You only need 3 ingredients and 15 minutes to make these delicious Sugar Candied Pecans. No oven or special equipment is needed to make these nuts. For some, these sugar coated pecans are a classic holiday tradition, but I say you can make them year-round!
Some people call these Sugar Candied Pecans, or sugared pecans. But in Latin America, they’re known as garrapiñadas, but I simply call them nueces caramelizadas (caramelized nuts).
Unlike in the United States, where pecans are a popular holiday food made for gifting and sharing, in Latin America they’re made anytime just to enjoy something sweet.
In places like NYC, they have many candied nut carts all around. Some county fairs will also have some. But of course, there are always places like Costco where you can buy them.
But trust me, you can make this recipe because it is super simple. The best part is that once you learn, you can make candied peanuts, candied walnuts, and all other candied nuts.
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Recipe Ingredients
- Water & sugar- These 2 ingredients are what we use to make the caramel. I use white sugar, but brown sugar also works.
- Pecans-Try to get pecans that are not salted.
How to Make Candied Pecans
- Photo 1: In a large pan over medium high heat, add the water and sugar, and once the sugar gets wet, add the pecans.
- Photo 2: Now all you have to do is wait. Let the nuts cook for 3 minutes. The water will begin to boil. After 3 minutes, begin to stir.
- Photo 3: After minutes 6 to 7, the sugar will get granulated. The nuts will get covered with the sugar and have a powdery look to them. Keep stirring, you don’t want the sugar to burn.
- Photo 4: Now you have to turn off the heat, but keep stirring. This step is only to melt the sugar a little more to get the pecans shiny.
- Photo 5: Transfer the pecans to a plate to cool. Wait at least a minute before touching them.
- Photo 6: Once cool, separate the nuts. If you like, you can sprinkle them with some ground cinnamon.
Recipe Tips
- Salt. Sprinkle with a little bit of flaky salt if you have some. The salt and the sugar just go well together.
- Separate the nuts. Don’t wait too long to separate the nuts because they will clump up.
- Freeze. If you’re lucky to have any leftover nuts, freeze them. Just make sure they’re stored in an airtight container.
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Sugar Candied Pecans
Ingredients
- 1 cup pecans
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup water
Instructions
- In a large pan over medium-high heat, add the sugar and water. Once all the sugar has absorbed the water, add the pecans. Let it cook for 3 minutes without stirring.
- By minute 3. The sugar water will start to boil, and that's when you start stirring. Keep stirring while it cooks. By minute five, the sugar will get thicker and bubble. Keep stirring.
- By minute 7. The sugar will start to granulate, and it will cover the nuts. The nuts will start looking white and dusty. Keep stirring the pecans.
- By minute 8. Once all of your nuts are covered in sugar and have a white color, you're ready for the next step.
- Now you need to turn off the heat but keep stirring. We want the sugar to melt a little again. Since the pan will still be hot, the sugar will melt. This will make the sugar coating the pecans shiny. But be very careful, once your nuts start getting a shiny look, they're ready. Don't let the sugar get dark.
- Transfer them to a plate to cool down. After about 1 minute have passed, spread the nuts on your plate. With the air of a for or spoon, more the nuts around so they don't stick. Once they are safe to handle, separate them with your hands.
- You can enjoy these once they cool, or store them in an airtight container. If you have any flaky salt, sprinkle some on top. The sweet and salty flavor is delicious. Buen provecho!
Recipe Notes
- Sugar. I just use regular white granulated sugar, but you can also use brown sugar.
- Spices. You can add a splash of vanilla extract, ground cinnamon, or nutmeg.
- Storage. Make sure that you let the nuts cool before storing. This will prevent the nuts from getting soggy from the moisture. Store in an airtight container or Ziploc bag. They can last fresh for about 3 weeks.
Nutrition
*The nutrition information is automatically calculated, so this is only an approximation.
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