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These keto candied pecans are sweet, crunchy, and totally guilt-free, with just 1 gram of net carbs per serving. You can even make them on the stovetop, oven, or slow cooker!
Keto Candied Pecans make everything better.
Having a snack throughout the day is the only way I can stay on track, especially when I’m going keto. Que, keto snacks. Right now, we’re loving keto energy balls, zucchini chips, and candied pecans. Not only do they remind me of growing up, but they’re perfect for sharing.
These candied pecans are perfectly sweetened with sugar-free sweeteners and vanilla. A dash of warm cinnamon adds an essential spiced flavor that’s truly unbeatable.
Key Ingredients
- Sugar substitute. I used allulose because it dissolves exactly like sugar, which is key for getting the proper texture. It also has no unpleasant aftertaste. If you’re not on a keto diet, regular sugar or brown sugar can be used instead.
- Water. Just enough to dissolve the sweetener.
- Vanilla extract. Use pure vanilla for a little flavor boost.
- Cinnamon. I think this warming spice complements the pecans perfectly, though you could skip it if desired.
- Raw pecans. I’m using raw pecans specifically because they’ll cook during the candy process. You can use either whole pecans, pecan halves, or a combination.
How to make keto candied pecans
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Combine the candy coating. Heat a large pan or skillet on medium heat. When hot, add 1 cup of granulated sweetener, water, and vanilla extract. Mix to combine and continue to heat while stirring occasionally.
Add pecans. When the sweetener has melted, fold in the pecans. Continue stirring occasionally until the sweetener fully coats the pecans and begins to crystalize. Turn off the heat.
Cool the pecans. Remove the nuts from the stove and allow to sit for 2-3 minutes. Use a wooden spoon to break apart the pecans before they crystalize together.
Coat in sweetener. Once cooled, toss the pecans in with the remaining half cup of granulated sweetener and cinnamon.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Use a baking sheet. Transfer the nuts from the stovetop to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper so they cool quicker and are easier to break apart.
- Switch up the spices. As much as I love cinnamon, there are other spices you can use instead, like pumpkin spice, nutmeg, ground ginger, chipotle powder, or cayenne pepper for a spicy kick.
- 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. And boy, does it work!
- Use other types of nuts. If you don’t have enough pecans for this recipe, fear not! Use whatever nuts you have on hand, like walnuts, almonds, or Brazil nuts.
More keto snack recipes to try
Keto Candied Pecans
Video
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups allulose divided * See notes
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 3 cups raw pecans
Instructions
- Heat a large pan or skillet on medium heat.
- When hot, add 1 cup of your granulated sweetener, water, and vanilla extract and mix until fully combined. Allow to heat up, stirring occasionally.
- When the sweetener has completely melted, add your pecans. Start to mix around the pecans in the liquid mixture, ensuring each nut is evenly coated. Continue stirring occasionally, until the sweetener begins to crystallize on the pecans. Turn heat off.
- Remove the pan from the stove and allow to sit for 2-3 minutes. Use a wooden spoon to break apart the pecans before they crystallize together.
- Once cooled, toss with the remaining half cup of granulated sweetener and cinnamon and cover in a sealed container.
I made it with butter and monk fruit and it was amazing!
Love that, William!
I followed this recipe but I used it for walnuts. They turned out great! super yummy. thank you for the recipe!
This is very similar to my recipe. I like a sweet heat pecan, so I add some cayenne pepper. So good. We like them on chicken salad sandwiches.
I love these and all candied nuts they are my favourites
I made these. There are delicious!!!!
Thank you SO MUCH for this recipe! I love candied pecans, and these hit the spot. I used a mix of baking stevia and sucralose, as I didn’t have monk fruit. The nuts were a bit soggy after being in the liquid, so after stirring them in the coating, I left them in a 200 oven for 20 minutes to dry out. Monk fruit may produce a different result. The only significant change I made was to add 1 tsp of salt to the coating mixture. For me it dramatically improves the flavor, but then I love salty treats!
DO NOT use Xylitol.It does not crystallize on the pecans, and you wind up with 3 burned cups of pecans!
the BEST keto candied pecans. I make this every year for friends and family, no one knows it’s sugar free.
That is what I like to hear!!
Reading through the comments…some of the people are ignorant af. Lol. Anyway, amazing recipe! I’ve been craving pralines and this was totally what I needed! Thank you so much.
do i need to roast the pecans first?
Nope 🙂
I make mine by powdering the sweetener in the thermie (or buying it powdered) and I toss my nuts in one egg white that has been beaten until fluffy and add the sweetener (bit less than this recipe) and cinnamon and cardamom and a pinch sea salt then bake on a tray lined with parchment in a low oven until turning golden. Super crunchy and sweet spicy goodness. I have a bowl of these out at Christmas for everyone to share and have often given them in jars as gifts as they keep well.
How easy was this!!! After reading reviews with suggestions, I decided to half the recipe as a trial. I put all the sweetener in with the water & vanilla to make the syrup. As it heated up, I added a pinch of kosher salt and a dab of butter. Had to heat it up pretty good to get sweetener to melt, but when I added the pecans I turned the heat off. They started to harden and I put them on parchment. OMG I cannot believe what delectable little treats they are!! Thank you so much, Arman!
Easy- and SO GOOD! Hit the spot. Thank you for sharing this! I am keto and I do what I gotta do- the sugar substitutes are typically “ok” or “meh” but THIS- I really didn’t mind this at all! I had some sugar mixture left over so I made a small batch with salted cashews and added a little butter- my non-keto, fake sugar hating hubby is Loving them!
I made these last night with swerve sugar and love them,
Perfect. I cheated just a little and added a teaspoon of butter but it is still Keto friendly. Arman you are making my journey a little easier travel. I also follow you on IG!
That’s my kind of cheating 😀
Delicious and simple. Thank you, Arman!
So welcome, Stephen!
Delicious recipe and I really try to add my diet plan.Thank you so much.
Has anyone tried making these with allulose. Swerve leaves and bad cooling effect for me
I haven’t tried, but I don’t see why not!
Delicious! So easy to make, too! Yummy. Will be adding to holiday snacks favorites!
Omg thank you so much!!! They were so delicious
So great to hear that!
So the base on this recipe is good but it’s way too sweet. I love sweet things and am a sugar addict and I would probably cut the water to a little under 1/4 cup and only use the sugar in the water. I probably wouldn’t hit them with the sugar afterwards. I also would back the cinnamon down to half of what the recipe calls for if that. Wish a few little tweaks this could be amazing.
Hi Brandon! Sorry to hear that, I think sweetness levels can differ and also some brands are super sweet! Let me know how it goes with the tweaks!
I used monk fruit sweetener and they never carmelized. The liquid turned dark dark brown and I’m afraid I burnt them! What did I do wrong???
It can happen if you use a brand that has mixed blends of sweetness. Try another brand and see if that works
I made the walnuts with tagatosa but it never crystallized, it was sticky. what is the best sweetener for this recipe
Monk fruit sweetener- linked in the post
How much salt?
Add 1/4 teaspoon 🙂
Is Monk Fruit In The Raw the Sweetener you used in this recipe? And if so, is it really Granulated like real sugar or is it a Powder?
It’s granulated, just like sugar 🙂
Has anyone used Splenda or Splenda brown sugar? this recipe looks amazing! sorry if this question was asked already. 😁
It can sometimes be grainy- I like to use allulose.
I used frozen pecans and the finished pecans were a bit soft. Is that the way they are supposed to be or did the frozen pecans make them softer?
I’ve only used fresh pecans, I can’t vouch for the frozen kind 🙂
I used Truvia the first time I tried these, and they were way too sweet for my taste. This time, I used half cup of Swerve brown sugar and a quarter cup of Truvia. I also added a little sea salt after removing from the heat, and i tossed only in the cinnamon.
Yum! Love the substitutions!
I have Truvia, can I use that as my sweetener? If so how much?
I haven’t tried with that, but I’d use the same amount and see
These are delicious and super simple.
What is the serving size? They look delious.
12-16
I took my eye off them and burned them. Still gave 5 stars, cause I’m totally gonna try these again,
I’m no quitter!
How big is 1 serving?
Around 1/4 cup
Can you use this recipe with cashews too? Myself I just love pecans but my father in law loves cashews. Do you think this would work?
Absolutely! 🙂
Thank you. I just made them using Swerve today and they are amazing! Thank you for the fantastic recipes!
hey Barb…how much swerve did you use? TIA
When my mother and I would go to Trader Joe’s, our favorite items were the honey sesame almonds and the candied pecans! We’d snack them on the way back home and end up with empty bags of nuts after we arrived! Can’t blame us, eh? These candied pecans look wonderful for topping off any dessert or salad, but not gonna lie, I think most of us would take a crack at them BEFORE we’d do any of that! They probably are just that irresistible.
How many servings in that recipe?
12-16
If you use brown sugar won’t they then not be sugar free?
Yep, but not everyone is concerned with the sugar 🙂
How are these sugar free?
With all due respect, did you read the recipe?