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Easy Candied Pecans

Easy candied pecans with a glossy egg-white coating and cinnamon-sugar crunch. Baked low and slow with stirring every 15 minutes for crackly, evenly coated pecan halves.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Calories: 575
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

pecan halves
  • 1 lb pecan halves
egg white
  • 1 egg white
water
  • 1 tbsp water
sugar
  • 1 cup sugar
ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
salt
  • 0.5 tsp salt
vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Prep and coat
  1. Preheat oven to 250F and line a sheet pan with parchment, keeping the surface ready for a single-layer bake.
  2. Whisk egg white, water, and vanilla extract until frothy so the coating looks light and foamy.
  3. Toss pecan halves in the egg-white mixture until evenly coated and glossy.
  4. Mix sugar, ground cinnamon, and salt, then toss with the pecans until the surface looks evenly dusted.
Bake and stir
  1. Spread the coated pecans in a single layer on the sheet pan so they bake evenly without clumping.
  2. Bake at 250F for 15 minutes, then stir and scrape them back into an even layer to encourage a crackly coating.
  3. Bake at 250F for another 15 minutes, then stir again until the cinnamon sugar looks darker and more set.
  4. Bake at 250F for another 15 minutes, then stir so the pecans toast uniformly around the edges.
  5. Bake at 250F for the final 15 minutes, stirring once more until the coating looks glossy and dry at the surface.
Cool and store
  1. Cool completely on the pan until the coating is crunchy, then break apart the pecans as they harden.
  2. Store airtight at room temperature once fully cool to keep the cinnamon-sugar crunch intact.

Notes

For the best crackle, keep pecans in a single layer and stir exactly every 15 minutes during the 1-hour bake so the sugar sets evenly. Cool fully on the pan before storing to lock in crunch; store airtight for up to 2 weeks. Freeze yes—freeze airtight for up to 2 months, then thaw at room temperature. For a nut-allergy-friendly swap, use pepitas (pumpkin seeds) instead of pecans and bake the same way.