Classic cinnamon roasted pecans are a holiday favorite and make a great DIY Christmas gift! So simple to prepare, and with the perfect blend of sweetness and crunch.
These classic cinnamon roasted pecans are always a holiday favorite, and also make for a super easy DIY Christmas gift.
Sweet and salty with lots of crunch, these classic cinnamon roasted pecans are a holiday staple! Give them as a thoughtful hostess gift, or serve them up with appetizers on your next charcuterie board. Either way, they will disappear quickly!
These roasted pecans have a blend of wintery spices - including cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg. They take a total of 15 minutes to prep and bake, and we've included a free printable gift tag below for you to download if you want to give these as a DIY Christmas gift!
Reasons you'll love This Recipe
- they are sweet and salty, with lots of cinnamon and spices for extra flavor
- you can have them prepped and baked in under 15 minutes!
- they are great served at a party, but also make a perfect hostess gift
Ingredient Notes
- Pecans - look for pecan halves; avoid pecan pieces (pecans that come pre-chopped into smaller pieces) for this recipe. You could swap for walnuts, but may need to adjust the cook time.
- Spices - cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom add a delicious wintery flavor to this recipe. You can add cayenne for a kick of heat if you'd like, or omit any of these spices if you prefer
- Brown sugar - you can swap with coconut sugar, but maple syrup or honey do not work well for this recipe (they yield a soggier texture).
- Egg white - we tried this recipe a few different ways (with and without the egg white), and the best results were by far with the egg white. Thanks to the egg white, these roasted pecans get nice and crispy (rather than soggy) as they cool!
- Sea salt - we recommend using flaky sea salt
Step By step directions
Prepare
Heat oven to 350ยฐF. Line a baking sheet with parchment and set it aside.
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Combine
In a large bowl, toss together the pecans, egg whites, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, brown sugar and salt.
Bake
Spread nuts out on the baking sheet, then bake at 350ยบF for 8-12 minutes. Keep an eye on them at the end so they don't burn!
Tip - make sure to use a large, good-quality sheet pan. These are the sheet pans we own and love!
Store
Allow to cool completely, then transfer to a storage container or gift bag.
FAQ
Yes, you may swap for coconut sugar, however liquid sweeteners (like maple syrup or honey) do not work for this particular recipe.
Absolutely! You could add in some cayenne to make these spicy, you could make these savory (swap for the spice rub in these perfect baked chicken breast recipe, it's my favorite savory spice blend!)
We kept ours at room temperature for 10 days with no issues. We recommend storing in the fridge for longer-term storage.
Storage
- Room temperature - let cool completely. Then store at room temperature in a sealed 1 pint mason jar or in plastic gift bags! You can also use Christmas twine similar to this to tie up the gift bags.
- Fridge - for maximum freshness and to keep these cinnamon roasted pecans for longer, store in the fridge. Roasted nuts will spoil faster than raw nuts, but they can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 months.
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Cinnamon Roasted Pecans
Ingredients
- 4 cups pecan halves 14.5 oz
- 2 egg whites
- 4 teaspoons cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons cardamom
- 2 teaspoons nutmeg
- ยฝ-1 cup brown sugar coconut sugar may be subbed; *see note 1
- 2 pinches salt
Instructions
- Prepare - Heat oven to 350ยฐF. Line a baking sheet with parchment and set it aside.
- Combine - In a large bowl, toss together the pecans, egg whites, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, brown sugar and salt.
- Bake - Spread nuts out on the baking sheet, then bake at 350ยบF for 8-12 minutes. Keep an eye on them at the end so they don't burn!
- Store - Allow to cool completely, then transfer to a storage container or gift bag.
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We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Tips:
- for a sweet version, use a full cup of brown sugar, for a slightly sweet version use ยฝ cup; liquid sweeteners may not be swapped in this recipe.
- Room temperatureย - let cool completely. Then store at room temperature in a sealedย 1 pint mason jarย or inย plastic gift bags!ย
- Fridgeย - for maximum freshness and to keep these cinnamon roasted pecans for longer, store in the fridge. Roasted nuts will spoil faster than raw nuts, but they can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 months.
Nutrition Information
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Linda Juliot says
Would this work with walnuts?
Denise says
Hi Linda! I bet it would work with walnuts as well, but I'm unsure if they would have the same cook time. If you try it, would you report back for us to let us know how it goes for you?