These straightforward, oven-baked candied pecans are the salty, sweet snack you need in your life right now. Reliable for snacking, tossing into salads, or gifting to others, these baked nuts can do it all! With just a few simple ingredients you can quickly whip up a batch of these pecans in no time.

What could be better than a salty and sweet snack? How about one with minimal prep time, pantry staple ingredients, and endless uses?

These candied pecans are extremely worthy of sharing, in fact, we urge you to make these immediately. Put them on the appetizer and desserts tables for Thanksgiving, throw them in your salad, put them in jars for Christmas gifts, eat them by the handful… just make sure you have a good hiding place for them because once you start eating them, you won’t be able to stop!

Storing + Shelf-Life

Counter: Your candied pecans will last up to 2 weeks at room temperature in an airtight container.
Gifting: Place some of the pecans in a cellophane treat bag or glass jar, label it and share with loved ones.
Fridge: To keep the pecans longer, store in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks in an airtight container.
Freezer: In a freezer-safe container, these will stay fresh for 2 months in the freezer.

Ways to serve it

We love going after a bowl of these pecans for a sweet snack as well as gifting them at the holidays for others. Some other ways you can use these candied pecans are:

Use them to top our signature salad.
Swap these in for the plain pecans in this shaved Brussels sprout salad.
Garnish a rich carrot cake with sweet candied pecans.
Chop them up and mix them into your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe!

Common questions

Are pecan pralines the same as candied pecans?

While both are made with pecans and are sinfully rich, pecan pralines and candied pecans are slightly different. Pralines are coated in a melt-in-your-mouth caramel mixture while candied pecans are baked into a brittle cinnamon-sugar coating.

Why are our candied nuts sticky?

One of the main reasons your pecans might still be sticky after baking is that the sugar didn’t fully cook. Pop the tray back in the oven until they are more crispy, about 5-10 minutes.

Pecan Recipes You’ll Love:

Watch the Recipe Video:

Sinfully rich, these candied pecans are the reliable salty and sweet treat! Seven ingredients, minimal prep time, and endless uses, these oven-baked nuts are sure to be a hit!

Photography by Dee Frances

Cinnamon-Sugar Candied Pecans

Yield: 12 servings (1 pound candied pecans)
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 1 hour
Total: 1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup ( 200 g ) granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
2 egg whites
2 tablespoons water
½ teaspoon ( 0.5 teaspoon ) vanilla extract
1 pound ( 453.59 g ) pecan halves

Method

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
In a large zip-top bag, combine the sugar, cinnamon and salt; set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the egg whites, water and vanilla extract. Add the pecans to the bowl and stir them into the egg white mixture with a rubber spatula, making sure they are all moistened. Using a slotted spoon, remove the pecans from the egg white mixture and drop them into the bag with the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Once all of the pecans are added, seal the bag, and shake it to coat all of the pecans.
Using a clean slotted spoon, remove the pecans from the bag and place onto the prepared baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 1 hour, stirring them every 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature. The pecans can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

Notes

Nuts: This recipe can be made with a variety of nuts; try it with walnuts, almonds, cashews, or a mix of your favorites.

Spices: Other spices like nutmeg, ginger, cardamom, clove, a pinch of cayenne, apple pie spice, or even pumpkin spice would be rich on these candied nuts!

Storage: Candied pecans will last up to two weeks at room temperature in an airtight container and up to 1 month in the refrigerator.

Gifting: Place some of the pecans in a cellophane treat bag or glass jar, label it and share with loved ones.

Freezer: You can store the pecans in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.

Photography by Dee Frances