Sweet, salty, and perfectly crunchy, honey roasted pecans come together with just 4 ingredients. An easy fall treat that you can customize with your own flavor twist.
Do you love pecans? You should try my Old Fashioned Pecan Pie or my Apple Pecan Cheesecake!
If you've been around here long, you know that we consider pecans to be the king of nuts. We use them in everything from desserts to salads to cocktail snacks, and this recipe lets their flavor shine with just a light coating of honey and butter.
But, if pecans aren't your favorite or if they're just not available in your area you can certainly use this as a generic honey roasted nuts recipe. Walnuts would top the list as a substitution recommendation.
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Ingredients
As mentioned above, the basic recipe is super simple. All you need is pecans (or walnuts), butter, honey and salt.
- Pecans – I use pecan halves, but pieces work too. Just know that pieces brown faster, so start checking them sooner. Be sure to use raw pecans. Pecans that are already roasted will overcook in the oven.
- Butter – I use salted or unsalted, whatever I have on hand. If you use salted, you may want to go a little lighter on the added salt.
- Honey – We're big believers in buying local and supporting our local growers and makers, so we always have local honey in the pantry. I encourage you to do the same. A mild honey like wildflower or clover works best here. A very dark, bold honey can overpower the pecans.
- Salt – Salt balances out the sweetness. I use regular salt in the honey mixture and sometimes add a sprinkle of coarse salt at the end.
See recipe card for full ingredient list and quantities.
How to Make Honey Roasted Pecans
- Melt the butter on the stovetop or in the microwave.
- Whisk in the honey until the butter and honey are fully blended and then stir in the salt.
- Toss the pecans in the honey mixture until it's distributed evenly throughout. This mixture is not enough to heavily coat the nuts so don't expect that.
- Spread evenly on a baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper.
- Baked in a 350 degree oven for 5-7 minutes and then stir. Bake additional 5-7 minutes keeping a close eye on the color of the pecans. More on that below.
- Remove from oven when the nuts are your preferred level of brown and let cool thoroughly before breaking apart with your hands.
Pam's Tips
- Test your preference. Keep an eye on the nuts in the oven and try them at different levels of brown. For fun, you could remove some after 10 minutes, leave the rest in for 4 to 5 more minutes, and see what you like best.
- Don't let them burn! Pecans can go from a rich brown to burned in short order, so stay close to the oven during that second round of baking.
- Scaling up. This recipe uses about 1 tablespoon of honey per cup of pecans. If you want to make a bigger batch, that's an easy ratio to remember. Use two baking sheets if you need to so the pecans stay in a single layer.
- Finish with salt. If you especially like that salty/sweet combination, add a final sprinkle of coarse salt right after they come out of the oven.
- Cool them completely. The glaze firms up as the pecans cool, which gives them their crunch. If you break them apart or store them while they're still warm, they'll be sticky.
How brown should the pecans be?
I'm giving you a pretty wide range of time to roast these nuts because there are so many variables. The size of the pecans can greatly affect how quickly they brown, and small pecans will take much less time. Personal preference is another factor. We actually like our pecans to get quite brown.
I'm sharing a photo of our Spicy & Sweet Pecans (a/k/a Ritz Carlton Pecans) for comparison because these are cooked to the darker brown stage. I actually like my Honey Roasted Pecans darker like that too, but they're certainly not as pretty as the lighter brown color.
Variations
I love these roasted nuts just like they are letting the sweetness of the honey and the flavor of the pecans themselves shine. But you can make a couple of variations that we like too!
Cinnamon - For a real touch of fall add a teaspoon of cinnamon to the honey mixture. Vary that to lighten the flavor or add even more to make it bold!
Spicy - Add ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper and ½ to a full teaspoon of chili powder for a spicy version.
Storing
After the nuts are thoroughly cool and broken apart they can be stored tightly covered for up to 3-4 days.
I have not tested freezing them, but we definitely keep uncooked pecans in the freezer for up to a year successfully and use them in all of our recipes. Many cooks report that honey roasted pecans freeze well for a couple of months in an airtight container. Let them come to room temperature before serving.
If they've lost a little crunch, warm them in a 250°F oven for about 5 minutes and let them cool again.
How to Serve Them
We love them any time of the day or night as a snack and they're awesome with a cocktail. Since pecans are seasonal in the fall I like them with a drink especially for that season like a Spiced Pear Bourbon Tea or a Bourbon Cocktail with Honey & Sage.
We also love to add a small bowl of these pecans to a southern charcuterie board or to your mini charcuterie board if you're just serving 2 or 3 people.
Recipe FAQs
Candied pecans are usually coated in sugar, sometimes with egg white or a sugar syrup, which gives them a thick, crunchy shell. Honey roasted pecans have a much lighter glaze. The honey and butter add just enough sweetness without covering up the flavor of the pecans themselves.
Honey naturally stays a little soft, so a slight stickiness is normal. Humidity makes it worse. Be sure to let the pecans cool completely before storing them, and keep them in an airtight container. If they get sticky, a few minutes in a low oven will help dry them back out. Some cooks also sprinkle a little sugar over the warm pecans to cut down on stickiness.
More pecan recipes
📖 Recipe
Honey Roasted Pecans
Ingredients
- 2 cups pecan halves
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- ½ teaspoon salt + more for sprinkling if desired
Instructions
- Melt the butter.
- Whisk in the honey and salt.
- Pour honey mixture over pecans and toss until evenly distributed.
- Spread in single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 5-7 minutes and then stir.
- Bake additional 5-7 minutes checking for desired level of browning at the 5 minute mark. Remove when pecans are as brown as you like. If desired sprinkle with additional salt after removing from oven.
- Allow to cool completely before breaking apart.
Notes
- Walnuts may be substituted for pecans.
- Watch carefully for pecans to brown to the point you like without burning. Pecan size can significantly impact the time it takes.
Kerri says
So good!