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Easy Candied Pecans Recipe

This Easy Candied Pecans Recipe is made on the stovetop with just 4 ingredients! It just takes a few steps to learn how to candy pecans with cinnamon and no eggs.

a small bowl of candied pecans with cinnamon and a cookie sheet in the background

Easy Candied Pecans Recipe

Every winter, my grandfather sends my family a few pounds of pecan halves. Coming up with new recipes, like these Pecan Turtles, and ways to use all the pecans halves has been a goal of ours. This Easy Candied Pecans recipe is a winner!

It only takes 4 ingredients and doesn’t need an oven making it a perfect dessert for both summer and winter! You won’t need to heat up the kitchen in the summer to make dessert, and you won’t need to adjust your holiday baking schedule at all in the winter.

This recipe is gluten free and easy enough to swap out with vegan ingredients to make it a dish for lots of your friends and family!

The Culinary Compass participates in several different affiliate programs. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

four white bowls with pecan halves, sugar, butter, and cinnamon

What ingredients to do I need to make candied pecans?

This recipe only calls for four ingredients:

  • Pecan halves – You could also use crumbled or crushed pecans, but halves make the process really easy.
  • Salted butter – Using salted butter helps add a good balance to the dish overall.
  • Granulated sugar – This should melt really easy into the butter to make a sugar coating for the pecans.
  • Ground cinnamon – It adds a bit of extra flavor to the pecans! Cinnamon sugar is great on everything, right?

Can I add other flavors to the pecans?

Always! You can make these your own. Removing the cinnamon for a more basic flavor is totally ok, or you could add nutmeg for some holiday spices.

Consider adding smoked paprika or cayenne pepper to add some kick, or some herbs to make them even more savory.

Topping the final coated nuts in a little sea salt also adds a nice balance to the nuts if you’re looking for more savory options, or aren’t big on sweets!

a small saucepan with pecan halves and sugar

Do I need to bake the pecans?

For this recipe, you won’t need to turn on the oven at all so you can even save time from getting to preheat the oven.

You will need to prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper for the pecans to cool, but other than that, it takes less than 10 minutes on the stovetop to make.

Does this recipe call for eggs?

It does not! Some candied pecan recipes call for egg whites to help bind the mixture to the nuts, but since this is a super simple recipe, the less ingredients there are, the better.

a close up of candied pecan halves

Should I use pecan halves or chopped pecans?

We always use pecan halves since that is what we have on hand, but chopped pecans would also work great.

It may be a little more challenging to get the chopped pecans covered all the way, but it shouldn’t require too much more effort.

You could also consider what you’re making these for to help decide! Is it a topping on a dish? Maybe go with chopped. If it’s a dessert on it’s own, halves would be the way to go!

Could I use other types of nuts?

Yes! Pecans are always what comes to mind when making candied nuts in my family, but walnuts, almonds, cashews, pistachios, or peanuts. All shelled, of course!

candied pecan halves on parchment paper on a cookie sheet

How to Make Candied Pecans

This is an easy recipe and super simple way to make candied pecans. You’ll want to line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, first.

Next, add the butter, sugar, and cinnamon to a nonstick pan over medium heat. It could be a sauce pan or skillet as long as there’s enough room for the nuts.

Now you’ll spend 3-5 minutes stir constantly, until the sugar and butter are melted, then add in the pecan halves and stir again until they’re all coated in the cinnamon sugar mixture.

Carefully spread the pecan halves onto the prepared baking sheet and try to separate them to cool so they don’t stick together. You can serve them whole, or chop them up!

Store them in an airtight container for up to a week on the counter at room temperature, or 2-3 weeks in the fridge. They’re great to make the day ahead especially for holiday gifts!

It is somehow already time for another Freaky Friday blog hop! Michaela from An Affair from the Heart created such a fun experience, organizes the whole thing, and I couldn’t be more excited to join.

If you haven’t heard of a blog hop, basically every blogger gets to make a recipe from another blogger’s website. We don’t know who has who until the morning when all the posts go live which is so fun to find out.

This round I was lucky enough to get Amy from House of Nash Eats! Amy is a rockstar blogger and photographer; she fully believes that food and cooking brings together families and creates memories which I absolutely love.

She’s all about trying new things whether that be visiting a place she’s never been, or trying new foods! I love the balance she brings between healthy meals and decadent desserts, too.

If you’re looking to try foods from around the United States without having to leave your kitchen, check out her amazing American Eats series! I’ve already saved this Indiana Pork Tenderloin Sandwich and these Iowa Ham Balls to try soon.

Her desserts are also 1) gorgeous and 2) as Prue from GBBO would say, worth the calories. Like can we talk about these Easy Copycat Levain Chocolate Chip Cookies or this insane French Fruit Tart!? I know how I’ll be spending my weekend.

Take a look at all of our 2021 Freaky Friday Spring Edition Recipes:

  1. A Dish of Daily Life – Smoky Chicken Street Tacos
  2. An Affair from the Heart – Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas with Cilantro Lime Butter
  3. An Affair from the Heart – Blueberry Mojitos
  4. Aunt Bee’s Recipes – Easy Chile Relleno Casserole
  5. The Carefree Kitchen – Glazed Lemon Cookies
  6. Devour Dinner – Cheese Stuffed Meatloaf
  7. The Foodie Affair – Keto Broccoli Salad
  8. The Fresh Cooky – Bowtie Pasta Recipe
  9. Hostess at Heart – No Bake Chocolate Cheesecake 
  10. House of Nash Eats – Roast Beef Sliders
  11. Lemon Blossoms – Lemon Blueberry Crumb Bars
  12. Lemoine Family Kitchen – Lemon Blueberry Bread
  13. Life, Love & Good Food – Cubano Sandwich
  14. Off the Eaten Path – Grilled Vegan Guacamole
  15. Or Whatever You Do – Blackstone Mexican Style Street Corn
  16. The Speckled Palate – Lemon Bars
  17. Take Two Tapas – Pepperoni Pizza Pinwheels

What can I serve with candied pecans?

You can use candied pecans in a few ways:

Pin this Recipe!

a small bowl of candied pecans with cinnamon and a cookie sheet in the background

Easy Candied Pecans Recipe

Yield: 1 cup
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Cooling Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

This Easy Candied Pecans Recipe is made on the stovetop with just 4 ingredients! It just takes a few steps to learn how to candy pecans with cinnamon and no eggs.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup pecan halves
  • 2 Tbsp. salted butter
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

Instructions

  1. Add the butter, sugar, and cinnamon to a nonstick pan over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the sugar and butter are melted, about 3 to 5 minutes. Toss in the pecan halves and stir until coated.
  2. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and separate to cool. Serve whole or chopped.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 140Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 8mgSodium: 23mgCarbohydrates: 8gFiber: 1gSugar: 7gProtein: 1g

Nutrition provided is only an estimate.

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Sam Ellis

Hey there! I'm Sam and if there are two things I love most in this world, it's food and travel... and my dog, Tucker. I'm using my little corner of the internet to explore everything I love and I'd love for you to join me!

Shanna

Friday 23rd of December 2022

Super confused...... Mixture did not adhere to nuts terrible!

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