Sweet and crunchy cinnamon roasted pecans are a holiday classic and make a great DIY Christmas gift!
This winter, I’m sharing five easy DIY Christmas gifts, the kind that even us ‘not so crafty’ people can pull off. These classic cinnamon roasted pecans are always a holiday favorite, and also make for a super easy homemade gift.
Nuts are a staple at the holidays, and it's fun to change up the flavors a bit! I added cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg, and they took a grand total of 15 minutes to prep and bake!
Let me tell you-- these are highly addictive! Put them in a bowl at a holiday party and watch them disappear! They also make a great hostess gift.
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Reasons you'll love cinnamon roasted pecans
- you can have them prepped and baked in under 15 minutes!
- they are great served at a party
- they make a perfect hostess gift
How to roast pecans
I tried this recipe a few different ways (with and without the egg), 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!
- Toss pecans with brown sugar (you may swap with coconut sugar), cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, egg white and a generous pinch of flaky sea salt.
- Arrange on a baking sheet.
- Bake at 350°F for 8-12 minutes.
I'm not kidding, it's really that easy!
Can I swap the brown sugar for an unrefined sweetener?
Yes, you may swap for coconut sugar, however liquid sweeteners like maple syrup or honey do not work for this particular recipe.
Can I change out the spices?
Absolutely! You could add in some cayenne to make these spicy, you could make these savory (swap for the spice rub in my Perfect Baked Chicken Breast recipe, it's my favorite savory spice blend!)
How long do cinnamon pecans last for?
We kept ours at room temperature for 10 days with no issues. I recommend storing in the fridge for longer term storage.
Looking for more DIY Christmas Gifts? Check out:
- Slow Cooker Apple Butter
- Homemade Citrus Infused Salt (find the recipe in my 5 DIY Christmas Gifts post!)
- Spicy Roasted Chickpeas
- Classic Peppermint Bark
Recipe tips
- make sure to use a large, good quality sheet pan (I use these ones!)
- I used 1 pint mason jar
to store my pecans, and you could also use plastic gift bags - I used Christmas twine similar to this to tie up my tag
- Find the printable gift tags here!
to store my pecans, and you could also use 
to tie up my tag
Cinnamon Roasted Pecans
Ingredients
- 4 cups pecan halves (14.5 oz)
- 2 egg whites
- 4 teaspoons cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons cardamom
- 2 teaspoons nutmeg
- ½-1 cup brown sugar (coconut sugar may be subbed; *see note)
- 2 pinches salt
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside.
- In a large bowl, toss together the pecans, egg whites, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, brown sugar and salt.
- Spread nuts out on the baking sheet, then bake for 8-12 minutes...keep an eye on them at the end so they don't burn!
- Allow to cool completely, then transfer to a storage container or gift bag.
Linda Juliot
Would this work with walnuts?
Denise
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?