These sugar plums are no-bake fruit and nut balls with warm holiday spices. Naturally sweet, vegan, and gluten-free, they’re perfect for gifting, parties, or holiday snacking. Quick, festive, and delicious!
✨ Make Homemade Sugar Plums for the Holidays
Looking for a simple, festive holiday treat? These sugar plums are bite-sized confections made with nuts, dried fruit, and warm holiday spices. Perfect for gifting, holiday parties, or an indulgent snack, they’re naturally sweet, no-bake, and can be made ahead.
Whether you call them fruit and nut truffles, holiday energy balls, or traditional sugar plums, this recipe is a modern twist on a classic Christmas candy that’s gluten-free, vegan, and paleo-friendly.
❓ What Are Sugar Plums?
Sugar plums are bite-sized, naturally sweet confections made from nuts, dried fruits, and warm spices. Despite the name, they aren’t actually plums; the term “plum” historically referred to any kind of sweet treat. Traditionally enjoyed during the holidays, sugar plums were often coated in sugar or rolled in nuts for added texture and sweetness.
Modern versions, like this recipe, are no-bake, vegan-friendly, and customizable, making them an easy festive treat. They’re perfect for holiday gifting, snacking, or party platters, and their rich flavors of dates, walnuts, and spices make them a delicious and healthier alternative to holiday candy.
❤️ Why You’ll Love These Sugar Plums
- 🍊 Natural sweetness — Made with dried fruit and a touch of jam, no refined sugar needed.
- 🌿 Customizable & vegan — Swap nuts and fruits to suit your taste or dietary needs.
- 🎁 Perfect for gifting — Small, festive, and easy to store in layers for holiday presents.
📝 Ingredients & Notes for Sugar Plums
- Nuts – Lightly toasted walnuts give the best flavor, but pecans, almonds, or cashews work too.
- Dried Fruit – Dates are essential for binding; apricots, raisins, or figs add flavor and texture.
- Spices – Cinnamon and allspice add warmth, but feel free to experiment with nutmeg or cardamom.
- Orange Zest – Adds a bright citrus note that balances sweetness.
- Jam – Helps the mixture stick together; naturally sweetened apricot jam works beautifully.
- Rolling Sugar or Coconut – Traditional sugar gives sparkle, or try maple sugar or shredded coconut for a refined sugar-free finish.
Pro tip: For an extra festive touch, roll in finely chopped nuts or colored sugar.
🌱 Make It Vegan & Allergy-Friendly
These sugar plums are naturally vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, and paleo-friendly if you choose maple sugar or coconut for rolling. Swap nuts to accommodate allergies, keeping dates as the binding base.
👩🍳 How to Make Sugar Plums
- Toast the nuts: Lightly toast walnuts (or your chosen nuts) until fragrant, then let cool.
- Process the fruit: Chop dried fruit with spices and orange zest in a food processor.
- Combine ingredients: Add cooled nuts and a spoonful of jam; pulse until mixture sticks together but isn’t over-processed.
- Shape & roll: Form bite-sized balls and roll in sugar, coconut, or your preferred coating.
- Store: Layer between parchment in an airtight container; refrigerate for up to a month.
🍽️ Serving Suggestions
- Enjoy with tea or coffee as a festive snack.
- Package in small gift boxes for holiday gifting.
- Pair with a glass of sparkling wine or hot cocoa for a cozy holiday treat.
💡 Tips for Perfect Sugar Plums
- Use a mix of dried fruits for a richer flavor.
- Don’t over-process; you want some texture from the nuts.
- Experiment with different spices to make it your signature holiday treat.
🏆 Why Homemade Sugar Plums Are Special
Making sugar plums at home allows you to control sweetness, experiment with flavors, and create a healthy, festive treat that can be stored for weeks. Perfect for holiday baking, gifts, or just enjoying a sweet bite yourself!
More Homemade Holiday Sweets:
Sugar Plums
Nuts, dried fruit and holiday spices are at the core of these easy to prepare, bite-sized Christmas treats that can be stored for weeks in the refrigerator.
Ingredients
- 1 cup/120g walnuts
- ½ cup/113g dried apricots
- ½ cup/80g raisins
- 4 large medjool dates, pitted
- 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- 1 Tablespoon/18g apricot jam
- Sugar (either cane or maple) or shredded coconut for rolling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread walnuts on a parchment lined baking sheet in a single layer and toast in oven for 3-5 minutes or until fragrant and lightly golden.
- Let cool for a few minutes then pulse the walnuts in the food processer until finely chopped, remove from bowl and set aside. Place the dried apricots, raisins, dates and spices in the processor and pulse to finely chop. Add the apricot jam and chopped walnuts to the bowl. Pulse lightly until just combined (do not overprocess).
- Scoop and roll mixture into 24 balls. Roll the finished sugar plums in either sugar and/or shredded coconut and store in single layers between sheets of parchment paper in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month.
Notes
VARIATIONS: Substitute your favorite nuts and dried fruit (except for dates which are necessary to hold the mixture together)
STORAGE: Store in an airtight container between layers of parchment in the fridge for up to one month.
DIETARY INFO: Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Vegetarian, Vegan, Paleo (if using maple sugar or coconut for rolling), Egg-Free, Dairy-Free
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
24Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 83Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 11mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 1gSugar: 9gProtein: 1g
Nutritional information for recipes contained on this website, such as calories, fat, carbs, etc. are only estimates and are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Sylvie Shirazi is the recipe developer and food photographer behind Gourmande in the Kitchen. For the last 10 years she's been making eating more healthfully easy and accessible with gluten-free, grain-free, paleo and vegan recipes that are free from processed ingredients.
Kim says
I agree, these are due for a comeback! Gorgeous and "healthy" to boot. It looks like the perfect bite with an afternoon tea.
Lucky me, all ingredients are already in my pantry. 🙂
[K]
Julie M. says
I could easily pop back a few of these tasty bites. You've put together a beautiful flavor combination; truly holiday worthy. Have a wonderful holiday season and a happy new year!
Lea @gourmetmommy says
What delicious looking delights. We've read "The Night Before Christmas" every year since I can remember, and gone to the Nutcracker more times that I can count, but I'll admit I never knew what sugar plums were. Now that I know, they will become part of our Christmas tradition. Your recipe looks super easy and tasty. And as usual, your photographs are amazing. Merry Christmas!
Kiran @ KiranTarun.com says
I love dates -- it has so much natural sugar. This dessert had me drooling for truffles 🙂
sweetsugarbelle says
Sylvie, these are beautiful. I have often wondered what a sugarplum was! And I love dates, orange, and pistachios...
nipponnin says
I always wowed by your photos! How do you do it?
This sounds wonderful because everything I like is in it minus liqueur. I have all the ingredients in the pantry to make it tomorrow. Yes!
Katrina @In Katrina's Kitchen says
Thesr are hide-them-from-your-family good! I don't want to share! 🙂 Merry Christmas, Sylvie!
Deeba Rajpal (@vindee) says
Happy holidays sweet Sylvie. What a great story and connect to Tchaikovskys The Nut Cracker. I love how simply these come together, how complex yet addictive the flavour equation might be. MUST try and whip up some...you have me eating out of your hand!!
marla says
I am so happy that you told us what Sugar Plum means....I never knew! I believe these simple truffles are my favorite recipe of yours yet (though I love them all!)