How to Make Maple Syrup and Cinnamon Smoked Nuts in Your Smoker
There’s nothing quite as addictive as sweet smoked mixed nuts.
Smoked Nuts Make the Perfect Holiday Treat (and a Great Little Gift)
During the holiday season, I love to make hickory smoked cheddar cheese to gift to friends and family. Recently, I decided to add a little extra surprise by including some homemade smoked mixed nuts. They are super easy to make and very addictive. Here’s how to do it.
There are many ways to make smoked nuts in your smoker, but the best way to do it is from scratch. That means starting with raw nuts. I find them at my local Bulk Barn but you can source them from anywhere, as long as they are raw and not pre-roasted or salted etc.
This recipe is for raw nuts only.
I like to make mixed nuts, but you can use this recipe for virtually any kind of common nuts. My blend includes almonds, pecans and cashews. They each have a slightly different texture so they work well together as a blend.
These are the raw nuts coated with all ingredients and ready for the smoker.
This recipe is per pound of nuts. I usually do three pounds at a time, so simply multiply the ingredients for each pound. One pound of nuts fits perfectly on a shelf in my vertical smoker. To smoke the nuts, I use non-stick mesh grilling mats from Amazon. They work well for me and are very easy to clean in warm water. They allow the smoke to get through as compared to putting the nuts on any kind of baking sheet or foil tray. When I do three shelves of nuts, I mixe the nuts together after they are done (and have cooled) so that they are evenly distributed (as the lowest shelf of nuts in the smoker may get more smoke than the upper shelf).
For this recipe I use maple syrup (get the good stuff, not the name brand everyday stuff), cinnamon and salt. That’s it. All you need to do it mix your nuts together in a large mixing bowl. Then drizzle the maple syrup on the nuts and mix gently with a silicone spatula until all of the nuts are lightly coated. A silicone spatula and gentle folding of the nuts will ensure you don’t break them.
Then, add your salt and mix once again.
Finally, add the cinnamon and thoroughly do a final mixing and folding until the nuts are fully coated. They are now ready for the smoker.
After one hour in the smoker the nuts are looking great.
Evenly distribute the nuts across the grill mat so that you have a single layer. If there is any syrupy mix left in the bottom of the bowl, drizzle it onto the nuts.
They are now ready for the smoker.
I prefer to use hickory wood chips when smoking nuts, but you can experiment with other fruitwoods as well. I would avoid wood like oak or mesquite as they can overpower the nuts. You are going to a delicate flavor here.
Smoke the nuts for 80 to 90 minutes at 225°F. You can check them after one hour for taste and doneness. There is no need to mix them around when they are on the grill mat. Just leave them be. They will be a little soft when you remove them, but they will crunch up as they cool.
After removing the nuts from the smoker, release them from the smoking mat (they will be slightly sticky, but not too bad) and allow them to cool for an hour on some parchment paper. I break them up before they start cooling (while they’re still warm) so there are less crumbs than doing it after they’ve cooled.
After that, they’re ready to enjoy!
Homemade smoked nuts make the perfect little holiday treat for family and friends.
I package smoked nuts into small bags (approx. 5 oz) that I get from Michael’s. They make great little holiday treats for friends and family. I give them a one-month best before date, but they usually don’t last more than a day or two.
Smoked Nuts Ingredients
One pound of raw nuts (I prefer a pecan, almond, cashew even mix)
1/3 cup real maple syrup
1/2 tablespoon fine sea salt or kosher salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 cup hickory woodchips
Smoke for 80-90 minutes at 225°F.
This ingredients mix is a great starting point, from which you can experiment further. If you want them sweeter, add a little sugar to the mix. You can also substitute honey (or hot honey) instead of maple syrup or add other spices to your taste profile. Have fun!
No matter how you do it, smoked nuts are a great way to bring a little holiday fun to your backyard barbecue.