Today I’m sharing my family’s recipe for crockpot cinnamon pecans that we make every year for the holidays:
I played around with the original recipe to make it much healthier and lower in sugar, and no one could tell a difference.
That’s my goal with all of the recipes I publish here on the blog.
It’s a sign of a successful healthy dessert if the people to whom you serve it don’t feel like they’re missing anything and would gladly pick the healthy version over the original.
These slow cooker pecans–completely vegan and free of refined sugar–make such an excellent gift.
People appreciate the cinnamon pecans because they are homemade and taste delicious… and all you have to do is throw everything in the slow cooker and sit back as the machine does all the work for you!
Also Try This Healthy Sweet Potato Bread
This family-favorite Christmas recipe is one of the three recipes I made for my holiday recipe appearance on Dr. Oz this past month.
Here are a few more photos from my segment on The Dr. Oz Show.
Craft stores such as Michaels or JoAnn are great places to go if you want to package the pecans up and hand them out as gifts.
Most craft stores will sell holiday-themed paper and tin boxes (like the santa box above) at a pretty good price.
Another option is to place the nuts in clear bags tied with holiday ribbons. I could honestly spend hours in craft stores.
**If you don’t have a crock pot, I’ve also included oven instructions in the recipe below.
Cinnamon Pecans
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 3 cups sliced raw pecans, or other raw nuts
- optional 1 1/2 tbsp coconut oil
Instructions
- Slow Cooker Version: Lightly coat the inside of a slow cooker with cooking spray. Place all ingredients except pecans inside, and stir to combine. Stir in the nuts, and turn the heat to low. Put the lid on and cook 2 hours, stirring once after the first hour. Remove the lid and stir, then cover again and continue cooking an additional hour on low. Pour the contents onto a cookie sheet or large platter, and break up any large clumps. Allow to cool completely, and they will harden as they cool. Transfer to decorative tins for gifts.Oven Version: Preheat the oven to 350 F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Stir together all ingredients in a large bowl, then spread out on the cookie sheet. Bake 15 minutes, turn with a spoon, then bake another 5-10 minutes as needed. Store leftovers in a decorative tin for up to 2 weeks, or freeze up to 4 months.View Nutrition Facts
Notes
More Easy Holiday Recipes:
Snowball Cookies – 60 calories each
I just made these… and cannot top eating them! Very good.
oops – cannot STOP eating them!
I made these for Christmas gifts last year, but we ended up eating a lot ourselves! So I totally plan to make them again this year! I don’t know why I don’t make them any other time. Maybe this weekend…
These look like the most incredible addictive snack!
xo,
Em
Oh my goodness, these look SO wonderful!
I love the simple and nourishing ingredient list.
Thank you for sharing, Katie!
What’s up with the time stamps on these comments…?
I have to soak nuts before I eat them, and this recipe looks great for crisping them up again!
Coconut oil is at the bottom of the ingredient list, but never mentioned in the instructions. Just curious as to what it is for?
It says “Place all ingredients except pecans inside”. That would include the coconut oil. Hope that helps.
Why is everyone giving this recipe five stars when nobody in the comments have actually made it? I actually made it and the nuts were not sweet and burnt. I followed the oven recipe exactly. $13 in nuts wasted. Please don’t rate a recipe unless you have actually made it! For the future, syrup burns at 350 degrees rather quickly, about 10 minutes. They may be good in the crockpot. However, I am unable to tell by the commenters because they only state how great they look but I’m concerned the photo isn’t even a photo of the actual recipe. If it is, what are the sprinkles on the pecans? Salt? Don’t think so, as the syrup quickly smooths it out. Have you actually made this in the oven or did you just create another option and estimated the times/temp?
I’m not sure why would yo say people didn’t make them? Here are three comment links from people who made them, one of which said she did it in the oven. I can also vouch for the oven method and would probably suggest looking to see if your oven is calibrated? A lot of things can affect baking time, such as calibration, elevation of where you live and the climate. So if you make them again, just don’t bake as long. My pecans looked pretty much like Katie’s – It is salt and the cinnamon.
https://lett-trim.today/2017/12/21/cinnamon-pecans-crock-pot/#comment-3500821%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> https://lett-trim.today/2017/12/21/cinnamon-pecans-crock-pot/#comment-3492379%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> https://lett-trim.today/2017/12/21/cinnamon-pecans-crock-pot/#comment-3491662%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
I just made them using the oven method. Stirred after 15 minutes and cooked for 5 more minutes. And I live at an elevation of 7000’. I am posting a photo.
Mine looked like Katie’s and tasted delicious.
OMG! Where have these been all of my vegan life?? So easy and so delicious! I just made them and could easily eat all three cups right now. Thank you!
I bet these smell amazing! They’d be a yummy treat.