By: Stacie HassingPosted: 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!
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
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.
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
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Recipe
5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star5 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
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-FreeEgg-FreeGluten-freeGrain-FreePaleoVeganVegetarian
© The Real Food Dietitians
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:
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.
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Reader Interactions
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Deb saysEasy and delish! And makes your home smell wonderful!
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- Jessie Shafer says
We’re so glad you loved this easy home incense!
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- Mich says
These are gift worthy! Delicious. I’ve made these for years and the mister asks for them along with Christmas cookies. Thank goodness they are so easy. You won’t be disappointed.
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- Sarah Ayres says
These are hands-down THE BEST spiced pecans there! Making another batch right now. My family’s favorite holiday treat.
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- Elizabeth Jackson says
These are excellent. My husband, who is not a cook, volunteers to crack pecans and then mix these up and bake them.
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- Stacie Hassing says
That is awesome Elizabeth! Thanks for the great feedback and 5-star review!
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- Sue says
Just made these. I have about 3 lbs of fresh pecans so I thought I’d try this recipe. Just used the cinnamon substitute. So good. Will make again
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- Stacie Hassing says
Awesome Sue! Thanks for the 5-star review!
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