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Today’s recipe could be the lovechild of fall flavours and festive winter snacks: Pumpkin Spice Pecans! 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 as an ingredient and sometimes, butter or shortening is used too. Fortunately, I not only veganized the recipe, but also made it healthier by removing oil and swapping out refined sugars!
To top it all off, I pumpkin spiced the nuts because ’tis the season. Normally, I like my nuts with sweetener and just a little cinnamon, but I was inspired by a fall themed box sent to me by Whole Foods Market featuring a limited edition PSL Pecan snack. I tried one and they were undeniably delicious, but again were made with conventional sugar and oil. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with enjoying some good roasted nuts made with sugar and oil over the holidays, but my philosophy is: if you can make it healthier, why not? I’m the type of person who would prefer to eat more of something because it was made healthier anyway 😉 Win-win!
The ingredient list for this recipe is short and sweet (literally), and the recipe comes together with minimal effort. The only thing you need to keep an eye out for is making sure it doesn’t burn. Since we’re working with sugar in the oven, that can happen very easily. I’m also a big believer in the idea that everyone’s oven is a little bit different, so just keep an eye out because once you overcook these, they’ll burn very quickly. I burned my first batch because I just moved into a new apartment and am learning that my oven burns a little higher than the temperature it actually reads.
So here we go! Pumpkin Spice Pecans–made without oil, veganized and using slightly better for you sugar.
A delicious, fall inspired twist on candied nuts made healthy. Easy, vegan and free of oil, gluten and refined sugars.
Scale
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
*If using raw pecans, I highly recommend you toast them in the oven for a few minutes before making this recipe as it will result in a better crunch and will store for longer.
Hi there, I’m Remy! Welcome to Veggiekins Blog, home to nourishing vegan + gluten-free recipes and tips to live your best balanced and holistic life. I’m a human on a mission to empower you to be well and be kind to your mind, body and soul with the healing power of plants.
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