Rosemary Thyme Spiced Nuts
This Rosemary Thyme Spiced Nuts recipe is incredibly easy to make. The nuts are lightly spiced and beautifully fragrant with herbs, perfect for nibbling and gifting – a holiday favorite!
Spiced Nuts Recipe with Rosemary & Thyme
I wish I could bottle up the fragrance of these Rosemary Thyme Spiced Nuts while they are roasting. It would make a heavenly candle scent! Warm and nutty, and embraced by fresh rosemary and thyme, these nuts are my kind of irresistible.
I’ve been making this spiced nuts recipe for years, gifting the nuts in small jars, with ribbons tied around the top. And I like to offer them as little nibbles before a holiday meal. They’re a welcome addition to any cheese tray. So many ways to enjoy!
This is one of those recipes where I’ve learned to make a double or triple batch, as everybody loves them and they simply go great with EVERYTHING. Enjoy!
What Inspired This Roasted Nuts Recipe
Many, many years ago, I was introduced to a roasted nuts recipe that quickly became a staple for my family. I found myself roasting a batch – or two or three – every single year during the holidays, and then randomly throughout the year.
The nuts make for an easy game day nibble, a beautiful hostess gift, or an extra special snack. That recipe was the inspiration for these rosemary nuts.
Just think how lovely it would be to serve these nuts for a holiday cocktail party. A frosty eggnog cocktail or hot toddy alongside a bowl of these beautiful party nuts…irresistible!
Or on a treats platter with homemade peppermint bark and soft, chewy ginger molasses cookies and our favorite chocolate peanut butter Ritz cookies. Doesn’t everybody like a little savory with their sweet?! These Christmas nuts are the perfect addition!
Ingredients
This is a super basic recipe. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Nuts – Use large, whole nuts for the best appearance and texture. I like to use equal amounts of cashews, pecans, and almonds – but you can use any nuts you like, in any proportion. Look for ones marked “roasted” if possible, and stay away from those marked “raw”. I usually buy my nuts at either Trader Joe’s or Fleet Farm…my parents and in-laws swear by the nuts at Fleet Farm, for both quality and price!
- Olive oil – Just a bit, to coat the nuts and help everything stick when roasting
- Fresh rosemary leaves – Oh, how I love fresh herbs! Such a lovely aroma and flavor!
- Fresh thyme leaves
- Cumin – This adds so much flavor, one of my favorites in the spice drawer.
- Cayenne pepper – Just a touch, for a little hint of heat. Of course you could eliminate the cayenne or add more!
- Sugar – The sweetness is a fun contrast with the earthy, salty flavors.
- Salt & pepper
How to Make Spiced Nuts
It’s ultra easy to make a batch of these rosemary spiced nuts!
- Preheat oven to 300° F. Place nuts in a medium heatproof bowl.
- Pour oil into a small heavy saucepan and place over medium-low heat until just warm.
- Add rosemary and thyme, and stir until aromatic, about 1 minute. Take care to not let the oil get too hot and burn.
- Remove pan from heat and stir in cumin and cayenne pepper.
- Pour the flavored oil over the nuts and stir to coat evenly. Sprinkle with sugar, salt, and black pepper, and stir again.
- Transfer to a jelly roll pan and bake for about 15 minutes total, stirring after the first 10 minutes. (Smells SO GOOD!!!)
- Let cool. Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
I’ve been making these herby nuts for years now, and they’re always quick to disappear. The beauty of fresh herbs provides an earthy loveliness. Add to that a teensy bit of spice, and you’ve got yourself a whole lotta yum.
I recommend making a double (or even a triple) batch.
You won’t regret it.
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Rosemary Thyme Spiced Nuts
Ingredients
- 3 cups large whole nuts – see note below
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300° F. Place nuts in a medium heatproof bowl.
- Pour oil into a small heavy saucepan and place over medium-low heat until just warm. Do not let it get too hot – the oil will burn.
- Add rosemary and thyme and stir until aromatic, about 1 minute.
- Remove pan from heat and stir in cumin and cayenne pepper. Pour the flavored oil over the nuts and stir to coat evenly. Sprinkle with sugar, salt, and black pepper. Stir again.
- Transfer nuts to a jelly roll pan or a baking pan with sides. Bake for about 15 minutes total, stirring after the first 10 minutes.
- Let cool. Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
Notes
Nutrition Information:
This post was previously published in 2012. Some of the photographs and text were updated in 2019.
I have made these spiced nuts two years in a row and they are always a hit!
No doubt these are amazing as the recipe states, but i made some adjustments based on comments and what I had on hand.
I used salted roasted almonds, raw unsalted cashews, unsalted roasted pecans and unsalted roasted hazelnuts. Used italian seasoning instead of thyme (i was low), added a tsp sumac, skipped the extra salt, used maple syrup stead of sugar and doubled the cayenne, and lets just saw these did not last in my house at all. Nom, nom, nom.
A bit too salty for me, but I guess that slows down their disappearance.  Delicious, and just the savory  zing I wanted.  I used walnuts and pecans, so, with rosemary & walnuts, this is brain function food.  I omitted sugar for health reasons  and learned to drizzle oil with herbs while stirring because the top walnuts caught much of the herbs in their crevices,Â
Mahalo! Â Worth pulling out the whole nuts over a period of time for.
I struggled a bit to understand if I should use roasted unsalted or roasted salted nuts so I actually ended up using a mixture of the two just because that’s what I had. I did double the recipe and divided it into two pans, but I’m curious to know Brenda, if you put all of yours in one pan if you double the recipe. I ended up baking them separately as well just to make sure the heat was distributed around the pans. They turned out to taste good, but I’m guessing I did something wrong or different from others.
Oh my gosh these are delicious! I tried a different recipe last night that just didn’t do it for me. I am having trouble not eating these all before my party tonight because they are so darn good.Â
Hi Kara – I’m so glad you like! See why I often double or triple the recipe?!?! :)
I receive tons of requests for this recipe. Definitely can be a great gift for the holidays!
Love these nuts. Can they keep fresh for longer then 4 days if they are put in canning jars. Want to give them as gifts?
This is one of the best spiced nuts recipes I’ve ever found. It’s perfect, as is! The flavors are very delicious and oh-so interesting. It’s fun to watch people pop a few in their mouth, try to figure out what the ingredients are, then keep going back for more. They’re wonderfully addictive haha!
Also, I’m always asked for the recipe when I bring these to parties. Thank you! :)
L.O.V.E. these for Thanksgiving easy addition to my cheese board. They have become a must have!
I always line a cookie pan with parchment paper to cook these. easier clean-up
These nuts are scrumptious and make great gifts, but it’s not easy to give them away!! It’s also a great way to cook your way through the pantry, using up your spices and seasonings that sometimes sit around for years and don’t get used. I liked this recipe so much that I started an herb garden on my back deck just so I can make them when I want. You definitely want to use the fresh herbs to get the desired effect!
AMAZING!!! Second time I make them in a month. Whole family loves them. Thank you!
A tasty change from cinnamon spiced nuts—though nothing against those! The house smelled so good while cooking, too. Thanks for the recipe.Â
I made these for Christmas gifts, but they are so delicious, we are eating them all! Â Will be making more as they are absolute delicious, no need to alter the recipe. Â Thanks, Brenda!!
Yay!! So happy to hear this, Linda – thanks for coming back to leave a comment. MERRY CHRISTMAS to you!
Do you use raw or already roasted unsalted nuts?
I usually use raw but last time didn’t have any and used roasted. Didn’t notice any difference. Â
This sounds great! Could i use dry herbs instead? If so, what’s the measurement?