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?
“I made these just as written and they are PERFECT!! I plan to make another batch to take on a car trip next weekend. I’ll need to pack them in the trunk so I don’t eat them all before I get there!”
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: Adds a savory balance to 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. Alternatively, 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; this stops the nuts from overcooking on the hot baking sheet.
When the nuts are completely cool, use your hands to break them apart. Transfer the nuts to a bowl and serve.
Make-Ahead & Storage Instructions
The nuts will keep nicely for a few weeks stored in an airtight container at room temperature. Feel free to store them in the refrigerator for a slightly longer shelf life.
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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Oh my goodness these are delicious and we really like the spiciness! I’ve made them several times and they are so easy and quick to make with the best flavor!!
I’ll have to try some of the other recipes in the blog soon.
Super easy recipe and tasty. Mine remained sticky even though I used 3tsp H2O instead of the 4. I also baked for the full 12 minutes. It was disappointing! I would use much more cayenne too as the kick was super mild
Jen, can we talk? You failed to address how seriously yummy these nuts are. I have just made 4 batches (thank you Costco for the big bags of pecans) and I’m having to beat my husband to keep him from eating all of them. I have made them for gift baskets which I’ll be giving to my neighbors along with others goodies. Thank you.
Wishing you and your family an abundance of health, happiness and prosperity in the year to come.
lol ❤️
I have a ton of marcona almonds left from a party. Would they work? I’d leave out the salt since they’re already really salty. Thx.
Hi John, the almonds will work here, but I think the recipe works best with pecans because of all the crevices they have. Hope that helps!
Can you use a mix of nuts or just the pecans? Just a comment. I hate your website because of all the embedded videos and ads. Scrolling doesn’t work well because they are always reloading. It is verry annoying.
Hi Lisa, You can use any mix of nuts here but I happen to like pecans best because they have lots of nooks and crannies for the candied coating to settle into. And regarding the ads, I do use an outside company to run them, and I have to constantly monitor to make sure that the site doesn’t get too ad-heavy. I wish I didn’t have to have any ads at all…it’s a balance between user experience and the high cost of running a site. Thank you for the feedback and I’m truly sorry for the frustration.
Oh me too on the never ending ads and videos as it does make trying to read Jen’s latest posts almost impossible. I also understand ads are part of keeping a website up and running but at the same time, it would be nice if there wasn’t sooooo many of them.
This is a keeper! My family loves the perfect combo of sweet and spicy.
Can you use a silicone mat rather than parchment paper?
Hi Diana, I haven’t made these using a silicone mat, but I suspect it should work. Hope you enjoy!
I used my silicone mat & it turned out fine ( but just had to bake them a few extra minutes.)
Good. Subtle flavor.
Just made two batches today and they’re exquisite! Added cinnamon to both, less cayenne for kids’ one, extra for adults. Baked 10 minutes. A little sticky until cooled completely to their crunchy perfection. These are my new sweet and spicy pecans. Thanks!
I loved these pecans — They are truly amazing. My husband isn’t into spicey so the next batch will not have the cayenne but will have cinnamon.
Thank you for this very easy recipe.
Delicious! I think these will be an entertaining and hostess gift giving staple because they are so easy too!
After trying many candied pecan recipes I finally found the one. No oil or butter so no greasy pecans, and really easy. Next time I might use 1 tsp less water to make sure the sugar doesn’t run off the nuts. Watch these like a hawk while baking and don’t take them out too soon or caramelization won’t be as good. I made 8 cups of these for a party and they disappeared. Poof.
These are amazing and oh so simple!
I substituted Swerve sugar replacement for the confectioners and added 1/4 tsp. cinnamon making them low carb/keto friendly.
Is it possible to use butter in place of the water?
Thank you for an excellent recipe : ))
Glad you like them! I haven’t tried these with butter, but I wouldn’t recommend it — sorry!