Crispy, crunchy and salty-sweet, these candied pecans are always a hit. Wrap them up for gifts, enjoy by themselves or throw on top of salads and side dishes.
I love these candied pecans. Thanks to the oven, the pecans become light and crisp with a sweet and salty candy coating. Our recipe is pretty simple, but it can easily be adjusted to accommodate different spices, more or less heat, and other nuts. Check the suggested variations section below for some inspiration.
There are two ways we like to make candied nuts: in the oven (like this recipe) and on the stovetop (like in this stovetop recipe). We love both recipes, but oven-baked candied nuts are my favorite. If you are short on time, the stovetop method is perfect. It takes less than 10 minutes. (The stovetop recipe is also egg-free.)
How to Make Candied Pecans in the Oven
If you can mix a few ingredients together and slide a baking sheet in the oven then you can make these easy candied pecans. The hands-on time for this recipe is short! Here’s the basic process, the detailed recipe is below.
- Make flavored sugar by rubbing sugar with a mixture of spices, vanilla extract and orange zest. Orange zest is optional, but it adds a lovely aroma to the nuts.
- Beat an egg white with a fork. This is what helps the flavored sugar adhere to the nuts. It also helps to create a light and crispy candied coating. When I first made candied pecans, I was skeptical of the egg white, but after trying it, I became convinced. I love the texture it adds.
- Combine the nuts, egg white and sugar mixture.
- Spread the nuts onto a baking sheet, making sure that they are in one layer.
- Bake, stirring occasionally, until the nuts are crisp.
Storing Candied Pecans
Candied pecans last a while when stored in an airtight container. Leave them at room temperature up to a week, in the fridge for a few weeks and in the freezer for a month, maybe more.
Possible Variations
Use different spices: We call for cinnamon in the recipe below, but many spices will work. Think about other warm spices like cardamom, ginger, nutmeg, allspice and even apple pie or pumpkin pie spice blends.
Reduce or increase the heat: I love a hint of heat from cayenne, but you can decrease or increase it as you like. You could also try different forms of heat like chipotle powder, dashes of hot sauce and red pepper flakes.
Use different nuts: This is a candied pecans recipe, but that shouldn’t stop you from swapping the pecans for other nuts. Walnuts, cashews and hazelnuts are all excellent options. Or try a nut mix!
Eggless / Vegan: Try our stovetop method for making candied pecans. That recipe does not call for any egg white.
More Easy Recipes
- Stovetop Candied Pecans (Less than 10 minutes)
- Creamy Apple Salad with Fennel (Candied pecans are amazing adding to this salad)
- Fluffy Pumpkin Pancakes with Butter Pecan Syrup
- Warm Apple Cabbage Salad with Pecans
Crisp and Crunchy Candied Pecans
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
Crispy, crunchy and salty-sweet, these candied pecans are always a hit. Wrap them up for gifts, enjoy by themselves or throw on top of salads and side dishes.
You Will Need
2/3 cup (133 grams) sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, see notes
4 teaspoons orange zest, optional
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg white, beaten
2 teaspoons water
4 cups (12 ounces) pecan halves
Directions
1Heat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
2Add sugar, cinnamon, salt, orange zest, and the vanilla to a medium bowl. Use your fingers to rub the spices and cinnamon into the sugar.
3In a small bowl, lightly beat egg white with the water, and then stir into the sugar mixture. Add the nuts and stir until they are well coated.
4Spread the pecans into one layer on the baking sheet. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes and spreading back into one layer. Allow the nuts to cool completely before breaking apart.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Salt: 3/4 teaspoon of fine sea salt makes these taste salty-sweet. If you’d prefer to not taste the salt, reduce to 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
- Vegan / Egg-free version: Try our stovetop candied pecans recipe that does not call for egg white.
- Nutrition facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA database to calculate approximate values.
If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #inspiredtaste — We love to see your creations on Instagram and Facebook! Find us: @inspiredtaste
You May Also Like...
I can’t believe every once in awhile my friends give me pecans or walnuts from their pantry that they got too many of so I’ve been giving them away. Took my friend that babe. I had bag of pecans and two bags of walnuts I decided hey why don’t I try glazed because I love glazed nuts. I made this recipe it was absolutely delicious. I can’t stop eating them
These candid pecans turned out Great. I Used brown sugar instead of white sugar. The only problem that I had was, you said serving size quarter cup when I started eating them my serving size was 2 cups.lol
Made these pecans to add to homemade ice cream and I could not stop eating them. Might not make it to the ice cream. They are fantastic.
Delicious! Very easy to make!
These candied pecans were so easy and wonderfully yummy. I can’t figure out why they are so expensive and hard to find! I have been only able to find them at the Fair or special events for big money, (they weren’t always very fresh either). So thank you for sharing! I will make it a new family recipe!!!
Can I make the candied pecans now and sav/store for Christmas? Best way to store. Thanks🤗
Yes, Candied pecans last a while when stored in an airtight container. Leave them at room temperature up to a week, in the fridge for a few weeks and in the freezer for a month, maybe more. Happy Holidays 🙂
Just made a batch of these nuts to give as gifts to coworkers. Very easy recipe and the nuts are delicious!