Homemade Cinnamon Sugar Pecans

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This homemade Cinnamon Sugar Pecans Recipe is easy to make with only 6 ingredients & is so much more delicious than the nuts from the mall or fair! Plus, these candied pecans are gluten & dairy-free & freezer-friendly! Make a batch, store them in the freezer and use as a salad topper or enjoy as a sweet snack!

Overhead view of a bowl of homemade Cinnamon Sugar Pecans

You know when you’re walking through the mall and you smell something amazing? You look around and realize that the heavenly aroma is coming from a glazed nut stand…so you casually  walk by because you know there will be a free sample…oh, don’t mind if I do…

Well, these Homemade Cinnamon Sugar Pecans are better than those nuts you find at the mall or fair! They are so easy to make and have very few ingredients! The only wet ingredients for an entire batch  is 1 egg white and 1 TBS vanilla! No butter! No oil! But definitely no sacrificing on taste!

This recipe has been a staple in my life for over 10 years now.  I always have these on hand. They’re freezer friendly, so you can make a batch, eat some warm from the oven, and freeze the rest to toss on salads or enjoy as a sweet snack!

They also make great gifts for friends and neighbors for the holidays! Wrap them in a cute cellophane bag or mason jar and give your loved ones an extra special treat this year!

Cinnamon Sugar Pecans: Ingredients & Substitutions

I absolutely do not recommend any substitutions in this recipe! My sincerest apologies to all my friends out there  who can’t bring yourselves to follow recipes to a “T,” but this one is not to be tampered with!

  • Pecans. Use raw, unsalted pecans halves in this candied pecan recipe. I don’t recommend any substitutions. Check out my candied almonds if you’d prefer almonds.
  • Granulated Sugar. Regular granulated sugar and organic cane sugar are the two varieties I have used to make these cinnamon sugar pecans. Readers have had success making a refined-sugar free version using coconut sugar.
  • Egg White. Use a large egg white to make these candied pecans. Remember, the size of your egg will effect the amount of pecans used! 
  • Sea Salt. I only ever bake with pure, fine sea salt. If you only have iodized table salt, you will need to cut the amount of salt in half. 
  • Ground Cinnamon. Use a high-quality ground cinnamon for the absolute best flavor!
  • Vanilla extract. Please only use pure vanilla extract, no imitation! 
overhead view of the ingredients in this candied cinnamon sugar pecans recipe

How to make Homemade Cinnamon Sugar Pecans 

Like I’ve said before, these beauties are really easy to make, but we will walk through the recipe step by step to ensure you success!

Mix dry ingredients together

Begin by mixing together the sugar, sea salt and cinnamon in a small bowl, then set it aside. It’s important to thoroughly mix the dry ingredients together so that the ingredients are evenly distributed on the candied pecans! 

two overhead photos showing how to make candied cinnamon sugar pecans - combining dry ingredients

Mix wet ingredients together

Use either a wire whisk or a hand mixer and beat the egg white and vanilla together until frothy. You will notice in the video that the mixture is a little whiter, that is just because the egg white was beaten longer. You just need the wet mixture to be frothy, you do not want to beat the egg whites until they are stiff. 

two overhead photos showing how to make candied cinnamon sugar pecans - combining wet ingredients

Add pecans

Next, add the pecans to the wet mixture and stir until thoroughly combined and coated. 

Amount of pecans.

Start by adding a little less than 4 cups of pecans to the wet mixture, and slowly add the rest to be sure there are no dry pecans and no wet mixture stuck to the sides of the bowl. The amount of nuts can vary slightly depending on the size of your egg white, so be careful!

two overhead photos showing how to make candied cinnamon sugar pecans - stirring in pecans

Add dry ingredients

Next, stir in the dry ingredients until the pecans are evenly coated.

two overhead photos showing how to make candied cinnamon sugar pecans adding dry ingredients

Bake

The baking time, temperature and method is extremely important in this cinnamon sugar pecans recipe. 

  • Do not use parchment paper/foil DO bake these Homemade Cinnamon Sugar Pecans directly on the pan. When you stir the pecans, you need to reincorporate the syrupy goodness from the pan onto the nuts, and parchment paper/foil soaks up the liquid, which results in less coated nuts and a big old mess.
  • DO NOT adjust baking time. Bake at 250 for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.  Even if they seem done after 45 minutes…the extra 15 minutes gives these Cinnamon Sugar Pecans the perfect crispiness that’s retained even after freezing.
two overhead photos showing how to bake candied cinnamon sugar pecans

Serve

You won’t be able to resist eating these candied pecans warm fresh from the oven. They are to die for and will not only taste delicious, but they make your house smell like cinnamon-sugar heaven. 

Serving suggestions: 

a bowl of candied pecans

How to store cinnamon sugar pecans

This candied pecans recipe makes a LOT of nuts. I always make the full recipe and enjoy some, then freeze the rest for later. I like to have them on hand to pull out and use on salads! 

How to freeze cinnamon sugar pecans: 

  1. Let pecans cool completely
  2. Transfer candied pecans to a freezer-friendly, airtight container. 
  3. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. 
  4. Let thaw at room temperature and enjoy! They thaw very quickly, and even taste great frozen! 
up close overhead view of homemade Cinnamon Sugar Pecans in a bowl

If you make and love our recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don’t forget to follow along with us on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Youtube – be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so we can your creations!

Cinnamon Sugar Pecans

Laura
This homemade Cinnamon Sugar Pecans Recipe is easy to make with only 6 ingredients & is so much more delicious than the nuts from the mall or fair! Plus, these candied pecans are gluten & dairy-free & freezer-friendly! Make a batch, store them in the freezer and use as a salad topper or enjoy as a sweet snack!
4.96 from 46 votes
Course condiment, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American
Servings 4 cups pecans
Calories 119.2
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients 
 

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Grease a large baking sheet. (Do NOT use parchment paper or foil. Bake directly on the greased pan)!
  • In a small bowl, combine sugar, sea salt, and cinnamon, set aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl, whip egg white and vanilla with a whisk until frothy (about 1 minute).
  • Add pecans to wet mixture 1 cup at a time, stirring to coat the nuts evenly. Depending on the size of your egg white you may use slightly more or less than 4 cups pecans. Just make sure all nuts are well coated before adding more.
  • Once pecans are completely coated, sprinkle the dry ingredients over the pecans and stir until evenly distributed. Make sure to scrape any extra cinnamon sugar mixture off the sides and bottom of the bowl and incorporate it into the pecan.
  • Spread the pecans evenly on the prepared baking sheet.
  • Bake at 250 degrees F for 1 hour. Stir every 15 minutes (you will stir 3 times before removing from the oven).
  • Let cool or enjoy them warm!
  • Store in an airtight container at room temperature or in the freezer!

Video

Notes

Please follow baking time exactly. Even if they seem done at 45 minutes do not skip the last 15 minutes of baking.

Ingredient Substitutions

  • Pecans. Use raw, unsalted pecans halves in this candied pecan recipe. I don’t recommend any substitutions. Check out my candied almonds if you’d prefer almonds.
  • Granulated Sugar. Regular granulated sugar and organic cane sugar are the two varieties I have used to make these cinnamon sugar pecans. Readers have had success making a refined-sugar free version using coconut sugar.
  • Egg White. Use a large egg white to make these candied pecans. Remember, the size of your egg will effect the amount of pecans used! 
  • Sea Salt. I only ever bake with pure, fine sea salt. If you only have iodized table salt, you will need to cut the amount of salt in half. 
  • Ground Cinnamon. Use a high-quality ground cinnamon for the absolute best flavor!
  • Vanilla extract. Please only use pure vanilla extract, no imitation! 

How to store cinnamon sugar pecans

This candied pecans recipe makes a LOT of nuts. I always make the full recipe and enjoy some, then freeze the rest for later. I like to have them on hand to pull out and use on salads! 

How to freeze cinnamon sugar pecans: 

  1. Let pecans cool completely
  2. Transfer candied pecans to a freezer-friendly, airtight container. 
  3. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. 
  4. Let thaw at room temperature and enjoy! They thaw very quickly, and even taste great frozen! 

Nutrition

Serving: 2TBS | Calories: 119.2kcal | Carbohydrates: 8.3g | Protein: 1.4g | Fat: 9.7g | Saturated Fat: 0.8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2.9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5.5g | Sodium: 68mg | Potassium: 56.9mg | Fiber: 1.4g | Sugar: 6.8g | Vitamin A: 10IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 12mg | Iron: 0.4mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Did you enjoy this recipe? Have a question? Leave a comment below!

Fun fact: Before blogging was a thing {or before I knew it was a thing}, Ritch and I used to take pictures of our recipes and submit them to allrecipes.com. We had so much fun doing it! I would get so excited when our pictures won “photo of the day” or when they were chosen as the key photo for very popular recipes.

The picture above was taken 7 years ago! I adapted this recipe to make these Cinnamon Sugar Pecans that I’m sharing with you today, and submitted this picture. It’s been the key photo ever since! Ahhh the little things!

Cinnamon Sugar Pecans Recipe! Only 6 ingredients and so easy to make! No butter or oil! Dairy-free, & gluten-free!

Seriously, everyone in your life would love to receive these Homemade Cinnamon Sugar Pecans as a gift this Christmas! And I promise that once you make a batch, you will want to be sure that you are never without some in your freezer! We love eating them on salads, for a snack or as a special little dessert! Try them warm over ice cream or just plain!

If you make and love our recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don’t forget to follow along with us on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Youtube – be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so we can your creations!


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97 Comments

  1. Please don’t do what I did and set the oven to 400 because you read it wrong. I will be trying again as soon as I get more nuts. At least I can laugh at myself after the smoke settles.

  2. 5 stars
    I started to make a different recipe and couldn’t figure out why I had soupy nuts! Haha. I came to your recipe and immediately saw the ‘don’t use parchment!’ I made that adjustment and good things happened. Thank you for that info! It saved me $13 in nuts. Awesome recipe!!

  3. 5 stars
    This to me is so so so much better than chocolate!! We all loved them. I’m from Georgia so we have lots of pecans to use for new things. Just nuts about them…….

      1. 5 stars
        I make these for Christmas gifts every year and they are a favorite! I have a question though, if I do not freeze them how long do they stay good out once cooked and kept in a container? Thanks!