Glazed Pecans {Keto Friendly}

These delicious Glazed Pecans are a satisfying treat on their own, or a crunchy, sweet enhancement for salads, desserts, or even a fruit parfait. Cooked on the stovetop with low-carb sweetener, vanilla, and a hint of cinnamon, they make a lovely treat for the holiday season or wrapped up as a gift for friends and neighbors. If keto isn’t your thing, I’ve included how to make these the indulgent way too.

This is a no-bake recipe, and comes together in only 5 minutes on the stovetop! A great last-minute addition to your holiday table.

During the spring and summer, they go fantastic on salads, fruit desserts such as Baked Apples or Fruit Crisps. During the fall and winter, you can use them to top off your sweet potato casserole, and even go great over green beans if you like that salty-sweet thing.

This Keto Candied Pecan recipe uses Swerve brown sugar as the sweetener. Pecans on their own are high in fiber and lots of vitamins and minerals with healthy fats. If you’re watching your calories or your sugar intake, this is a great option as it’s a fantastic zero-calorie brown sugar alternative. It works just like its regular brown sugar. I’ve tasted many many stevia based sweeteners and for a brown sugar alternative, this one is my favorite.

Key Ingredients

Here’s some useful information about the ingredients I chose for this recipe.

• Pecan halves – Halves are best to use especially if you want to snack on them. You can use chopped pecans or pecan pieces, which is great for toppings, but not quite a finger food. Walnuts are the closest to the pecan and can be substituted. 

• Swerve Brown Sugar – This brown sugar alternative does not affect blood sugar. Therefore, the calorie count for one teaspoon is a big zero. You could also use a brown monk fruit sweetener. However, regular brown sugar (or regular sugar ) works just fine if you’re not counting calories. If you like something a little more pure, use maple syrup. In my opinion, the brown Swerve is the best option.

• Vanilla Extract – Pure vanilla extract is best, I prefer to not use imitation. If you want to infuse some maple flavor, you can use pure maple extract instead of, or in addition to, the Vanilla. I really like the vanilla, so I’ll do half and half.
• Ground Cinnamon– I buy the big container from Costco, it’s the best value and the cinnamon is a nice flavor.
• Salt– I typically use Himalayan pink salt, but any salt will do in this recipe. It’s a small amount, and we are using it to balance the sweetness.

How To Make Keto Candied Pecans

Before you begin, prepare a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and set it aside. I love this easy and inexpensive set. Nordic Ware Aluminum Commercial Baker’s Half Sheet. 

1. Mix water, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla together.
2. Toast the pecans on medium heat in a saucepan. Stir occasionally until they become fragrant, about 5 minutes.
3. Pour the sauce mixture over the pecans in the pan and stir well to coat.
4. Spread the coated pecans on the parchment lined baking sheet in a single layer and cool at room temperature. The pecans will harden in a few hours.

Tips & Tricks

• Fresh is best! For best results, fresh pecans are a must-have. If you have some pecans that have been in the cupboard for awhile, check the date. Nuts can go rancid (you’ll know by the smell and taste). You can always store them in the refrigerator or freeze them in an airtight container if you don’t think you’ll use them often. Costco usually has the best price for a large bag of them. Or I’ll shop Aldi for a smaller bag.
• Glazing- When coating your pecans in the saucepan, be sure to stir constantly just until the brown sugar is dissolved. They don’t need much time and you want to watch closely so they don’t burn.
• Prep– Don’t forget to have your cookie sheet ready. When the pecans come out of the pan, they need to go straight onto the parchment paper and cookie sheet to cool.

Frequently Asked Questions