Pistachio Candied Nuts Recipe

By Amy Gorin, MS, RDN

This festive pistachio dessert is good for you! The candied pistachio recipe boasts antioxidant-rich pistachios and candied ginger.

If you've ever had candied pecans or almonds and loved them, this candied pistachio recipe will quickly become a favorite. Plus, the candied coating is super low in added sugar. 

Ready to learn how to whip it up?

Let me start this post by saying I love dessert. I love making it, and I love eating it. So I'm always up to the challenge of creating a healthy dessert to bring to a fall gathering or holiday party.

If you're concerned about your total sugar intake, this dessert doesn't have much added sugar. It's naturally sweetened with pomegranate juice and unsweetened cocoa powder–and contains the smallest amount of added sugar from the candied ginger. You won't find any granulated sugar or coconut sugar in this recipe.

I decided to start this particular dessert with a base of lightly salted pistachios. They're one of my go-to snacks when I'm feeling hangry–since their fiber, healthy fat, and protein helps keep me full.

So I figured my dessert could serve as a sweet treat and a mini satiating snack all in on!  I also didn't want to add a lot of sugary ingredients so thought about what I could use that provides natural sweetness.

To make this dessert, I combined the pistachios with a mixture of pomegranate juice, egg white, and unsweetened cocoa powder. Then I tossed everything together, making sure to evenly coat the pistachios.

You see, even though these pistachios are candied, this recipe doesn't contain any brown sugar, white sugar, sugar cinnamon, maple syrup, or other sugar mixture.

And then, patience–not my virtue!–was up next. I waited an hour to see what these babies tasted like.

Let me tell you, it was worth the wait. The candied pistachios are delicious! They're super tasty right out of the oven or at room temperature when they're had time to cool completely.

Once the pistachios were out of the oven, I tossed them with diced candied ginger. Then I put the candied pistachio into little muffin cups so that the dessert would be portion controlled.

Of course, you can also take a bigger serving of the candied pistachio dessert cups to have out for Halloween, Thanksgiving day, or even to take to a a Christmas day movie.

Enjoy this candied nut recipe! It makes a great holiday gift.

Want more ideas for cooking with pistachios? Try: 

• Fruit-Filled Breakfast Tacos with Pistachios
• Wild Blueberry and Pistachio No-Bake Brie
• High-Protein Overnight Oats
• Ice Cream with Pistachio  

• Large glass bowl
• Oil mister
• Silicone spatula
• Mini muffin paper cups

This blog post was updated in September 2020.

I'd love to hear from you! Let me know how you're enjoying this candied pistachio. What are your favorite healthy desserts to make? 

Comment below, or tag @amydgorin on Instagram and Pinterest and @amygorin on Twitter  and Facebook.

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