Spiced Pecans

Sweet, salty and crunchy, spiced pecans are a moreish snack that’s easy to make but seems somehow dressed up, the kind of thing you’d receive in a gift basket or pick up as an impulse buy at the checkout counter of a specialty food store. They’re a lovely snack served on their own, but they’re also excellent scattered on a savory salad, especially one with some roasted pumpkin or sweet potato. They also make excellent holiday gifts, packed into little jars or decorative bags, and you can easily customize the sweet-spice topping with any other flavors you like.

Ingredients for Spiced Pecans

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• Sugar: Sugar is the base for the crisp candy coating on the outside of these spiced pecans. We call for white sugar, but you can use brown sugar or coconut sugar instead.
• Cinnamon: A good amount of ground cinnamon provides the spice element in this spiced pecans recipe. Combined with the sugar, it definitely reads as sweet, but it also has a warmth to its flavor profile.
• Salt: Though the flavor profile of these spiced pecans is primarily sweet, a little salt provides necessary contrast.
• Egg white: Besides the pecan halves, the egg white is the most essential ingredient to making spiced pecans. Beaten until frothy, it helps the sugar coat the edges of the nuts and form the crisp coating as they bake.
• Pecans: While you can certainly make spiced pecans with chopped pecans or pecan pieces, we call for the slightly pricier pecan halves, as they make an attractive presentation. It’s your call which type you use, and all of them will work! It really just comes down to aesthetics.

Directions

Step 1: Combine the sugar and spice

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Preheat the oven to 300°F. In a small bowl, combine the sugar, cinnamon and salt.

Step 2: Coat with egg white

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In a large bowl, lightly beat the egg white. Add the pecans, stirring until they’re coated.

Step 3: Add the sugar mixture

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Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the pecans, and mix together well.

Step 4: Bake the pecans

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Spread the pecans in a single layer on a greased baking sheet. Bake until the pecans are lightly browned, 20 to 25 minutes, stirring once. Remove the nuts to waxed paper to cool.

Editor’s Tip: You can spread the pecans out to cool on parchment paper or silicone baking mats as an alternative to waxed paper. They will crisp up as they cool down to room temperature.

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Spiced Pecan Variations

• Add some heat: Cinnamon and sugar balanced with salt make spiced pecans with a baseline sweet flavor that pairs beautifully with spice. Add a little cayenne pepper or crushed red chili flakes to the mixture to add some spice.
• Make them savory: Instead of the ground cinnamon, try coating spiced pecans with garam masala or a  barbecue rub in addition to the sugar.
• Swap sugars: Using some brown sugar in addition to the granulated sugar will give your spiced pecans a caramelized flavor. You can use either light or dark brown sugar to replace an equal amount of the white sugar in this spiced pecans recipe.
• Add an herb: Build in additional savory flavor to spiced pecans by adding a little bit of minced fresh thyme, rosemary or sage before baking them. You could also use a pinch of a dry herb blend such as herbes de provence.

How to Store Spiced Pecans

Store spiced pecans at room temperature in an airtight container. Refrigeration can affect their texture over time, so keeping them at room temperature is ideal.

How long can you store spiced pecans?

You can keep them for up to two weeks—as long as they’re sealed.

Can you make spiced pecans ahead of time?

Absolutely, and they make excellent gifts (just like these fabulous recipes), so try wrapping them in decorative baggies or containers and sharing them with friends.

Spiced Pecan Tips

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What other spices can be added to spiced pecans?

You can customize the spice blend however you like! Add a little nutmeg, a hint of ginger and a bit of allspice. Or skip the cinnamon and try a pumpkin pie spice blend. You can also make your own sweet and savory blend, customized with garlic powder, ground mustard, smoked paprika or any other seasoning you like.

Is there a way to make this recipe for spiced pecans without the egg?

To make a vegan and egg-free version of our spiced pecans recipe, you can use aquafaba, also known as the liquid in a can of chickpeas, as a substitute for the egg. The protein structure of the liquid is very similar to that of egg white, so once beaten it holds air in a very similar way and helps create the crisp coating on the pecan halves.