These spiced pecans are an all-time holiday favorite for me and my loved ones. There’s just something about the crunchy, sweet bite with the kick of warmth from the cinnamon spice that feels like Christmas to me. I’ve found myself some years putting a Christmas potpourri on my stovetop when I start to make a batch to amplify all the holiday spices and scents. While I Iove to serve these pecans at the holidays to friends and family, I’ve also found that they’re a perfect gift for friends, teachers, and neighbors. Plus, they’re simply a fun snack to make throughout the whole fall and winter season. This spiced pecan recipe is one that always make it onto my holiday baking list, right alongside my favorite Christmas cookies and treats. I just can’t imagine the season without them!
Recipe Highlights
With minimal prep time and a total time of less than 30 minutes, these candied pecans are super easy to make. Plus, this recipe has several other aspects that I love. For example, it’s:
- A treat made with better-for-you ingredients and no refined sugar.
- Healthy fats and fiber from the pecans keep you full while satisfying your sweet tooth.
- Naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan.
- Able to be made in bulk and stores incredibly well.
- Great for a Christmas party appetizer, as well as gifting.
- Fun to make.
Ingredients To Make Spiced Pecans
Here are the ingredients I use to make these sweet-spiced nuts. I always remind myself, too, that I can substitute additional cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice for the ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and cardamom in case of an allergy or if I open my spice cabinet and am missing one of the extra spices on my recipe card.
- Pecan halves – About 3 cups of pecan halves are needed.
- Maple syrup – I always make sure I use pure maple syrup, not pancake syrup.
- Ground cinnamon
- Ground ginger
- Ground cloves
- Ground nutmeg
- Cardamom
- Fine kosher salt
Find the ingredient list with exact measurements in the recipe card below.
Ingredient Spotlight: Pecans
Pecans are both tasty and a great snack choice, as they offer some great benefits for overall well-being. Pecans are:
- Rich in copper, thiamine, zinc, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, and iron.
- A good source of fiber.
- Low in carbohydrates.
- An excellent source of monounsaturated fatty acids.
Plus, they’re incredibly versatile and can be added to a lot of desserts or recipes for a little extra flavor and crunch. Personally, I love adding pecans to my Cranberry Chicken Salad with Apples.
Add An Extra Kick
Some of my friends and family just can’t ever seem to get enough spice – they just want to have more and more heat added on to whatever dish they’re eating. That’s why I’ve come up with a way to make this pecan recipe have even more of a kick that’s sure to satisfy my spice-fanatic friends and family. To add a bit of heat, I include a pinch of cayenne pepper, ground cumin, or smoked paprika.
How To Serve
A big reason I love my recipe for spiced pecans is because of how versatile it is. Of course, I can eat or serve them plain, but I can also add them to other recipes and dishes. For example, I love using the pecans as a salad topping, using them in place of regular pecans in a sweet potato casserole, and I’ve even been known to sprinkle a few on top of some vanilla ice cream every now and then.
I’ve also found that these pecans can make for great holiday gifts. I simply fill up a mason jar with the pecans, tie a ribbon around the jar, and I now have homemade spiced pecans as a little extra gift for a friend or loved one during the Christmas season.
Read One Of Our 5-Star Reviews
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“These are hands-down THE BEST spiced pecans there! Making another batch right now. My family’s favorite holiday treat.”
~Sarah Ayres
How To Store
Spiced pecans will stay fresh for up to two weeks at room temperature in an airtight container or up to a year when stored in the refrigerator or freezer. If I store them in the fridge or freezer, I always make sure to use one of my airtight meal prep containers and mark the date I start storing them.
Video: Making Holiday Spiced Pecans
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Spiced Pecans Recipe
Roasted perfectly and flavored with a mix of complementary spices, these pecans are a great snack, salad topping, or even a great gift during the holiday season.
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
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º F.
- Place the pecan halves in a large bowl and mix them with the maple syrup.
- Add the spices to the bowl and toss the pecan halves to coat them in the spice mixture.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Spread the pecans evenly in a single layer 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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Notes
*May substitute an additional 1 teaspoon of cinnamon in place of the ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and cardamom.
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
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Super easy to make! I had all ingredients on hand except for the cardamom which I omitted and they came out exceptionally tasty! Bonus, my house smells divine! My sons are going to love these!!
Awesome Carmella!
Question: the photo does not look like fine sea salt, rather looks more like sea salt flakes.
It looks so pretty I want mine to look just like yours!! Please let me know which I should use. I didn’t see anything about this in notes or comments.
I will DEFINENITELY be making these either way!!
Thank you & God bless you!
Thanks for the kind words, Jannabeth! We used the fine sea salt for the baking portion, then if you like you can sprinkle some flakey sea salt on top when they come out of the oven! Enjoy!
Looks amazing but how much salt is in the recipe? I can’t see it in the list.
Hi Laurel! Salt is optional at the end if you wanted, measure for your taste. Enjoy!
Could you make this recipe with almonds instead?
Hi Kristi! That should work fine!
Once again, a stellar recipe from this site! I took these to a holiday party today, and everyone loved them! I gifted a few jars to some special friends, as well.
I made two batches. On the second batch, I used 2 tsps. of cinnamon (instead of 1) in addition to the other spices, and that was very tasty!
Thank you so much, Susan! We appreciate the feedback and 5-star review!
I love these
My family and friends love these
Everyone loves these!
They make a fabulous gift for teachers, friends, pastors, hostesses, older family members who just want to know that they aren’t forgotten and are still loved.
Also put out a little bowl all winter long for guests to pick at when visiting. Better than candy canes.
This recipe exactly as it is is perfection!
Thank you so much for sharing!
Thanks so much for the nice feedback and 5-star review. We appreciate it, Sue!