Homemade Candied Pecans are crunchy and with an irresistible cinnamon coating. These come together in about 5 minutes and the oven does the rest. Watch the video tutorial and see how easy it is to make your own praline pecans.
We love Candied nuts from our easy stovetop Candied Walnuts to Honey Roasted Almonds. If you love homemade treats (that are also perfect for gifting) this Candied Pecans recipe is a must-try!
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Candied Pecans Video Tutorial
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What are Praline Pecans?
I always called these candied pecans until I saw the storebought version labeled praline pecans. Praline refers to a crisp caramelized sugar candy. So Praline pecans are essentially candy-coated pecans. You’ll love the texture – it’s easy to chew and has just the right amount of crunch and munch that you’ll find it difficult to stop eating them. The combination of caramelized sugar with toasted nutty pecans is so good.
Ingredients for Candied Pecans
The ingredients for making praline pecans are simple and sweet. If you purchased the pecans, you probably already have everything else in your fridge and pantry.
- Sugar – caramelizes onto the nuts and adds sweetness
- Cinnamon – adds just the right amount of cozy spice and flavor
- Salt – balances the sweetness
- Egg white – combined with a little water, to adds moisture to help the cinnamon sugar adhere to the nuts.
- Vanilla extract – adds great taste and aroma to the nuts. We love using homemade vanilla extract.
How to Make Candied Pecans
- Combine cinnamon, sugar and salt in a small bowl.
- Whisk egg white, water and vanilla in a second large mixing bowl.
- Toss pecans with the egg white.
- Add cinnamon sugar to pecans and stir to coat.
- Spread pecans onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Bake at 250˚F in the center of the oven, stirring every 20 minutes.
Why is the Oven-Baked Method Best?
I’ve tried every version of these I could think of from the stovetop to the oven and even boiled them in syrup. I discovered this method from a youtube video by Alex of Sawyer Ridge Farm and it is hands down, the best way to make candied pecans.
Tossing them in an egg white and cinnamon-sugar mixture and baking at a low temperature for an hour caramelizes the sugar and makes them crisp but easy to chew. The texture is perfect and I love that they don’t get stuck to your teeth.
Pro Tip: lining your baking sheet with parchment paper makes cleanup a breeze and keeps the nuts from sticking to your baking sheet.
Common Questions
You can substitute with walnut halves instead. Just be sure to remove all shell fragments.
These are best in the oven. Stovetop pecans would be a very different recipe. For a stovetop version, check out our 5-minute Candied Walnuts recipe.
Yes! You can easily double or even triple the recipe if you have enough room in your oven. Make sure to rotate your trays every 20 minutes when you stir the nuts.
Make-Ahead
Once they have cooled down, transfer candied pecans to an airtight container and store them at room temperature for up to a week. I haven’t tested them beyond that.
These Candied Pecans are a real treat. My best advice is to portion it for yourself when you’re munching rather than opening an entire jar and working it down. I know firsthand how dangerous that can be. Ha!
How to Serve Candied Pecans
Candied pecans are great for munching and snacking, but we also love to put them to good use. Try these ideas:
- Gifting – put the nuts in a mason jar, or a clear gift bag, tie a ribbon on top and give the nuts away to your friends and neighbors.
- Salad topping – these are delicious on Beet Salad with Arugula, or Roasted Sweet Potato Salad.
- Dessert topping – these are lovely for decorating desserts or ice cream.
- Charcuterie board – adding these to a snack platter is always a good idea. They will disappear fast.
Candied Pecans Recipe (How to Make Praline Pecans)
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 egg white
- 2 tsp water
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 lb pecan halves, about 4 cups
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 250˚F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, stir together sugar, cinnamon and salt.
- In a second large mixing bowl, whisk egg white, water, and vanilla until frothy.
- Add pecans to egg white mixture and stir to coat.
- Add cinnamon and sugar mixture to the coated pecans and mix to combine.
- Spread nuts into a single layer on the parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes. Let cool to room temperature and enjoy.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
More Homemade Sweet Treats
- Cream Cheese Mints
- Toffee Recipe
- Sugared Cranberries
- Christmas Coconut Balls
- Candied Bacon Brittle
- Chocolate Covered Strawberries
- Chocolate Fudge
Hi Natasha. I made these and they were fabulous!! My old recipe called for one tsp of cinnamon. Yours has a wow factor with 2 tsp. Loved it. Does it matter if you use fine sea salt or kosher salt (course ground)? I cant remember which one I used.
Thanks!
I’m so glad you loved it! I used fine Ground Mineral Sea Salt in this recipe. I bet the other can work also.
Haven’t tasted yet, but I substituted the vanilla extract for homemade chocolate extract.
I been wanting a brownie pecan so I added grinded brownies to it.
Made them
Today for Christmas. Yummy love all your recipes.