Sweet and Spicy maple roasted pecans are made with just a few everyday ingredients. These candied nuts are so easy, they make a delicious salad topper and can also be eaten as a totally addictive snack.
Have you ever tried to make sweet and spicy roasted pecans for your salad or to munch on and have them turn out just sticky. Tasty but sticky. I hate that. I like candied nuts, especially candied pecans, that are dry and still a little crunchy.
Then you can sprinkle them on your salad or just munch on them straight out of the jar! Sticky ones just get stuck into a ball and they just suck ok!
I love maple roasted pecans on my salad 😉 Especially ones that are a little sweet, a little salty with a little kick of spice. This recipe is exactly that. And with a crunch!
When you eat as much salad as I do, its nice to have a little special topper once in a while. Especially on our Pickled Beet Salad which is one of my favorites.
You can make them with pecans like we did, but you could also try almonds or cashews with this recipe. Or a combination of nuts. We used a little butter to make these, but if you wanted to make them a little bit healthier, you could use coconut oil and that would work just as well.
You could also try omitting the brown sugar and just use the maple syrup for sweetening. You might need a bit extra.
Im going to do a bit of experimenting with this maple roasted pecan recipe next time, but this candied pecans recipe is also excellent just the way it is.
These maple roasted pecans would actually make a great gift if you put them in mason jars and make the lid look all pretty. If your crafty like that 🙂
Another Kick Ass Homemade Salad Topper
- homemade croutons – so easy & good that you will never want to buy them again
Salad Recipes You Might Like
- taco salad recipe with tequila lime chicken & homemade ranch (that actually tastes like ranch)
- grilled caesar salad with homemade caesar dressing
- pickled beet salad recipe
If you’ve tried this maple roasted pecan recipe then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let us know how it turned out in the comments below. We love hearing from you!
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Ingredients
- 2 cups Pecans
- 2 tbsp Butter
- 2 tbsp Maple Syrup
- 2 tbsp Brown Sugar
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Melt the butter and brown sugar in a bowl in the microwave or in a small pot.
- Add the maple syrup, salt and cayenne. Stir to mix.
- Add the pecans and stir till they are coated.
- Pour the pecans on a parchment lined tray and place in the oven.
- Bake for 10 - 12 mins, stirring half way through the cooking time.
- Keep an eye on them so they dont burn.
- Remove from oven and let them cool on the tray. When they are cool, break them up and store in a mason jar or tuperware till you are ready to top your salad with them!
Farah @ The Cooking Jar says
I love pecans! These ones actually sound really good! I think I’ll opt out of the spiciness though 🙂
juliendebbie says
Hi Farah. Thanks for checking out our site. These pecans are the best I have tried so I hope they work well for you. You might be surprised at how not spicy these are, but they will be delicious without the spice too. You could try another spice. All spice or something like that…
Cookie sawyer says
I have made these with your recipe and they are fabulous can’t imagine them without the cayenne.
Julie & Debbie says
So glad you loved them! I know, I love them with that little bit of spice too 🙂
Thoueris says
Just made this and it’s great! So delicious and nicely crunchy. Making another batch for Xmas-gathering snackage (I think it will pair well with a cheese board and some Piesporter Michelsberg) with double the cayenne, as we’re spice-loving types. Thanks fo sharing this!
Julie and Debbie says
Hi there! Thanks for letting us know how it worked for you. We are so glad you liked it! Good idea to pair with a cheese board, now thats what I want. Right now! Merry Christmas…
Andrea says
Really great recipe and very straight forward! Love the hint of salt and spice in a candied pecan. Thank you for sharing!
Julie & Debbie says
So glad you liked them. I think I need a new batch of these myself… 🙂
KE says
Hi! I really want to try these, but I’m paleo and can’t have the brown sugar. Do you think they would be okay without it? Is it part of the recipe to cut down on sticky or because it’s needed for sweetness? Thanks so much, KE
Julie & Debbie says
Hi, its needed for a little of both. Give these a try with just the maple syrup 🙂 I think they might work great like that too. Let me know how they turn out!
Claire says
Hi
I’m in Great Britain and would love to try these. It says 2 cups of pecans…what would that be in grams?
Every conversion site I look at is different!?!?!?
Thanks
Julie & Debbie says
I would say 500g. This recipe is pretty forgiving, you don’t have to be exact. Hope that helps 🙂
Michele Freed says
Can this be made with walnuts? Also do you think coconut sugar would work instead of regular brown sugar?
Julie & Debbie says
Absolutly for the walnuts. Not sure about the coconut sugar. I dont see why not, but I cant say for sure… Let us know how it turns out if you try it.
Michele Freed says
I ended up using pecans, and the coconut sugar worked SO well! They are AMAZING! Thank you!
Julie & Debbie says
Excellent! I will have to try them with coconut sugar too.
Karen Kouf says
These pecans are incredibly delicious! They were a huge hit at the Thanksgiving table when I kept a small bowl of them separate from the salad, everyone wanted more so they are now a favorite snack for my teenager. Perfectly spicy and sweet without being sticky, thanks!
Julie & Debbie says
so great! Thanks for your comment 🙂