Make these quick and easy stovetop candied pecans for a fast, sweet, and savory appetizer or snack that’s perfect for salads, entertaining, or gifting. They’re made without egg whites, so they’re accidentally vegan!
Save Oven Space by Making Candied Pecans on the Stove Instead
Holiday entertaining can be stressful, but it doesn’t have to be. I’m a big fan of quick and easy snacks and appetizers to have at the ready.
A couple of my favorites are marinated olives and my 5-ingredient cheeseball. But, I realized I didn’t have a recipe here for one of my favorite holiday snack staples: candied pecans made on the stovetop instead of baked in the oven.
They are ridiculously good, and so, so simple to make. One of the best things about this recipe is that it’s made with pantry staples. It’s also extremely versatile and can easily be changed up for a more savory version.
I make a big batch to add to salads, have on cheese boards at parties, and gift as a holiday treat to friends and neighbors, and as a host/hostess gift. With a sweet and salty crunch, the flavors of this candied pecans recipe are incredibly addicting and always a hit.
Enjoy!
The 5 Ingredients You’ll Need
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Pecan halves — Opt for buttery pecan halves rather than pieces, which are much smaller and are prone to burning.
- Granulated sugar — Bubbles and caramelizes on the stove, creating that candied effect.
- Spices — A little ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and kosher salt flavor the pecans.
Heidi’s Tip: You’ll notice that this cinnamon sugar pecans recipe contains no egg white. The egg white is used in a lot of candied nut recipes as a binder to help the sugar coating adhere to the nuts. However, I skip the egg white in mine because it adds a milky coating I don’t feel adds much to the nuts and this sweet sugar mixture coats the nuts just fine without it.
How to Make Candied Pecans on the Stovetop
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. This recipe goes by fast, so you need to prep everything before you start cooking.
- Combine everything but the nuts in a large skillet. Set it over medium heat and do NOT crank it up to try to speed things up. You’ll only wind up scorching the pecans.
- Cook until the sugar begins to melt. At this point, you can add the pecan halves and give them a stir to coat in the caramel-like mixture.
- Transfer to the lined baking sheet to cool. Once completely cool, the pecans will be nice and crunchy.
Recipe Variations to Try
This recipe is easy to change up if you want to make substitutions or additions. Here are some ideas:
- Try different nuts or a combination of your faves (pecans, walnuts, and almonds).
- For a bit of heat, add 1 teaspoon of chili powder and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Freshly ground black pepper would also be a great addition.
- Use freshly squeezed orange juice and orange zest instead of water.
- Try light brown sugar instead of granulated sugar.
- Add 1-2 tablespoons of fresh, chopped thyme and/or rosemary.
- For a more savory version, leave out the cinnamon and nutmeg, add chili powder, cayenne, black pepper, ½-1 teaspoon of smoked paprika, and ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder.
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
Stovetop Candied Pecans Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 cups pecan halves
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, stir the sugar, water, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together. Cook until the sugar begins to melt.
- Add the nuts and cook, stirring often, until the nuts are toasted and glazed.
- Spoon the nuts onto the prepared sheet pan to cool, separating with a fork. Sprinkle with a little coarse salt if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Ways to Eat Candied Pecans
- Roasted Apple, Brie and Pecan Panini
- Green Salad with Shrimp, Beets, Sweet Pecans and Goat Cheese
- Baked Brie with Cranberries, Pecans, Fig Jam and Thyme
- Sweet Bacon and Havarti Grilled Cheese
- Peach Ice Cream
- Sweet Potato Casserole
- Pumpkin Bread Pudding
- Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad
- Kale Salad with Butternut Squash and Wild Rice
We send good emails. Subscribe to FoodieCrush and have each post plus exclusive content only for our subscribers delivered straight to your e-mail box.
Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest for more FoodieCrush inspiration.
As always, thank you for reading and supporting companies I partner with, which allows me to create more unique content and recipes for you. There may be affiliate links in this post of which I receive a small commission. All opinions are always my own.
Cathy
Has anyone tried these with a sugar alternative like Swerve?
I haven’t Cathy, but the sugar alternatives like Swerve have worked well for me in baking recipes so I bet it would work here!
Mary
Hi ~ have made a similar recipe before and I appreciate that you don’t use/need egg whites. It’s an easy recipe and we add these pecans to our fresh green salads. However, we will make them again w/less sugar as they are very sweet. Am going to use 2/3 cup sugar and possibly less depending on how they turn out. Thank you..!
Hayley
Thanks for giving them a try Mary!
Maureen
2/3 cup of sugar is more than the 1/2 cup the recipe calls for!
Mary Hendrick
My bad..! I meant 1/3 cup sugar, not 2/3 cup.
Susan Andrews
Hello, Cant wait to try! How long do they store for ?
Hayley
Hi Susan! These should keep in a ziploc bag or airtight container for a couple of weeks (possibly more if stored in the fridge). We hope you enjoy!
piku shabeer
This is something new for me. Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe.