These crunchy, sweet and salty maple cinnamon candied pecans are a breeze to make and contain no refined sugar or dairy. They’re a naturally gluten free and paleo treat that are perfect for holiday gifts, as salad toppers or by the handful as a sweet snack.
Big confession for me – candied nuts of all kinds are a huge weakness for me!
I grab them at the store whenever I see them so I always have some on hand. Pecans and cashews are my favorites!
I snack on them by the handful, crumble them up onto salads and on nut butter and banana toast.
So why then has it taken me so long to make my own homemade candied nuts?!
Laziness is probably the culprit here. And also not believing that I could make a LEGIT paleo version of my favorite sweet snack. But guess what? I made it paleo AND better than I’ve ever had before.
What You Need to Make Homemade Maple Cinnamon Candied Pecans
The best part of these candied pecans (besides the irresistible flavor!) is how crazy easy they are to prepare. And that you only need a few simple ingredients!
I researched lots of classic recipes for candied nuts that use an egg white along with water and sugar to create that crunchy crystalized coating that’s the best thing ever.
Swap out regular white cane sugar for maple sugar and you get a finished product that taste SO much richer than any I’ve tried before! Score another one for maple sugar!
Here’s everything you’ll need to prepare the candied pecans:
- pecan halves
- egg white
- water
- pure vanilla extract
- maple sugar
- fine sea salt
- ground cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, or apple pie spice (to make them holiday festive!)
Yup – that’s all! If you’re having trouble finding maple sugar in a local store, you can purchase the one I swear by from Amazon.
I’ve never been able to find maple sugar in the store that’s reasonably priced, so this is absolutely my go-to for all my baking recipes.
It’s also incredible for making drizzles and icings. It’s low glycemic and has a much better flavor than coconut sugar, in my opinion, and doesn’t burn the way coconut sugar sometimes does.
How to Make Maple Cinnamon Candied Pecans
Preheat your oven to 250° F. The pecans need to bake at a low temperature for a long time to get nice and crunchy without burning.
Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl, use a whisk or an electric hand mixer to beat the egg white with the water and vanilla until the mixture is white and frothy.
In a separate small mixing bowl, whisk together the maple sugar, cinnamon and salt. Add pecans to egg white mixture and toss until evenly coated.
Pour the sugar mixture over pecans and toss until evenly coated. Arrange the coated pecans onto the prepared baking sheet and spread into an even layer.
Bake in the preheated oven for one hour, stirring once midway through, and spreading them out before continuing to bake.
Allow the pecans to cool completely before serving. Store them in an airtight container on the countertop for as long as they’ll last! Which won’t be all that long if your family is like mine!
My Favorite Ways to use Candied Pecans
As I said above, my favorite way to enjoy these is snacking on them by the handful. But actually there are endless ways to use these candied nuts!
I love them on salads, sprinkled over ice cream and with a banana on almond butter toast.
They’re also so good with fruit, yogurt, or crumbled over my pumpkin cheesecake! Additionally, they store so well at room temperature that you can gift them for the holidays.
I know I would definitely not complain about receiving a batch as a homemade gift!
I hope you’re ready for a treat that’s sure to become a new go-to recipe in your house whenever you need a sweet snack!
Preheat your oven and grab your ingredients because it’s time to make the BEST paleo candied pecans ever – let’s go!
Maple Cinnamon Candied Pecans {Paleo}
Maple Cinnamon Candied Pecans {Paleo}
Ingredients
- 1 lb pecan halves
- 1 large egg white
- 1 Tbsp water
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup maple sugar
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon pumpkin pie spice, or apple pie spice
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 250° F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, use a whisk or an electric hand mixer to beat the egg white with the water and vanilla until the mixture is white and frothy.
- In a separate small mixing bowl, whisk together the maple sugar, cinnamon and salt.
- Add pecans to egg white mixture and toss until evenly coated.
- Pour the sugar mixture over pecans and toss until evenly coated. Arrange the coated pecans onto the prepared baking sheet and spread into an even layer.
Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour, stirring once midway through and then spreading out again before continuing to bake. Allow the pecans to cool completely before serving. Store them in an airtight container on the countertop.
Nutrition
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Want More Paleo Snack Recipes? Try One of These!
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Could you use coconut sugar instead?
Well I tried the coconut sugar and they turned out amazing!! I am sure they would be just astronomical with maple sugar but we’re on a budget.
Can you make this vegan?
I would love to try this as a sweet snack. Would granulated Swerve or brown sugar Swerve be an ok substitute for maple sugar?
I can’t have egg white or egg yolk. I’d love to try these but I’m not sure if they will turn out okay not using the egg? Any substitutions?
These would be perfect on a charcuterie board!!
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Can they be done without the egg white?
I will be making these often! My grandkids love them as much as I do.
These taste like the nuts you get from the mall during winter time!!!!! I was only able to use a 10 ounce bag of pecans because I didn’t have enough of the egg wash???
Thank you so much for sharing this!!!
What substitutes do you use for maple sugar?
I’ve never bought (or used maple sugar) but I do have pure maple syrup. Can you substitute maple syrup instead of maple sugar?
I was wondering the same!
Delish! I’ve been snacking on these while nursing! So easy to make- would make a great Xmas gift packaged in a mason jar.
Just pulled these out of the oven and they are AMAZING!! I can’t stop snacking on them and they will be perfect to top our salad for Thanksgiving. Thank you for sharing such great recipes. I am almost a year in to eating Paleo and your recipes have made it an easy transition.
I ordered the recommended pure maple sugar and these did not disappoint. They are easy to make and delicious. Hope to share some as Christmas gifts.
Made exactly as directed. What a perfect paleo snack for the holidays. A welcome change from all the processed treats I normally overindulge in. Addictive!
Thanks so much for sharing, this recipe came right on time for me. I’m struggling not to eat all the holiday treats my family is enjoying, and these totally hit the spot. I was hesitant to try them, a similar recipe I tried in the past resulted in mushy nuts, which was not what I was looking for. These are crisp, sweet, & salty- super amazing. They are well worth the expense for the pecans & maple sugar, which for me are a little pricey. Thanks a million!
Yes! Can you use syrup??
10/10! I’ve made candied nuts in the past and they’ve always burned. I decided to try this recipe because out of everything I’ve made of yours, I have never had a fail. These are awesome. You’ve still got a winning streak with me!