My Easy Candied Pecans Recipe is the perfect sweet and salty snack, gift, or salad topper! These are quick to make and the perfect garnish for sweet and savory dishes!
This is the BEST Candied Pecan Recipe Ever!
Actually, not only are these candied pecans the best, but they are incredibly easy to make. Today I am going to share all my favorite ways to enjoy these glazed pecans…because there are many! This is an easy recipe that I have been making for years, and I’m not sure what took me so long to share. I use pecans a lot in my recipes like this Pecan Pie Cheesecake, Caramel Pecan Coffee Cake, and of course my Pecan Pie Recipe.
Every time I go to Trader Joe’s I pick up a pack of their Pecan Pralines (I think that’s what they’re called) because they are omg so delicious. If you haven’t tried them, you NEED to. But what I realized, is that candied pecans are incredibly easy to make, and let’s face it, nothing is better than warm, sweet and salty nuts right out of the oven.
How To Make Candied Pecans
Glazed or candied nuts of any sort are really easy to make. I have a fantastic Glazed Macadamia Nut Recipe here on my site that is RIDICULOUSLY good. But these Candied Pecans take two steps…one in the skillet and then a few minutes in the oven.
The oven portion of the recipe is solely to crisp up the pecans. You can skip this step if you want to, but when the sugary coating gets crunchy it’s the BEST!
- You toast the pecans lightly in some butter in a large skillet, this brings out the natural flavors!
- Next you add in some brown sugar and stir constantly until it melts and starts to caramelize.
- Toss in some cinnamon, salt, and water too. You can skip the cinnamon if you want, but definitely don’t skip the salt. You can use kosher or sea salt. OR if you’re sensitive to salt you can wait until the end and salt them to taste when they come out of the oven.
- Don’t forget the vanilla. Add in some vanilla before you out them in the oven for another layer of flavor!
- Spread them on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake them for just a few minutes until the are lightly crisp and a little toasty. It will only take a few minutes.
What Else Can You Add To Homemade Candied Pecans?
You can switch up the flavor profile of these glazed nuts easily! Here are a few things to add:
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika to make them sweet and savory
- 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper to give them a little heat
- 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin spice to make them a seasonal treat
- 1 teaspoon orange zest for a citrus kick
What Can You Use Candied Pecans On?
Candied nuts are super versatile!
- You can simply use them as a snack, or as a salad topper!
- You can easily chop them up and use them in your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe!
- You can use them as a garnish on a carrot cake.
- Chop them up and sprinkle them on your favorite chicken recipe!
I hope you enjoy these Candied Pecans as much as we do in my house! Give them a try!
PrintCandied Pecans
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Prep Time: 5 minutes -
Cook Time: 15 minutes
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Total Time: 20 minutes
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Yield: 3 cups 1x
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Category: Nuts
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Method: Baking
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Cuisine: Snack
Prep Time:
Yield:
Category:
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Print Recipe
PinDescription:
These Candied Pecans are the perfect sweet and salty snack. They’re great on their own, on salads, in cookies, or as a garnish to your favorite chicken dish!
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 3 cups pecan halves
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt or sea salt
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add in the pecans and stir continuously for 3 minutes, to lightly toast the pecans.
- Add in the brown sugar, and stir for an additional 2 minutes to melt the sugar.
- Stir in the cinnamon and salt, and add the water.
- Cook, stir continuously, until the water is evaporated, 1-2 minutes.
- Add in the vanilla and stir to coat.
- Remove from the heat and spread evenly on the baking sheet.
- Bake for 5-7 minutes, until fragrant and lightly crisp.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool completely on the baking sheet.
Notes:
Store airtight at room temperature for up to 7 days
Nutrition Information:
Keywords: glazed pecans, pecans, cookies and cups, glazed nuts, praline, pecan praline, candied pecans, candied nuts
Hi! I’m Shelly and I’m an addict. Of the buttercream sort. I started this site a few years ago as a way to justify my sugary, buttery obsession with desserts. It has worked out well for me so far, because as it turns out you guys all love sugary, buttery desserts too! It feels good to know you're not alone, doesn’t it?
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Great recipe! Tried another one that only required pecans in the pan, but they were crystalized and clumpy. Adding the water towards the end worked well to coat everything evenly and then into the oven.
★★★★★
Did the recipe to a T but runny no crunchy.
★
Easiest and best recipe for candied pecans. Delicious!
★★★★★
Sorry…not happy with the results. They tasted fine but did not crisp up at all! So disappointed!
★★
Really tasty but soft and not crisp at all. 🙁
I have made 3 batches of these to use in small Christmas packages for my co-workers. All 3 turned out great just as the recipe read! My husband loved th too! I will be making these again!
★★★★★
Would these be good to make then put in my Pecan pie that I’m making?
Pecan Pie is super sweet as it is, I don’t think you need to take this extra step!
I tried another recipe (which was a disaster) before finding this gem. At first I thought they looked gooey and cooked them longer than the 7 minutes, but those were overdone. Just cook them in a pre-heated oven for 7 minutes and they turn out perfect every time. They were such a hit, that I have been making them twice a week. Need to make a bigger batch next time 🙂
★★★★★
I just finished making the recipe and followed it exactly other than cutting a little back on the salt that someone posted and it really need what the recipe said. I like a hard crunch nut. These came out on the soft side. I had them in the oven for 7 minutes ,but I think even if I left them longer they wouldn’t be the candid crunch I enjoy. Taste was good but no crunch.
★★★★
I finally found the Candied Pecan recipe I’d been looking for! After making several disappointing batches using other recipes that started with coating your pecans in whipped egg whites I knew there had to be a recipe floating around that would produce the results I was seeking and this one did exactly that. Super easy-to-follow instructions with simple ingredients leading to a buttery, deliciously crisp, lightly coated, perfectly balanced sweet-n-salty pecan that I can actually still taste rather than a hard pecan-shaped ball of sugar. Thanks for sharing your recipe!
★★★★★
Way too salty and moist. waste of a lot of pecans
Sorry you found these too salty! 1 teaspoon of salt for 3 cups of nuts isn’t a lot, but certainly you can cut it back if you’re sensitive. Also if you found the nuts not crispy enough, simply bake them a little longer 🙂
Perfect! I had my heat set on the low side of medium, so it took an extra minute or two for the brown sugar to melt. The patience paid off! These are fantastic. Perfectly crunchy. I put them in the oven for five minutes, stirred them around on the pan and popped them back in for the additional two minutes. They are not overly sweet, but I like it that way! This would definitely be fantastic with a pinch of cayenne in the salt/cinnamon mix
★★★★★
I’m sure this recipe would have turned out fine if I had not used already toasted pecans. Because they were already toasted I skipped the toasting in butter stage. I also think I may have burned the brown sugar a little. Not sure because the pan is black. I too used the Truvia Brown Sugar blend. I toasted them for 6 mins but they were very gooey. So I put them back in the oven for another 5 mins. They got better but a little overdone. Not burned but almost. I feel this is a good recipe but the problem… Read more »
Delicious recipe but I think it could stand a bit more sugar. Increasing it to 2/3 cup instead of the recipe’s 1/2 cup should help. And I used the Splenda Brown sugar blend because my husband is diabetic. I have to use half of the recommended sugar when using the Splenda brown sugar. But I didn’t have any trouble following the recipe and the results were a sheet of beautiful coated pecans. Going to play around with a cinnamon and cayenne combo next time as well. Excited about Christmas gifts this year!
★★★★
Amazingly simple recipe! They taste incredible. I sprinkled some more sea salt while they were cooling, best snack ever 😉