Healthy Pumpkin Spice Pecans (No Butter, No Refined Sugar)
Sep 24, 2018 • Updated Oct 02, 2023
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This recipe for Pumpkin Spice Candied Pecans is a healthier version of candied nuts made without butter or refined sugar. A perfect holiday snack recipe!
If you’ve ever visited New York City, you’ve probably walked by a roasted nut street cart. And if you have, you would definitely have known because the smell is absolutely incredible and detectable from even a few blocks away. Unfortunately, most of the nuts sold at street carts aren’t vegan-friendly because they use honey and sometimes butter or shortening. That’s why I developed this spiced pecan recipe made without dairy, butter or even refined sugar.
Ingredients for Pumpkin-Spiced Pecans
Here’s what you need for these butter-free spiced nuts:
- Pecan halves. Make sure you use raw, unroasted and unsalted nuts.
- Maple syrup. You could use honey if you are not vegan.
- Coconut sugar. This is a great lower-glycemic sweetner. You can also use regular granulated sugar as a replacement.
- Pumpkin spice. You can buy this at the store or make your own blend with cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice.
- Vanilla extract. This is optional, but adds a wonderful warming flavorto the pecans.
How to Use Spiced Pecans
- Pumpkin Gingerbread Loaf (vegan, gluten-free, oil free)
- Vegan Banana Oat Pancakes for Beginners (gluten free, oil free, nut free)
- Blueberry Breakfast Muffins (vegan, gluten-free, oil-free)
- Gingerbread Brownie Cookies (vegan, gluten free, nut free)
Tips for Making Spiced Pecans
This is a straightforward recipe that has a quick five-minute prep time. However, the only thing you need to keep an eye out for is making sure the sugar doesn’t burn in the oven. Everyone’s oven is a little different, so be sure to keep an eye on the nuts as they bake.
For the best flavour, you may want to toast up your own spices from the whole seed to make the pumpkin spice blend.
Ingredient Substitutioins and Additions
More Pumpkin-Flavored Recipes
- No-Bake Pumpkin Spice Flan (vegan, gluten free)
- Pumpkin Mochi with Cinnamon Sugar Milk
- Pumpkin Bubble Tea (vegan, gluten free, refined sugar free)
If you make these vegan Pumpkin Spice Pecans, be sure to let me know what you think with a comment below!
Pumpkin Spice Pecans [vegan, oil-free, gluten-free]
Ingredients
- 1 cup of pecan halves raw* or toasted
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp coconut palm sugar
- 1/4-1/2 tsp pumpkin spice
- 1/4 tsp salt optional
- 1/8 tsp vanilla extract optional
Instructions
- Start by preheating your oven to 315 degrees farenheit.
- Combine your coconut sugar, pumpkin spice and salt in a small bowl and whisk.
- Place pecans in a bowl and add maple syrup and dry ingredients to the bowl.
- Toss pecans using a spatula or your hands until all the nuts are evenly coated in the mixture.
- Transfer the pecans onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat and spread evenly so that no nut is overlapping.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, then turn nuts over and return to the oven to bake for an additional 5-8 minutes. The glaze on the nuts should start to bubble and caramelize and brown a little bit before you flip them.
- Remove nuts from the oven and allow to cool completely before consuming or storing--ideally an hour at least. Store in an airtight container.
Notes
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Love & many pumpkin spice recipes to come,
You may also like: Pumpkin Spice Tahini Cookies, Salted Maca Caramel Cashew Butter
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