Union Square Cafe Bar Nuts
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Once you start snacking, there’s no stopping! These rosemary bar nuts from one of New York’s most beloved restaurants are seriously delicious.
Many cookbooks feature variations of the renowned Union Square Cafe bar nuts, and as a fan, I couldn’t resist sharing my own version of the recipe here. The nuts are infused with sweet, salty, and spicy flavors, but it’s the addition of fresh rosemary that truly makes them special. Perfect with cocktails, as a casual snack, or even as a thoughtful homemade gift, these nuts are the ultimate nibble—and they’re incredibly easy to whip up, too! Just a friendly heads-up: once you start munching on these, it’s really hard to stop!
“Love this nut recipe! I make these every Christmas and give them as gifts to my family. They are a huge hit”
What You’ll Need To Make Union Square Cafe Bar Nuts
Step-by-Step Instructions
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy cleanup. Place the nuts on the baking sheet and toast in oven until warm, fragrant and lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Keep a close eye on them, as they can burn quickly.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the rosemary, cayenne pepper, brown sugar, and butter.
Add the warm, toasted nuts to the spiced butter and toss well. Then add the kosher salt.
Toss to coat thoroughly.
Serve warm or let cool to room temperature and store in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Freeze for longer storage.
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Union Square Café Bar Nuts
Once you start snacking, there’s no stopping! These rosemary bar nuts from one of New York’s most beloved restaurants are seriously delicious.
Ingredients
- 2½ cups unsalted mixed nuts (see note)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position.
- Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy clean up. Place the nuts on the baking sheet and toast in oven until warm, fragrant and lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Keep a close eye on them, as nuts can burn quickly.
- In a large bowl, combine the rosemary, cayenne pepper, brown sugar and butter. Add the warm, toasted nuts to the spiced butter and toss well. Add kosher salt and toss to coat thoroughly. Serve warm or let cool to room temperature and store in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Freeze for longer storage.
- Note: I like this recipe best with cashews and pecans, but you can use any nuts that you like. If you use raw nuts, be sure to toast them a bit longer, about 10 minutes or until lightly golden.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The nuts can be frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost them on the countertop before serving.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (10 servings)
- Serving size: 1/4 cup
- Calories: 216
- Fat: 19 g
- Saturated fat: 3 g
- Carbohydrates: 9 g
- Sugar: 1 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Sodium: 85 mg
- Cholesterol: 3 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Hi. Make these often and love them. Lately, I’ve had to stop using butter and substitute avocado or canola oil when I can. Trying to adapt favorite recipes and this is one of those. Unfortunately, plant-based butter does not work for the family health issues. Can I substitute one of those oils in here for the butter and do I use the same amount or less? Thanks!
Hi Jane, Glad you like them! Yes, you can use either oil in place of the butter.
Yummy! I made these for my son who is trying to cut back on carbs and I “sampled” a few after they came out of the oven — they were delicious and perfectly flavored. I had to force myself to stop eating them so there would be some left for him! PS. He liked them too!
Excellent! Used Costco’s mixed nuts…so lowered the salt to 1/8 tsp…
Another fabulous recipe! Thank you…
I would like to make these but could only find bags of unsalted roasted mixed nuts from Trader Joe’s … because they are already roasted, what do I do about the toasting? I would not want them too well done, but it seems like they would need some time in the oven before adding the butter mixture?
Hi Jane, the recipe is written with the assumption that you’re using already roasted nuts, so you can just follow the recipe. Hope you enjoy!
Jenn, I made the nuts and they are a fabulous combination of flavors. I’d like to give them for gifts but I have some family members who won’t want “pieces of green stuff” (fresh rosemary) in their nuts. Is it possible to use ground rosemary instead? If so, how much?
btw, For Christmas I’m giving your cookbook to two more open-minded and creative cooking millennial family members.
Hi Barbara, you can get away with using dried rosemary. Just make sure you chop it pretty finely as it’s a little barky. I’d use 2 teaspoons. Also, thanks so much for your support of the cookbook – glad you like it enough to gift it to others! 🙂
This recipe used the be made with dried ground rosemary. Do you still have those measurements available?
Hi Juliane, you’ll need 2 teaspoons of dried rosemary. Hope you enjoy! 🙂
We love these and have had them several times as-is, but occasionally we adapt the recipe to go a little lighter (maybe half a tsp) on the rosemary and add a tsp of maple syrup which makes them a little more mellow. Definitely best when eaten warm!
Quick question since you have made this recipe multiple times. I just made it, and they taste wonderful, but the bulk of the mix is still on the bottom of the bowl, no matter how much i stir and stir and mix it up. Not much is on the nuts themselves. Any tips?
Pretty amazing! Makes nice gifts.
My family is dairy free and I substituted Miyoko’s “Butter” for the butter. We like it best with almonds and pecans.. The taste was fantastic!