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:
- 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.
- Flavors: You can add salt, sugar, or other spices if you want to.
Oven instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat if you want to. Add pecans in a single layer and roast for 5 to 10 minutes. Stir or shake the pan occasionally so the nuts brown evenly without burning. NOTE: Do not walk away and leave your pecans unattended.
Stove-top instructions:
If you have a small quantity of pecans to toast, this is a really great way to get the job done.
- Add the pecans to a skillet and toast over medium-heat until browned (one shade darker than they originally were) and fragrant. NOTE: Do not walk away and leave your pecans unattended.
Recipe tips and variations:
Mix any of the following spice combinations with 1-2 tablespoons oil or butter for 1 cup pecans:
- Cinnamon and sugar blend: ¼ cup sugar +1 tsp. cinnamon
- Chex-Mix flavors: 1-½ tsp. Worcestershire + ½ teaspoon seasoned salt + ¼ tsp. garlic powder + pinch onion powder
- Cajun seasoning blend
- Sweet & spicy blend: 1 tbsp. sugar + ½ tsp. salt + ¼ tsp. cumin + pinch cayenne
- Pumpkin spice: ¼ cup sugar + 1 tsp. cinnamon + 1 tsp. pumpkin spice + pinch salt
- Chili seasoning blend
Put your pecans to work:
- Christmas crack (shown above)
- Candied pecans
- Pecan pie
- Hummingbird cake
How to Toast Pecans
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.
Ingredients
- 1 cup pecans or more
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or clarified butter, optional (see note 1)
- Salt , sugar, or spices, 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
- 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.
- Flavors: You can add salt, sugar, or other spices if you want to.
- Mix any of the following spice combinations with 1-2 tablespoons oil or butter for 1 cup pecans:
- Cinnamon and sugar blend: ¼ cup sugar +1 tsp. cinnamon
- Chex-Mix flavors: 1-½ tsp. Worcestershire + ½ teaspoon seasoned salt + ¼ tsp. garlic powder + pinch onion powder
- Cajun seasoning blend
- Sweet & spicy blend: 1 tbsp. sugar + ½ tsp. salt + ¼ tsp. cumin + pinch cayenne
- Pumpkin spice: ¼ cup sugar + 1 tsp. cinnamon + 1 tsp. pumpkin spice + pinch salt
- Chili seasoning blend
Nutrition
Serving: 0.25cupCalories: 202kcalCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 2gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 2gSodium: 1mgPotassium: 101mgFiber: 2gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 14IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 17mgIron: 1mg
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5 star
Love the recipe!
What temperature?!?
Hi Mark, per the first line of the instructions – Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Thanks! -Meggan
I found that both the Cajun seasoning and Cinnamon Sugar Blends were perfect on tossed salads.
My family prefers the Cajun blend with Blue cheese and bacon bits, but I liked the Cinnamon blend with craisons and tomatoes with sour ranch as a great topper. Can’t do either without the pecans!
Thanks.
Rocky
Please stop calling great food crack. Think about it . Thank you.
Hi Karla, I hear what you’re saying but unfortunately that’s what people call it when they are looking for it. If I stop calling it that, no one will ever see my recipe. So first we have to change what people call the recipe. I used to call it Saltine Cracker Candy and no one ever saw it. If you look at the URL you will see this is true: https://www.culinaryhill.com/saltine-cracker-candy/
-Meggan
Aside from the fact that you posted your complaint on the wrong recipe, the complaint is absurd because that’s what the stuff is called, and it was called that long before the drug. Think about it.
Seriously? It is what it is. Once you have given a recipe a name, that is what it becomes. I can think of a lot of crazy names given to food recipes. I wish this was the ONLY thing that I had to be concerned about right now.
Excellent and easy.
FINALLY an easy way to do this without fancy equipment! Any suggestions on desserts to add these to!?
Peyton,
Besides snacking on this delicious treat, you can used them in snowball/ Mexican wedding cookies. Adding them to salads is great too! Enjoy.