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
Excellent, I used these for making stuffed dates. It was a big hit at a holiday party.
Oh my goodness, these are so incredibly easy and delicious. Perfection.
OMG, I awoke during the night & found my hubby “sleep eating” these absolutely delicious nuts!!! Until you published yours, I had a decent recipe, but this one blows mine out of the water! I know I’m going to have to make 3 batches for a single event from now on! Thank you for this!!!!
It sounds like you found a new favorite, DeEtte! I’m so happy it was a hit!
Have an egg allergy…what’s a good substitute for the egg white in this recipe?
Hi Sharon! To be honest, I haven’t tried an alternative and don’t know what would be best. I read online that you could consider making a cornstarch slurry with 1 tablespoon water and 1 teaspoon cornstarch. You could alternatively toss in some honey or maple syrup to make the sugar adhere but it won’t have that shiny, crisp layering.
Another recommendation was to use Aquafaba, which is liquid from a can of chickpeas. 3 tablespoons aquafaba = 1 egg white. This was the closest match per my online research. Let us know if you test anything and if it works well.
Hands down the best candied pecan or candied any type of nuts recipe! I have yet to find a single disappointing recipe from you over the years. Thank you so much!!!
Hi Callie! Thanks so much for the feedback. So happy you loved these and are loving the recipes!
I have used this exact method with a few tweaks for over 2 decades. In addition to the cinnamon, I may add ground ginger, allspice, cardamom, nutmeg, even grated orange peel. For my nuts, I will frequently include walnuts and whole almonds in addition to the pecans. Treat bags of this heavenly concoction are always met with big smiles and requests for the recipe! This method truly is the very best way to do it.
The recipe is so easy. I used pecans and almonds. I also added some ground cloves and nutmeg. They came out incredible.
That’s so great, Jill! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
I love this recipe! Can you freeze them?
Hi Jamie, I haven’t tried freezing this to advise. if you do an experiment, please share with us how it goes.
An absolutely delicious recipe and super easy. Family and friend favorite. My new holiday go to. Thank you
I make these every year for the holidays with pecans and cashews. I’ve always done half white sugar, half light brown based on my old recipe. This is the first time I used only white sugar and they turned out so much better! While brown sugar adds flavor, it has more moisture so most of it will end up on your tray. Pecans were 🔥, and cashews turned out really good too. I always struggled to get them nicely coated, the brown sugar coating slid right off. I’ll only use white sugar from now on! This recipe is perfect! Thank you Natasha. 👏👏
Thank you so much for the wonderful recipe. I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Can I use pecan pieces and if so, what adjustments are needed in baking time/
Thank you!
I imagine that will work just fine too! cook more quickly than whole pecans, so you’ll want to check them a bit earlier. They might finish a bit early like around 20m minutes, or you might need a bit more time.
Do you think this will work with honey as a substitute for sugar?
Hi Kelly! I’m not sure. The sugar crystallizes and creates a crunchy bite. I don’t think the honey will, they may just remain sticky and be messy to eat.
Can you use almonds instead?, just got an overload of them.
Hi Jacqui! Yes, you can use a variety of nuts for this.
I know this isn’t a comment, but I’m wondering, do I just by raw pecans to make this? Maybe a dumb question, but I just want to make sure I make these correct, I’m bringing these for Christmas, thanks Natasha
Hi there no worries! Yes, you will use raw pecans. Hope you enjoy!
Can you add nutmeg & clove to the cinnamon? Wondering if that would be overpowering or not.
Hi Jimmy, I think that you could use another spice like nutmeg if you’d like. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
I use a whole tbsp of cinnamon and also a tsp of cardamom. #epic
Questions: Many comments talk about the cayenne. I don’t see that in the recipe?
Also, what is a “lagging mixing bowl?”
Tasted great. But I can see where brown sugar would make a big difference in the depth & richness of the flavor.
Natasha’s Kitchen is my go to source when looking for a scrumptious recipe!
Hi Dava, that was a typo – it’s supposed to say large mixing bowl. fixed! Also we used cayenne pepper in the pecans in my cookbook which are quite a bit different than the candied pecans in this recipe.
I have made these at least two dozen times. They are phenomenal! I highly highly recommend substituting 25% of the sugar with light brown sugar instead. I also use cane sugar instead of white sugar and I have found that this modification gives the pecans so much more depth, and the brown sugar helps the sugar caramelize better. I find that when I don’t use brown sugar, a lot of the sugar falls off when I remove them from the baking sheet, but that doesn’t happen as much when you use brown sugar. People go crazy over these and it’s super easy to make with kids. This is definitely an example of low effort, high results if you are looking to impress people because they seem very complicated, but they definitely are not. Highly recommend!!! Thank you, Natasha for such an amazing recipe. I always make sure to use really good vanilla and I get both sugars and the pecans at Costco. One bag is the entire recipe so if you want to double or triple the recipe, you can just buy one bag per batch. Try these out if you haven’t already!
Thank you so much for sharing that with us, Suzanne! It’s very helpful to know it worked well for you.
I’m trying your candied pecan recipe. Looks easy and I’m excited to see end results. I’ve tried walnuts done on stove not as easy as this recipe looks!
I hope you love it!
I followed the recipe as written except, I used pecans, walnuts and cashews. I held back on the cayenne in fearof them being too spicy. Next time I will add more cayenne and more salt. A great, easy recipe. I will add to my Thanksgiving Chacuterie board in a cup.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Peggy!
I followed the recipe as written except I used pecans, walnuts and cashews. I held back on the cayenne in fear them being too spicy. Next time I will add more cayenne and more salt. A great, easy recipe. I will add to my Thanksgivng chacuterie board.