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Holiday Spiced Pecans (Easy and No Refined Sugar)

Name: Holiday Spiced Pecans
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Cuisine: Paleo
Ingredients: 3 cups pecan halves; 1/3 cup pure maple syrup; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; ¼ teaspoon ground ginger; ¼ teaspoon ground cloves; ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg; ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom; 1/8 teaspoon fine salt

EF Egg-Free GF Gluten-free GR Grain-Free VG Vegetarian DF Dairy-Free V Vegan P Paleo

Holiday Spiced Pecans are roasted to perfection and infused with a blend of spices. Enjoy them as a holiday snack, add them to a salad, or package them in a mason jar as a special gift.

20 mins

5 /5

62 Comments

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By: Stacie Hassing Posted: 12/8/23

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These Holiday Spiced Pecans are a special treat for you, and also a perfect 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!

Overhead view of Holiday Spiced Pecans on a white plate.

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

Close up view Spiced Pecans on a white plate sprinkled with flaky sea salt

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.

Pecans in a clear glass bowl with maple syrup and cinnamon on top

Pecans with maple syrup drizzled on top ready for baking

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.

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

Close up view spiced pecans coated in sugar maple syrup and sprinkled with flaky sea salt in small glass jar

Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 28 reviews

Holiday Spiced Pecans

Holiday Spiced Pecans are roasted to perfection and infused with a blend of spices. Enjoy them as a holiday snack, add them to a salad, or package them in a mason jar as a special gift.

Prep: 5 minsCook: 15 minsTotal: 20 mins

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Servings: 12 servings 1x

Ingredients

3 cups pecan halves
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
1/8 teaspoon fine salt

**May sub an additional 1 teaspoon of cinnamon in place of the ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and cardamom

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Instructions

Preheat oven to 350º F.
Place the pecans in a large bowl and mix in the maple syrup until all the nuts are coated. Add the spices and mix well.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Spread the pecans evenly over the parchment paper.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, stirring the nuts every 5 minutes, until toasted and most of the liquid has been absorbed.
Set aside to cool on the baking sheet until the pecans are cool enough to handle. Break the pecans apart, as some may stick together.
After completely cooled, store the spiced pecans in an airtight container.

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Nutrition Information

Serving Size: 1/4 cup
Calories: 195
Fat: 18 g
(Sat Fat: 2 g)
Sodium: 25 mg
Carbohydrate: 9 g
(Fiber: 2 g
Sugar: 7 g)
Protein: 2 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg

Dietary

Dairy-Free Egg-Free Gluten-free Grain-Free Paleo Vegan Vegetarian

Recipe By: The Real Food Dietitians

How long do spiced pecans last?

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.

How do you store roasted nuts?

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!

How should I serve these candied pecans?

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.

How can I add more flavor to this spiced nuts recipe?

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.

More Holiday Food Gifts:

Peppermint Brownie Batter Truffles

Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies (Gluten Free Option)

Crockpot Peanut Clusters (Easy Holiday Treat)

Easy Gluten-Free Peppermint Brownie Cookies

Photo Credit: The photos in this blog post were taken by Jess of Plays Well with Butter.

All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use our photos without prior written permission. If you wish to republish this recipe, please rewrite the recipe in your own unique words and link back to the source recipe here on The Real Food Dietitians.

Stacie Hassing

Stacie is a Licensed and Registered Dietitian from rural southern Minnesota where she, her husband and three children reside with their dog. She’s a co-founder of The Real Food RDs and content creator of simple and wholesome recipes. She loves all kinds of fitness and has a passion to inspire as many as she can live a healthier and happier life both in and out of the kitchen - the driving force behind the co-development of the The Real Food RDs brand.

Highlights: Spiced Pecans Recipe

What Do You Need To Make Spiced Pecans?

How To Make Holiday Candied Pecans

Ingredient Spotlight: Pecans