Coconut Cashews
These Coconut Cashews, inspired by Trader Joe’s, are made with coconut milk, coconut oil, sugar, and coconut flakes to create some incredibly delicious candied nuts!
On my recent trip to Salt Lake City for my blog conference, I stopped at Trader Joe’s and grabbed a bag of Coconut Cashews. They pretty much changed my life and became my new favorite snack food. Well, I don’t live super close to Trader Joe’s, so I might make it there like twice a year, and that was not going to be okay with this new snack obsession, so I took a look at the ingredients list and came up with a close enough version that I can enjoy at home!
With coconut milk, coconut oil, and coconut flakes, there is no shortage of coconut flavor going on in these nuts! The main difference for me was that the Trader Joe’s version was crunchier, but I think whole cashews might not absorb the liquid as much as the cashew halves that I used. Nonetheless, you should be making these and topping salads with them, or plain old snacking on them straight as they are! They are as good as candy, but with a slight saltiness from the cashews! Salty-sweet combos are my favorite!
Save This recipe
Enter your email below to get a link to this recipe emailed straight to you to save later! Plus be signed up for all new recipes.
What are some of your favorite candied nuts?
Coconut Cashews
Ingredients
- 3 cups cashew halves, (I used Planter's Cashew Halves & Pieces)
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
- ¼ cup lite coconut milk, (from the can)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup sweetened coconut flakes
Instructions
- Place cashews in a large bowl. Melt coconut oil and pour over cashews.
- Open up the can of coconut milk and whisk it smooth. Measure out ¼ cup and add it to the nuts. (Save the leftover coconut milk for smoothies or to cook rice with.)
- Add the sugar to the nuts and fold the coconut-cashew mixture until everything is mixed well.
- Spread nuts onto a silicone lined baking sheet.
- Quickly pulse the coconut flakes in a food processor or blender until fine. Save for a later step.
- Bake cashews at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes. Stir.
- Bake 10 minutes more. Stir.
- Bake 5 minutes more. Add the fine coconut flakes and stir to coat the cashews.
- Bake 10 more minutes (for a total of 35 minutes cook time) or until all the sugary mixture has stuck to the nuts and there is no liquid left.
Notes
Did you make this?
Don’t forget to leave a rating below and make sure to follow on Pinterest and Instagram for more!
Thank goodness i saw this deliciousness…i have my own business Lil’ Kitchen Canner and i sell quite a few at my local events 🙂 thanks a bunch 🙂 they are delish!
Just made these, and followed the recipe exactly, but the coconut would not stick to the nuts.
Hi Alison, I’m so sorry to hear you had troubles with this recipe. Can you tell me if there was a lot of liquid, a little liquid, or no liquid left on the cashews? Every oven cooks differently. If there was a lot of liquid, then it may have needed more time before adding the coconut. If it had no liquid left, then it may have cooked too long and had nothing to stick to. If it had a little bit of liquid, I’m perplexed because you want it in that soft, sticky, stage before all the liquid is gone, for the best stick. I hope this helps!
Maybe I waited too long to add the coconut then, I will get more cashews and try it again!
I did take some of the cashews from this batch, coated them with a beaten egg white, and then added more coconut. They turned out ok, but didnt look good enough to gift, so I ate them all.
I will pay more attention next time to the liquid.Thanks!
Way to go for winging it with the egg white. I hope they work out better for you the second time around!
I made these, but I used organic coconut sugar in place of the sugar called for in the recipe. I think that it added a lot of flavor, they were fantastic! Thanks for the recipe.
Ooh yum! Great idea to use the coconut sugar! Thanks for your feedback Tyler!
Hi Amber, I used your recipe tonight and the nuts were just as good as those I have purchased at a store. The only difficulty I had was in getting the nuts to dry. Suggestions?
I’ve made these twice. The ones in the pictures were pale and a little bit soft (is that what you mean?) and the second time I increased the temperature 25 degrees (to 325 degrees Fahrenheit) and baked them until a little more golden and they were crisp, but the flavor is a little more caramelized than coconut-y. Does that help at all?
Amber, these are amazing! We’d been buying the toasted coconut cashews at Walmart (I don’t live near Trader Joe’s either) but they only come in a tiny 6-oz bag. Now I can make more than a pound at a time and I have made 3 batches since I found your recipe 6 weeks ago. My family can’t get enough! Thank you so much for sharing this!
That is the best news! Thanks for sharing your experience Michele! I’m glad you like them so much that you are making them again and again! 🙂
Oh, gosh. I had cashews JUST like this a few years back and couldn’t get enough of them! My store stopped selling them so I had to stop munching on them. Now I can make them at home whenever I want! SO can’t wait to try these, Amber!
Oh they are super addicting! Enjoy!
These are brilliant, Amber! I absolutely LOVE TJ’s coconut cashews and would go through way too many bags of them when I was pregnant. I love that I can make them at home now. They look amazing!
Thanks Kelly! They are a tad sweeter and not quite as crunchy as TJ’s, but so delicious to snack on or eat on a salad with strawberry slices and creamy poppyseed dressing!
Oooh man!!! These were SO good!!!
Thanks Yvonne! Glad you got to try them at my house 😉
I’ve seen the trader joes version everywhere, but I don’t live close to one. I think these solved that problem 😉 I love coconut and cashews, so these sound perfect!
I don’t live close either, so I have to make them myself. 😉 I’m sure you’d love these Danielle!
I haven’t had coconut cashews before. You make them look so good though. I will have to give them a try!
They are pretty much amazing! Like other candied nuts, but coconutty! 😉