Maple Rosemary Cayenne Roasted Nuts

(Note: this post was originally published on March 1, 2020. It has since been updated with a few tweaks.)

Homemade Maple Roasted Nuts

Stop buying the expensive maple roasted nuts at the store. This homemade maple roasted nuts recipe will teach you how to make your own, easily and with just a few simple ingredients.

These nuts are a flavor explosion. They're sweet from maple syrup, but herbaceous and woodsy thanks to rosemary, and have a very subtle heat from cayenne. They're a perfect appetizer, happy hour nibble, easily portable snack, salad topping, or homemade holiday gift. You need these nuts in your life, and they only take about 25 minutes to make.

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How to Make Maple Roasted Nuts

These homemade maple roasted nuts are easy to make and require just a few ingredients. First, you'll combine maple syrup with rosemary and cayenne, heating it for just a few minutes to infuse the flavors. Next, you'll toss the nuts with the infused maple syrup and salt, then roast them to perfection in the oven.

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Tips for Homemade Maple Roasted Nuts

Although these maple roasted nuts are simple to make, I have a few tips to help ensure that they're a success:

1. Use real maple syrup. This recipe will not work well with fake maple syrup because roasting really concentrates the flavor.
2. Keep a close eye on them. The sugars in the maple syrup can burn easily, so you'll want to watch the nuts closely, especially toward the end of the baking time.
3. Let them cool completely. If you try to pack up the nuts before they're fully cool, they'll end up soggy rather than crunchy.

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Maple Roasted Nuts Variations

There are numerous different ways you can customize these homemade roasted nuts. Most importantly, you can use whatever combination of nuts you want (just make sure you're starting with raw nuts). I've shown a combination of pecans, walnuts, cashews, and pistachios, but choose what you enjoy. Maple roasted pecans or walnuts, for example, make for a great holiday appetizer or salad topping. Almonds and macadamias will also work well.

You can also adjust the heat level to your own tastes. As written, these are just barely warming, but you can omit the cayenne entirely if you're not into spice or increase it up if you want more.

Looking to make these homemade roasted nuts feel especially holiday-worthy? Try adding a tablespoon of bourbon or dark rum into the maple syrup before doing the infusion.

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How to Use Maple Roasted Nuts

These decadent, flavorful, homemade roasted nuts can be used in a myriad of ways. In addition to snacking on them as-is, they're a wonderful crunchy salad topping (try them on this fall harvest salad with apple cider dressing or this vegan Waldorf salad). They're also great on top of fall and holiday main courses, such as this roasted vegetable harvest pasta or this vegan wild rice stuffed delicata squash. You'll see maple roasted pecans on this orange and cinnamon roasted delicata squash, which is a holiday side dish superstar.

Looking for a great homemade gift? Try packing up small bags of these homemade maple roasted nuts to share over the holidays. They're not fragile or perishable, so they work well for traveling or shipping.

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Ingredients and Substitutions

Here's what you'll need for this homemade maple roasted nuts recipe, as well as some thoughts, tips, and possible substitutions. If you make any substitutions, I'd love to hear about it in the comments section below.

• Maple syrup. Make sure it's real maple syrup (ideally from Vermont, of course!).
• Fresh rosemary. Using fresh rosemary is important because the fragrant oils from the rosemary will infuse into the maple syrup. Dried rosemary will not work well.
• Cayenne. Feel free to adjust the amount as you see fit. As written, the nuts have a subtle kick. You can increase the cayenne if you really love heat, decrease it, or omit it entirely for a no-heat version.
• Raw mixed nuts of choice
• Fleur de sel. This is a French flaky sea salt, although another flaky sea salt would be fine in its place. If you use regular salt, decrease the amount slightly since it packs more closely together than flaky varieties.

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Closing Thoughts

Are you excited to try your own homemade maple roasted nuts? I promise that once you try these, you'll never want the expense store-bought ones again (a lot of times, they don't even have real maple syrup either, just maple flavor). This version is unique and interesting, with a delightful balance of sweet, spicy, and savory notes.

Whether you enjoy these maple roasted nuts as an appetizer, use them as a crunchy and satisfying salad topping, or gift them to friends and family over the holidays, I'm confident they'll become a staple in your home. This is a go-to recipe in my own kitchen and I can't wait for you to try them.

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Share It!

It makes me so happy to hear from you and see your creations! Please leave a comment below and let me know what you think about this recipe. If you post a photo on Instagram, hashtag #TheRogueBrusselSprout and tag me (@TheRogueBrusselSprout) in the post text so that I'm sure to see it.

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Suggested Pairings

Thanksgiving Eve Dark & Stormy

Spicy Ginger Sweet Potato Dip

Vegan Brussels Sprouts Waldorf Salad

Orange and Cinnamon Roasted Delicata Squash

Chai-Spiced Pear Crumble Bars