These Bar Nuts are an outrageously addictive mix of roasted nuts, butter, fresh rosemary, cayenne pepper, sugar and salt flakes. Great quick way to use up random leftover nuts in your pantry! Put out a bowl with wine or cocktails, and watch them disappear. Thanks for the recipe, Nigella!
Nigella’s Bar Nuts
This is a barely tweaked version of Nigella Lawson’s Bar Nuts which she says is adapted from the recipe for popular spiced nuts served at the Union Square Cafe in New York. I first started making them way back in my early corporate days, and though I’ve strayed over the years, when something is this good I inevitably find my way back to it.
I love that it’s quick, that I always have the ingredients (pantry basics + rosemary from the garden) and they’re not so heavily candied you feel ill after eating three. Just enough flavour to be far more interesting than plain nuts, but light enough that you can (and will) eat way too many.
Way too many.
Sorry in advance.
Ingredients in Nigella’s Bar Nuts
Here’s what you need to make these. Note: Nigella (and Union Square Cafe) only use nuts. But then I added mini pretzels, and I never looked back. They might be my favourite thing in this mix. 🙂 You don’t have to include them though!
Unsalted roasted mixed nuts – Use a store bought mix, or make up your own using almonds, pecans, walnuts, Brazil nuts, peanuts, cashews or hazelnuts. Any proportion of each!
Mini pretzels – I use mini because they’re closer to the size of nuts than regular ones. If you prefer, you can just use more nuts.
Fresh rosemary – This brings that special something to this otherwise very simple recipe, so please use fresh! It really won’t be the same using dried rosemary. If I didn’t have fresh, I’d find another recipe instead, or head in another direction like Texan BBQ candied nuts.
PS. I stray a little from Nigella here. She says to coarsely chop the rosemary, but one day I accidentally chopped it finely and realised it really gets into every nook and cranny, coating the nuts even more evenly. I liked it even more, so finely chopped rosemary it is!
Cayenne pepper – The faint buzz of warm in these nuts is another thing that makes them so addictive! They are not spicy but it leaves a little warmth on your tongue. If you’re worried, you can reduce the amount.
Unsalted butter – Melted. Just enough to coat the nuts. Nigella only uses 1 tablespoon but I doubled it as I felt it makes the mixture more fluid so it coats the nuts evenly without leaving little pockets of concentrated salt or fiery cayenne pepper.
Dark brown muscovado sugar – Adds a lovely hint of caramel sweetness. It’s only a small amount so the nuts aren’t heavily candied or sticky. Substitute with regular brown sugar.
Salt flakes – I don’t often (have I ever??) insist on using salt flakes, but for this recipe, it really makes a difference. The lighter flakes disperse and coat the nuts more evenly than grains. I’ve provided conversions for using other types of salt though. The safest way is to start with less, taste, then add more bit by bit.
How to make Nigella’s Bar Nuts
Unbelievably simple. Are you already gathering up those half used packets of nuts in your pantry and reaching for the wine?? 🙂
Roast the nuts and pretzels for 10 minutes, until the nuts and pretzels are lightly browned. Don’t skip this step, it brings out the flavour of the nuts and the warm nuts keeps the rosemary butter fluid so it coats everything well.
Rosemary butter – Mix the butter, rosemary, sugar, cayenne pepper and salt in a large bowl using a rubber spatula.
Coat nuts – Pour the hot nuts and pretzels straight into the bowl. If the butter has solidified, that’s fine because the heat from the nuts will melt it. Mix well using the rubber spatula, tossing until every speck of every nut is coated in shiny butter.
You will be shocked how addictive these are
Serve warm, if you can, though at room temperature they are still highly snack-able. The presence of wine or a cocktail isn’t mandatory, but it enhances the experience.
You will honestly be shocked how addictive they are. For the first few nibbles, you might wonder why on earth is Nagi going on and on about these?? Then a few minutes later, you’ll look down and be horrified to see an empty bowl, then you’ll start accusing everyone around you of eating all your nuts.
No, of course it wasn’t you. 😂 – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
This is such a simple recipe, I wasn’t going to make a recipe video. But I decided you needed to see how easy it is, and the vision of shiny buttery tumbling nuts is so enticing!
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Nigella’s Bar Nuts
Ingredients
- 500g/ 16 oz (4 slightly heaped cups) unsalted mixed nuts , roasted (Note 1)
- 1 1/2 cups mini pretzels , or another 100g/3.5oz nuts (scant 1 cup)
Rosemary butter seasoning
- 2 1/2 tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves (20cm/8″ sprig) (Note 2)
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (faint background warmth, can omit)
- 1 tbsp dark brown muscovado sugar , or regular brown usgar
- 2 1/2 tsp salt flakes , halve the amount for cooking salt, kosher salt, Fleur de sel, fine sea salt (Note 3)
- 2 tbsp (30g) unsalted butter , melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F (160°F fan-forced).
- Toast 10 minutes – Spread the nuts and pretzels on a tray and toast for 10 minutes, tossing at the 5 minute mark.
- Rosemary butter – Mix the butter ingredients together in a large bowl using a rubber spatula.
- Coat – Pour the hot nuts in, then toss well until you see no dry patches on any nut. Serve warm!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Jaffle
Did you call? Do you have cheese?
Wow Jaffle is growing in leaps and bounds what a beautiful boy. I am tucking this recipe away for Xmas as I would probably would eat the whole lot myself
They don’t come across to me as being BARS. More like a coated bowl of seasoned nuts.
Just saying
Just made these ..I DID a lot of taste testing- the pretzels on their own would be 👌 for people who can’t have or dislike nuts …..confession I didn’t have rosemary but I did have which is what I wanted to try in them was Kangaroo Island Rosemary & Garlic salt added the salt recommendation then added more to taste as it’s a quality product I also added some of their garlic granules……pretty good !
Came across this while looking into the topic and it cleared up a couple of things I’d been mixing up. Thanks for taking the time to lay it out this way – bookmarking for later.
Made these as a savory snack to go with all the trick or treat candy.
Husband said these are awesome and addicting!
It was so easy to make this. I only had salted butter so I just used two teaspoons of the flaky salt.
Thank you for the lovely recipe!
I don’t really care for rosemary – what would you suggest as a substitute? Thanks!
Oh, keen to hear another option too.
A friend’s dad uses to make these back in the day. He added Nutra Grain too. We used to call them nuts and bolts. Thanks for the delicious memories.
I LOVE NUTS AND BOLTS!! A friend introduced them to me in recent years and now I’m crazy addicted!! 😭
I’m wondering if these are suitable to jar and give as Christmas gifts? If so, what would the shelf life and reheating instructions be please?
These are absolutely PERFECT for Christmas gifting! They will keep for weeks as long as your nuts are fresh enough. If you want to be conservative say 6 weeks. To reheat, just 10 minutes in the oven at the temp per the recipe, stirring at the halfway mark! – N x
Can I make and store these nuts? Or will they go soggy
Absolutely! They will keep for weeks and won’t go soggy 🙂 Storage info is in the recipe card! – N x
Hi, I was wondering how spicy they are and if I could maybe use paprika instead of cayenne?
Hi Joy, they are not overly spicy because the cayenne is a small quantity. But you can totally omit it and use paprika yes. 🙂
100% agree JB!
I know I would absolutely love these and would devour them instantly because nuts are like popcorn… just cannot eat a few kernels; have to eat the whole bag. Maybe I will make these for the holidays so it’s not just me, myself, and I.
I did the same thing when Nagi made it the first time! They were none left!
I was actually SHOCKED how much JB ate 😂
Do the nuts need be raw before roasting them? Or if I have roasted nuts already, they need to be roasted again? Wondering if this step is to get them warmed up enough to take the spice mix.
Hi Susan, we actually use roasted nuts. Most mixed nuts are sold roasted and ready to eat. And yes, the extra roasting warms them through and brings out their flavour.
Ohhh Susan, that is actually a good question – I will add a note about what to do if using raw nuts. Thanks for the question! – N x
When your video shows you picking up a handful of nuts at the end your hands look greasy. Can we lower the amount of butter so that when we eat these we won’t need to wipe our hands after every bite?
“Recipe source: Adapted from this Bar Nuts recipe by Nigella Lawson… I also increased the butter from 1 to 2 tablespoons so the mixture was more fluid to coat everything easily.”
Just made them. I think next time I’ll do what I normally do with Thai nuts – roast for 5 minutes dry then substitute the butter for egg white and a drop of water, mix the other ingredients in and the nuts then place back in the oven for another 5 minutes or before the rosemary catches.
Hi Barb, you can reduce the butter a little if you prefer. Just keep in mind that the butter carries the flavour and helps the seasoning stick to the nuts, so reducing it will make them a little less flavourful. 🙂
Hey Barb, I too noticed this.
I’ll give them a go using less butter.
They do look moreish 😋
What is this silly wiping concept of which you speak, Lick your fingers. Unless you did not wash them after being out all day and just dipped into the nuts. P
Hi Barb! To be honest, even using less butter you’ll get a bit of grease on your fingers – though less! Feel free to reduce the butter if you want but if you do, I would chop the rosemary more coarsely so it doesn’t thicken the butter too much 🙂 Reducing the butter will make the recipe more like Nigella’s original one! – N x
Yummmmm. Going to try this weekend.
This pic shows just how fast Jaffle is growing, The look says it all🐾
Thanks Nancy! I’m also surprised every time I see him!
Ha ha, pretty soon even JB won’t be able to pick him up, I already can’t!!
I’ve been making these for years especially around Christmas when everyone is playing games. This is a lovely recipe 😀
Thank you Catherine, we are glad it’s already a regular at your house!
I love that! What a lovely cosy snack 🙂 – N xx
Advice needed please. How do you get rosemary so finely chopped? it’s such a tough herb. Does a blender get the job done?
Make sure to use the back of the knife not the front as it is more powerful.
Run your fingers down the stem or use an herb stripper, then mince by hand. Discard the woody stem.
My favourite kitchen gadget apart from my stick blender is kitchen scissors; it’s very easy to get small pieces with them.
A friend’s dad uses to make these back in the day. He added Nutra Grain too. We used to call them nuts and bolts. Thanks for the delicious memories.
Hi Michelle, we just use a kitchen knife. You’re right, rosemary can be a bit tough, so take your time and keep chopping until it’s nice and fine. A blender wouldn’t work here because of the nature of the herb and also because it’s a small quantity. 🙂
All these are great tips Michelle! But honestly, if you find it a little too hard to finely chop as I have done, just chop coarsely – that’s how Nigella does it in her recipe and it is really delicious too 🙂 – N x
Yum yum!!! What more can I say!! Love nuts and still make nuts and bolts when the occasion arises – like you Tiff – remember my mum making them in the 80’s. Thanks Nagi – as snack ideas are great at this time of year or anytime
For me 😊
You are welcome Patsy! We hope you get to make this version soon!
Very nostalgic there Patsy , white Christmas, chocolate crackles , stick jaw toffees , a toffee apple from the fruit shop with the worst apple inside 😂😂…..those were the days 🧡💛
That toffee always used to get SO stuck in my teeth!!
To paraphrase….
“So simple I might’ve overlooked it, but I adore *Nagi*, and if she says it’s worth making, I’m in!”
Awwww… you flatter me Megsy!! But it’s honestly all credit to Nigella for this recipe, I’ve seen versions of it floating around but it’s only because Nigella shared a recipe that I actually made it! 🙂 – N xx
I’m new commenting here Nagi but I have been following you site for a while now. I am addicted to snacking in the evenings mostly on popcorn and I’d love a change so this is going to go on rotation! I love Rosemary too so I know this will be a fav! Thanks for sharing a great Wacky Wednesday recipe!
Sounds like Wacky Wednesday is catching on! Love it! Thanks Michele 🙂
Michele, this could’ve been ME writing, popcorn is my thing!!! Lower cal, I tell myself 😂
Ha ha! 😂 Well I’m in good company then! 😁👋🏼
My girl always listens..when she can see the treat. She doesn’t work for free🐾
Jaffle is just a very good businessman…show me the ‘money’🤑
😂😂😂 Honestly, I thought I’d get a few more months out of him before that attitude kicked in!!!