Learn how toast pecans in the oven or on the stove for more flavor, crunch, and aroma in all your favorite recipes. It’s super simple and only takes a few minutes.
Ingredient notes
- Pecans: Cooking times vary depending on which method you choose and how many pecans you are toasting. And don’t walk away! They can go from zero to burnt in under a minute.
- Oil: Toasting pecans in fat (olive oil or clarified butter, for example), is optional. It adds more flavor and helps seasonings stick, if you want to use them.
Instructions:
- Oven method: Bake in a 350-degree oven for 5 to 10 minutes. Stir or shake the pan occasionally so the nuts brown evenly without burning.
- Stove-top method: Toast in a skillet over medium heat until browned (one shade darker than they originally were) and fragrant, about 2 to 5 minutes.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: The recipe as written makes 1 cup of toasted pecans (enough for 4 servings, ¼ cup each). It can easily be doubled or tripled as needed.
- Storage: Store raw and roasted pecans for a year or more in the refrigerator or the freezer (not the pantry). They spoil easily, especially when roasted.
- Cinnamon and sugar pecans: Toast 1 cup pecans in 1 tbsp oil with ¼ cup sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon.
- Chex-Mix pecans: Toast 1 cup pecans in 1 tbsp oil with 1 ½ tsp Worcestershire sauce, ½ tsp seasoned salt, ¼ tsp garlic powder, and a pinch onion powder.
- Sweet and spicy pecans: Toast 1 cup pecans in 1 tbsp oil with 1 tbsp sugar, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp cumin and ⅛ tsp cayenne.
- Overnight oatmeal: A handful of toasted pecans make this Apple Pie Overnight Oatmeal so delicious!
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How to Toast Pecans
Ingredients
- 1 cup pecans (see note 1)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or butter, optional (see note 2)
Instructions
To toast pecans in the oven:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or foil for easy cleanup.
- Toss pecans in oil and salt if desired. Arrange in a single layer on prepared baking sheet. Toast until browned and fragrant, stirring occasionally, about 7 to 10 minutes.
- Remove from oven and chop or use as desired. Or, store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
To toast pecans on the stove:
- Toss pecans in oil and salt if desired. In a medium skillet over medium heat, heat pecans until browned and fragrant, stirring occasionally, about 2 to 5 minutes.
- Remove from skillet and chop or use as desired. Or, store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Pecans: Cooking times vary depending on which method you choose and how many pecans you are toasting. And don’t walk away! They can go from zero to burnt in under a minute.
- Oil: Toasting pecans in fat (olive oil or clarified butter, for example), is optional. It adds more flavor and helps seasonings stick, if you want to use them.
- Yield: The recipe as written makes 1 cup of toasted pecans (enough for 4 servings, ¼ cup each). It can easily be doubled or tripled as needed.
- Storage: Store raw and roasted pecans for a year or more in the refrigerator or the freezer (not the pantry). They spoil easily, especially when roasted.
- Cinnamon and sugar pecans: Toast 1 cup pecans in 1 tbsp oil with ¼ cup sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon.
- Chex-Mix pecans: Toast 1 cup pecans in 1 tbsp oil with 1 ½ tsp Worcestershire sauce, ½ tsp seasoned salt, ¼ tsp garlic powder, and a pinch onion powder.
- Sweet and spicy pecans: Toast 1 cup pecans in 1 tbsp oil with 1 tbsp sugar, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp cumin and ⅛ tsp cayenne.
350 deg C, or 350 deg F .
Hello! It’s 350 degrees Fahrenheit, or 176 degrees Celsius. Take care! – Meggan
Made this a couple of times. Delicious and easy to make.
I toasted the pecans by melting vegan butter 1.5 desert spoons in a small frying pan mixed with 2 to 3 teaspoons of soft fine brown sugar and 1 to 2 teaspoons maple syrup then added pecan nuts for 3 to 5 mins turning them. When they were cooled I chopped them leaving some bigger pieces.
Thank you for the recipe. This is my first time making cinnamon sugar pecans, or any other type of nuts. I made them in the skillet and ended up cooking them 10 minutes because I wasn’t sure they were done. My question is whether the cinnamon sugar is supposed to liquefy and stick to the nuts? When I was done, I had to fish the nuts out of the sugar. I feel like I threw most of the sugar away. Is that the right result or did I do something wrong?
Hi Nell, I’m so sorry for your trouble! I will test it this week and get back to you. – Meggan
88 years old. First time roasting pecans – still learning! Your recipe seems straight forward and has variations.
Thanks.
Hope you enjoy Bernice! – Meggan
I love the aroma of roasting pecans. I bake bread for a similar reason. I use Redmond popcorn sea salt or Sicilian sea salt on the pecans I roast in Louisiana raw pecan oil.
Sounds great Warren, thanks! – Meggan
I’ve toasted these the last few years. This is our first step in making our homemade turtles.