Candied Pecans Recipe (VIDEO)
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.
The Best way to Make Candied Pecans
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.
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.
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!
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 lagging 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
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
So delicious and easy to make! I just made a slight variation and added a 1/2 tsp of cardamom to the recipe.
I took them to a gathering today. Everyone loved them and asked for the recipe.
I will definitely make again this holiday season.
So glad they were enjoyed. Thank you for sharing your experience.
Thank you Natasha! I’m going to make a batch today for my family, then I plan to make a bunch to gift away for Christmas. I know these will be a Spectacular, Cinnamony, Sugary, Sweet, Splendid Treat! I know I will need all my will power to not eat too many. Thanks for all the experimenting you’ve done to bring us the best and easiest recipe! Merry Christmas to you and all your family!
This is the best treat to gift, Steven! Merry Christmas!
So I made your candied pecan recipe and wow they came out so good!! My wife and I only eat a small portion at a time. You can easily eat a whole jar of these if you let yourself. Lol
Yes! I can eat these by the handful! Thank you for sharing.
I just made these! DELICIOUS! I used pecans, walnuts and peanuts. I will be making them again.
Great to hear that you enjoyed them!
Oh my goodness. My family and I were just blown away at how delicious these were. Such an easy recipe, too!
I’m so glad your family enjoyed it!
These have become one of my top pregnancy snacks! I’ve made them both with the original recipe, and also substituted a flax egg for the egg white in the recipe. The flax egg version turns out not quite as crunchy as the original, but totally still works if you’re looking to make these vegan.
Hi Kate! That’s great to know, thank you for sharing!
Made these for my family and they were gone in the same day!
All your recipes that I’ve tried are great! Thank you
Hi Wendy! I’m so glad they were a hit! You’re very welcome!
Made these for the first time tonight and they came out perfectly. Added a dash of cayenne, but otherwise followed the recipe as written.
Hi Steve! That sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing.
Love this recipe. It’s super easy. You can use any kind of nuts and the very best part they are super tasty! Every recipe of yours I try my whole family loves.😋 Thank you.💖
You’re welcome, Terry. I’m so glad you love this!
These candies pecans are amazing. Have made them several times and they always come out perfect. Not at all sticky but nicely sweet. So easy too!
Wonderful! Glad you enjoyed them.
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!
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!
This is an awesome recipe. Thank you, Natasha for sharing. I am getting ready to make my second batch. What I really like about them is that they don’t get hard and they are really good.
YES! They are so pleasant to chew and munch on. I just made a double batch for my neighbors. I’m so happy you enjoyed the candied pecans.
These are amazing and so addictive! I made a double batch so I could give some as gifts and keep some for holiday snacks. Pecans are super expensive right now but I don’t regret it at all.
The perfect Christmas gifts! I’m so glad you enjoyed these, Peggy!
I am betting these haven’t been eaten past a week because they don’t last that long. TRY THESE!!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
My goodness… I just made these and they really are as delicious as the reviews indicated. I made cute little bags as small Christmas gifts for friends. I hope I have enough due to eating as I pack… can’t help myself. I’m definitely going to make more over the holidays. Great recipe Natasha! Merry Christmas to you and your family!!!
That’s a perfect gift, Kelly! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
I made the candied pecans using maple sugar instead of cane sugar (used 1/4 cup less of the maple sugar). They were wonderful!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Marcia!
Hi Natasha Love your recipes! I make these and added a little nutmeg too! Yummy Bet you can’t eat just one!!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
These were very easy to make and even easier to eat, LOL.
Question, do you have a recipe for Butter Pecan tarts?
Hi Stephen, good to know that you enjoyed this recipe. I do not have a recipe for Butter Pecan tarts but here are some Tart Recipes that you can try.
Can this recipe be cut in half?
If it won’t store we more then a week I’d like to split it.
Hi Marie, I imagine that will work. You can click the number of servings in the recipe to adjust the ingredients too.
Do you think this recipe would work with exchanging the sugar for splenda?
Hi Wayne, I haven’t tried that yet to advise. If you do an experiment, please share with us how it goes.
My husband loves these!
I made these a couple of weeks before Christmas. Do you think I could freeze these until I am ready to give out as gifts?
Hello Marsha, I haven’t tried freezing this to advise. if you do an experiment, please share with us how it goes.
We are snacking on these all December long!! They are easy to make & taste amazing!
The perfect treat for a chilly December day!
Each of your recipe I tried are so easy to make and delicious! Can I add Cayenne pepper to make this one a bit spicy? Thank you very much.
Hi Wilma, I haven’t tried that so I can’t say for sure. If you experiment, please let me know how it goes. One of my readers made this suggestion: “Add the same amount of ground clove as the cinnamon you get Perfection!!”
I have a recipe for candied spiced nuts somewhere, that has cayenne pepper in it for a heat kick. I can’t take the heat, so I don’t use it, and can’t locate it, but it does exist.
Please tell me where you got that large bowl that you always use. It’s clear glass with a bit of a rim around it. It’s very big and I really love it… thank you so much….. and thank you for all your awesome recipes… I make a lot of them…
Hello Debi, you may check the tools that I always use in our Amazon Shop. I hope that helps!
I’ve been making this recipe for years. If ever there was and addictive snack, this is it! You can’t have just one…
That is a true statement right there! They are pretty irresistible!
Can you use almonds? I searched for a candied almond recipe and didn’t find one
Hi Sharon, I haven’t tried this specific recipe with almonds. Usually, I use our Honey Roasted Almonds recipe for almonds.
I follow your site and have used many of your recipes (Spatchcock Chicken is my fave). I also enjoy your videos. But I have to disagree with you on your Candied Pecans recipe. You can’t call them Praline Pecans because:
I’m from South Louisiana and have made Pecan Pralines and Praline Sauce. All of the recipes I have seen and used do not use cinnamon in them. Yes, Candied Pecans and I will try this recipe.
HI Peggy, you could leave out the cinnamon but it is a nice addition here. I’m so glad you enjoy our recipes.
I love every recipe you post… would this recipe be good with peanuts also?
Hi Audrey, I haven’t tried this specific recipe with peanuts, but we LOVE it with pecans! I hope you give it a try soon!
I’m going to try this with peanuts also as I can’t afford pecans.
I love how incredibly versatile these nuts are! They’re so good by themselves, but on ice cream, in cookies, in salad… so good!! Love this for gifting ideas, too! Great recipe! <3
It’s great for gift giving! I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Betsy!
Look delish but I am trying to cut out sugar so would Iike to use monk fruit/erythritol blend. Have you tried other sweeteners?
Hi Rita, I haven’t tried monk fruit, erythritol blend, or other substitutions to advise. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
I made these for our office Christmas treat exchange! So amazing and delicious! Can’t lie I’m thinking of adding a dash of cayenne pepper powder next time, lol! These were a hit and sooo easy! Thank you!
I’m so happy you loved them!
This is really addicitive! My kids couldn’t get enough of it!
You were quick to try these! I’m so happy to hear that you all loved the candied pecans.