Skip to Content

Southern Spiced Pecans

Please share

Southern spiced pecans are so versatile. They have a subtle sweetness with a little bit of spice. Serve them as a snack or use them to top your salads. Just promise you will make some!

Bowl of spiced pecans, ready to eat.

These yummy southern spiced pecans super delicious. Keep some on hand for a snack, toss them in salads or make some to give as an edible gift. They are perfect no matter how you decide to enjoy them.

For some reason I usually think of spiced pecans around the holidays. It is probably because a former boss’s wife used to make them for our company Christmas parties.

Ingredients in skillet including bowl of pecans, butter, sugar, salt and seasonings.

Each place was set with a glass filled with yummy spiced nuts. They were the perfect sweet and salty snack to accompany a cocktail or two.

However, delicious spiced nuts should not be restricted to Christmastime. Lets enjoy them all year long.

Making Spiced Nuts

Luckily this recipe is super simple to make. It only takes 8 ingredients and about a half an hour to make.

Most of that time is hands off, so it almost makes itself. And you can easily tweek the recipe to make them your own.

Large skillet filled with butter and spice mixture, ready for nuts.

Start with your largest oven safe skillet. A twelve inch skillet is great if you have it.

Melt some butter and add in your spices and a bit of sugar. Cook it for a minute to help get those flavors going.

Then toss in some pecans and stir until everything is coated in that tasty goodness. All you have to do is bake the pecans at a nice low temperature to set the coating.

Stir the nuts halfway through to help them cook evenly. This also helps to make sure all of the nuts have all of that good stuff on them.

Pecans tossed in butter and spice mixture, ready to go in the oven for finishing.

Make sure to let them cool completely, then transfer the spiced pecans to an airtight container for storage. You can keep them at room temperature for a couple weeks or more.

For longer storage you can refrigerate or freeze the spiced nuts, but it can affect their texture a bit. They will still work great as a salad topper though.

Substitutions and Alterations

There is something great about spiced pecans, but feel free to use your favorite nuts. Mixed nuts also work great, so use whatever you prefer.

Just keep in mind that the recipe is written for raw unalted nuts. If you are using salted roasted nuts, omit the salt and cut the baking time in half.

Large skillet filled with spiced pecans, fresh from the oven.

Cayenne adds some heat to these nuts, but you can use paprika if you want something milder. They are delicious both ways.

A little bit of sugar helps to add a nice balance to these spiced nuts. You can try using maple syrup or honey instead if you prefer.

More Tasty Ways to Flavor Your Nuts

For a yummy sweet spiced nut, try spiced walnuts. They are sweeter and feature those more baking style spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves.

Spiced pecans in a bowl, ready to eat.

Or try making some honeyed pecans. They are so simple, but oh so good!

You can also make stovetop candied pecans. I teach you how to make them either with a glossy or with a nice crunchy finish.

If you tried this recipe, or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments. Hungry for more?  Be sure to stay in touch on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for all of the latest updates.

Bowl of spiced pecans, ready to eat.

Southern Spiced Pecans

Carlee
Southern spiced pecans are so versatile. They have a subtle sweetness with a little bit of spice. Serve them as a snack or use them to top your salads. Just promise you will make some!
4.80 from 10 ratings
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Appetizers & Snacks
Cuisine American
Servings 12 1/4 cup servings
Calories 223 kcal

Ingredients
 

  • ¼ cup butter
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
  • 2 Tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3 cups pecan halves

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 300°F.
  • Melt butter over medium heat in your largest oven safe skillet.
    ¼ cup butter
  • Add all of the seasonings and the sugar. Stir to combine. Contiue to cook over medium heat for 1 minutes.
    ½ teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon chili powder, ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, 2 Tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon salt
  • Remove from heat. Add the pecans and stir until the nuts are all coated in the seasoning mixture.
    3 cups pecan halves
  • Bake for 15 minutes. Stir then return to the oven to bake for another 10 minutes.
  • Allow to cool completely before moving to an airtight container for storage.
  • Store at room temperature for up to two weeks.

Nutrition

Serving: 11/4 cupCalories: 223kcalCarbohydrates: 6gProtein: 2gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 10mgSodium: 213mgFiber: 3gSugar: 3g
Tried this recipe?Mention @carleecooks or tag #cookingwcarlee!

Please share

Recipe Rating




Michael Crosby

Thursday 23rd of November 2023

Great idea, but the method is all wrong. I have made spiced nuts before but didn't think about the instructions as written and made the recipe exactly as described. The only problem is that when you cook a clump of spices and sugar in butter, only the sugar melts so the spices do not evenly coat the pecans. I remade the recipe but I first made the spice mix, melted the butter and added to the pecans. Once they were coated in butter I tossed in the spice mix. The results are pecans with a coating of the spice as desired. Great spice mix, just not the best method.

EsmeSalon

Friday 21st of April 2023

Pecans, I can have them day in and day out. Love it.

Carlee

Friday 21st of April 2023

I could too!

Andrea Nine

Monday 17th of April 2023

The perfect snack and a favorite way to eat pecans for me!

Carlee

Monday 17th of April 2023

They really are so good for snacking as is or tossing into salads etc.

Sandy ReesSandy

Sunday 16th of April 2023

Thanks for sharing some with us. They were definitely a hit!

Carlee

Sunday 16th of April 2023

They are simple, but oh so good!