The incredible aroma of these roasted pumpkin pie spiced pecans will rock your world. You only need a few ingredients and around an hour to make them! These are perfect for taking on a trip to the pumpkin patch or eating while watching movies.
Have you ever been on vacation and been in one of the tourist areas where they have street vendors cooking candied nuts right out in the open? That smell just lures you in. That is what these pecans smell like!
It’s next to impossible not to give in to the temptation with these incredibly delicious nuts. They are perfect as a holiday treat and as gifts to friends and family.
But my absolute favorite part of this recipe is that it’s also freezer-friendly. I almost always make a larger batch, as they keep in the freezer for up to one month. Not that they ever lasted that long in my house!
🥜 Ingredients
I think you will be shocked when you see how few ingredients you actually need.
✔️Pumpkin Pie Spice – You will use a combination of cinnamon, ginger, ground cloves, and nutmeg to make your own homemade pumpkin pie spice.
✔️Pecans – Of course, the heart of the recipe is the pecans. You will need around three cups per batch, and that feeds a lot of hungry people.
✔️Egg White – The purpose of the egg white is to make the spices, sugar, and vanilla stick to the pecans. It’s very important, so don’t try to leave it out.
✔️Vanilla Extract
⏲️ Instructions
I am all about recipes that make it look like I have worked harder than I really did. Every one raves over these candied nuts, and they are so easy to make and delicious to snack on!
👉Step 1: Create the pumpkin spice mixture by combining the cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg together. Use a small bowl and mix.
👉Step 2: Add the sugar and 2 teaspoons of the pumpkin spice together and set aside.
👉Step 3: Whip together the egg white and vanilla until it turns foamy.
👉Step 4: Mix the pecans in the egg mixture.
👉Step 5: After the pecans have been added to the egg mixture, dip them into the sugar and spice mix.
👉Step 6: Place the coated pecans on a lightly greased baking sheet. If you have a Silpat or parchment paper, use those to make cleanup easier.
👉Step 7: Bake the spiced pecans for one hour at 250 degrees. Be sure to stir every 15 minutes. Turn the pan if needed each time you stir the nuts.
🍱 Meal Prep
Because these spiced pecans are so simple to make, its easy to make an extra-large batch and save them.
This is what I like to do when I am gifting them or during the holidays when we like having them around to munch on.
Store them in an airtight container or bag at room temperature for a week. You can freeze them for a month. If you do this, make them over the long Thanksgiving weekend for gifts to give mid December for teachers and neighbors. This is a huge time saver and stress reliever.
📌 Expert Tips
Before you get busy whipping out your first batch, check out these helpful tips first.
🔸It’s super important to get the egg and vanilla mixture foamy. If you don’t, you will end up with white egg “strings” on the pecans. And that is not very appetizing!
🔸To save your sanity and give you evenly cooked pecans, turn the pan each time you stir them. It’s funny how ovens develop hot spots.
🔸Use a metal spatula to turn the spiced pecans. That way, you can scrape them off of the pan if they happened to stick. If you are using a Silpat, be extra careful so you don’t damage it.
🔸Set a timer to turn the pecans every 15 minutes. Pecans are way too expensive to waste, so you don’t want to burn them.
🔸When you are ready to remove the nuts from the cookie sheet, use a scoop. Use it to break up the pecans that are stuck together.
🌶️ Variations
⭐Cinnamon Sugar Roasted Pecans are equally delicious! They are made the same way except you use two teaspoons of cinnamon, ¾ cup sugar, ½ teaspoon of salt in place of the Pumpkin Pie Spice.
The cinnamon sugar will be a thicker coating on the pecans. These are a treat and also an amazing topping on a strawberry spinach salad. These also make oats so yummy! Just that little bit of sugar is all the sweet that you need to make plain-old oats so tasty.
⭐Simple Roasted Pecans are just that! Simple and delish! Using the same method, toss the pecans with three tablespoons of melted butter and ½ teaspoon of salt.
Spread on a baking sheet and cook the same as above. This is a great snack in lieu of candy or crackers.
⭐Savory Roasted Pecans are reminiscent of the famous chex mix snack. Combine three tablespoons of melted butter, two tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce, two teaspoons of chili powder, ½ teaspoon of garlic powder and sea salt, and a dash of cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes.
Toss the pecans and roast as above. We think this is pretty close to the traditional Chex Mix flavoring without having the non-filling carbs that come with boxed cereal. Love you, Chex!
⭐Rosemary Roasted Pecans are packed with earthy flavors that you will keep nibbling on! Take the same three cups of pecans and mix them with three tablespoons of melted butter, three tablespoons of finely chopped rosemary, ½ teaspoon of sea salt, and one teaspoon of cumin.
Add red pepper or cayenne for a kick, but we usually are happy without it. Toss the pecans together with the melted butter and spices and cook as above.
❓ Recipe FAQ
Allow the pecans to cool completely. Then, put them in a glass or plastic storage container. Never let them sit out, especially in humid environments, or they will become soggy.
The higher the temperature you bake these pecans at, the higher the chances of burning them. Trust me…no one wants to eat burnt pecans. Cooking low and slow is the way to go so you can control the toasting process.
Absolutely! Try out the recipe on almonds, cashews, walnuts, peanuts, or even hazelnuts. Follow the recipe, but swap out the nuts.
Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also stay in touch with me through social media by following me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook!
Roasted Pumpkin Pie Spiced Pecans Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups Pecans
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 Egg White
- ⅓ cup Sugar
Pumpkin Pie Spice
- 1 tbsp Cinnamon
- 2 tsp Ginger
- 1 tsp Ground Cloves
- ½ tsp Nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
Pumpkin Pie Spice
- Add the cinnamon, ginger, ground cloves and nutmeg together in a bowl. Mix using a fork.
Pumpkin Pie Spiced Pecans
- Combine sugar and two teaspoons of the Pumpkin Pie Spice together. Set aside.
- Combine egg white and vanilla and whip/whisk until foamy. It should appear light and frothy. This is critical to avoid the white egg-strings from forming when you roast them.
- Combine pecans and egg white mixture and work to coat all of the nuts.
- Toss the pecans into the sugar and spice mixture.
- Place pecans on a lightly greased sheet pan or sheet pan covered with parchment paper.
- Cook at 250 for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes to prevent burning. You may need to turn the actual pan in the oven as well to avoid hot spots.
- Remove from the oven and let it cool completely before storing.
Notes
Nutrition
Hi!
Ginny Collins is a passionate foodie and recipe creator of Savor and Savvy and Kitchenlaughter. Indoors she focuses on easy, quick recipes for busy families and kitchen basics. Outdoors, she focuses on backyard grilling and smoking to bring family and friends together. She is a lifelong learner who is always taking cooking classes on her travels overseas and stateside. Her work has been featured on MSN, Parade, Fox News, Yahoo, Cosmopolitan, Elle, and many local news outlets. She lives in Florida where you will find her outside on the water in her kayak, riding her bike on trails, and planning her next overseas adventure.
These pecans taste so dreamy!!