I love making sweet little crunchy treats, so today’s how-to is a refresher on making candied nuts or seeds without refined sugar or butter. Here’s the recipe for the vegan pumpkin cheesecake pictured above.
Suitable for:
vegan, gluten-free, low-sodium, reduced-sugar diets
Not for:
low-tyramine or migraine diets
Today’s post is part of our mission to help you rebuild your health through food and lifestyle choices. Look for posts on Mondays featuring gluten-free, sugar-free recipes made with healthy plant-based ingredients, Wednesday essays, and Friday giveaways (when available).

How to make candied nuts or seeds
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup maple syrup organic
- 1 tsp Earth Balance use unsalted butter for low-sodium version
- 1/2 tsp sea salt pink Himalayan salt (omit for low-sodium diet)
- 1/4 tsp chipotle powder optional
- 1 cup pumpkin seeds any raw nuts or seeds (115-120 g)
Instructions
- Mix the first four ingredients together and bring to a boil in a saucepan for one minute. Stir in the nuts or seeds.
- Pour the mixture onto a rimmed baking sheet covered with foil or parchment paper. Bake 20-30 minutes at 325F/140C/gas mark 3, stirring every 10 minutes and keeping the seeds spread apart so the syrup can thicken. These can burn easily, so pay attention.
- Remove when golden brown and set the tray on a cooling rack. When they are cool, they will harden into a brittle.
- Break into pieces. Store in a tightly lidded container.
Notes
- 248 calories
- 20 g fat
- 2 g saturated fat
- 11 g monounsaturated fat
- 6 g polyunsaturated fat
- 0 g trans fat
- 0 g cholesterol
- 305 mg sodium (2 mg sodium with salt omitted and unsalted butter used)
- 153 mg potassium
- 17 g carbohydrate
- 3 g fiber
- 13 g sugars
- 2 g protein
- 7 Weight Watchers Points Plus
Mmm these look beautiful! I bet that they would taste good sprinkled on plain yogurt also. Time to get some maple syrup!!