Candied Pecans
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This candied pecans recipe is an absolute must for the holidays! Sweet, salty, and crunchy nuts are perfect for serving with cocktails and appetizers, topping salads, or just snacking by the handful.
Photo by Alexandra Grablewski (Chronicle Books, 2018)
These sweet, spicy, and salty candied pecans are madly delicious. They’re perfect for serving with cocktails or just keeping on hand as a snack during the holidays. They also make a fabulous homemade gift, and the simple ingredients come together in just minutes. Pair them with a cheese board for a delightful pop of sweet flavor and crunch, or use them to jazz up roasted vegetables, salads, or grain bowls. They’re almost like candy but packed with protein, so you can totally justify grabbing a handful (or two!). The best part? You only need four ingredients and 15 minutes to make them. What are you waiting for?
What You’ll Need To Make Candied Pecans
- Confectioners’ sugar: Combined with water, it creates a syrupy glaze when baked, coating the pecans evenly and caramelizing the exterior. Do not substitute granulated sugar or brown sugar.
- Kosher salt: Balances the sweetness of the sugar.
- Cayenne pepper: Provides a subtle kick. While the candied nuts aren’t spicy at all, you can omit the cayenne or replace it with ground cinnamon if you prefer. If you want to up the heat, you can add a little more cayenne to the glaze mixture.
- Water: Mixed with the sugar and seasonings, helps create a syrupy consistency to coat the pecans evenly.
- Pecan Halves: Pecans make wonderful candied nuts because their crevices absorb the flavorful glaze during baking. While smooth nuts like almonds and cashews can work, walnuts make the best alternative to pecans.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and set an oven rack in the middle position. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Combine the Confectioners’ sugar, kosher salt, cayenne pepper, and 4 teaspoons of water in a medium bowl.
Whisk until combined.
Add the pecans to the sugar mixture and stir until evenly coated.
Place the nuts on a parchment lined baking sheet in a single layer.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the nuts are crusty on top and caramelized on the bottom. Slide the parchment off of the baking sheet onto a countertop to stops the nuts from cooking.
When the nuts are completely cool, use your hands to break them apart. Transfer the nuts to a bowl and serve.
The nuts will keep nicely for a few weeks stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
Video Tutorial
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Candied Pecans
This candied pecans recipe is an absolute must for the holidays! Sweet, salty, and crunchy nuts are perfect for serving with cocktails and appetizers, topping salads, or just snacking by the handful.
Ingredients
- ½ cup Confectioners' sugar
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 4 teaspoons water
- 2 cups pecans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the Confectioners' sugar, kosher salt, cayenne pepper, and water.
- Add the pecans to the sugar mixture and stir until the nuts are evenly coated.
- Transfer the pecans to the prepared baking sheet and arrange in a single layer. Do your best to make sure the nuts are evenly spread out (if they are clumped together, they won't cook evenly). Scrape out every last bit of glaze from the bowl and drizzle over the nuts. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the pecans are caramelized and the caramel on the baking sheet is a rich brown color but not burnt. (The nuts around the edges will darken first; watch closely so they don't burn.)
- Immediately slide the parchment off of the hot baking sheet and allow the pecans to cool completely on the countertop (this stops the cooking process and prevents the nuts from burning). Once cool, remove the pecans from the parchment, breaking apart any clusters if necessary, and store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
- Note: If the nuts are sticky after cooling, that means they are a bit undercooked. Pop them back in the oven for a few minutes and let cool again.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (8 servings)
- Serving size: 1/4 cup
- Calories: 217
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated fat: 2 g
- Carbohydrates: 11 g
- Sugar: 8 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Sodium: 178 mg
- Cholesterol: 0 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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Great receipe! So much easier than working with granular sugar and long low temps. Thanks!
My friend brought these over the other night. I asked her for the recipe. She sent the link. Have made several batches. Love love love these. I will be making these as gifts this Christmas.
This recipe is so easy to make and tastes great. I love to make these and package them up for my holiday baskets.
I’ve just made them to go with my mixed greens salad and they are the best recipe so far. So so easy, thank you.
Oh I really didn’t need to stumble upon this recipe and find out these nuts existed. Just finished making a batch, except next time I’ll use confectioners sugar ( I only had light brown sugar on hand). These barely had time to cool off before kids and husband came in kitchen to see what smelled so good. They are absolutely the easiest, tastiest “snicky-snack” as my Grammy would say, ever.
Jenn thinks these might last a week: I think that would be if you were anywhere near them and nibbling away!
I made these weeks before Christmas, put them in sterile jars as gifts, stored them in the fridge and have never had so many compliments or requests for a recipe before. So, in my opinion these are a very good make ahead gift idea. (And if you are worried, make a jar for you to test. Worst case scenario, you would have to eat them all yourself…)
OH MY Goodness… these pecans are absolutely delish!!!! I’ve made them before but with egg whites and sugar… nope, not hardly as good as this recipe. #yum#thnx
Must stop eating these. Made a similar recipe a few years ago involving egg whites. This was better tasting & easier. Love this recipe.
I couldn’t find the recipe I made last year at Christmas time AND am so glad I didn’t. BECAUSE these are so much BETTER & EASIER! I doubled everything except I used 1/2 tsp cayenne & 1/2 teaspoon apple pie spice. It wraps so many classic holiday flavors into one amazing treat! The cayenne keeps me from eating “too many” and satisfies my sweet/savory craving at the same time. They also fill your home with a wonderful festive aroma! I’ll be back to try some more of your other recipes soon. Thank you for blessing others with your talents! Happy 2017 to all!
Perfect and reliable recipe. I baked them 14 minutes and they were crispy and lovely. I made the glaze before adding the nuts though (water first) as it avoided getting white sugar spots in the crevices of the nuts. A small detail really- these are fabulous!