Spice up your salad or cheese plate with these sweet and spicy roasted pecans.
Even non-cooks can make this easy, foolproof recipe.
Roasting nuts is a great technique to have in your kitchen savvy bag of tricks.
Learn the basic recipe, and it will take you in many directions.
For a paleo/no-sugar version, simply replace the honey with a neutral vegetable oil or melted butter.
Vegans: replace honey with agave or maple syrup.
Sweet and Spicy Roasted Pecans are:
- naturally gluten and dairy free
- a crunchy snack both kids and grown ups love
- an easy hostess or holiday gift
Keep it simple with just pecans or your own combination of nuts and seeds, like
- almonds
- cashews
- peanuts
- pistachios
- pumpkin seeds
- walnuts
After roasting, add in your favorite dried chopped fruit, such as cranberries, cherries, apricots or figs.
Other variations:
Roasted Herbed Nuts: replace honey with oil or butter + 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or rosemary, salt and pepper
Brown Sugar Roasted Nuts: Use oil or butter + 1/3 cup packed brown sugar and cayenne, if desired.
Toasted Dry Nuts: Toast nuts without oil, honey or spices in a single layer. Perfect for baking and eating!
Practice making your favorite variation now for easy homemade gifts this winter.
Imagine how cute your homemade nuts will look in
- cellophane bags
- mason jars or
- tins wrapped with ribbon
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Did I mention how delicious they are with a cold glass of Rosé?
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PrintSweet and Spicy Roasted Pecans
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Total Time: 40 mins
- Yield: 16 servings 1x
- Category: Appetizer, Condiment
- Cuisine: American
Spice up your salad or cheese plate with these sweet and spicy roasted pecans.
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons honey
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon (generous) freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (use less for mild and more for spicy)
- 3 cups pecan pieces (or any unsalted nut combination)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 F. Line a sheet pan with a silpat or parchment paper sprayed with oil.
- Set aside another large piece of parchment or foil (to cool the nuts after baking)
- Toast pecans (plain) for ten minutes, then let cool completely.
- Combine honey and spices in a large, microwaveable bowl.
- Heat in microwave until bubbly, 30 – 60 seconds, then stir well to dissolve salt and spices.
- Add honey mixture to cooled nuts, mix well, then spread out on baking sheet.
- Bake five minutes, then stir to coat pecans with the melted honey spice mixture.
- Return to oven and bake another 10 minutes, until golden and bubbling.
- Transfer roasted pecans to clean foil or parchment and separate pieces with a fork.
- Let cool completely.
- Make up to three days ahead and store at room temperature in an airtight container.
Notes
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen’s Sweet and Spicy Candied Pecans and Mark Bittman’s Roasted Nuts in How To Cook Everything The Basics
Yum!! I’m tempted to add your name to gift tags tied to the bags of these my friends will be getting from me. Looking forward to cooking up those batches. Another GREAT recipe. Thank you, Dana! ❤️
No need to put my name on your gift tag- We all learn from each other! Just make ’em and pay it forward; that’s the best gift, Rita! XOXO