Cinnamon Sugar Pecans (Candied Pecans)
Posted Dec 17, 2017, Updated Dec 08, 2024
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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! Make a batch of candied pecans and use them a salad topper, enjoy as a sweet snack, or give away as holiday gifts.
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…
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 tablespoon of vanilla! No butter! No oil! But definitely no sacrificing on taste.
This recipe has been a staple in my life for almost 20 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 (along with Christmas Cookies – especially these chocolate chip pecan cookies). Wrap them in a cute cellophane bag or mason jar and give your loved ones an extra special treat.
Cinnamon Sugar Pecans: Ingredients & Substitutions
- Pecans. Use raw, unsalted pecans halves in this candied pecan recipe. I don’t recommend any substitutions. Check out my candied almonds or candied walnuts if you’d prefer to use different nuts.
- Granulated Sugar. organic cane sugar is a good substitute. 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 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 Make Homemade Cinnamon Sugar Pecans
Like I’ve said before, these candied pecans are easy to make, but we will walk through the recipe step by step to ensure you success – and don’t forget to watch the video.
Combine Dry Ingredients
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 so they are evenly distributed on the candied pecans.
Whisk Wet Ingredients
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.
Add Pecans
Next, add the pecans to the wet mixture and stir until thoroughly combined and coated.
Note on the 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.
Add Dry Ingredients
Next, stir in the dry ingredients until the pecans are evenly coated.
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 cinnamon sugar “syruP” 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. You can use a silicone baking mat but it’s not necessary.
- 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.
Serve
You won’t be able to resist eating these candied pecans warm fresh from the oven. They are to die for and not only taste delicious, but they make your house smell like cinnamon-sugar heaven. Here are some serving suggestions:
- Serve with this balsamic vinaigrette on a salad for a delicious combo.
- Sprinkle some on these roasted beets! SO GOOD!
- Add a few to this kale salad, brussels sprouts salad, burrata salad or this roasted vegetable quinoa salad!
- Sprinkle some on top of these overnight oats with yogurt!
How to Store Cinnamon Sugar Pecans
This candied pecans recipe makes a large batch. I always make the full recipe and enjoy some, then store or freeze the rest for later. I like to have them on hand to pull out and use on salads.
Store them at room temperature in an airtight container (glass jar) for up to 2 weeks.
How to Freeze Candied Pecans
- Let the pecans cool completely.
- Transfer candied pecans to a freezer-friendly, airtight container.
- Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Thaw at room temperature and enjoy. They thaw very quickly, and even taste great frozen.
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Cinnamon Sugar Pecans (Candied Pecans)
Ingredients
- 1 egg white
- 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 4-5 cups pecan halves
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon fine sea sea salt
- 2 teaspoons 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 small bowl, combine sugar, sea salt, and cinnamon, set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whip egg white and vanilla with a until frothy (about 1 minute). Either whisk by hand or use a handheld mixer.
- 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
- 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!
- Let the cinnamon sugar pecans cool completely.
- Transfer candied pecans to a freezer-friendly, airtight container.
- Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Thaw at room temperature and enjoy. They thaw very quickly, and even taste great frozen.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These pecans are the best recope I have found. I’ve tried several and my family always says we’ll those are good but not as good as this recipe. I also use a scant 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
I love this recipe, so delicious and easy!!
I’ve been making these for years and they’re scrumptious. I love making them for gifts. They make my house smell SO good.
Thank you Elizabeth!
Have you ever used a silpat mat? Wonder if that makes any difference?
They really don’t need any sort of non-stick barrier from the pan.
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.
Oh No!!!! I’m so sorry! 400 is quite a bit hotter than 250! 😉
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!!
Incredibly easy to make and absolutely delicious to eat and share. Thank you so much.
Thank you, Mark!
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…….
Thank you, Carla!
Excellent
I’m going to make as gifts for Christmas
These pecans make amazing gifts!
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!
They last for about 2 weeks at room temperature and 1-2 months in the fridge!
So very delicious!
Thank you