These easy Keto Candied Pecans are the perfect crunchy, salty-sweet snack. They take only 5 ingredients and you can make them in your slow cooker or on the stovetop. They make a great last minute gift too! These candied pecans are perfectly sweetened with sugar-free sweeteners and vanilla.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
Chances are that you have all of your holiday menu planned and you don’t need any more ideas to add to the mix. But I just can’t help myself, I have to throw another great recipe your way. Trust me, though, these Keto Candied Pecans are unbelievably easy to make. They also happen to be unbelievably tasty. Possibly even a little bit addictive.
If you do choose to work these into your holiday plans, be prepared. You may find, as I did, that it’s hard to share. Or if you put them out at a holiday party, you may find that one or two guests gobble them all up. They really are hard to resist. They have everything you want in a snack. A little bit of sweet, a little bit of salt, and plenty of satisfying crunch. And you can add a little spiciness to them as well, if you like. Keto Candied Pecans make everything better.
Best of all, you can make them in your crockpot so that they don’t take up any precious oven real estate. Alternatively, you can make them very quickly on the stovetop. And they have only 1.3g of net carbs per serving.
Ingredients You'll Need
Here's what you'll need to make these delicious keto candied pecans:
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- Pecan halves: Use raw pecans, as they will become toasted during the cooking process. Fresh is best! For best results, fresh pecans are a must-have. If you have some pecans that have been in the cupboard for awhile, check the date. Nuts can go rancid.
- Swerve Brown: This pecan recipe uses Swerve brown sugar as the sweetener. Let me be clear that only erythritol based sweeteners will work for keto candied pecans. Any amount of allulose, BochaSweet, will keep the coating from becoming hard and crunchy. I like brown sugar replacements like Swerve Brown best for this recipe. You could also use a brown monk fruit sweetener. However, regular brown sugar (or regular sugar ) works just fine if you’re not counting calories. If you like something a little more pure, use maple syrup.
- Butter: Use salted or unsalted, as you see fit. I like to use salted, because it goes so well with the pecans.
- Cinnamon: You can adjust the cinnamon to your liking but 1 teaspoon seems about right.
- Chipotle powder: A little spice plays off the sweet and cinnamon really well, but this is entirely optional. Chipotle adds a lovely smoky quality as well, but you can use cayenne instead.
- Salt: Kosher sea salt works well.
- Sugar substitute.
- Water.
- Vanilla extract.
Step-by-Step Instructions for Stovetop Keto Candied Pecans
Here's how to make these candied pecans on the stovetop:
- Before you begin, prepare a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and set it aside. I love this easy and inexpensive set.
- Mix water, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla together.
- Heat a small saucepan to medium heat. Add the pecans and stir occasionally until they become fragrant, about 5 minutes.Toast the pecans on medium heat in a saucepan. Toasting your pecans before caramelizing brings out the flavor of the nut and allows the sugar and spices to caramelize and harden on the nut surface the best.
- Add in your sweetener, cinnamon, and salt. Stir constantly over medium-low heat to melt the sweetener to create a sauce and coat the pecans.
- Pour in the cinnamon sugar mixture and stir to coat.
- Remove from heat.
- Spread the coated pecans in a single layer on the prepared pan.
- Cool at room temperature.
- When coating your pecans in the saucepan, be sure to stir constantly just until the brown sugar is dissolved.
- Don’t forget to have your cookie sheet ready. When the pecans come out of the pan, they need to go straight onto the parchment paper and cookie sheet.
- Once ready, break apart any chunks of pecans, and serve as is.
Slow Cooker Method
- Grease a 4 to 6 quart slow cooker.
- Place all of the ingredients into the slow cooker and set to low for 3 hours.
- Stir a few times during cooking to coat the pecans.
- Spread the mixture out on a parchment lined baking sheet to cool.
- Break apart any clumps once the nuts are cool.
Air Fryer Method
- Place the chopped pecans, brown sugar substitute, cinnamon and salt in a small bowl.
- Mix to combine well.
- Spread onto a parchment lined air fryer basket.
- Drizzle sugar free maple syrup over the pecans and stir together.
- Air fry at 425 degrees F for 5 minutes.
- Stir then refrigerate for about 5 minutes which will make this have the perfect crunch.
Tips for Perfect Keto Candied Pecans
- Use the right sweetener: It is really important to use the right sweetener in these keto candied pecans, as only erythritol-based sweeteners will create a crunchy, hard coating. This includes Swerve, Lakanto, and monk fruit sweeteners that contain just erythritol and monk fruit.
- Don't overcrowd the pan: If you're making these on the stovetop, make sure to use a large enough pan so that the pecans can cook evenly.
- Stir constantly: When cooking the pecans on the stovetop, stir constantly to prevent burning.
- Cool completely: Make sure to let the pecans cool completely before storing them.
Variations and Additions
- Spice it up: Add a pinch of cayenne pepper or chipotle powder for a little heat.
- Add extracts: A teaspoon of vanilla extract or almond extract can add a lot of flavor.
- Use different nuts: While this recipe is for pecans, you can easily substitute other nuts like almonds, walnuts, or macadamia nuts.
- Swap water for unsalted butter: I’ll admit, I mostly reserve this hack for the holidays when I want to make extra decadent candied nuts.
Storing Instructions
Store the cooled pecans in an airtight container on the counter for up to two weeks. You can also refrigerate them for up to a month or freeze them for 3 months.
Why are my candied pecans sticky?
After your pecans have cooled, if they are still sticky, this could mean they didn’t cook long enough in the skillet. Caramelized pecans need to reach a high enough temperature for the sugar to harden. Simply, put them back in the pan, and toast for another 2-5 minutes. But keep in mind that candied pecans cooked on the stove will have a stickier texture than a baked recipe. These are more glazed and caramelized than baked in. If your pecans are sticky or chewy, it means you didn’t use the right sweetener. Any amount of allulose, xylitol, or BochaSweet will prevent the candy coating from hardening properly. You really need to use an erythritol sweetener for this recipe.
Serving Suggestions
These keto candied pecans are delicious on their own, but they can also be used in a variety of other ways:
- As a topping: Sprinkle them on salads, yogurt, or keto-friendly ice cream.
- In baked goods: Add them to cookies, muffins, or bread.
- As a gift: Package them in a cute jar and give them as a homemade gift.
- Enjoy over plain Greek yogurt, cottage cheese or keto vanilla ice cream.
- Make these all holiday season, include them as part of this fall harvest salad.
- Serve them up on top of a salad, in cookies and other desserts, and enjoy!
Health Benefits of Pecans
Pecans on their own are high in fiber and lots of vitamins and minerals with healthy fats. If you’re watching your calories or your sugar intake, this is a great option as it’s a fantastic zero-calorie brown sugar alternative. Pecans are an excellent choice for keto diets, as they have only 4g of carbs per serving. They also contain a variety of important nutrients, such as magnesium, Vitamin A, Vitamin E, and folates. Pecans contain high amounts of magnesium, calcium, Vitamin A, Vitamin E and zinc which all help your immune system function well and fight off infection.
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Nutritional Information
This recipe for keto candied pecans makes 12 servings of 1/4 cup each. They have 4g of carbohydrate and 2.7g of fiber. This means that each serving has only 1.3g net carbs.
Are Glazed pecans the same as candied pecans?
The Difference between Glazed Pecans vs. Candied pecans is candied pecans typically will use white sugar, and an egg white. Glazed pecans brown sugar, corn syrup, and melted butter. And, pralines are essentially coated in a caramel sauce made of brown sugar, butter, and heavy cream. So this keto pecans recipe is not quite exactly like those as we’re substituting sugar-free sweeteners and using a stovetop method.
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