes.

Spinach Apple Salad
Glazed walnuts are perfect in Spinach Apple Salad

This glazed walnuts recipe is…

Vegetarian, plant-based, vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free.

Save this recipe!
Get this sent to your inbox, plus get new recipes from us every week!
Print

Glazed Walnuts (Quick & Easy!)

Glazed walnuts
Save Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

4.4 from 5 reviews

These glazed walnuts have a crunchy coating of pure maple syrup! They’re easy to make and healthier than candied nuts: perfect for salads and snacking.

  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 0 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 10 minutes
  • Yield: 1 cup 1x
  • Category: Essentials
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup raw walnuts
  • ¼ cup pure maple syrup
  • 2 pinches kosher salt

Instructions

  1. Add the walnuts and maple syrup to a small non-stick skillet over medium heat. When the maple just starts to bubble, reduce the heat to low but still slowly bubbling. Simmer for about 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  2. In the last minute when the maple syrup is mostly evaporated, stir continuously until the liquid is totally cooked out and the nuts start clumping together (but watch so that it doesn’t burn or go too far and become powdery, not glossy!). Immediately remove from the heat.
  3. Transfer the walnuts to a sheet of parchment paper in a single layer. Sprinkle with the salt and allow to cool to room temperature, about 5 minutes if eating right away and about 15 minutes if you want to store them for later use. Store in a covered container at room temperature.

Did you love this recipe?

Get our free newsletter with all of our best recipes!

About the authors

Alex & Sonja

Hi! We’re Alex & Sonja Overhiser, authors of the acclaimed cookbooks A Couple Cooks and Pretty Simple Cooking—and a real life couple who cooks together. We founded the A Couple Cooks website in 2010 to share seasonal recipes and the joy of home cooking. Now, we’ve got over 3,000 well-tested recipes, including Mediterranean diet, vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, smoothies, cocktails, and more!

Leave a Comment

Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

7 Comments

  1. Jill S says:

    WAY too sweet! I had to toss and waste good walnuts but cloyingly too sweet. I think 1 maybe 2 TB of maple syrup would be more then sufficient






  2. Rosalee says:

    Can I use agave for this recipe?






    1. Alex Overhiser says:

      We don’t have a lot of experience with it, but I think it would work!

  3. Merrijo Logan says:

    Delicious, easy, and quick to make!






  4. Jo says:

    Quick, easy & tasty…..not overly sweet. Cooked faster than 6-8 min(which works for me)thanks






  5. Kathy Biagi says:

    Thanks for the great recipe! They’re sweet, but not too sweet. I love them! The making of them went exactly as you wrote in recipe. Perfect!






  6. Sue says:

    Made this a few minutes ago. Use half a cup of walnuts and 2 Tablespoons of real maple syrup. It took less than 5 minutes on my gas stove and they are perfect!