This homemade Cinnamon Sugar Pecans Recipe is made with only 6 ingredients & is WAY better than the nuts from the mall or fair! Plus, they’re 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!
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! This recipe has been a staple in my life for about 9 years now. I always have these on hand. Always. They’re totally freezer friendly, so you can make a batch, eat some warm from the oven {of course} and freeze the rest to toss on salads or enjoy as a sweet snack!
They also make amazing 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!
The beauty of simplicity….
One of the things I love the most about these Homemade Cinnamon Sugar Pecans is just how remarkably simple they are…but they are anything but ordinary in regards to taste and texture! 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!
The dry ingredient list is short too…sugar, salt, and cinnamon! I recommend regular organic sugar for these, but coconut sugar is a possibility for a refined-sugar free option!
How to make Homemade Cinnamon Sugar Pecans
Like I’ve said before, these beauties are really easy to make, but here are a few tips to ensure the best results.
- Amount of pecans. Be sure to evenly & complely coat the pecans with the wet ingredients before adding the dry. Start by adding a little less than 4 cups of nuts, and slowly add the rest to be sure there are no dry pecans. The amount of nuts can vary slightly depending on the size of your egg white…so be careful!
- 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.
Cinnamon Sugar Pecans: 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! 😉
However, you could use coconut sugar in place of organic sugar for a refined-sugar free option!
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Cinnamon Sugar Pecans
This homemade Cinnamon Sugar Pecans Recipe is made with only 6 ingredients & is WAY better than the nuts from the mall or fair! Plus, they're 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!
Ingredients
- 1 egg white
- 1 TBS pure vanilla extract
- 4-5 cups pecan halves
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
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 large mixing bowl, whip egg white and vanilla with a whisk until frothy.
- In a separate bowl, combine sugar, salt, and cinnamon, set aside.
- 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, add in the dry ingredients and mix until the nuts are evenly coated.
- 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).
- Smell the air and try not to burn your mouth eating them straight from the oven!
Recipe Notes
Please follow baking time exactly. Even if they seem done at 45 minutes do not skip the last 15 minutes of baking.
I bake these, let them cool, then toss them in a ziploc bag and put them in the freezer. Then when I want to use them on salads I take a handful out of the freezer and use!
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!
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!
Do you love those mall/fair nuts?! Would you be willing to make your Cinnamon Sugar Pecans at home?!
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Janet Vinyard
Thanks for sharing this recipe – I love these in salads! Hope you’re feeling better soon. Blessings, Janet
Laura
Thank you Janet! That’s my favorite way to use these too! A little goat cheese, avocado and these pecans! 😉
Tayler Morrell
Holy heck! My mouth is watering now!
Laura
🙂
Anita
This recipe looks so delicious! Visiting from Think Tank Thursday.
Miz Helen
Your Cinnamon Sugar Pecans will be a great snack! Hope you have a very special week and thanks so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
Miz Helen
Lela
I LOVE pecans and this recipe sounds great! I got a pecan recipe a few years ago from a coworker and it is perfect for snacking, but yours looks like a great dessert. I bet it would be awesome on a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Thanks for sharing at Inspiration Thursday!
Laura
Lela!! Just last night, as my family was sitting down having ice cream for dessert, my hubby snuck into the freezer, grabbed a handful and tossed some of these in his bowl!! 🙂 Great minds…. 😉
Victoria @DazzleWhileFrazzled
These look so good, esp. in a salad. Visiting from Made By You Monday.
Laura
I LOVE these in a salad with some goat cheese and avocado! 🙂 My favorite dinner!
rachel @ athleticavocado
Oh my goodness these look so tasty! I could eat these by the handful!!!!! Pinning!
Laura
Thank you Rachel! 🙂 I have a hard time keeping my husband from eating the whole batch when they just come out of the oven! That’s why I freeze some…because he doesn’t eat what he can’t see. If you want to find the best food in my house look in the back of the pantry and the freezer….hahaha! 🙂
Marcella
Can we use stevia in place of white sugar?
Laura
Hi Marcella! I am not sure about sugar substitutes because I don’t use them…so I couldn’t tell you if it would work or not! If you need a low-sugar option and want to try a substitute I’d recommend one that is marketed as being a 1:1 substitute for white sugar. You can also use coconut sugar for an unrefined option!
Marcella
Thanks.. i wonder if maple syrup would work too as a natural sweetner and the added bonus of smelling like maple syrup! Yum
Laura
Hey Marcella! I do not recommend using a liquid sweetener for the sugar in this recipe, because I don’t believe it will produce the crispy sweet end result that comes when using a granulated sweetener.
Gretchen
MMM that smell is one of the main reasons I visit malls in the winter. So amazing! These look like such a great snack to have at work 🙂
Laura
LOL I agree! We have a sporting goods store by us that has a roasted nut stand and I just love walking past to smell them (and check for samples of course)! 🙂
Emily
Sugared nuts are one of my FAVORITE things in the world. :o) I’m definitely a nutty girl, and they also make even the people who don’t like salad eat salads. 🙂 I would be like a fly to the flame TOO if there were sugared nuts in the oven.
Laura
LOL! Nutty ladies unite! 😉 I agree! A some sugared pecans, crasins, goat cheese & avocado and I’M like a fly to a flame! 😉
Colleen
I swear I can almost smell these! The best aroma in the world!
Laura
LOL! If only computer screens transmitted smells…. 😉 I totally agree nothing like cinnamon-sugary goodness baking in the oven! 🙂
Miz Helen
I will have to make this recipe for the weekend, we will love these pecans! Hope you have a very special Fathers Day Weekend and thanks so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen
Laura
Miz Helen I hope you LOVE them as much as we do! 🙂 They will make your Father’s Day salad a show-stopper for sure! 🙂
Jordan
Ok. These are AMAZING. We just made a batch to add to a salad for Thanksgiving tomorrow. These pecans along with brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, and spicy greens? It’s going to blow minds! Thanks so much for the recipe!
Laura
YAY! Jordan I’m so glad you love them! Aren’t they so easy and delicious?! Remember you can easily freeze them and pop them out when needed if you can’t get through the entire batch in time! 😉
Maha Khan / sooperchef.pk
Wow This Is great recipe.I love Your Way of making Recipe.
Stephanie F
My hubby loves pecan and cinnamon!! What a perfect combination! Do you warm up the pecans in microwave after taking out from the freezer?
Laura
I just let them come to room temperature! If you wanted to warm them I recommend using the oven, not the microwave. I’d toss them in at 250 for 10-15 minutes!
Glenda @ A Less Irritable Life
I can’t believe how easy these are to make. I’ll definitely have to give them a go. Such a great sweet treat.
Laura
You will LOVE them Glenda!
Karrman | The Nutrition adventure
Imagining these as a topping for banana nice cream!
Laura
OoOOo loving that idea Karrman!
The Recipes Pk
OMG !!!!!!! This recipe was too tasty. I am loving it. I love sweets and cakes. Thanks for the delicious recipe.
Diane
Yes please! Nothing is better than a homemade cinnamon sugar pecans. Pinned!
Cheryl
Is this recipe copyrighted? I have made them & LOVE them. Someone asked if i could sell them. Thanks.
Chelsea
I’m so excited about finding your blog. I’m GF/DF right now and LOVE trying delicious recipes. Have you used a sugar substitute with these? I was thinking about coconut sugar. Thank you!
Indian Food Recipes
Love to see such an amazing dish, Me and my entire family love to enjoy single bites of it. Thanks for sharing.
Laura
So glad you enjoyed them! These are an absolute staple in my house!