Candied Pecans

How to make candied pecans on stove top this year. Sugared nuts are the best Christmas dessert you can snack on all day long. Just nuts and sugar makes this easy 2 ingredient snack or garnish to your favorite pie during the holidays.

If you haven’t candied pecans on the stove yet they are so easy! I mean you can impress your guests with homemade sugar coated nuts with just 3 ingredients. Use the same technique with almonds and walnuts too.

That’s right, this isn’t just specifically for whole or halved pecans. During the holidays you know that nuts are always a hit, as a snack or on Pecan Bundt Cake. I mean they definitely bring back memories for me. Both of my grandparents always had a big bowl of hazelnuts, almonds and walnuts in a nut cracker. Us kids had so much fun opening them up.

Those were rather plain and once we got into them we weren’t as excited to actually eat them but if these were available they’d be gone in a sec. Not only are these a fun snack, but a yummy ingredient to use in our pecan pie bars or crushed on top of Instant Pot mashed sweet potatoes.

Ingredient Notes

You’re just going to need; whole pecans are best but pieces work, granulated white sugar will caramelize them to make sweet and water for the liquid. If you want a bit of spice then cayenne pepper on them to toss into the mix. The key to getting it done well is two fold. You want to ensure the sugars are boiled long enough to dissolve the crystals, and they need to dry long enough.

Made without Eggs

There are many ways to make these. Some like to use the oven to bake on the sweetness, just a pot on your stovetop is what was used here. In this case ours are eggless which some people need and harder to find so we thought that route would be best.

Use a piece of parchment paper to cool and on top of a baking sheet (or a silpat mat) so they don’t stick as they come back to room temperature. These make great gifts when cooled inside cellophane bags with cute ties on them during the holidays.

Variations

You can add a pinch of salt on to the top for a salty sweet taste if you like. The combination of the two flavors is really yummy. If you wanted to make them hot there are a few options to sprinkle on the top for that as well, you may have your own choice.

How to make these spicy

Cayenne pepper works well for these and our slow cooker cajun boiled peanuts for some heat. Once you add the pecans to the baking sheet to cool, sprinkle on your seasonings at that time so it sticks nicely. Easy stovetop candied pecans recipe you can get your kids involved in too.

FAQ

These don’t take long to make at all. If you check out the price of them at the store around the holidays they are insane. Like triple what a package of raw pecans + some sugar out of a bag costs. Since it only takes about 30 minutes from start to finish the huge price difference just doesn’t make sense.

When gifting these you can let your imagination go wild. There are tons of different baggies out there that come with ties, but twine with a little wooden tag attached wishing someone a Merry Christmas or Easter is super cute too.

How Long will Candied Pecans Last?

If stored correctly (when they are cooled, inside sealed containers) these will last up to 3 weeks. Beyond that it is not like they will go “bad” but typically will begin to soften and not be as crunchy as they once were when fresh. Keeping all the air out is key to freshness so freezer Ziploc bags are best.

You can keep in the fridge for a more even temperature. They will stay a bit drier that way than on your countertop which may be more humid and create condensation inside the bags. Every time you take a few out remember to suck the air out of the bags again when resealing and storing them. Jump to recipe and get started.

What to make with them

Of course you can crush them and add into baked goods too like our mini banana muffins or on top of 5 ingredient monkey bread for breakfast. They store quite well if done correctly too and can be snacked on for weeks on end.

Allow to dry completely prior to storing in an airtight container or using on top of our Pumpkin Pecan Pie Recipe. Or if they are still large use for this and Pecan Fudge or folded inside our butter pecan cookies.