20 Sweet & Savory Walnut Recipes (2024)

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If you’re a nut lover, you’ll appreciate the versatility of walnuts. Walnuts are not only healthy snacks on their own, but they work well in sweet as well as savory recipes. This healthy nut is rich in antioxidants and is an excellent source of Omega-3 fat, making walnuts a wonderful addition to your diet. Here, we’ve collected recipes that will help you incorporate walnuts into savory dishes like pesto, salads, quiche, baked veggies, pasta, and even pizza!

Sweet dishes like brittles and barks, cakes and brownies, and cookies and muffins also use walnuts in creative and delicious ways. Whether you’re looking for a spicy recipe or a nutty dessert, you’re sure to find plenty of deliciousness in this round up of sweet and savory walnut recipes.

1. Walnuts make this batter thick and earthy, which is the perfect balance to the sweet and tart plums in this skillet cake. It takes just 15 minutes to assemble this cake which looks like a work of art when you pull it out of the oven! Let it cool and serve it straight from the skillet.
   Plum Walnut Skillet Cake by Simply Recipes
2. In just minutes, you can have this glorious basil and walnut pesto ready to spread on a sandwich, add as a topping to chicken or fish, or add it to a pizza or pasta. This versatile pesto is even freezer-friendly! Freeze it and use it later. Win-win!
   Basil Walnut Pesto by Garlic And Zest
3. Baked on sweetness is what this recipe is all about! The secret to getting the cinnamon sugar mixture to adhere to the walnuts is egg whites. Brilliant! Bake these delicious nutty treats and use for snacks or garnishes on sweet and savory dishes. These candied walnuts make wonderful holiday gifts, as well.
   Candied Walnuts by Dinner At The Zoo
4. How do you elevate avocado toast? With walnuts, of course! Make this healthy toast even healthier with bit of walnuts sprinkled over the top of mashed avocado, slices pears and cheese. Out of this world delicious!
   Autumn Avocado Toast by How Sweet Eats
5. This hearty salad is full of fall goodness: pear, radicchio, arugula, gorgonzola cheese, endive and toasted walnuts. Drizzle on a maple balsamic vinaigrette for a savory finish.
   Fall Harvest Salad by A Beautiful Plate
6. If you’re into rich, dense and intense chocolate brownies, here’s your recipe. These moist brownies get a flavor boost with just a hint of espresso. But here’s the thing: don’t skip adding the walnuts. These are what take these already luscious brownies over the top. And you want to go over the top. Trust. Add the walnuts!
   5 Minute Espresso Walnut Brownies by Minimalist Baker
7. Whip this quiche up quickly using a prepared pie crust and fill it with a mixture of eggs, ricotta and zucchini. Top it off with mozzarella cheese and chopped walnuts. Bake until top is golden. Easy, cheesy and fabulous!
   Zucchini Ricotta Quiche With Crumbled Walnuts by Sweet Peas And Saffron
8. Nothing says the fall season has arrived more than a warming and cozy pear crisp. The topping is what really makes this sweet treat. Gluten-free oats get sweetened with maple syrup and spiced with ground cinnamon and ginger. Add the chopped walnuts and and little coconut oil to hold it together and crumble over the top. Bake and enjoy!
   Easy Pear Crisp by Zesty Olive
9. This cookie recipe is impressive and deceptively easy to make. Apricot preserves, dried cranberries and walnuts make up the delectable filling for this cookie. Roll up these sweet treats and enjoy that nutty filling. if you love to bake, these would make a wonderful holiday gift!
   Walnut Rugelach Recipe by Natasha’s Kitchen
10. Chicken salad gets makeover with the sweet addition of Honey crisp apple chunks and candied walnuts. You’ll definitely want to make this awesomeness into a sandwich for a tasty lunch!
    Chicken Salad with Honeycrisp Apples and Candied Walnuts by The Cozy Apron
11. Maple syrup, butter, sugar, walnuts and salt combine to make this sweet brittle bark treat.You’ll want to toast the walnuts to really bring out their flavor. Makes a delicious snack or gift.
    Salted Maple Walnut Brittle by Seasons And Suppers
12. When apple season rolls around you’ll want to make this moist coffee cake and have it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Oh, and dessert, of course! It’s super easy to make and requires no frosting because it’s that good. The addition of walnuts are a necessity because their nutty flavor adds balance to all the apple and cinnamon yumminess going on. And you want balance, right?!
    Apple Walnut Cake by Tastes Of Lizzy T
13. If you’re wanting to try a new pizza flavor experience, make this fig and feta cheese pizza. Drizzle with a little honey and garnish with chopped walnuts and enjoy this savory flavor combo.
    
Honey Fig Pizza with Feta Cheese and Walnuts by Trial And Eater
14. The fall season is full of cozy recipes and here’s one that has acorn squash as the star of the show. With just a little maple sugar, dates, and walnuts, you can have this sweet and savory side dish on your table in less than 30 minutes!
    Maple Date And Walnut Oven Roasted Acorn Squash by The Healthy Foodie
15. When pumpkin season rolls around, you’ll want to make these yummy pumpkin walnut muffins. They’re great to keep around for a quick breakfast or snack and they work well for an on-the-go portable food, too. Kids as well as adults love them!
    Pumpkin Walnut Muffins by Culinary Ginger
16. All you need is 15 minutes to make this ravioli meal that’s not only delicious but is gorgeous to look at. Asparagus gets sautéed to a bright green color to sit atop the ravioli. A butter sauce and a garnish of walnuts finishes off this amazingly simple meal.
    
Ravioli With Sauteed Asparagus And Walnuts by Green Valley Kitchen
17. Carrot cakes are known for their cream cheese frostings but they also need that garnish of finely chopped walnuts to complete the flavor profile. In this carrot loaf recipe, you’ll do that plus add them into the batter. Crazy good!
    Carrot Walnut Loaf with Cream Cheese Frosting by Handle The Heat
18. This appetizer is elegant and more importantly, easy as well as delicious. The dried figs and Kalamata olives along with herbs and spices make up this tapenade that’s finished with walnuts. Tart, sweet and spicy is what you’ll taste in this flavor combo. Make ahead so the flavors reach their peak.
    Fig and Olive Tapenade Crostini with Walnuts by Pinch Me I’m Eating
19. Walnuts lovers will flip over this cookie. The dough is rolled in finely chopped walnuts for all all-over nuttiness. Oh, and there’s some sweetness in the thumbprint dent, too. But, really, it’s all about the walnuts!
    Walnut Thumbprint Cookies by The Creative Bite
20. You’ll want to make this comforting oatmeal to celebrate the flavors of the holiday season. Apples, walnuts and cinnamon get a layer of eggnog flavor in this baked oatmeal recipe. This is the perfect breakfast to serve on Christmas morning!
    Baked Eggnog Oatmeal With Apples And Walnuts by AZ Grab A Plate

Now time to save these recipes on Pinterest for later 🙂