I used to get a 3pm slump everyday when I was eating a diet full of processed food. Now that I’ve changed my life with the information I uncovered about the food industry – my diet, my routine, and my health have transformed me to into person full of energy! I am always amazed at how I feel so much more energy now (a lot older), than I did then back when I was younger! Food is so powerful.
However, some habits have not changed. I still like to enjoy a cup of tea after lunch with a small sweet treat. Sometimes it will be a piece of fruit, or a piece of organic dark chocolate. Lately, it’s been this recipe. I love pumpkin spice (with or without actual pumpkin – haha!) as long as the ingredients are clean and organic, so last week I thought wouldn’t it be nice to make some roasted pumpkin spiced nuts. They turned out absolutely fabulous and are really ADDICTIVE! The egg white coating creates a very crispy outer shell making this treat crunchy, sweet and salty – a delicious combination for a satisfying snack to enjoy with my afternoon tea. I love that it is full of healthy fats and protein too.
This recipe would also be great to serve at all the upcoming holidays – everything from Halloween, to Thanksgiving to Christmas. Having a batch of these next to your favorite (organic) cocktail is not a bad idea either.
And just an FYI – I also included some recipe substitutions for those of you who are vegan or allergic to nuts.
Food Babe's Roasted Pumpkin Spiced Nuts
Prep Time:
5 mins
Cook Time:
1 hr
Total Time:
1 hr 5 mins
Ingredients:
- 1 egg white
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ cup coconut sugar
- 3 cups unsalted mixed nuts
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 250° F.
- Place egg white into a large bowl and whip with a fork until frothy.
- Stir in sea salt, spices and sugar.
- Combine mixture with 3 cups nuts and coat them evenly.
- Place nuts in a single layer on top of a parchment paper lined large baking pan.
- Bake for 1 hour.
- Let nuts cool for at least 10 mins before serving (they will get crispy).
- Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
Notes:
- Recipe substitutions: If you are vegan you can omit the egg white and use maple syrup instead of coconut palm and add 1 tablespoon coconut oil. If you are allergic to nuts, you can use all seeds like pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds.
- Please use all organic ingredients if possible
Ok I’m off to get another handful, writing about these and seeing the pictures have my mouth watering big time! If you know anyone that would like to make this recipe, please share it with them.
Cheers,
Vani
Nice recipe, Vani! Can’t wait to make these this weekend. Thanks for all of the work you have done. I live and work in uptown Charlotte and it’s great to know I have someone in my own neighborhood fighting for our rights to have safe and clean food!
looks great!
I cannot wait to make this. I used to be addicted to crisps and still have the occasional. But this would really do the trick for me.. I love nuts and the salty and sweet will work wonders.
Thank sooo much!
Btw love your Big Ben cup!
Tracy (UK)
It’s one of my favorite cups 🙂 My Uncle from London gave it to me!
Don’t suppose your uncle is a ‘FOODBABE’ is he? We need one over here!
These nuts sound like a wonderful snack! My husband, who is a nut lover, would really enjoy these, I think. But speaking of tea, Vani – would you be able to tell me your favorite afternoon tea blend or brand? Thanks!
What can be used in place of coconut palm sugar? Raw honey? Thx!
Yes, raw honey or maple syrup.
Thank you!! Can’t wait to make this!
Per ayurvedic priciples, heating honey is not good, it alternates its healing properties and make it toxic to the body
Hi Vani! So, if using raw honey or maple syrup, do you use the same amount as you would for coconut palm sugar?
Thanks,
Deborah
LoveLife, The idea is that heat destroys enzymes. And basically any time you are going to heat honey the enzymes are going to get destroyed and as a result dilute a lot of the medicinal value of the honey. Raw and unfiltered honey has incredible antibacterial and antifungal properties. It’s very, very healing in many ways.
That said, there’s no evidence that heat-treated honey is actually toxic.
Looks AMAZING! It says 1/4 cayenne… would that be teaspoon?
Yes – teaspoon.
Oh my these look delicious 🙂
Can I use coconut oil instead of the palm sugar or does it have to be something sweet/sticky like you suggested above (eg maple syrup)
It’s better if it has that sticky feel.
Hi Vani,
I have raw cashews….should I roast them first. Not quite sure what to do here.
Sandra,
The recipe says to bake for an hour. This will roast the nuts, no need to roast them before hand.
Hi Vani, Looks great! Curious to know if there are any alternates for egg-whites. Thanks!
You can leave it out and go with 1 tablespoon of coconut oil + maple syrup instead of the coconut palm sugar. Hope that helps – this info is also in the notes for the recipe.
How MUCH maple syrup? Thanks.
Shannon,
“Maple Syrup
For any baked good that calls for both eggs and sugar, omit both and substitute maple syrup. Add half as much syrup as sugar.”
Mmmm, can’t wait to try these – my husband will love them, too!
Ok, this may be a dumb question but how much of each spice (cinnamon, cloves, ginger and nutmeg) is needed to create the pumpkin pie spice or can I just buy pumpkin pie spice that will already include these spices? Sorry I am cooking illiterate and is why sometimes recipes are intimidating. This one seems simple enough. Thank you for all your help.
Sarah, it is an even amount of each spice, mixed together.. If you buy pumpkin pie spice, it will get less use than buying all four separately and mixing them yourself, because then you can use each spice for other dishes! Honestly, as long as you throw all four together it is going to taste like pumpkin pie spice! Amounts don’t really matter!
Yes, there are branded options for pre-mixed “pumpkin pie spice” in an all-in-one container. Good as a coffee condiment too.
sarah, you can buy pumpkin pie spice in any grocery store. It’s with the other spices 🙂
Looks great! Can’t wait to try! Thanks for all you do Food Babe!! 🙂
Thank you for including vegan substitutions!! these look amazing will certainly be making this soon!
Awesome recipe, can’t wait to try it!
Great idea! These look delicious…a perfect snack for us Paleo folk! 🙂
I’ve made these without the sugar, but I can see how that would add another layer of flavor. We love making roasted pumpkin seeds with cayenne, garlic and paprika too. Great time of year for those recipes 🙂
Thank you.
Kelly
Simple Life Mom
http://simplelife mom.com
Hi Vani — I love your pumpkin spice nuts (and all your recipes!) I also wanted to know your thoughts on Just Mayo by Hampton Creek. I bring yoga and nutrition programs to kids and families and some have food sensitivities to gluten, dairy and eggs. I thought this mayo could be a delicious substitute for them but am worried that it uses canola oil as the base. Do you think it’s okay since it’s non-GMO expeller-pressed canola oil? I try to avoid processed foods in general, but I don’t know enough about what the expeller-pressed process does to foods. Thank you!
Expeller-pressed is better as it doesn’t use hexane. It’s definitely a better Mayo… I personally like Wilderness Family Naturals and the organic version of Veganaise the best.
Thanks, Vani. I am one of the 3 o’clock energy slump people. I have a family of 9, so my mind is constantly warring back and forth between providing healthy, organic meals and keeping our family on a food budget. But these sound yummy and easy on my budget:-) Thanks for all your informative posts. Always glad to get your updates in my inbox.
Ruthie – Thanks so much for your kind words. You are a hero. Keep up the great work for all 9! wow!
Ruthie, I am with you! I have the same struggle!!
Sounds great,
I’ll be making some soon. I was hoping for it to have more pumpkin stuff in it seeing as I have some pretty cool non GMO organic pumpkins moving from the garden to the front door soon.
I’ll keep my eyes peeled for more pumpkin recipes.
Thanks,
Alex
Montreal
There are no frinkn’ GMO pumpkins,,, carrots, onions, celery eggplant, cucumbers, etc. what you talking about.
I wish that were true Rod-where did you get your information?
Pretty cranky there, Rod! What did you eat this morning?
I know most people say the raw nuts are better, do you do this with raw nuts?
Thanks!!!
Since the recipe calls for baking for an hour, yes, use raw nuts.
I’ve been trying to think of a seasonal food gift for family and friends for the holidays. In the past my gifts haven’t been the healthiest, which now seems hypocritical since I’m on the healthy food path. These spiced nuts in a Chinese food box with a recipe card attached with a ribbon will be PERFECT!!! Thank you for this timely recipe.
YES! They will be perfect for gifts 🙂
Just wondering if we could get the nutritional info on this recipe? Thanks for another great recipe! 🙂
Dear Vani,
Can you share the nutritional value of this recipe. It really looks yummy and I know coming from you it is also very healthy, but I am afraid it is high calorie!
Thank you!
This is almost exactly the same as a recipe I came up with a few years ago. I used maple syrup as you noted, a bit of cinnamon, and the rest the same. I called them maple and spice nuts, and packed them pretty for Christmas presents. Yummy, healthy and delicious!!!
How much cinnamon?
Hi I wanted to say I love your ideas!
Could you please tell me some snack ideas for people with nut allergies? I can eat peanuts but no tree nuts.
Thank you
I am surprised by the use of the phrase / word (capitalized yet) “ADDICTIVE!” in reference to the above snack. Addiction is a painful condition that suggests robotic, programmed and unconscious behaviour, from which people recover only with great effort and hard work to expand their consciousness and their mental / physical health. Surely you wouldn’t want the Food Babe Army to succumb to such a state over spiced nuts or anything else. This word is overused and has become essentially meaningless — except for those who are addicted.
Literal, figurative, playful,
etc…no worries my good man! Let’s remain focused on the wonderment that is the Food Babe Army and not pick things like this to smithereens. Cheers!
Great recipe except skip the coconut palm sugar that’s full of saturated fat and use canola oil, which has almost the same benefits as olive oil. Use brown sugar which makes it chewy….yumm0!!!
Coconut palm sugar is not full of saturated fat, where did you get this info? Canola oil is one of the worst oils you can use too.
What is the nutritional info on this recipe?
looks delicious but…What about the fact that all those wonderful omegas in the nuts are turned into trans-fats when heated…?
Liz – Where did you get this info?
Dr Oz!!!
He was talking to Oprah years ago about the benefits of almonds. She was popping them into her mouth saying: I love almonds, to which he replied: Make sure they’re raw. When they’re roasted all the great omegas are hardened into trans fats.
(Not a direct quote but as close as possible.)
She spit them out!
BTW I love what you are doing!
I’d like to candidate myself as the Food Nana — I’m 68, look @ 20 years younger, have been eating organic for more than 15 years, diagnosed as gluten intolerant 14 years ago, went vegan 6 years ago.
Namaste
What!? Not sure about that but even so with all the other good stuff she does all that would be cleaned out… The body is pretty amazing if you just give it some good stuff…
HELP! Really need info on the Colorado Ballot issue on GMO labeling. Can you post info to counteract all of the negative ads – particularly the ‘harm to local farmers’ and the ‘extreme costs’ to farmers and suppliers. I have been very surprised at your lack of information on this topic.
Thanks.
R Guy – did you see my post on Friday? https://foodbabe.com/2014/10/10/confirmed-lab-tests-show-over-30-popular-food-products-contain-gmos-are-you-eating-them/
R Guy I live in CA and we barely lost 2 years ago in getting Prop 37 passed. Last year I made calls to WA residents to help promote their initiative.
Putting a label on a product will cost farmers nothing., and will cause them no harm. It’s a note on a label.
64 countries already REQUIRE that GMOs be labeled so why are Monsanto and Dupont and the Grocery Manufacturers Assn. so afraid of having them labeled here in the US?
Labeling is something that is update and changed with regularity. Examples: NEW IMPROVED/LOW FAT/ NO ADDED SUGAR, etc.
Labeling GMOs means that we Americans will be able to chose. Pure and simple.
Can I use plain organic sugar instead of the coconut sugar? Thank you
These look so gooooood!!! Will try them very soon. Thanks so much.
Sam,
You could probably use plain organic sugar, but coconut sugar is so delicious and better for you!
I feel better since eating better but I still get tired… I think some folks just have more energy than other, genetics etc. Some just are stronger body types. Example some can eat trash and still have tons of energy whereas some of us eat trash and it really beats us down. Not fair, but that is life:) But it is best to treat our body well no matter what. Have a good one.
Most “raw” almonds are not actually raw because the FDA in its Infinite Wisdom requires all almonds sold to be either chemically treated or steam pasteurized. Hard to find truly organic raw almonds.
Try these….amazing!
http://nutnother.com/almonds.html
Wouldn’t it be healthier to eat the nuts dehydrated or raw? It was my understanding that you create more of the bad fats when oil in the nuts is heated.
Looks good, but I always wonder whether roasted nuts are good for you. Doesn’t roasting oxidize the healthy fat and turn it into an unhealthy fat ?
For those asking for Pumpkin Spice Mix – make a batch and store in sealed mason jar in cool dry place.
1/3 cup of cinnamon
1 T ground ginger
1T ground nutmeg
1 1/2 t ground clove
1 1/2 t allspice
What are some substitutes we can use for the coconut palm sugar? Coconut oil perhaps?
This recipe is fantastic! I’m super excited about it, especially because I’m one of those pumpkin obsessed people. I’d love to feature it on our next Meatless Monday post as a healthy snack option!
Sounds wonderful….I’d like to pass this on to others, but hesitate to
do so unless I have the nutritional facts. Any possibility of that??
thanks….!!!!
OH , YUMMMM !!!!!! Sometimes I like , too, to poke an almond or walnut, or peanuts, the nuts compatable with my Blood Type, inside an organic date; dip in egg white and spices, including organic smoked paprika, roast per your instructions;
Also “Tamari “Almonds; I substitute Braggs Liquid Aminos( unfermented, Salt Free) yet tastes salty; heat almonds in 350 oven 5 min, sprinkle with Braggs, return to oven 5 min more, remove and dust in garlic pwdr arrowroot mix 1tbl garlic pwdr -1/4 C Arrowroot; turn off oven return nuts 5 min more.
Don’t understand Tea Party’s comment. Eating totally healthy doesn’t mean only eating bland and boring. I do enjoy bland, congees. Bland is one of the healng flavours. But the full taste spectrum is essential; as is having fun, even with food.
My pet caveat is , buy , read , adhere , “Change Your Genetic Destiny”, author , Connecticut Scientist, Clinical Studies Professor, Epigentics Expert; Internationally respected; Dr. Peter J D’Adamo.
Finally, the science of human individualized diet and lifestyle. Nearly 30 years of implimentation with patients , friends, the result is positively exhilirating.
An earlier recipe called for Soy Sauce. Braggs Aminos were recommended by a reader , followed by an, ” I don’t like taste of Braggs,” comment; and lots of chatter about the preferred “soy” sauces. Most soy sauces are more chemical soups not fit for human consumption. Even Tamari contains wheat, and no indication that it is not GMO wheat. The rest, the CANDY , “soy sauces”, contain sugar, glucose fructose, pork gelatin, “natural(frankenfood) flavor, sodium bensoate, MSG, carageenan, land salt, caramel flavor/coloring. caramel is considered carcinogenic.
Braggs Aminos actually tastes pretty much exactly as the very best ancient family recipe Japanese process TAMARI. I have found Tamari sauce in LA in a Low Sodium wheat free recipe. But it still contains SALT; Braggs does not. Tamari is actually a style of Soy Sauce from one area of Japan. In North America it is displayed so prominently on one company that the sauce is called, by customers, s Tamari. If it tastes like candy, it is. Used as a base. Braggs Aminos can be transformed into any Asian cooking sauce by adding ginger, garlic, anise, etc , etc. With a bit of effort we can improve the health of the food we eat.
Hey; And Braggs is not fermented ; so no contribution to yeast infection or urinary tract infection. The salt free, very low sodium, but nice natural process salty created taste, is wonderful. I agree !!!! Low salt is a definite boon to many. Braggs, Organic Honey and Garlic make a wonderful marinade for Tofu, poultry; lamb/mutton ribs, a healthy alternative to pork ribs; and beef or venisin ribs. 1/8 C braggs and 1 TBL Rosemary add to a whole grain, ;eg: spelt, bread recipe turns out a yummy sour Focacia loaf; olives, flax seed; Parmesan cheese, other interesting healthy add ins.
Dear Vani,
Please could you have a look into Hampton Creek, you know the makers of the non-gmo vegan mayonnaise Just Mayo (and cookies). I tried the mayo at Whole Foods and it tasted real good, so I went on to read about the brand. Then realized the company is backed by the richest Asian business man, Li Ka-shing. The company has also been named by Bill Gates as one of three companies shaping the future of food. It sounds so good, but knowing that Bill Gates has invested 50 million USD in the Ebola vaccine business, I feel I can’t trust this food company. Wealthy people getting into the organic food business doesn’t feel good in my soul. Is there any way to investigate this and or test their products in a lab to get to know what their products actually contain and if they are as sustainable and well meaning as they promote themselves. It’s ridiculous that one can’t trust anything anymore but that’s the way greed and money destroys this world unfortunately. Thank you for all what you do.
I made this recipe a few minutes after it was posted and WOW! Amazing. I have to keep them sealed in a cabinet so my husband and I don’t eat them in 1 day.
Seriously fantastic and deeeeeeelicious!
I can’t wait to try these. These look delicious!
Vani,
This recipe was fantastic. It’s a nice little sweet treat to avoid that cookie in the office. I made it for my boyfriend’s father who is very into health. He gave it two thumbs up. I’ll be making another batch this weekend! Thank you for the great recipe 🙂
Katie, I’m glad that you like the recipe and thanks for sharing!
I am trying to lose weight. Will this be an ok snack? I made it already before thinking about this. They taste amazing.
I’ve tried making many different varieties of sweet and savory seeds/nuts, but never thought of using pumpkin spice! Great idea!! Thanks for sharing your recipe, Vani!
Hi!! Not sure what happened but my nuts didn’t come out crispy. Hmmm what could it probably be?