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This festive and chewy homemade torrone Italian nut nougat brings old-world charm into your kitchen. Whether you’re preparing for the holidays or making a sweet gift-worthy treat, this nougat is a satisfying project. It combines honey, nuts and citrus in a fluffy, sticky base, layered with crisp wafer sheets for a clean finish. Customize it with your favorite roasted nuts and enjoy the perfect balance of creamy and crunchy textures in every bite.
Homemade torrone Italian nut nougat is a chewy treat filled with toasted nuts, sweetened with honey and sugar, and finished between crisp wafer sheets.
Also try berry cheesecake tart, lemon mascarpone cake, puffed wheat squares, almond cake, choc hazelnut torrone, or Boston cream poke cake.
Why You’ll Love It
No special equipment: You only need basic kitchen tools to make this classic.
Customizable mix-ins: Choose from pistachios, almonds or hazelnuts, or use some of each.
Perfect for gifting: Wrap pieces for the holidays or special occasions. This is a gift everyone will love!
Naturally gluten free: No flour makes this candy ideal for gluten-free diets.
Torrone Nut Nougat Ingredients
A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Wafer paper: Keeps the nougat from sticking and adds a smooth finish.
Honey: Sweetens and helps create the sticky candy base.
Granulated sugar: Adds structure and balances the honey.
Egg whites: Whipped to soft peaks, they give the nougat a fluffy consistency.
Vanilla extract: Enhances the overall flavor with warm, rich notes.
Lemon zest: Brightens the nougat and balances the sweetness.
Nuts: Use roasted almonds, pistachios or hazelnuts for crunch and flavor.
How to Make Italian Nut Nougat
For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card.
Prepare the pan: Line an 8×8 dish with plastic wrap and one piece of wafer paper.
Whip the egg whites: Beat to soft peaks with a dash of salt and set aside.
Heat the syrup: In a heavy-bottomed pot, heat honey and sugar until it reaches 300 degrees F.
Combine with egg whites: Slowly stream hot syrup into egg whites while whipping, then mix in vanilla and lemon zest.
Add the nuts: Stir in the roasted nuts once the mixture cools slightly.
Fill the pan: Spread nougat over the bottom wafer, top with the second sheet and press flat.
Cool and cut: Let the nougat set at room temperature, then slice into pieces.
Substitutions and Variations
Change the nuts: Swap almonds or pistachios for cashews or macadamias.
Use flavored extracts: Try almond or orange extract instead of vanilla.
Play with colors: You could blend pink food coloring into half the nougat mixture or experiment with green and red food colorings for a Christmas theme.
Lemon zest: Use orange zest or lime zest instead.
Add dried fruit: Mix in chopped dried apricots or cranberries for extra chew.
Serving Suggestions
With other sweet treats: You might also like Christmas tree cupcakes, reindeer Rolo pretzels or Christmas marshmallow pops.
With a festive drink: Serve up these Santa hat cocktails or maybe some Grinch green hot chocolate.
How to Store Italian Nut Torrone
Store: Keep it in an airtight container between 60°F and 70°F. It should keep for about 2 weeks.
Freeze: I haven’t tried freezing it but I think it might change the flavor or texture.
Top Tips
Use a candy thermometer: This ensures your syrup hits the right stage.
Work quickly: Nougat thickens fast once it cools.
Grease your spatula: A lightly oiled utensil helps spread the nougat evenly.
Press evenly: Use a ramekin or cup to flatten the top without sticking.
Homemade Torrone Italian Nut Nougat FAQs
Also known as rice paper or nougat paper, wafer paper is made with starch from rice or potatoes. A sheet of wafer paper will be stiff and slightly see-through. This edible paper is safe to eat and doesn’t have much of a flavor so you can use it in dessert recipes. You’ve probably had wafer paper if you’ve had traditional macaroons. It’s sometimes used to decorate fancy cakes, perhaps shaped into pretty edible petals and assembled to look like a flower, for example. In this recipe, it helps keep moisture out.
Yes, but the candy may stick to the pan or cutting board.
Until soft peaks form. They should be fluffy but not dry or stiff.
Lighter honey keeps the color pale and lets the other flavors shine.
You can, though a stand mixer is easier for handling hot syrup.
Traditional Italian Nougat Recipe
Homemade Torrone Italian Nut Nougat
Equipment
- Baking Dish 8- or 9-Inch Square
- Kitchen Scissors
- Pot Large and Heavy-Bottomed
Ingredients
- 2 Sheets wafer paper, cut to fit baking pan
- 12 Ounces honey, I used pale acacia honey for a light-colored result
- 1 ⅔ Cups granulated sugar
- 3 egg whites, at room temperature
- 1 Pinch salt
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract, I used clear for a light-colored result
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest
- 3 Cups nuts, roasted almonds, pistachios, hazelnuts, or pecans
Instructions
- Prepare a 9-inch square baking dish (or similar size) by lining it with plastic wrap, ensuring the bottom and sides are fully covered. Cut both sheets of wafer paper to fit the size of your baking dish. Place one sheet of the wafer paper into the bottom of the dish, set the other piece aside for later.
- Take the room temperature egg whites and beat them with a dash of salt in a stand mixer until you achieve soft peaks. Keep them in the stand mixer for later.
- Take a medium to large sized heavy-bottomed pot, and add your honey and sugar in. Stir this mixture on medium heat until it has reached 300 degrees F.
- Once your sugar mixture has reached 300 degrees, remove from heat and immediately bring it over to the stand mixer.
- With the mixer on medium high stream in about 3 Tablespoons of the hot sugar mixture, let it fully combine with the egg whites and whip for a few moments before slowly streaming in the remaining sugar mixture.
- Add in the lemon zest and vanilla extract. Pay close attention to how thick the mixture is getting as it cools, continue to whip it until the sides of the bowl are cool enough to keep your hand on it for 10 seconds. It takes about 30 seconds to cool down.
- When this happens, add in the nuts and give it one good mix to combine then shut it off. If the mixture is getting too thick before the bowl is cool enough to keep your hand on it, add the nuts in and stop mixing at any point.
- Working quickly, pour the mixture into your prepared baking dish, on top of the wafer paper. Gently spread as evenly as possible. You can use a lightly greased spatula to spread the nougat if needed.
- Top the nougat with the second wafer paper sheet. Gently press everything down tightly and flat, trying to get as flat and level of a top as you can – you can use the bottom of a cup or ramekin to help smooth it out if needed.
- Let cool at room temperature.
- When ready, carefully turn the torrone out onto a cutting board. Remove the plastic wrap and use a long serrated knife to cut the torrone into desired sizes.
Notes
Work quickly: Nougat thickens fast once it cools.
Grease your spatula: A lightly oiled utensil helps spread the nougat evenly.
Press evenly: Use a ramekin or cup to flatten the top without sticking.
Nutrition
Homemade torrone Italian nut nougat is a chewy, nut-filled Christmas candy with roasted nuts, a bright citrus flavor and a soft bite. Whether you’re making it for the holidays or just love traditional sweets, this recipe is easy to follow and highly customizable. Once you try homemade torrone, it’s sure to become part of your yearly tradition. Keep it simple or experiment with mix-ins to make it your own, and enjoy a nostalgic favorite that’s worth the effort.
Other Recipes to Try
Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
Can this be made in advance for gifting? How long does it stay fresh and how do you recommend storing it?
Yes, it will keep for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container (or well wrapped) somewhere dry and cool. Don’t refrigerate it because the moisture will make it ‘weep’ and negatively affect the flavor. It can also be frozen for up to a month. So, I’d make it max a couple weeks ahead and wrap it in cellophane or parchment paper and then a Ziploc bag and stash it in the pantry.
Hi… sorry to bother you again but what kind of honey did you use? I used clear vanilla Thanks
It’s no bother 🙂 I used acacia honey.
Hi… why didn’t mine turn out white.. why is yours white
Perhaps you used a darker color honey or vanilla extract? How did yours taste? Hope it was good!
It may also be that you cooked it at a hotter temperature (every stove is different) or cooked it too long.
I hadn’t eaten this since I was a child. Making your recipe brought back such wonderful memories. Plus, it’s delicious!
This looks amazing and I really want to give it ago. I don’t have a 9” square pan, do you have other size recommendations? Will it be too thin if I use a 9×13?
Hi, you can either use a 9-inch round baking pan (same amount of mixture) or, if you only have the 9×13-inch pan, that will hold 14 cups of mixture rather than the 8 cups a 9-inch square holds, so you could just double everything and use the 9×13… you might have a little bit of the raw mixture over but it should come out the same!
I made this the other day and was worried that it would not turn out. However it was delicious and much easier than I thought. You definitely need a thermometer though. Will be making it again.
I made this today and it turned out wonderful. I have never made a candy. Thanks for the detailed instructions.
It is going to be a holiday tradition now!
I made this recipe again this year. This time I made several batches for gifts. It turned out perfect
So good to hear! It makes a great gift.
I made this once and it was delicious but very soft. I know I can cook it a little longer, but could I have misunderstood the amount of honey… is it 12 ounces by weight or is it fluid ounces?
It is fluid ounces. Yes, you can cook it longer for a harder version.
Hi! What size wafer paper did you buy for 9″ square pan? I can only find 8×11 paper.
Hi Tara, I used this one from Amazon and trimmed it down.
This came out really good. Even better than the nougat from the store!