Holiday Spiced Pecans – a special treat for you, and also perfect for food gift for friends, teachers, and neighbors. This delicious snack is crunchy, sweet, and full of toasty warm cinnamon and spice. We love to serve them for the holidays, or any time really! Low in sugar and made with simple, real-food ingredients, this Spiced Pecans Recipe is a holiday snack appetizer that everyone will enjoy!
Highlights: Spiced Pecans Recipe
With minimal prep time and a total time of less than 30 minutes, these candied pecans are an easy recipe that’s just as fun to make as it is to eat. Here are a few more reasons why these spiced nuts are on our baking list right next to our favorite Christmas cookies and treats every holiday season:
- A better-for-you treat made with healthful ingredients and no refined sugar
- Healthy fats and fiber keep you full while satisfying your sweet tooth
- Naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan
- Can be made in bulk and store well to enjoy for days
- Great for Christmas parties and gifting
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What Do You Need To Make Spiced Pecans?
Here are the ingredients to make these sweet spiced nuts. Feel free to substitute additional cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice for the ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and cardamom.
- Pecan halves – You’ll need about 3 cups pecan halves; may substitute whole pecans or pecan pieces
- Maple syrup – Be sure to use pure maple syrup, not pancake syrup. May substitute brown sugar
- Ground cinnamon – our recipe calls for 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, but you can add more if you’d like
- Ground ginger
- Ground cloves
- Ground nutmeg
- Cardamom
- Fine kosher salt
Find the ingredient list and nutrition information with exact measurements, kcal, carbohydrates, cholesterol, serving size, etc. in the recipe card below.
Ingredient Spotlight: Pecans
We love to enjoy pecans as a healthful snack and frequently add them to recipes like our Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecans, Cranberry Chicken Salad with Apples, and this Easy Gingerbread Baked Oatmeal.
Not only are they tasty, but pecans are also versatile and full of health benefits, too. For example, pecans are:
- Rich in copper, thiamine, zinc, magnesium, phosphorus, and iron
- A good source of fiber
- Low in carbohydrates
- An excellent source of monounsaturated fatty acids
How To Make Holiday Candied Pecans
Here are the steps to make this roasted nuts recipe today:
- Preheat the oven: Also, line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Season the pecans: Place the pecan halves in a large bowl, and toss them with the maple syrup. Add the spices, and toss again to coat the nuts in the spice mixture.
- Bake the nuts: Spread the pecans in a single layer over the baking sheet, and transfer to a preheated oven. Bake until the pecans are toasted and most of the liquid has been absorbed.
- Cool and separate: Set the sheet pan out at room temperature, and allow the pecans to cool. Break apart any pieces as needed, and transfer the roasted pecans to an airtight container.
Frequently Asked Questions
Spiced pecans will stay fresh for up to two weeks at room temperature or up to a year when stored in the refrigerator or freezer.
The best way to store leftover spiced nuts is in an airtight container, sealable bag, or mason jar. If you’re giving them away as gifts, we love to wrap the container with a ribbon or bow, too!
Enjoy this recipe on its own as a sweet snack. Or, include the nuts in trail mix, sweet potato casserole, salads, and sprinkled over ice cream in a small bowl.
If you want to add a bit of heat, try including a teaspoon cayenne pepper, cumin, or smoked paprika. You can also toss the nuts with melted butter instead of (or in addition to) maple syrup, and experiment by adding different spices to the sugar mixture or orange zest for a boost of vitamin C.
Holiday Spiced Pecans
Holiday Spiced Pecans are roasted to perfection and infused with a blend of spices. Eat them as is, add them to a salad or package them in a mason jar for a special holiday gift.
Ingredients
- 3 cups pecan halves
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp. ground ginger
- ¼ tsp. ground cloves
- ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp. cardamom
- 1/8 tsp. fine salt
**May sub an additional 1 tsp. of cinnamon for the ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and cardamom
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º F.
- Place pecans in a large bowl and mix in maple syrup until coated. Add the spices and mix well.
- Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Spread the pecans evenly over the parchment paper.
- Bake 15-20 minutes, stirring nuts every 5 minutes, until toasted and most of the liquid has been absorbed.
- Cool until able to handle. Break apart pecans as some may stick together.
- After completely cooled, store in an airtight container.
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Nutrition Information
- Serving Size: 1/4 cup
- Calories: 224
- Fat: 22 g
- Sodium: 0 mg
- Carbohydrate: 10 g
- (Fiber: 3 g
- Sugar: 6 g)
- Protein: 3 g
Dietary
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Photo Credit: The photos in this blog post were taken by Jess of Plays Well with Butter.
These are so easy to make, and I love the addition of syrup instead of having to heat up butter and brown sugar in a skillet! Already made twice!
★★★★★
We are so happy to hear you enjoyed these! Thank you for sharing a 5-star review!
THE BEST spiced pecans ever!!
Absolutely addicting!
★★★★★
Quick and easy and delicious.
★★★★★
Great Patricia! Thank you so much for the feedback. We appreciate the 5-star review!