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
I can’t make enough of these! Everywhere I take them they are gone so fast. Best and easiest recipe.
Tip: at the end of the Christmas season my grocery (Kroger) puts nuts in the shell dirt cheap and I buy up. Just pop them in the freezer til you want to shell a few.
Thank you for sharing, Vicky! I’m so glad you love this recipe.
I have tried other recipes and this is undoubtedly the best and also easiest. Now my go to recipe for candied pecans.
This was my introduction to Natasha and I see so many great recipes that suit my family’s taste. I’m grateful to have found it! Happy New Year 2023
Aww, that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me. I’m all smiles
These candied pecans are absolutely addictive and so delicious! They were super easy to make and didn’t call for many ingredients. This will definitely be a regular treat on our Christmas goodie platter.
Hi Leslie! They are so addictive. I’m glad you love them. Thank you for the review.
Excellent recipe! Pecan candies are the perfect snack or gift!! Yum!
Haven’t tried this recipe as yet but plan to. Wondering if there are any good suggestions as a substitute for the cinnamon?
Natasha…you are my go-to for so many recipes!
Thank you for the deliciousness and for your infectious, happy spirit! Thanks to to your film-maker and kiddos!
Aww, thank you, Doris! That blessed me.
I think that you could use another spice like nutmeg if you’d like.
These are so good and sooo easy! I have tried many ways of making candied pecans and THIS is the only way that has worked really well! Thank you Natasha!
I’m so glad to hear that, Faith! Thank you for sharing.
I only have a hand mixer and want to make the snowball cookies. Is it possible to make them?
Hi Jane! In my video for the almond snowball cookies I used an electric hand mixer and it worked great also.
Made these today. Used coconut sugar. That was the only change that I made. They turned out great. Thanks for another wonderful recipe.
That’s great, Ann! Thank you for sharing.
I have never made these before so I wasn’t sure what to expect. They were WAY too sweet for us. I really wish I made half the recipe to try them first.
Hi Janine, these are supposed to be candied nuts and we also don’t love things that are overly sweet and we found the taste and texture with the stated amount of sugar to be pleasant, but you may enjoy our Honey Roasted Almonds more.
If I want to half the sugar mixture, should I also reduce the egg mixture?
Hi Margie. I haven’t tested it to know how it turns out with those modifications. You’d have to experiment with it.
Thanks for replying. I’ll let you know how my experiment turns out. Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving!
To make these sugar free, can you substitute with monk fruit/ erythritol?
Hi Rita, I haven’t tested that to advise.
Hi Rita, I have made these for years for our Swedish Christmas celebration. I did try a sugar free option once for my diabetic Mom, they were good, but not the same. Mom loved them anyway! Can’t remember what sugar alternative I used, maybe Stevia? But I think the Monk Fruit would work well.
So delicious. I was looking for a candied pecan recipe that didn’t have too much cinnamon, I like cinnamon but I wanted the candied flavor to stand out more. I also like the use of white sugar better than brown, again I love brown sugar over white sugar normally, but for candied nuts it’s less dark and tastes better in my opinion than brown. Perfect recipe; I wouldn’t change a thing, thank you Natasha God bless you and your family !
I’m so glad you loved this recipe. Thank you, Monet! God bless.
So hard to get recipe about pecan sweet mix. Other adds keep coming up.
Hi Ida, since we don’t charge for our recipes, ads are the only way we are able to provide recipes free of charge. We found most people are ok with ads versus paying a subscription for the recipes.
These looks so yummy, can I use brown sugar instead? And if used mixture of nuts like pecan, walnut and almond, do they all have the same timing in the oven ?
Hi Sally, I honestly haven’t tried using brown sugar. I think it will work same with using other mixed nuts but you would have to experiment on the timing.
I am making these now and they were sooo easy! Added a pinch of cayenne powder and thinly slices about a tbsp of butter to put on top of pecans while baking. They are smelling and looking AMAZING
Easy recipes are my favorite! I’m so happy you enjoyed that!
These pecans are amazing, addictive and delish! Super easy too.
Aren’t they the best! I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Kim!
Hello and Happy New Year.
Should the pecans be roasted first, or can I use them right out of the bag?
Hi Arlene, they roast in the oven with the coating so there is no need to pre-roast them.
I made these tonight and what a sweet way to end 2021! They are DELICIOUS!!!!!!!!! They were so easy to make!! Thank your for sharing the recipe!!!!!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Carla!
Hi Natasha,
I made the candied pecans for Christmas gifts for our neighbors (and us) this year. They were delicious and I think it will be a staple from now on. Thank you for this easy recipe.
I am truly so happy to hear that. I am obsessed with these and it makes me so happy when someone else discovers these tasty candied pecans!
I had to make a quick dessert to take to a holiday party and these were a massive hit. They were fine before we even had supper. I make at least two or three of your recipes a week. Your amazing.
Hi Kari, good to hear that the recipe was a huge hit! Thanks for sharing that with us.
I just made this for family. They are amazing and my home smells so good. Super easy and taste delicious!
Aaw thank you for your good comments and feedback, Mildred. We appreciate it!