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?
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: Balances 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. 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 to stops the nuts from cooking.
When the nuts are completely cool, use your hands to break them apart. Transfer the nuts to a bowl and serve.
The nuts will keep nicely for a few weeks stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
Video Tutorial
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Candied Pecans
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 (175°C) 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.
Notes
Nutrition Information
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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Perfect New Year’s Eve snack – easy to make, and a great result – yum!
I have made many times but misread the recipe this time and added 4T of water instead of 4t, to try and salvage the pecans I added additional sugar and nuts, I also baked longer (20-25 min)and they did not burn, so for those who have indicated they baked longer but nuts did not burn, it could be excess water? I was trying to see if I could find a solution for my error, they still turned out but had a little bit of stickiness.They taste fine and did not want to throw out!
I am always amazed at how quickly these disappear when guests are over, they just vanish by the time you return to the platter for more! Perfect blend of slightly burnt toffee with spice and crunch, and such a quick and easy recipe to make. Thanks again Jenn, best cooking blog ever!
This is by far the best and easiest recipe ever! If you’re looking for a quick last minute gift (it’s the night before Christmas Eve and I’m too tired to make cookies) make these!
I’ve made this recipe 3 times and they are delicious! They’re so quick and easy I started experimenting with different spices- I used a tiny bit of cayenne and added nutmeg, cinnamon and rum extract for an eggnog flavored pecan. Then I added orange extract, orange zest and vanilla. These are amazing!
Hi Jenn! I’m making snack boards for Xmas this year and was planning on making these pecans, your roasted chickpeas, maple sesame kale and the bacon recipe. I will be bringing them to Christmas and to a party the following day. How far in advance can I make everything? Thanks for all!
Hi Kara, the pecans will keep nicely for a week, the kale chips for 2 to 3 days in an airtight container (make sure they’re totally cooled before you put them in a container), the bacon can be made up to a day ahead and refrigerate, but they will lose their crispy texture, and the chickpeas can be made up to 10 days ahead (see the make-ahead instructions for reheating them). Hope that helps and that everyone enjoys!
I decided to try these after all the good reviews, they looked easy enough. They came out sticky, so I put them back in the oven, for a total of 20 minutues! Never burned nor did they get hard. I left them out all night to see if they would harden, never did, so I’m gonna turn my oven up to 400 and try it again. Maybe my oven is not reaching the correct temputure? Pecans aren’t cheap so if this doesn’t work it was a total waste of money.
Hi Cynthia, Sorry you had a problem with these! I suspect there’s a problem with your oven temperature because these definitely should have gotten burnt if they were in your oven for 20 minutes. Here are some tips for checking to see if your oven temp is accurate.
I found when baking bread/pizza that temp was so important. I invested in an oven thermometer and found that it takes a good 30 minutes for my oven to truly get to temp. If I just went by the oven display/alert it was consistently 50-75 degrees cooler than expected when the alert signaled ready. Make sure you are at the right temp before the food goes in.
Something must be wrong with your oven!
20 extra minutes at 350’? Cookies would burn!
Try putting them in the fridge. It worked for me when my first batch was a little sticky. Hardened the pecans right up.
These are so easy we love them, I make these for my husbands coworkers and they request every year. I put them on a simple salad field greens, apple a little red onion blue cheese and a simple dressing.
Jenn, about how long do you let these cool for before removing from the parchment paper?
Hi Liz, I’d let them cool completely. Hope you enjoy!
Pecans were AWESOME✨‼ Packed ’em up & shared at a post-hike tailgate with about 15 friends where I heard “who made these; they’re amazing!” Between Candied Pecans & Matzo Crack (which I also brought along) – wow, soooo many compliments! Thanks Jenn! 👏
Absolutely wonderful. Adjust the heat for those with a sensitive palate or use cinnamon as an alternative. Easy and delicious!
I made these today and they turned out perfect, my hubby said they were moorish( English saying🇬🇧 Which means you can’t stop eating them).
Tried to post a photo, but they look just like your picture.
I have been looking for a recipe that gave you a nice glossy look and not the one of crystallized sugar. I was hoping they would turn out as pictured and they did. Absolutely the best. Quick and so tasty. This recipe is a definite 5 star keeper.