Candied Pecans
These 5-minute Stovetop Candied Pecans are a quick and easy way to make sweet glazed pecans for salads, snacking, food gifts, and more! It’s all made in one pan for minimal mess, and it’s overall much quicker and easier than the oven method. Plus, no candy thermometer needed!
Whether you eat these pecans on their own or add them to a variety of dishes, they’re such an easy way to add flavor and texture to so many recipes, using simple ingredients.
The typical candied pecans recipe usually calls for making them in the oven, but something about that feels a bit too fussy and long to me. I’ve been making candied pecans on the stove for as long as I can remember, and it only takes me 5 minutes to make them. It’s so easy!
I like not having to turn the oven on, especially when I only want to make a smaller batch. I try not to keep too many of these around because they’re so good, I want to eat them all in one sitting. Whenever I make them for the holiday season and set them out, they disappear within minutes.
Tips for Best Results
Use a nonstick pan – While you can get away with using any stainless steel pan, the nonstick pan helps all of the sweetness stick to the nut. It glazes easier, in my experience.
Use brown sugar or maple syrup – I love honey, but I don’t recommend using it here. Brown sugar or maple syrup will give you the best results.
Toast the pecans first – Totally optional, and sometimes it’s easier to just use raw nuts straight out of the bag. But if you have the time, toast the pecans for a few minutes (you can use the same skillet) to begin bringing out the flavor in the nuts. Most importantly, make sure to use fresh pecans that aren’t rancid or expired.
These candied pecans are really wonderful, especially for sprinkling on salads like Kale Salad or Warm Brussel Sprout Salad with Crispy Goat Cheese! They are also well-suited for food gifts during Christmas and the holidays.
I actually grew up with candied pecans, sugared pecans, and maple glazed pecans of all sorts in my house at Christmas time because my dad loved ordering them every year. Simply place the nuts in a mason jar with ribbon or in pretty holiday tins for last-minute gifts.
Step by Step Overview:
To get started, combine brown sugar, ground cinnamon, and kosher salt in a skillet, and add a splash of water so the sugar has an easier time dissolving:
Ingredient Variations and Substitutions
This is a great recipe for accommodating several different substitutions. I recommend trying the recipe once as written, then you can experiment with changes.
Spices: You can pretty much use whatever spices you’d like. I like to keep it simple with cinnamon, but you may add cloves, cardamom, allspice, or pumpkin pie spice. You may also try options like cayenne pepper, ancho chile powder, or even smoked paprika.
The Sugar: I like using brown sugar for its slight molasses tastes, but you can also use granulated white sugar or even coconut sugar. For maple syrup, follow this Maple Pecans recipe instead (it is also a quick and easy stovetop recipe). I do not recommend corn syrup.
Fat: It is not necessary to add fat here, but if you’d like it for richness, add a tablespoon of butter or coconut oil with the rest of the ingredients.
Vanilla extract: Add up to 1 teaspoon with the rest of the ingredients.
Egg whites: Egg should not be used here at all. This is only used for the oven method for helping the coating stick.
Stir it all around to combine:
Cook the sugar mixture over medium heat until it gets hot and bubbly and looks like a glaze:
Throw in pecan halves, making sure they are more or less in a single layer:
Raw or toasted both work, but I personally think toasted pecans taste better.
Can you use other nuts?
Absolutely, it does not matter what kind of nut you use. Walnuts, macadamia nuts, peanuts, almonds, hazelnuts, cashews, and really any other nut will work well here.
Cook the pecan halves for about 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until the liquid cooks down and glazes the nuts:
If the pecans still look sticky, keep cooking for a few more minutes. Different stoves have different heat output.
Once the liquid has cooked down and coated the pecans, spread them out on parchment paper to cool. Then break apart and enjoy your sweet snack:
If you’d like to make a big batch, use a larger skillet, and try to make sure the pecans are more or less in an even layer. You don’t want to overcrowd the pan.
Suggested Uses
Here are some of my favorite ways to enjoy this easy candied pecans recipe, in ways sweet and savory!
- Add to a Kale Salad or Brussels Sprouts with Candied Pecans and Ricotta Salata.
- Add to a cheese and charcuterie board.
- Sprinkle on Chocolate Bark.
- Chop them up and add to Butter Shortbread Cookies, The Very Best Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies, or this Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe.
- Sprinkle on Overnight Oats or Maple Scones.
- Make your Pecan Sticky Buns even better.
- Sprinkle on Grilled Peaches with Bourbon Brown Butter Sauce.
- Toss them into this Granola Recipe for an extra delicious snack.
- Add to ice cream like Pumpkin Chip Gingersnap Cookie Ice Cream.
- Make homemade gifts of them along with any of these 12 shipping-friendly food gift ideas for Christmas and beyond, and pack in a care package!
- Toss with Roasted Sweet Potatoes.
Or you know, you could just eat them. I do that too.
Very similar to this method is also my 5-minute Sticky Honey Bananas, which you may enjoy as well. Or try my Pecan Praline Candy. Happy cooking!
Recipe FAQ:
If the pecans turn out sticky, this means the sugar never reached a high enough temperature to have that hard crack “brittle” coating on the outside. Electric stoves tend to have less heat power and responsiveness as compared to gas stoves, so cook for a few minutes longer if you have an electric stove or a weaker gas stove. They can be salvaged, even after they’ve cooled. Just cook more, and watch and smell to ensure the pecans don’t burn.
Once completely cooled, in an airtight container at room temperature for a week. You can get away with two weeks or longer, but the flavor won’t be as good. They taste best fresh.
Yes, let them cool completely, then store in an airtight container for up to 2 months.
No, but they will last for 4 weeks in the fridge, if you do want to extend the shelf life.
Absolutely, just make sure you use a larger skillet as needed.
These candied pecans are gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan.
Did you enjoy the recipe? Please leave a 5-star rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. Or, follow me on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest!
Candied Pecans
Ingredients
For the pecans:
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 cup pecan halves
Ideas for using the pecans (optional):
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients except the pecans in a skillet and cook over medium heat for a minute or two, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is bubbling.
- Add the pecans and cook for an additional 3 minutes, stirring to coat in the glaze.
- Remove from the heat, and spread the pecans out on parchment paper to let them cool completely.
- Break apart, and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
320 Comments on “Candied Pecans”
So good! If I knew that Candied Pecans could be so easy to make I would have done it along time ago.
Thanks for sharing!
Happy to hear this!
Why was pecans sticky?
Hi Joan, that means the sugar didn’t get hot enough, so next time cook them a little bit longer. Are you using a gas or electric stove?
If u use an electric stove, how long should you cook the sugar for?
I did make these, they turned out great! Easiest recipe ever, thank you! I only made two batches for now because at the end I read stores well for only a week. Do they go soggy?
Hi Glenda, as long as they are stored in an airtight container you can probably get away with it longer! Mine usually don’t last longer than that because I eat them, but I will test out the date a bit further so I can update.
I made this and all I did was added a drop of pure vallina extract while it was cooking and they turned out amazing.
Wonderful!!
Just made these to garnish a pumpkin bundt cake. Brought it to a new level…KEEPER!!! Thanks!
Perfect!!
I just made these pecans. They were AMAZING!!!! This recipe is a keeper for sure! Thank you SO much for sharing! ?
Made 3 batches and they were so good my family ate them so fast, and are asking for more!
Did everything as instructed. Stuck to the paper. Will Butter it next time. Tastes good.
So easy and do tasty. They turned out do good that they are addicting. I went and bought more pecans and am getting ready to make some more.
So happy to hear that, Jack!
Made this and it is delicious! So much so that i doubled recipe and had more goodness to share!!
I have done the oven method twice. The recipe called for baking 60 minutes and turning every 15 minutes until done. You can make larger batches that way but they taste more brittle and dry. I am a lazy cook so I did your stovetop method and loved it because it was faster. It tastes as if it had butter in it. The brown sugar did not overpower the cinnamon and vice versa. I made two cups and doubled recipe. Turned out great! I am a cinnamon lover. So I may increase the cinnamon a bit. Oven method you can keep in airtight container longer than a week. If you are doing as gifts for Christmas I would use the oven method instead.
These are so easy and my family loves them.
I just finished making them. I have done so many times.
Its difficult to clean the utensils afterwards.
Be sure you grease the area you are going to turn them out on. I use buttered wax paper and remove them as soon as they cool as they stick to the wax paper. I then boil water in the fry pan which is a very good non stick one, but sugar still sticks and i don’t dare pour the mess down the sink as when it cools, it may congeal inside the pipe. Just burned my hand. Rats. And for heavens sake, don’t over
cook them. Cook low. The oven method is sounding better all the time.
Thank you for the receipe….I just admit that I experimented and added cayenne pepper for a delightfully ” Spicey ” taste, just a small amount added a nice kick.
Would almonds be too dense? I have perfected an oven recipe for large batches, but am hankering for some quick ones and not too many!
Almonds are fine to do. Pretty much any nut!
Yaay
Thank u
I had coworkers who used to make these but would never share recipe. Now i make my own!!??
Fantastic!