Sugar Coated Peanuts are a delightfully crunchy snack that are super fun and easy to make! For the treat that you will want to munch on to the point of addiction these sugary crunchy peanuts are going to be your new favorite snack recipe!!
Recipes like my Honey Walnut Cream Cheese and Honey Pecan Cream Cheese allow us to use nuts in dips and spreads.
My Peanut Butter Pinwheels, Pecan Pinwheels, Christmas Nuts and Candied Spiced Pecans are each nut based delights.
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🤍 Recipe Highlights
I have summarised everything that you will come to know and love (LOVE ❤) about these peanuts coated with sugar recipe in the points below:
- Super quick!
- Super easy!
- Seriously crunchy!
- Very much addictive!
- Versatile: you can use your favourite colour of food dye if you want to experiment a little and use a different colour to me.
- Sweet and savory: the sugar provides the crunchy nut coating and the nuts the salty robust savoury bites that go down a treat!
- Taste and texture: each nut has a delightful coating over the roasted peanut that will make you want to take another one and another and another (Should I be sorry 😁😉😂🥰).
- Candied peanuts make a great gift giving idea, snack for the party table or addition to a chips and dip platter!
🥗 Ingredients
The photo below is to show you everything you need to make the candy coated peanuts recipe. Please refer to the printable recipe card for specific ingredient measurements as well as detailed instructions.
As you can see the recipe calls for:
- Water: room temperature tap water is fine. We add this to the whisked egg white and food colour as the 'glue' to bind the sugar to the peanuts.
- Egg white: crack an egg and separate the yolk from the whisk by transferring between the shell of the egg. Or use a separator. We want to aim for a clean egg white with no egg yolk in the mix. Either use 1 large egg white or 2 egg whites if using smaller eggs.
- Food colour: we need liquid food colour. Not the paste. I am using red, which created the lovely pink coating you see on the nuts throughout the post.
- Caster sugar: this is a budget friendly ingredient that you will be able to purchase from the cake aisle with the flours and cake mixes. I use caster sugar as it has smaller granules. You can do the same or use regular white sugar.
- Unsalted roasted peanuts: these are peanuts that are found in either the cooking section of the supermarket or the chips and snacks aisle. We want to get the unsalted version so that the surface of the nuts is free from texture to allow the sugar coating to stick firmly.
🍳 Instructions
Here at the step by step instructions to make the recipe. We start by whisking the egg white. A mini whisk and small bowl are great to use for these steps.
- Whisk egg whites (Photo 1)
- Add water and food colouring to whisked egg white (Photo 2).
- Place the peanuts into a mixing bowl (Photo 3).
- Pour the sugar over the top (Photo 4).
👩🍳 How to Make Sugar Coated Peanuts
To make the nuts, start by whisking the egg white in a small bowl. Then combine the sugar with the peanuts and give them a stir.
- Stir the peanut and sugar together (Photo 5).
- Pour the dyed whisked egg mix over the nut mixture (Photo 6).
- Stir combine (Photo 7).
- Oven bake for 30 mins, stirring in 10 min intervals (Photo 8).
Once you have poured the dye mixture over the nuts and stirred till it is consistently mixed it, it is time to spread the nuts out onto a lined baking tray. A silicon baking mat is best for this as parchment paper or baking paper can get soggy in the initial stage.
Ensure that the oven is preheated and place the baking tray onto the middle rack. Let the nuts cook for 10 mins, then remove and use a wooden spoon to break them up a little. Repeat this process twice and then let the nuts fully cool once the 30 minute cook period is up.
🍽 Serving Suggestions
These are addictive nuts and are best for snacking or as a game day bowl of yum 🥰😍❤.
Allow them to cool once removed from the oven to ensure that the sugary coating is crisp and crunchy!
👍 How to Guide
How to Store
Store the nuts in a sealed, air tight container. Or glass jar with lid. They will last for 3 - 4 weeks. Don't keep them in the refrigerator as that can have an effect on the texture of the coating.
How to Freeze
The nuts are not suitable to be frozen as doing so would negatively effect the crunchy texture.
How to Reheat
I do not recommend reheating the nuts after then have been cooked. Allow them to cool for serving and then serve them at room temperature (not heated).
😉 Substitutions and Variations
Here are my sub ins and outs that you might be thinking about as you read the post and I will tell you if I think they will work or why they won't:
- If you want to use a different colour of food dye to me, you can!
- You can use a different type of nut such as cashews or almonds if you wish.
- Add a teaspoon of dried cinnamon powder to the sugar for an extra hint of flavour!
- Or try adding a couple of drops of vanilla extract for another depth of flavour.
- If you want to add a touch of spice, add a little cayenne powder to the sugar (½ or 1 teaspoon will be enough).
💡 Tasty Tips
Here are my top tips and tricks that I want to share with you so that you master the recipe from the get go:
- If you don't have a mini whisk, a small fork will do the same thing to whisk the egg white.
- Remove the nuts from the oven in 10 minute increments and break them up a little with a wooden spoon. This way they will stay as individual nuts as opposed to a big slab of nuts.
- Use oven mits when removing the baking tin from the oven as it will be hot!
- Let the nuts cool before serving to ensure their coating is crispy and firm!
🤓 Frequently Asked Questions
How many calories are in sugar coated peanuts?
4 cups of sugar coated peanuts will make at least 12 servings. There are 410kcal Calories per serving.
Can you eat raw peanuts?
You can absolutely eat raw peanuts for a healthy snack! Much like other nuts they are high in good fats.
Why are my candied nuts soft?
Candied nuts are the result of not preheating the oven prior to commencing cooking the nuts and therefore not letting them cook enough or removing them from the oven before they have had a chance to cook through. If you cook them for 30 minutes in the oven, removing after each 10 minute increment and breaking up with a wooden spoon, they will be cooked once fully cooled after removing from the oven.
How long will candied nuts last?
The candied nuts will last for 2 or more weeks and are best stored at room temperature, not in the fridge.
😍 More Easy Holiday Recipes
If you love getting your crunch on with a handful of nuts or diving into a holiday dip, then I have some more recipes for you to try:
- Rocky Road Chocolate
- Bacon And Cheese Cob Loaf
- Cranberry Chocolates
- Spinach Cob Loaf Dip
- Dark Chocolate Rocky Road
- Cream Cheese Bacon Dip
- Christmas Dip
- Cranberry Jalapeno Dip
- Christmas Chocolates
- Golden Syrup Cornflake Cakes
I know I said this at the start of the post, but they are a little addictive, shhhhhh!! 😘😁😉
Adrianne
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📖 Recipe
Sugar Coated Peanuts
Equipment
- 1 Baking dish to cook the nuts
- 1 Silicon Baking Mat to line the baking dish
- 1 Small bowl for combining the egg white water and food colour
- 1 Mini whisk to whisk the egg white
- 1 Wooden spoon to break up the nuts in between cook intervals
Ingredients
- 4 cups unsalted roasted peanuts Note 1
- 2 cups caster sugar
- 1 large egg white Note 2
- 1 tbs water room temperature
- 4-5 drops red food colouring Note 3
Instructions
- Whisk the egg: in a small bowl whisk egg white and add 1 tablespoon water, stir till light and fluffy. Add in 4-5 drops of red food dye and stir to combine.
- Peanuts: place the peanuts into a medium sized mixing bowl and pour the sugar over the top.
- Combine: pour the dyed whisked egg white into the sugar nut mixture and stir to combine.
- Oven bake: spread the nuts out onto a baking tray. Place them into the oven for 30 minutes, removing and stirring to break up the nuts in 10 minute increments (a wooden spoon is handy to use for this process).
- Serve and enjoy: once the nuts have cooled, they will be ready to serve! You can pop them in small bowls on a party table or wrap in clear bags with a pretty ribbon for gift giving!
Notes
- Note 1 - Roasted peanuts: unsalted roasted nuts are best to use as their surface is free from texture and allows the egg white mixture to easily 'glue' the sugar to the nuts.
- Note 2 - Egg whites: if using small eggs, use 2 egg whites, otherwise 1 large will be fine!
- Note 3 - Food colour: we need the liquid style of food colour, not the thicker paste type. Almost all grocery stores from Safeway to Aldi, Walmart, Tesco, Woolies and Coles will sell this in the baking and cooking ingredients aisle.
Toni says
Yes please my boyfriend loves nuts so will make for him.
Adrianne says
Great to hear, thanks Toni. Hope you both enjoy them!
Fiona Wentworth says
Fun to make and yes very addictive!
Adrianne says
Thanks Fiona for your feedback. Haha I know right! 😄.