Crispy Baked Vegan Candied Pecans

These Crispy Baked Vegan Candied Pecans are the best I’ve ever had! A mixture of aquafaba and powdered sugar, plus oven baking, is key to achieving a super light and crispy (not sticky!) texture. Candied pecans are great for snacking, using in recipes, or giving as holiday gifts.

It was a month ago such as A good time to publish this post.

Candied pecans, and candied nuts in general, make excellent holiday gifts. These are a cute party favor or small gift for a friend who is hosting a gathering.

I actually to do These wonderful, crispy vegan candied pecans are just before Christmas. My neighbor got some and so did some yoga friends. I enjoy snacking on them and crumbling them into my salad.

However, I couldn’t write about them before the holidays arrived.

Having to write about them now is, I guess, a perfect expression of where I’ve been lately: embracing the philosophy that things take as long as they take, and the perfect is the enemy of the good.

But while we’re on the subject of perfection, I have to say these are the most perfect vegan candied nuts I’ve ever eaten, let alone made myself.

Today, I finally sit down to tell about them.

The Secret to Perfectly Crisp, Not-Slightly Sticky Vegan Candied Pecans

When I made this recipe, it wasn’t my first foray with homemade, vegan candied almonds.

In fact, I’ve made a bunch of sweet almond recipes over the years using all kinds of nuts (and sometimes seeds).

I always ended up with the same problem, which was that the nuts were crunchy when they first came out of the oven. After a few days, though, they lost some of their grit.

Over time – sometimes very little time – they become somewhat sticky. The worst batch was direct glue.

It was discouraged. The thing I love about candied almonds is a light, very crunchy texture.

It’s that crunchy texture that makes it fun to find candied almonds in a big, soft, leafy green salad. And I think that’s what makes candied nuts so good for snacking.

Breakthrough #1

When I first tested this recipe, I wasn’t sure it would be any different. Then I realized that most non-vegan candied almond recipes call for beaten egg whites.

I’ve tried vegan candied pecans with hemp eggs and various combinations of vegetable oil and sweetener. But I’ve never experimented with aquafaba, which is the most egg-like vegan egg.

Breakthrough #2

It was my first big success. Breakthrough #2 was using powdered, or confectioner’s, sugar.

I spent some time researching possible sweeteners for my candied pecans: maple syrup, agave, brown sugar, cane sugar, etc.

Liquid sweeteners were the least successful. Every batch of candied almonds I’ve made has turned out sticky. The cane and brown sugar were a little better, but the crisp texture didn’t last long.

It was this article by David Lebovitz that convinced me to try powdered sugar.

That step combined with aquafaba was a game changer.

I like to play around a bit with the spices, but the texture of my Vegan Candied Pecans with Aquafaba + Powdered Sugar was perfectly crisp on the first try.

After all, candied nuts remain light and exceptionally crisp on the surface throughout their storage period (they don’t last long). I don’t even have to worry about transferring them back to the oven for re-crisping.

And they weren’t even the slightest bit sticky.

Oven Baking vs. Stovetop

In mid-January, turning on the stove is no big deal. During summer, it can be less attractive.

So, I was wondering if it would be a good idea to make candied pecans in a frying pan or skillet instead of baking them.

I tested both methods—low and slow in a skillet versus baking—and baking was the winner for crispy texture.

It’s certainly possible to make candied pecans on the stovetop, and I don’t discourage anyone from experimenting with that cooking method.

But if a crisp texture is your goal, I recommend oven baking. Have bonuses been added? It’s more time-consuming than stovetop cooking, but it’s even more hands-free!

How to make the best, crunchiest vegan candied pecans

The crunchiest and most salty-sweet pecan halves come together with a little noise. Here are the steps.

Step 1: Lightly beat the aquafaba

In step 1, you will drain the liquid from a can of chickpeas.

Low sodium chickpeas are best, so that the salty flavor of their chickpeas doesn’t interfere with this recipe (or any other).

However, I’ve used a lot of aquafaba that comes from chickpeas that aren’t labeled as low-sodium, and the aquafaba did its job. I had to adjust the other salt in the recipe.

Aquafaba once opened can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days and can be frozen for up to 8 weeks.

Step 2: Mix the aquafaba with the spices and powdered sugar

In Step 2, you mix your lightly beaten aquafaba (it sounds fancier than it is—basically, you whip aquafaba with a whisk until it’s frothy) with some spices.

For this recipe, I use cinnamon, salt, chili powder, and sugar.

Sugar requires powdered sugar. I know I’ll get some questions about whether a different type of sugar can be used for these vegan candied pecans.

Technically, you can, but if you want candied almonds crunchy, you proceed at your own risk.

I tested the recipe with both brown and cane sugar and both worked well from a flavor standpoint. However, neither produced pecan halves that had a crunchy texture and crunch on the surface.

Only powdered, also known as confectioners, sugar did. If you have some, or if you can get it easily, I recommend using it!

Step 3: Coat your pecans

In this step, you will simply mix your pecan halves with the sugar and spice mixture. I do this with a spatula.

Mixing should take a minute or two, so that all the pecan halves are well coated.

Step 4: Bake

Vegan Candied Pecans will bake at 300 for 25-30 minutes.

You’ll want to bake them on a baking sheet lined with parchment or silpat (even if your sheet is nonstick).

I also recommend stirring them every 10 minutes. This will help them brown evenly in the oven.

Pecans are half ready when they are a deep brown and smell a little toasted.

Step 5: Cool

Now it’s time to cool the vegan candied pecans.

I cannot stress enough how important it is to allow them to cool completely before placing them in an airtight storage container for storage.

If you do this while the nuts are still warm, they will basically steam in their container. This will soften them and disrupt their beautiful, crisp, sugary coating!

Let the pecans cool for at least a few hours before breaking them up and storing or eating them.

taste variety

I season the candied pecans with cinnamon, salt and pepper.

For me, chili adds spice without adding heat. Combined with cinnamon, it gives candied pecans some savory notes without being overly sweet or spicy.

If you like heat, you can definitely add a pinch of cayenne pepper to this recipe.

You can also experiment with all spices, cloves, cumin, coriander or Chinese five spices. This recipe has a lot of room to play with the flavors and have fun!

storage

How long do vegan candied pecans last?

These will keep in an airtight container—crisp all the time!—for up to two weeks. However, my experience is that nuts are very tasty and tempting to store for a very long time.

Use other types of nuts

Can you use cashews in this recipe? Cashews? Walnuts?

The answer to the last of these three options is definitely yes. In fact, tomorrow I’ll be sharing a candied walnut version of this same recipe.

Candied walnuts and almonds will also work with the method I shared above. Just keep in mind that they both have a firmer texture than walnuts and pecans, with some buttery softness.

I think that the ability of both walnuts and pecans to remain soft when crunching on the surface makes them especially wonderful for dessert preparations.

Benefits of Pecans

Speaking of which, what’s so nutritious and special about pecans?

For one thing, pecans are packed with heart-healthy monounsaturated fat and protein. These fats can help keep us full after a meal.

Pecans are a good source of fiber and they boast flavonoids. These flavonoids, which are also found in coffee, tea, onions, kale, grapes and red wine and berries, may have a protective effect on heart health.

Finally, pecans contain a trio of minerals—manganese, copper, and zinc—that are important for health. Zinc in particular plays an important role in immune function.

What do I do with vegan candied pecans?

Technically, you don’t have to do anything with these beautiful, salty, sweet and delicious nuts. They are delicious as a snack, and I find them very satisfying too.

If you don’t want to snack on them, you can try one of the following uses:

Preparation

If you weren’t a candied nut enthusiast before, I hope you’ll feel inspired to play around with these vegan candied pecan halves now.

I have an idea that you will not be sorry to have a batch at home!

I love classic, homemade desserts: fluffy, indulgent vegan cake recipes, chewy and chocolate-filled cookies, or slices of veganized, all-American pie.

Still, it can be fun to satisfy my sweet tooth with something a little different. Candied almonds were a really nice, sweet addition to my December and I look forward to bringing them with me into 2023.

Hope you love the texture of these candied pecans as much as I do! Let me know, and I hope you enjoy them.

xo