Guinness Glazed Nuts – a sweet and crunchy snack made with Guinness, sugar, vanilla, salt and peanuts…
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About four years ago, my family and I took a trip to Ireland. We brought along my husband’s parents and it was a wonderful family vacation. My husband’s mother’s parents grew up in Ireland and since she still has relatives living near the town of Galway, we wanted to make visiting them a big part of the trip.
We flew into Dublin, rented a small van and drove west to the town of Renvyle, our home for the next week. The cottage we rented was near the ocean and the beautiful Connemara National Park was just minutes away.
My kids loved the rugged terrain near our cottage. They climbed hills, explored castle remains, enjoyed watching the wildlife near the water and since we were in Ireland for St. Patrick’s Day, we even got to see a few St. Patrick’s Day parades.
The part of Ireland we visited was perhaps the most peaceful place I’ve ever been to. We didn’t miss not being in a big city, we simply enjoyed being together and exploring a part of Ireland like locals. We did our share of sightseeing in the area for sure, but we also enjoyed eating at the local pubs, shopping for groceries in the tiny market and picnicking in the hills of the park.
Towards the end of our trip, we made our way back to Dublin to stay for the night. We arrived in the early afternoon, which didn’t give us nearly enough time properly tour the city but it was all the time we had.
For most of the trip, my husband went places he knew that his parents and the kids and I wanted to see. But one place he really hoped to visit was the Guinness factory where Guinness beer is made.
Our day was speeding by and we realized that the Guinness factory would only be open for an hour longer. My husband had almost given up on the prospect of visiting, but I insisted we give it a try and hoped we could make it before it closed. We hailed two taxis and made it to the factory with only minutes to spare. Fortunately, we were the last tour to go through!
With St. Patrick’s Day around the corner, I thought it would be fun to incorporate Guinness in an easy-to-make snack. When I think of beer food, I automatically think of nuts so what better snack to make with Guinness than these sweet and crunchy Guinness Glazed Nuts. These nuts are great for snacking on and are totally addictive.
The peanuts are glazed with a simple mix of Guinness, sugar, vanilla and a touch of salt. You really can’t taste the stout in the glaze because of the sweetness of the sugar but there is a slight tanginess to them, which I love.
Here’s how easy these Guinness Glazed Nuts come together…
Pour 2 cups of peanuts into a medium-sized pot…
Add in 3/4 cup of sugar, 1/2 cup of Guinness and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt into the pot.
Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally.
Continue to stir for a few minutes until the syrup thickens and stir in the vanilla.
Pour onto a lined baking sheet and bake the nuts for about 20 minutes total.
When the syrup cools, break the nuts apart. The sugar will cause a few nuts to clump together, I think it’s nice to leave a few like this.

Guinness Glazed Nuts - a sweet and crunchy snack made with Guinness, sugar, vanilla salt and peanuts that are perfect for watching the game or for a party.
- 2 cups peanuts , unsalted
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup Guinness (or other stout)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat.
- Add the peanuts, sugar, beer and salt to a medium-sized pot and heat on medium-high, stirring until mixture comes to a boil.
- Once it comes to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and stir until the syrup has almost dissolved (about 10 minutes).
- Remove pot from the heat and stir in vanilla.
- Spoon nuts onto the prepared baking sheet and spread with a rubber spatula.
- Place the tray in the oven and cook for 10 minutes. Remove tray and stir the nuts on the tray. Place tray back in oven and cook for an additional 10 minutes.
- Remove the nuts from the oven and cool on tray. Separate the nuts and store in an airtight container.
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HI, I'm JOANIE! WELCOME TO ZAGLEFT!
I’m Joanie, a Recipe Developer, Food Stylist, Food Photographer, TV Contributor, Travel Enthusiast, Wife and Mom of Five. If you're looking for single serving recipes, you've come to the right place! Here you'll find a wonderful collection of simple, fresh and flavorful recipes that are perfect for those cooking just for one.
Ireland is on our bucket list of places to visit! I would love it if you link this up to Tipsy Tuesday at Grey is the New Black!
I hope you get to visit soon, I could go back in a heartbeat. I’d love to link up, could you explain how?
These look awesome! I could be in trouble snacking on these–I would never want to stop
Yes, that’s exactly the same problem I have. They’re so addicting.
What an awesome story! My husband and I would love to go to Ireland sometime. These nuts sound fantastic too!
Thanks so much, Miranda. If you ever get the chance to visit Ireland, I bet you’d absolutely love it there.
I want a big handful of these. Guinness nuts are absolutely brilliant. So sad I missed the Guinness factory when we went to Ireland.
Just another reason to go back to Ireland, right 😉 ? It was a fun tour that ended with us sipping on a Guinness and surprisingly, I thought Guinness tasted much different there. It was very mild.
Guinness is different there. The stuff you get overseas in the bottles just doesn’t have the nitrogen that makes it so soft and fluffy in the pubs.
I’m very lucky to get cans of Guinness here, they have little nitrogen capsules inside so they’re very close to the real thing.
And I do love Ireland as well, it’s just one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been to!
What a fun idea! I love cooking with Guinness, it adds such a unique flavor. 🙂
It sure does add a unique flavor. It’s nice that the flavor is so subtle and balanced by the sweetness here.
Such a great snack idea – especially for a game night or a night in with friends. Love this, Joanie!
Thanks Melanie. They’re so easy to throw together and are perfect for get-togethers with friends.
We have never really had the urge to travel, but Ireland is one place we would love to go! This recipe will have to do for now, but I know it will be a winner!
Kacey, Ireland is absolutely beautiful and if you ever get the chance to go, I know you’ll love it. I also know you’ll love the nuts, we certainly do. Hope you get the chance to make them soon.
What a fabulous vacation! We visited a brewery in the Bahamas on a recent vacation and learned a lot. So fascinating! These glazed nuts look like a great and fun snack!
Thanks, Mischa. It was a great trip.
I’m not a fan of Guinness but pretty sure I’d love these nuts! Finally a way to enjoy the beer 🙂
The Guinness taste is very subtle, I think you’d like it 🙂
Gorgeous photos! I hope I’m able to make it over to Ireland one day.
These nuts look amazing! There are few things I love more than glazed nuts!
Thank you so much, Amanda.
Joanie, everything about your post makes me smile, your trip to Ireland and these awesome nuts!! I need some now!
Thank you, Beth. Yes, go make these nuts – you’ll love them 😉
Joanie, What a lovely story and a fun snack. We also took a trip to Ireland with out kids – a bit longer ago (in the late 1990’s) and visited places where my husband’s family had lived. Last year he and I took another trip to Ireland and visited the Guinness factory too. Now I’ve got to make these peanuts – much as we like to drink the stout, I think this might be an even better use for it:)
Laura, visiting the Guinness factory was so much fun, I loved the view from the tasting room. We would love to visit again.
You are now officially the Queen of Brilliant Snacks. 🙂 Tomorrow I will run get the peanuts and beer and make these. Can’t wait to taste them.
Guiness never looked so good! And your trip to Ireland looks like it was beautiful and memorable. Ireland is definitely towards the top of my want-to-visit list!
Super jealous of your travels! But if I can get a taste of Ireland with these glazed nuts then sign me up!
Hahaha! Joanie you know that you got me when my mouth-watered when I saw these! I could hardly wait to scroll down and see the recipe, because these look delicious and they look like they’d go great with beer!
I actually had the opportunity to stay in Ireland overnight once. It was such a beautiful country and I can’t wait to go back! These nuts looks delicious!
I’ve never had the pleasure of going to Ireland, but I appreciate seeing your photos to get a glimpse into what it’s like. I really want to try these amazing nuts. I never would have thought to add Guinness!
Yum! The perfect snacking food for St. Patrick’s Day. Can’t wait to try these!
Looks delicious , beer makes everything tasty.
Thanks, yes it certainly does 🙂
Did you unsalted nuts?
Hi Sue, you can use salted or unsalted nuts.