Candied Pecans Recipe (How to Make Praline Pecans)

Candied pecans are easy to make and great for munching, gifting, and topping. We love them on everything from salad to ice cream. The cinnamon-sugar mixture caramelizes onto the nuts, giving them an irresistible and delicate crunch.

Prep time: PT10M

Cook time: PT60M

Total time: PT70M

Rating

4.99 stars (147 reviews)

Keywords

candied pecans, praline pecans

Ingredients

1 cup sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg white
2 tsp water
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 lb pecan halves (about 4 cups)

Cuisine

American

Steps

Prep: Preheat the oven to 250˚F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, stir together sugar, cinnamon and salt.
In a second large mixing bowl, whisk egg white, water, and vanilla until frothy.
Add pecans to egg white mixture and stir to coat.
Add cinnamon and sugar mixture to the coated pecans and mix to combine.
Spread nuts into a single layer on the parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes. Let cool to room temperature and enjoy.

Nutitrion

Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 247 kcal
Carbohydrates: 17 g
Protein: 3 g
Fat: 20 g
Saturated Fat: 2 g
Sodium: 76 mg
Sugar: 14 g
Unsaturated Fat: 18 g

Reviews

Pattie on 2026-01-17 (5 stars):
Hi Natasha. I made these and they were fabulous!! My old recipe called for one tsp of cinnamon. Yours has a wow factor with 2 tsp. Loved it. Does it matter if you use fine sea salt or kosher salt (course ground)? I cant remember which one I used. Thanks!
Debbie on 2025-12-28 (5 stars):
Haven't tasted yet, but I substituted the vanilla extract for homemade chocolate extract. I been wanting a brownie pecan so I added grinded brownies to it.
Loreen on 2025-12-23 (5 stars):
Made them Today for Christmas. Yummy love all your recipes.
Cher on 2025-12-20 (5 stars):
Excellent, I used these for making stuffed dates. It was a big hit at a holiday party.
Laura on 2025-12-19 (5 stars):
Oh my goodness, these are so incredibly easy and delicious. Perfection.
DeEtte Rievley on 2025-12-12 (5 stars):
OMG, I awoke during the night & found my hubby “sleep eating” these absolutely delicious nuts!!! Until you published yours, I had a decent recipe, but this one blows mine out of the water! I know I’m going to have to make 3 batches for a single event from now on! Thank you for this!!!!
Callie on 2025-11-17 (5 stars):
Hands down the best candied pecan or candied any type of nuts recipe! I have yet to find a single disappointing recipe from you over the years. Thank you so much!!!
Jan on 2025-10-25 (5 stars):
I have used this exact method with a few tweaks for over 2 decades. In addition to the cinnamon, I may add ground ginger, allspice, cardamom, nutmeg, even grated orange peel. For my nuts, I will frequently include walnuts and whole almonds in addition to the pecans. Treat bags of this heavenly concoction are always met with big smiles and requests for the recipe! This method truly is the very best way to do it.
Jill A on 2025-10-21 (5 stars):
The recipe is so easy. I used pecans and almonds. I also added some ground cloves and nutmeg. They came out incredible.