How To Make Candied Pecans

These delicious candied pecans are the perfect snack to have on hand during the holidays and they are so simple to make! Perfectly sweet and salty they are ideal to enjoy over Christmas.

So simple and easy to make, candied pecans are always on hand in my house during the holidays! They’re so festive!

They make for great presents to gift to friends and family too, just pop them in a jar with some ribbon and a gift tag and you are good to go!

For more snack recipes, be sure to try my Apple Chips and No Bake Chocolate Bites.

Why you will love these candied pecans!

• Easy: It takes minutes to prep the pecans before they go into the oven, and you just need a few simple ingredients.
• Make ahead: Once cooled, these nuts have a great shelf life, so you can make a big batch and enjoy them for a while.
• Healthier choice: There is sugar in these nuts, however, you can use Erythritol or Monkfruit sweetener. They also contain good fats and vitamins, so they are definitely a healthier option.

Ingredients

To make this candied pecans recipe, you will need:

• Pecan halves: Pecans are a great source of protein, fiber, and healthy fats.
• Egg white: The egg white helps the sugar and spice stick to the nuts.
• Vanilla: Use pure vanilla extract rather than imitation if you can.
• Sugar: We use granulated sweetener for this recipe which caramelizes the pecans. For low-carb and Paleo options, you can use either Erythritol or Monkfruit sweetener.
• Cinnamon and salt: For that perfect sweet and salty flavor.

How to make candied pecans

• Preheat oven & prepare baking sheet. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Line a rimmed 18 by 13-inch baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Mix wet ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, vigorously whisk the egg white with water and vanilla until very frothy.
• Mix dry ingredients. In a separate small mixing bowl, whisk together sugar, cinnamon, and salt.
• Toss pecans with wet ingredients. Add pecans to the egg white mixture and toss until evenly coated.
• Toss pecans with dry ingredients. Pour sugar mixture over pecans and toss until evenly coated.
• Add pecans to the baking sheet. Spread out coated pecans onto a prepared baking sheet in a single layer.
• Bake until crispy. Bake in a preheated oven for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Allow to cool then store in an airtight container.

Can you use other nuts?

I’m a big fan of pecans, but you can absolutely use other nuts in this candied pecans recipe. Walnuts work great, and you can adapt the recipe to use almonds, cashews, or even peanuts. Just be sure to use unsalted nuts.

How to Store Candied Pecans?

Once the nuts are completely cooled, transfer them to an airtight container. They will keep for a week at room temperature and up to three weeks in the fridge.

You can also freeze the candied pecans for up to two months and thaw them at room temperature before enjoying.

How do you use them?

These candied nuts are great to serve by themselves as a bar type snack while enjoying some drinks. They are also great to decorate cakes and desserts, as a topping for ice cream or yogurt, or add candied pecans to salads for a bit of crunch, as in this Strawberry Spinach Salad. They are also great to serve on top of a sweet potato casserole!

Recipe Notes and Tips

• Feel free to use different seasonings. Swap the cinnamon for pumpkin pie spice or chai spice. Try adding a little cayenne if you like things spicy.
• Stir the candied nuts every 15 minutes when they are baking, this will help them to caramelize all over.
• Let the candied pecans cool completely before storing to allow the sugar glaze to harden.

More Easy Snack Recipes