This easy recipe for stovetop candied pecans is delicious and full of cinnamon sugar goodness. These cinnamon sugar pecans on the stovetop are made with simple ingredients and done in about 5 minutes (or maybe 7). Get all the sweetness of easy roasted pecans without all of the work.
Easy candied pecans on stovetop
A very long time ago, I was craving cinnamon sugar pecans, so I looked up this recipe that was more complicated than I wished. In that particular recipe for candy pecans, you had to mix egg whites and coat the pecans with them and then put them in the sugar mixture. After all of that, you had to bake it in the oven, stirring it every 10 minutes.
Well, the last ten minutes of baking it, it burned and all of the glazed pecans stuck together as hard as cement. It ruined my pan, and my pregnant self was in tears, because it was the only thing I wanted to eat.
After that terrible experience, I decided there HAD to be a better way!
Well this easy stovetop candied pecans without egg whites is about as simple as it gets! These cinnamon sugar pecans are done in under 10 minutes MAX! And they taste like you've slow roasted the pecans for hours!
🥘 Ingredients
The ingredients for candied pecans stovetop recipe are very simple:
- pecan halves
- light brown sugar
- cinnamon
- water
- salt (optional)
Note that these are vegan candied pecans. There are no egg whites or butter in this recipe.
🔪 Instructions
Let's begin by going through how to caramelize pecans:
How to make candied pecans... Prepare a baking sheet for the candied nuts to cool by placing a piece of parchment paper on top of a large baking sheet.
As I stated, this is the easiest candied pecans recipe ever! Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat, and put the brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and water into it. Some people use butter, but I like it without butter. It really doesn't make that much of a difference.
Heat the sugar mixture and stir it constantly until it begins to bubble. Keep stirring and let it bubble for about 1-2 minutes. Then add the pecan halves and stir for another minute, until the pecans are well coated with the cinnamon sugar mixture.
The cinnamon sugar glaze, should begin to thicken and stick to the pecans.
Remove the hot glazed nuts carefully onto the parchment lined baking sheet, and try to separate the cinnamon sugar nuts from clumping altogether. Cool completely and enjoy!
As for me, I just love to eat these glazed pecans as a snack. They are lovely just by themselves. But if you want, you can use them as a topping on ice cream. For some reason, this candied pecan recipe just screams Thanksgiving and Christmas. I always want to eat them around the holidays. They actually go perfect with this sweet butter board recipe!
Speaking of holidays and candied nuts, you can also check out this sweet potato casserole with walnuts. It's delish.
Variations
Candied pecans for salads:
The only difference between this caramelized pecans recipe and candied pecans for salads, is the cinnamon. If you want to make candied pecans for salads, follow all of the directions in this recipe, but just omit the cinnamon!
Storage
How long will candied pecans keep?
After the stovetop candied pecans are completely cool, you can store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.
📖 Recipe
Candied Pecans (Stovetop)
Ingredients
- 2 cups pecan halves
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- ½ teas ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoon water
- ⅛ teas salt optional
Instructions
- Prepare a baking sheet by adding putting a large piece of parchment paper over it
- Add the brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and water to a non-stick pan and melt together over medium heat
- Allow the mixture to heat up until it is bubbly, about 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly
- After it has lightly boiled for a minute or two, add the pecans haves and stir, coating all of the pecans in the cinnamon sugar mixture for about 1-2 minutes or until the cinnamon sugar thickens and begins to coat the pecans
- As soon as the pecans are coated, and the cinnamon sugar glaze has slightly thickened, carefully pour the glazed pecans onto the prepared baking sheet, separating any large clumps
- Cool completely and enjoy
Sarrah
Make sure your pecans are room temp! I messed up my first batch using them cold out of the fridge😅
personal recipe book
This stovetop candied pecans recipe looks amazing! I love how simple and quick it is—no need for egg whites or baking. Perfect for holiday snacking or topping desserts. Can't wait to try it.