Holiday Spiced Candied Pecans
Sweet and Spicy Pecans
If it’s Christmastime, it’s time for candied nuts, and these sweet and spicy pecans are a great recipe to try. They have the best crispy coating with a mix of sweet and spicy flavors that make them irresistible. I like pecans for this recipe, but you can use other kinds of nuts or try mixed candied nuts. There are a few options with this one, friends.
How to Make Them
Candied pecans are so easy to make – the prep is pretty quick, and it’s primarily hands-off time while the pecans bake and then cool before you store them. Yes, you can buy them around every corner this time of year, but if you’ve never tried making candied nuts from scratch, I think you’ll love how easy they are.
More Holiday Recipes
| Hot Chocolate Mix | Macaroons | Snowcaps Candy | Slow Cooker Peanut Clusters |

Sweet and Spicy Pecans
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¾ teaspoon table salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 egg white
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 pound pecan halves
Instructions
- Position an oven rack in the top one-third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 325°F and line a 10×15″ baking sheet with foil.
- Whisk the sugar, salt, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper in a large mixing bowl.
- Whisk the egg white and water in another large bowl for about a minute or so until the mixture is foamy and frothy.
- Add the pecans to the egg white mixture and toss them so they are coated evenly. Transfer the pecans to the bowl with the sugar and spices and toss to coat them evenly.
- Spread the coated pecans in an even layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake the pecans for 15 minutes.
- Stir the pecans and leave them on the pan for 20 to 30 minutes. Stir them every five minutes or so until they are cool.
- Store the cooled pecans in an airtight container. They will keep at room temperature for a week.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
The nutrition is an estimate only. It was calculated using Nutrifox, an online nutrition calculator.
Recipe Tips
Once you know how to make candied nuts, it’s easy to switch them up. I love the cinnamon, cayenne, and sugar combo, but you can swap the cinnamon for other holiday spices (nutmeg, cloves, etc) and switch out the cayenne for other spices like chili powder. Or, try the same spice mix with other kinds of nuts – so many possibilities.

If you’re not planning to gift them, serve them in a bowl for some Christmas snacking, add them to a cheese board, or toss them in a holiday salad that needs a little extra crunch.

I made these for holiday gifts and they turned out great!