These Quick and Easy Cinnamon Sugared Pecans are delicious and perfect for snacking, salads, and gift-giving. The perfect cinnamon and sugar mixture coats them, and everyone who loves candied nuts will love them.
Full Recipe Ingredients/Instructions are available in the
recipe card at the bottom of the post.
You can find important tips/tricks in the
blog post.
I recall first seeing sugared pecans at a store in the mall while I was in college. They were delicious and coated in the most delicious sugar mixture. I vowed to find a way to make them at home. The traditional method takes about an hour of baking on low. Once I became an air fryer fan, I tried them there.
Well, let’s just say, it worked! And rather than baking on low and slow for about an hour, I could air fry these pecans in 15 minutes and have perfect sugar-coated pecans. These are perfect for gift-giving, topping on salads, or just snacking when you want a sweet and light snack.
I also understand not everyone has an air fryer. You can use your oven to bake them low and slow on 250 Fahrenheit for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.
A Quick Look at the Ingredients and Tools to make this Recipe
Ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions are on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Pecan Halves - Pecan halves are the perfect size for this recipe. If using whole pecans, you will likely need to cook them a few minutes longer.
- Egg white, water, and vanilla extract - these ingredients are used to make the cinnamon and sugar coat and stick to the pecans.
- White sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt - These are the ingredients for the cinnamon and sugar coating.
How to make Air Fryer Sugared Pecans
First, separate an egg and use the egg white. We won't use the egg yolk in this recipe; I usually add it to a pan and fry it. Then, place the egg white in a large bowl with water and vanilla extract and whisk until the egg white mixture is frothy. Add the pecans and stir until they are fully coated.
Then add the white and brown sugars, cinnamon, and salt to the pecans and stir until the pecans pieces are covered.
Place in an air fryer basket and spread out; it’s ok if your pecan pieces overlap a bit.
Cook on 300 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.
Once your 15 minutes are up, remove the pecans and lay them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and allow them to cool for about 5-10 minutes. You’ll notice that the sugar will have hardened during this time.
Store, enjoy, or give away.
Tanya's Top Tips
- I did not spray my basket before placing the nuts in the basket. If you are concerned with sticking, use a parchment sheet liner on the bottom of your basket or lightly spray the basket with oil.
- As soon as I finish making the pecans, I place my air fryer basket in soap and water to ensure the sugar mixture does not stick and get stuck to the basket. That will avoid a harder clean-up later.
- While this method is tailored for pecans, it can be adapted for other nuts like almonds or walnuts, with adjustments to cooking times as needed.
- The 15 minute cook time and stirring every 5 minutes is key! I usually set a timer on my phone to make sure I stir it at the right time. Your pecans will not be hard after 15 minutes, they will harden when you lay them on the parchment paper after they cool. It scientifically makes sense as the sugar will harden while it cools.
- I used my 5.3 qt air fryer to make these pecans. If using a smaller basket, you'll likely need to cook the pecans in batches.
Storage Instructions
- Store the cooled candied pecans in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2-3 weeks.
- I suggest using mason jars for storage, which also makes them suitable for gift-giving.
Looking for other quick snack recipes? Try these out:
If you have tried this or any other recipe on my blog, please rate it and let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
Cinnamon Sugared Pecans (Cooks in 15 Minutes in the Air Fryer)
Ingredients
- 1 egg white from a large egg
- 1 Tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 lb pecan halves
- ½ cup granulated white sugar
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Place the egg white in a large bowl with water and vanilla extract and use a whisk to whisk until the egg white mixture is frothy. Then, add the pecans and stir until they are fully coated.
- Then add the white and brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt to the pecans and stir until the pecans pieces are covered. Place in air fryer basket and spread out, it’s ok if your pecan pieces overlap a bit.
- Air fry on 300 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Once your 15 minutes are up, remove the pecans and lay them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and allow them to cool for about 5-10 minutes. You’ll notice that the sugar will have hardened in the 5 minutes.
Suggested Tools
Video
Notes
- Pecan halves are a must. Smaller pieces will need a different cook time.
- I did not spray my basket before placing the nuts in the basket. If you are concerned with sticking, use a parchment sheet liner on the bottom of your basket or lightly spray the basket with oil.
- Store these nuts in an airtight container for up to 2-3 weeks, I use mason jars. They are perfect for gift giving.
- The 15 minute cook time and stirring every 5 minutes is key! I usually set a timer on my phone to make sure I stir it at the right time. Your pecans will not be hard after 15 minutes, they will harden when you lay them on the parchment paper after they cool. It scientifically makes sense as the sugar will harden while it cools.
- I used my 5.3 qt air fryer to make these pecans. For smaller air fryers, halve the recipe or cook in batches.
Nutrition
This post was originally published December 9, 2019. It has been updated with new information and photos.
Treva Hilliard says
These are fantastic
amartinez says
This is the easiest and BEST recipe I have ever tried.
Queenbee says
Can you do this and bake in oven
Tanya says
yep, on 250F for about an hour stirring every 15 minutes.
Crystal says
We have a large air fryer with a rotating basket (that's how we cook french fries). Do you think the pecans could be put in there to cook?
Tanya says
Hi Crystal, I haven't tried it that way so I can't be sure, but it should work. My main concern is that the rotating basket will get all gunky with the sugar sticking to it. It would be a pain to clean.
Sue says
Can you omit the cinnamon?
Tanya says
yes, you can.
Lisa says
These were super easy and tasty. Only comment is that 15 minutes might have been a tad too long in my air fryer. I should have checked on them in the last five minutes but I didn’t. I’ll definitely be making these again so I’ll try to remember that for next time.
Sandy says
Could these be frozen?
Tanya says
Hi Sandy, yes they can.
Nancy says
I made a patch last evening, easy to do, cooked up perfect. I gave 2 small jars to neighbors & they loved them, even my husband who didn't think he would like them was hooked. Now to give more away before we eat them ALL!!!
Beverly says
Can you use other nuts
Tanya says
Hi Beverly, I haven't tested with any other nuts but I don't see why not.
Pamela says
I want to add maple to the recipe. Should I replace maple for the water? Also, I have a ninja foodi grill and wanted to know if I should use the air fryer or the roast option for best results? This will be my second round of trying. The first time was in the oven and they had a burnt taste.
Tanya says
Hi Pamela, I wouldn't replace the water in the recipe, that helps give it its untra crunchy exterior and I honestly don't know how maple would hold up as a replacement. You could also try adding a little to the mixture, but note that you would need to check on them sooner so they don't burn. I don't have a foodi grill but the air fryer option should work fine so long as you check on them and mix them.
Sarah says
It says to save the egg yolk but it don’t say to use it I wasted another egg to get a yolk.
Tanya says
Hi Sarah, Yes, save the egg yolk for another recipe. You can store it in the fridge. I usually scramble the yolk and eat it for breakfast.
Pamela says
@Sarah, I'm glad you asked this question. I kept thinking I was missing something.
CHRISTIE BOWERS says
Just got an air fryer for Christmas!!! Just made this recipe.... these were awesome!!! I already made a second batch. So simple and delicious..Thank you!!:)
Susan says
Hello! I love several of your recipes, including this one. But, But, wondering why it said 1/4 tsp of salt in the “ingredient” list, but wasn’t mentioned again?
Thank you!
Tanya says
Hi Susan, that was an error on my part, my apologies. The salt should be added when adding the sugars and cinnamon. Just updated the post and recipe card to reflect that. Thanks 🙂
Susan says
Thank you! I love so many of your air fryer recipes! You are very talented. Thank you for sharing these wonderful creations❣️
Tanya says
Thank you so much Susan! 🙂
Vivian says
@Tanya,
I actually sprinkled less than 1/4 teaspoon of salt on the nuts when they came out of the air fryer.(NOTE: but sprinkle a little at a time and taste as you sprinkle to your liking, I used Himalayan salt). It broke the sweetness of the mix and it tasted good. It gave it just a hint of salt. And because it was my first time using an air fryer I was checking and stirring the nuts every 5 mins. one thing I love about my air fryer is that it just continued cooking where it left off after I've opened and checked on my nuts.
Mary says
Awesome and so easy!! Thanks
Tanya says
Thanks Mary. So glad you like them 🙂
Karen Cure says
Have you ever tried these using swerve white and brown sugar substitutes?
Tanya says
I haven't. This recipe uses subs and looks pretty good. https://thebigmansworld.com/sugar-free-keto-candied-pecans-paleo-vegan/
Vivian says
@Karen Cure,
I used Monk fruit sweetener with brown sugar as I too have to watch my sugar intake and it turned out good.