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These candied pecans are equal parts sweet, crunchy, delicious, and addicting. Plus, they’re super easy to make!
Easy Candied Pecans
Warning: these candied pecans are ADDICTING! They’re crunchy, perfectly sweetened and spiced, and really, really delicious. Enjoy them on top of a salad (like this winter salad with goat cheese and pears) or by the handful – they’re great either way!
What are candied pecans?
Candied pecans are, essentially, pecans coated in a mixture of sugar and spices and baked until roasty, toasty, and irresistible.
Ingredients
This is a pretty simple list! Here’s everything you’ll need:
- 1 pound of pecan halves
- 1 cup of brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon of sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon of cayenne
- 1 egg white
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon of water
How to Make Candied Pecans
- Prep – preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper (if desired).
- Combine the ingredients – add the brown sugar, cinnamon, sea salt, cayenne, egg white, vanilla extract, and water in a bowl and stir until combined.
- Add the pecans – add the pecans to the bowl with the brown sugar mixture and stir until all of the pecans are fully coated.
- Bake – transfer the pecans to a sheet pan, spread them out, and bake them at 350°F for 20 minutes. They will start to puff up while baking, then deflate. This is when you’ll know they’re done!
- Let cool – once the pecans are out of the oven, let them cool completely (this is important!) so that they’ll harden.
- Enjoy!
Candied Pecan Variations
This recipe is delish as is, but if you want to change things up, go for it! Here are a few ideas that would be really yummy:
- Use a different nut – use this recipe with any nut that you love! Cashews would be amazing here.
- Ditch the cayenne – the cayenne pepper is a really nice subtle contrast to the brown sugar, but if you’re sensitive to spice, feel free to skip it!
- Level up the spice – if you LOVE spice and want to kick things up a notch, add more cayenne pepper.
- Use a different extract – try swapping the vanilla extract for orange extract!
- Change up the spices – swap the cinnamon and cayenne for apple pie or pumpkin pie spice blends – yum!
Candied Pecan FAQs
I’m glad you asked! Candied pecans are delicious as a party snack (pour them in a bowl and let people grab as they’d like) or as a topper to a fall-inspired salad or cinnamon roasted butternut squash!
They aren’t. They have really similar flavor profiles, but glazed pecans usually include corn syrup while candied pecans include an egg white, both of which are responsible for the crunchy coating!
Store your candied pecans in an airtight container (a mason jar works great!) on the counter. Stored this way, they’ll be good for up to 2 weeks!
You can! Simply let them cool completely, then transfer them to an airtight container to freeze for up to 3 months.
They aren’t. Candied pecans are coated with egg white, sugar, and spices, and pralines are more of a caramel candy with pecans folded in.
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Appetizers & Snacks
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Ingredients
- 1 pound pecan halves
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg white
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper (if desired).
- Add the brown sugar, cinnamon, sea salt, cayenne, egg white, vanilla extract, and water to a bowl and stir until combined.
- Add the pecans to the bowl with the brown sugar mixture and stir until all of the pecans are fully coated.
- Transfer the pecans to a sheet pan, spread them out, and bake them at 350°F for 20 minutes. They will start to puff up while baking, then deflate. This is when you'll know they're done!
- Once the pecans are out of the oven, let them cool completely (this is important!) so that they'll harden.
- Enjoy!
Joyce says
Did not make, but wondering if I can use coconut sugar?
Melissa Guevara says
Sure! You can substitute coconut sugar at a 1:1 ratio. -Team FF