Horizontal photo of a white bowl of Easy Candied Pecans on a round white and grey marble slab.

Easy Candied Pecans (with video and free printable labels)

Name: Easy Candied Pecans
Prep time: 3 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: ⅓ cup sugar; 5 teaspoons water; 1 tablespoon corn syrup; ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon; ¼ teaspoon salt; 1 ½ cups roughly chopped pecans, pecan halves or pieces

By Chris Scheuer | Updated on December 1, 2025

4.96 from 45 votes

You'll find a zillion ways to use these Easy Peasy Candied Pecans... a delicious cocktail nibble, fabulous salad topping, awesome hostess gifts and so much more!

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We've been enjoying these delicious candied pecans for quite some time now. I originally made them for a salad topping, but I've found all kinds of other ways to use them along the way. Besides adding a delicious crunch to salads, they're wonderful on yogurt, ice cream, pancakes and waffles. They also make a fabulous snack and a nice little cocktail or wine nibble.

Vertical closeup photo of a white bowl full of Easy Candied Pecans on a round marble surface.

Easy and quick!

The preparation method for these candied pecans is simple and, at the same time, unique. Pecans are briefly toasted in a sauté pan, then combined with a mixture of sugar, cinnamon, corn syrup, salt and water. After a few minutes, the sugar will begin to melt and coat the pecans. Keep stirring and the pecans will take on a shiny glaze. At this point you have just a few minutes left as the nuts take on a beautiful mahogany hue. That's it!

Want to see how it's done? We created a short video to show you the easy process.

See what I mean, super easy for such a wonderful finished product!

Whole or chopped, both work!

This candied pecans recipe is also super versatile. You can use either pecan halves or chopped pecans.

Vertical photo of a white serving bowl of Easy Candied Pecans using chopped pecans on a round marble slab.

I like using the bigger ones for snacking and chopped pecans for salads and ice cream toppings.

Vertical extreme closeup photo of a bowl of Easy Candied Pecans.

Free printable labels!

I love packaging these delicious candied pecans in little decorative bags or pretty jars for gift giving. They're perfect for housewarmings, hostesses, teachers, hairdressers, etc. gifts. The best thing about them? You can prepare these gifts way ahead of time because the candied pecans keep their shiny glaze and crunch for weeks, stored at room temperature.

Vertical photo of a gift box of Easy Candied Pecans with a custom label attached.

We've created a pretty label to make giving these Candied Pecans fun and pretty - we're happy to share a PDF for the free printable labels.

To receive the PDFs for the labels, simply enter your name and email in the window below. That's it! You'll receive the labels, instructions for printing, links for the jars in this post, and fresh new recipe inspiration from The Café!

Get your free printable labels

Be sure to make enough!

You might want to make a double batch, as these candied pecans tend to disappear quickly. Each time I've made them, I've promised myself that I would just nibble on one or two as I've packed them up, but I've found them almost impossible to resist!

Don't wait any longer to make a batch of these easy candied pecans. You can go from raw ingredients to finished product in less than 15 minutes! So put pecans on your shopping list. You probably have everything else you need right in the pantry. Enjoy!

Vertical extreme closeup photo of a white bowl filled with Easy Candied Pecans.

Café Tips for making these Candied Pecans

After you add the sugar/water mixture to the pecans, the sugar will melt and then, after a few minutes, it will form a coating around the nuts. As you continue to heat and stir the nuts, the sugar will begin to caramelize and form the beautiful shiny, mahogany-colored glaze. Don't stop until you see the deep golden hue and shiny surface.
Don't skip the corn syrup! It's there for a reason. Whenever you're melting sugar, there's a chance that it might crystallize and get grainy. The corn syrup prevents this from happening. Originally, I didn't include this in the recipe, but I learned from trial and error that it definitely makes a difference!
Feel free to add different spices to change out the flavor a bit with these nuts. Cinnamon, allspice, cardamom, cumin, rosemary, cayenne or chili spice are all delicious.
Keep a close eye on these nuts as they cook, especially towards the end, as they can go from golden to burned in no time flat.
Work quickly once you turn the pecans out onto the prepared foil. You want to spread them out as much as possible and pull apart any nuts that have stuck together. Once they're cool, you can break them apart, but they won't be as pretty.
Although these Easy Candied Pecans keep well stored in an airtight container for weeks, they also freeze well and will keep for months in the freezer. Just thaw at room temperature the day you need them.
I like to print up a little label to stick on my packages. It makes these candied pecans look like they came from one of those gourmet food/gift shops. (But they taste even better than something you buy at those shops because they're made at home, with love!)

If you're more in the mood for sweet pecans with a bit of heat, check out these Sweet and Spicy Maple Pecans. So... delicious!
Be sure to use a non-stick sauté pan to make these candied pecans. I really like this set of All-Clad non-stick pans in 8 and 10 inches and use them ALL the time.
Don't be tempted to use a large sauté pan to make the pecans. I use the 8-inch non-stick pan mentioned above. I've tried it and a larger pan just doesn't work as well and the nuts take longer to carmelize nicely.
Prepare the foil-lined pan before you start cooking the candied pecans. When the pecans are done, you want to get them out of the pan quickly. Using a sheet pan keeps the nuts from flying all over the place while you're spreading them out and separating them.

Thought For The Day

He will wipe every tear from their eyes.
There will be no more death
or mourning or crying or pain,
for the old order of things will have passed away.
Revelation 21:4

What We're Listening to for Inspiration

The Hymn of Heaven

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