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Easy Homemade Praline Pecans

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These praline pecans are some of the easiest snacks you will ever make. They are a Southern classic the whole family will love. Store them in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

One of my all-time favorite candies to make during the holiday season is Praline Pecans. You won't need a candy thermometer for making this easy recipe!

I love making these all times of the year, but during the holidays, this pecan praline recipe makes the perfect treat for gift baskets, appetizers for a party, or just a snack while you are watching your favorite Christmas movie.

Now, these are a little different than your Southern Pecan Pralines made with heavy whipping cream, corn syrup, butter, and granulated sugar. A lot of people just call these candied pecans but they have the flavor of a Praline.

This post was originally published on December 11, 2015, but has recently been updated.

How to Make Praline Pecans

You only need a few ingredients when you are making this Praline Pecans recipe. All of these are pantry ingredients you should have on hand (if you stocked it as I told you to — here's the free printable fall pantry checklist).

If you keep these on hand, then you can make them any time of year. But for me, I love making these for the Christmas holidays.

The first thing to do is mix together the brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon, and salt and set aside.

In another bowl, mix together an egg white, vanilla extract, and water. Mix that together and then, in a large bowl, combine pecans with egg white and water.

Then toss in the cinnamon-sugar mixture and coat all the pecans well.

Now, line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper (please do not forget this step. You will thank me later). You definitely do not want them sticking to the bottom of the pan. Pour out your pecan halves on this tray in a single layer and put them in a preheated 250-degree oven.

praline pecans 8

You will bake them for one hour. Every 15 minutes, pull them out and stir them with a wooden spoon. It will look yucky as they bake but don't give up. These crunchy pecans will turn out amazing and delicious.

Once they come out, mix one last time and let the sugars harden on the nuts. Let them cool to room temperature.

Once they do, you can store the candied pecans in mason jars, or serve them just like we did — in a bowl on a beautiful napkin. The best place to serve them is over a big bowl of ice cream!

The first time you make these candied nuts, they will definitely become a yearly favorite treat. The whole family will LOVE them. This is a favorite recipe that will cure any sweet tooth craving you might be having.

Looking for more snack ideas? Check out these delicious recipes!

Do you have a favorite pecan recipe?

Yield: 4 cups

Praline Pecans

Praline Pecans

If you want a delicious sweet and salty crunch snack, make a batch of these Praline Pecans.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 12 ounces of Pecan halves
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg white
  • 1 tablespoon of water
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt
  • Aluminum foil

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
  2. Line cookie sheet with aluminum foil and set aside.
  3. In a bowl, beat egg white and water until frothy. Set aside.
  4. In another bowl, combine sugars, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
  5. Take pecans and mix with egg and water mixture. Stir until all pecans have been coated.
  6. Pour in your sugar mixture and continue to stir pecans until they are coated well in sugar mixture.
  7. Pour pecans onto the foil lined cookie sheet and bake in the oven for 1 hour.
  8. Every 15 minutes remove from the oven and stir with a silicone spatula.
  9. At the end of the hour, remove from the oven and allow pecans to cool. Box up and give as a gift or serve at a party or function.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 264Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 96mgCarbohydrates: 20gFiber: 3gSugar: 17gProtein: 3g

Did you make this recipe?

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Renee

Wednesday 13th of December 2023

I made an adjustment to the second batch to satisfy my craving for a more traditional (buttery) praline pecan flavor and texture. I added 1/4 tsp. of butter flavoring (bakery emulsion) to the frothing step, and then added double the pecans, without changing the amount of any other ingredients. The result was absolutely perfect...a little hint of a more buttery praline flavor, with a lighter coating on each nut. The original recipe was just a bit overpowering for me with the heavier cinnamon sugar coating. If you LOVE the flavor of pecans, you will want to either increase the nut count, or reduce the sugar/cinnamon mix. I will make these EVERY holiday now...thanks so much for this great recipe!

Jennifer Sikora

Wednesday 13th of December 2023

You are so welcome. Glad you found a way to make it work for you.

Heather

Saturday 2nd of December 2023

These turned out AWESOME and I used half Swerve natural sugar and brown sugar substitute and half regular sugar/brown sugar! To those using Splenda, please know there’s natural sugar options that don’t cause cancer like Splenda, Swerve is one and there’s stevia blends that are also really good and also natural. Thank you so much for this awesome recipe!

Jennifer Sikora

Sunday 3rd of December 2023

So glad you were able to make it work for you!

Kathleen Roe

Tuesday 28th of November 2023

I did make this recipe only I used walnuts as that was what I had. They were delicious !!! My grandson and his girlfriend wanted more. I am making them for Christmas gifts to the people I just want to remember but buy a gift. I am going to try a few almonds to see how they are. Great recipe, thanks Kathy Roe

Jennifer Sikora

Wednesday 29th of November 2023

We make them sometimes with walnuts also.

Maria

Saturday 25th of November 2023

These are the ones! Exactly what I was looking for after a crockpot-praline fail... :/ They're crisp and delicious!

I noticed the blog post mentions vanilla, but it's not in the recipe. I used 1 Tbs Mexican vanilla in place of water and the recipe came out perfect, in my opinion. Thanks for posting a winner!

Jennifer Sikora

Sunday 26th of November 2023

So glad you liked it. It is definitely a favorite here for sure!

Kathy

Saturday 11th of November 2023

So yummy!! First time making praline pecans and I’ll be making more very soon. Thanks for the recipe!

Jennifer Sikora

Sunday 12th of November 2023

You are so welcome. We love making these every year. They make great holiday gifts.

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