These good Easy Candied Pistachios are sweet and salty covered with tons of cinnamon and holiday flavor! If you love candied pecans, walnuts, almonds, and peanuts at Christmas markets and holiday fairs, you can LOVE these candied pistachios!

Quick candied nuts are one of our favorite things to serve during the holidays – they are great year-round, but during Christmastime, they are so magical, we love making them for parties, gifts, or at cookie exchanges – and eating them at Christmas markets!

At Avdaye, we add lots of tips in all of our recipes – because we are a home cook without any formal training, and we find we are more confident making dishes when we understand why it works, and what each ingredient means to the flavor of a recipe. Our goal is for even the most beginner home cook to feel empowered in the kitchen.

How to Make Candied Pistachios

To get the feel of a European Christmas market at home, try these candied pistachios with some Traditional Gluehwein Traditional French Vin Chaud (Mulled Wine)Mulled Beer Recipe Sprinkle Chimney Cakes (Kürtoskalács)The Best Easy Candied Almonds Recipeand The Best Easy Russian Tea Cakes!

Candied Pistachio Ingredients

This recipe is simple with a couple of important steps to follow:

Raw shelled pistachios (1 ½ cups/ 8 oz) – good quality raw pistachios are critical for great candied nuts.
Granulated sugar (¾ cup) – plain white sugar is the basis for the candy process.
Sea salt (½ teaspoon) – a little salt helps balance these candied nuts.
Ground cinnamon (¾ teaspoon) – a little cinnamon gives a wonderful earthiness.
Ground ginger (¼ teaspoon) – ginger adds some heat and a strong pungent flavor.
White pepper (1 pinch) – pepper adds another level of heat to balance out the sweetness of the candying process.

Steps to Make Candied Pistachios

Once you have assembled the ingredients, use this method:

Make Coating

Start making candy coating – vigorously whisk together sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, pepper with 1/4 cup water, making sure there is no sugar around the sides of the pot (so it doesn't burn.) Heat over medium-high, stirring until sugar boils, until it reaches 235-238 degree F.

Coat

Preheat oven to 225 degrees F. On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spread out pistachios. Place in oven to heat. Remove candy from stove, and pistachios from oven, and carefully add pistachios to candy in pot. Stir to evenly coat.

Spread

Dump pistachios back on lined baking sheet, breaking apart large clusters, and let cool at least an hour.

Kitchen notes

Caution. Be careful when handling candy on stove. Candy will be hot, and can burn quickly – use gloves, have cold water ready, and keep children away from candy making process to ensure safety.

Move Fast. Work quickly to prevent candy from setting before baking nuts to set. Don't touch hot candy! It will burn.

Nonstick. The hot nut mixture is sticky so use Silpat mats and lots of parchment paper.

Other Holiday Treats You'll Love

If you're looking for other festive favorites to enjoy this Christmas season, find some of our favorites like The Best Easy Candied Almonds Recipe The Best Easy Russian Tea CakesPeppermint Cocoa Shooters Peppermint Crunch Andes Candies Fudge Candy Cane Cake Batter Microwave FudgeCandy Cane Martini, and more!

Find some of our favorites below:

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Candied Pistachio FAQs

How long do candied pistachios last?

Candied nuts will last up to a week when stored in an airtight container and kept in a cool, dry place.

Can we reheat nuts to serve warm?

We love to serve these warm – pop them in the oven on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and heat to hot, then serve, to serve warm.

Ingredients

1 ½ cups 8oz raw shelled pistachios
¾ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon sea salt
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
pinch, white pepper
optional:
¼ teaspoon aleppo pepper
¼ teaspoon smoked paprika

Method

Preheat oven to 225 degrees F.
On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spread out pistachios. Place in oven to heat.
Start making candy coating – vigorously whisk together sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, pepper with 1/4 cup water, making sure there is no sugar around the sides of the pot (so it doesn't burn.)
Heat over medium-high, stirring until sugar boils, until it reaches 235-238 degree F.
Remove candy from stove, and pistachios from oven, and carefully add pistachios to candy in pot. Stir to evenly coat.
Dump pistachios back on lined baking sheet, breaking apart large clusters, and let cool at least an hour.