Thanks to a skillet and the stovetop, you can make this easy candied pecans recipe in under 10 minutes. They are egg-free and gluten-free and perfect for snacking, adding to salads, other dishes, and cheeseboards.
Key Ingredients
Pecans: I use pecan halves to make this recipe, but you can easily swap the pecans for other nuts like walnuts, hazelnuts, or cashews!
Brown Sugar: I love the extra rich flavor of brown sugar with these candied pecans.
Spices: I combine cinnamon, salt, vanilla extract, and a little orange zest for these candied nuts. I also love a pinch of cayenne pepper for some heat, but that is optional.
How to Make Candied Pecans in Under 10 Minutes
My stovetop candied pecans really are so simple to make! I add them to salads, rice dishes, and desserts, plus I love adding them to cheeseboards!
To make our sweet and salty candied pecans, you’ll combine sugar with spices, vanilla extract, and a little water in a skillet. Heat everything until it looks like a glaze, and then stir in the nuts.
Continue to stir the nuts around the glaze for a few minutes, then transfer them to a baking sheet to cool. Once cool, you might need to break apart a few nuts that have stuck together, but other than that, they are ready to enjoy!
Ways to Use Candied Pecans
My stovetop candied pecans are so simple to make! I add them to salads, desserts, and cheeseboards, and they are also amazing as a standalone snack. Some recipes that would benefit from a handful of these sweet and salty nuts are this creamy apple fennel salad, this easy farro salad, my favorite quinoa salad, and this warm apple cabbage salad.
Easy Candied Pecans
PREP
5mins
COOK
5mins
TOTAL
10mins
Thanks to a skillet and the stovetop, you can make these easy candied pecans in under 10 minutes. This recipe can be used with other varieties of nuts, too. We especially love walnuts and cashews.
Makes 2 cups
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need 6 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, see notes
Pinch cayenne pepper, optional
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons orange zest, optional
2 cups (6 ounces) pecan halves
Directions
1Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
2Add brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, cayenne, vanilla, water, and the orange zest (optional) to a medium skillet. Place the skillet over medium heat and cook, stirring often until the brown sugar melts into a bubbling sauce, about 1 minute.
3Stir in the pecans so that the brown sugar sauce coats them. Cook, stirring the entire time, until the pecans look candied and smell nutty, 2 to 3 minutes. As the nuts heat up in the pan, the sauce will slowly coat them and become shiny. Watch closely as the nuts cook so that they do not burn.
4Transfer the candied pecans to the prepared baking sheet and spread into one layer. Allow the pecans to cool down, and then break them up before serving.
5Store cooled candied nuts in an airtight container. They will last at room temperature for one week, in the refrigerator for a few weeks and in the freezer for a month, if not longer.
Adam and Joanne’s Tips
Salt: 1/2 teaspoon of fine sea salt makes these taste salty-sweet. If you’d prefer to not taste the salt, reduce to 1/4 teaspoon of salt.
Pecans too sticky: If your nuts are still sticky after cooling, heat your oven to 325° F and bake for 5 to 10 minutes to help harden the candy coating.
Nutrition facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA database to calculate approximate values.
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Nutrition Per Serving
Serving Size
1/4 cup
/
Calories
176
/
Total Fat
15.4g
/
Saturated Fat
1.3g
/
Cholesterol
0mg
/
Sodium
147.4mg
/
Carbohydrate
10.1g
/
Dietary Fiber
2.4g
/
Total Sugars
7.5g
/
Protein
2g
AUTHOR:Â
Adam and Joanne Gallagher