Easy Candied Pecans are tasty holiday snacks and edible Christmas gifts. Crunchy pecans roasted in a cinnamon vanilla caramel. Great ice cream toppings too!
During the holidays, Slow Cooker Candied Pecans are a must have Snack Recipe for parties, Christmas gifts, and baking!
EASY CANDIED PECANS
Why add plain nuts to Brownies or Banana Bread when you could make them with these sweet and addicting candy-coated pecans instead? This step-by-step recipe for Candied Pecans is great to have for making desserts and baked goods next level delicious. You can make a little batch for snacking or store a bunch for year-round baking!
Slow roasted Candied Pecans fill your kitchen and your home with the most mouthwatering holiday aromas. With just a few ingredients from the pantry, these candy coated pecans are ready for the oven in minutes and done in just about an hour. Give them time to cool before you dig in or top Vanilla Ice Cream with hot pecans halves for a melty, gooey nutty treat.
This easy recipe for Candied Pecans is the perfect amount of sweet caramel with a hint of cinnamon. The pecans halves stay crunchy in the sticky sweet coating that hardens like a toffee candy as they cool. Let your pecans cool flat on parchment lined baking sheet before storing so they don’t stick together.
You can easily make these Candied Pecans in bulk for holiday gifts or freeze for baking recipes all year long. Once they have cooled, you can store them at room temperature or in the refrigerator for weeks, or freeze them for up to a year! Keep them cool so that the sugared coating doesn’t melt. You can enjoy them frozen or bring to room temperature before using in baked goods like Cookies.
Candied Pecans aren’t just for desserts and holiday gifts! The sweet and savory flavor of this pecan recipe goes great as a salad topping. Use Candied Pecans in place of walnuts in Waldorf Salad or top a fresh green salad with these candy coated nuts instead of croutons.
RECIPES YOU CAN USE CANDIED PECANS IN
Pecan Pie Muffins
Brown Sugar Pecan Pound Cake
See’s Bordeaux Pecan Fudge (Copycat)
Banana Coffee Cake
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Swap out the pecans and make Candied Almonds, Candied Cashews, Candied Walnuts, or use mixed nuts for Assorted Candied Nuts. You can use raw nuts or cut out the salt in this recipe and use roasted salted nuts.
Instead of cinnamon, try Pumpkin Pie Spice, nutmeg, or cardamom. You could make sweet and spicy Candied Pecans with cayenne pepper, sriracha, cracked peppercorns, or ginger powder.
Add flavoring like orange zest or lemon zest. Swap the vanilla extract with almond extract or cherry extract, or add a bit of bourbon with the vanilla.
Use lavender flavored sugar for an extra fancy Candied Pecans recipe. Sift 1 teaspoon ground culinary lavender into ⅓ cup granulated sugar, then make recipe as usual with the lavender sugar mixture.
Swap out the white sugar or brown sugar in this Candied Pecans recipe with sweeteners like honey, maple syrup, or a low-carb sweetener. You can fully swap sugar or just add a tablespoon maple syrup or honey for flavoring.
Make a pre-mixed topping that’s better and cheaper than any store bought mix. Combine 1 cup chopped Candied Pecans with ½ cup dried cranberries and store in an airtight container in the fridge for weeks. Use on salads, ice cream, or oatmeal.
Instant Pot Candied Pecans
- Turn Instant Pot to Sauté function and add butter and sugars. Stir until sugars dissolve.
- Add salt, cinnamon, vanilla, and pecans. Cook until pecans are slightly tender, 5-10 minutes.
- Turn pot off and stir in ½ cup water.
- Close lid, seal pressure valve, and set to Manual High Pressure for 10 minutes.
- While nuts are cooking, preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Once Instant Pot timer goes off, quick release pressure.
- Spread nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, pour any extra coating over pecans.
- Bake in oven for 5 minutes, flip and bake for 5 more minutes. Cool completely.
MORE HOLIDAY SNACK RECIPES
Pecan Tassies
White Chocolate Fruit and Nut Clusters
Chocolate Raisin Clusters
Classic Peanut Brittle
HOW TO STORE CANDIED PECANS
- Serve: Let Candied Pecans cool before serving as the sugar coating can be very hot. Keep at room temperature, in a cool dry place, for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container.
- Store: Store Candied Pecans in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month. Let them cool before storing so they don’t stick together.
- Freeze: Freeze Candied Pecans in a single layer on the baking sheet for one hour. Transfer to a sealed container or freezer-safe storage bag and freeze for up to 1 year. Use and eat frozen or bring to room temperature first.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup brown sugar , packed
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 large egg white
- 1 pound pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil.
- In a large bowl whisk together sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and vanilla extract.
- Whisk egg white until frothy, about 1 minute.
- Toss pecans in egg white, then remove with slotted spoon and add to the sugar mixture.
- Spread pecans over a single layer in your baking sheet.
- Bake, stirring every 10 minutes, for 45-50 minutes until the nuts are dried and no longer sticky.
Nutrition
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