With the upcoming holiday season, Instant Pot Candied Nuts make the perfect DIY gift! That is, if you can stop eating them!
With 10 minutes of cook time and almost no effort, you can have a classy gift that you really did make yourself! Sounds too easy? Well, it’s totally the truth!
Check out how easy these Instant Pot Candied Nuts are to make!
One of the really great things about this Instant Pot candied nuts recipe is that you can really use any nut you would like. I have done it with almonds and walnuts so far, but pecans are my husbands favorite so I tend to make them more often then the others. They are great on salads, as a gift, and so much more!
I used to only make candied nuts around the holiday season. For me, they are kind of tedious to watch in the 250 degree oven for an hour or more. Plus, I hate having to get up and stir them every 15 minutes to make sure they aren’t burning.
About a year ago, I was surfing the Instant Pot Facebook group when I happened to pass Keith Tant’s Facbook video. He was making candied pecans! I couldn’t believe it! I had no idea that was something you could do in the Instant Pot! I watched his live video and set out on my own to do the same! I even bought extra Instant Pot sealing rings to make sure my nuts didn’t taste like chili. That’s how you know I was committed!
I experimented and changed things to suit my households taste and I encourage you to do the same! I am going to add some tips UNDER the recipe, so make sure you check them out!
And, if you are not apart of the Instant Pot Facebook group, you should join! They have tons of awesome people like Keith, making all kinds of crazy amazing things! Keith even has his own website (kookingwithkeith.com) where he makes and sells all kinds of custom Instant Pot cooking accessories! If you are in the market for some, be sure to check it out!
No matter what the season, these Instant Pot Candied Nuts will never go out of style! Whip up a batch to gift, but make sure you make one for you too!
Instant Pot Candied Nuts
Turn Instant Pot onto saute. Add pecans, syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Saute ingredients until pecans are tender (about 5-10 minutes). Make sure to stir consistently so nothing burns.
When pecans are tender, turn Instant Pot off. and add 1/2 cup of water. Select manual high pressure and set the timer for 10 minutes. If you have a newer model Instant Pot, you select the pressure cook button (because there is no manual button).
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees while pecans are cooking under pressure.
When timer is up, preform a quick release. Pour mixture onto a baking sheet and arrange in a single layer. Bake in preheated oven for 5 minutes then take out and flip. Place pecans back in the oven for another 5 minutes. If your nuts seem a little too wet still, you can throw them back in for another 5 minutes BUT watch them! They burn so quickly!
*** Please Note: I used nonstick non stick Reynolds foil on my pan because it’s cheap and I wanted to avoid a mess. Two readers recently told me that these will stick to regular foil! You can use a good nonstick pan with out foil with out issues, I just didn’t have one that was truly nonstick. ***
When the timer is up, take pecans out and allow them to cool completely. Bag and enjoy!
If you want to sugar them like I do
When the last 5 minutes is up and the pecans are out, allow them to cool about 10 minutes. Add your sugars in a little bowl and mix. Sprinkle mixture over the semi cooled nuts and stir it around. You don’t need to use all of the sugar mixture. Allow for them to cool and dry the rest of the way then enjoy!
Instant Pot Candied Nuts
Equipment
- 6 qt Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 4 cups pecan halves or any nut you would like
- ⅔ cup PURE maple syrup
- ½ cup water
- ½ tbsp vanilla extract
- ½ tbsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- ½ tsp salt
Optional Coating
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup sugar
Instructions
- Turn Instant Pot onto saute. Add pecans, syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Saute ingredients until pecans are tender (about 5-10 minutes). Make sure to stir consistently so nothing burns.
- When pecans are tender, turn Instant Pot off. Add 1/2 cup of water. Select manual high pressure and set the timer for 10 minutes. If you have a newer model Instant Pot, you select the pressure cook button (because there is no manual button).
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees while pecans are cooking under pressure.
- When timer is up, preform a quick release. Pour mixture onto a baking sheet and arrange in a single layer. Bake in preheated oven for 5 minutes then take out and flip. Place pecans back in the oven for another 5 minutes.
- When the timer is up, take pecans out and allow them to cool completely. Bag and enjoy!
If you want to sugar them like I do
- When the last 5 minutes is up and the pecans are out, allow them to cool about 10 minutes. Add your sugars in a little bowl and mix. Sprinkle mixture over the semi cooled nuts and stir it around. You don't need to use all of the sugar mixture. Allow for them to cool and dry the rest of the way then enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Tips
- Don’t skip the oven at the end! You need the dry heat from the oven to dry the candied nuts out!
- Do not broil these! Instant Pot Candied Nuts burn really easy. If you are worried your nuts are too wet still, you can stick them back in the oven for another 5 minutes but watch them!
- They may come out of the oven at little wet looking, but don’t worry! They just need time to cool completely and dry. If you look at mine in the photos, they look wet but are actually just shiny and completely dry.
- If you are really concerned they are too wet, throw them back in the oven for an additional 5 minutes but keep an eye on them. They will burn easily.
- Do not use corn syrup! It doesn’t dry! Trust me when I say that! I have tried to use it because pure maple syrup is expensive (even though I am practically in the maple capital!), and the nuts just turned into a gooey mess. Delicious yes, but not something you would want to give out.
- Adjust the seasonings to your liking. Everything, including the sugar that I throw on at the end, can be changed! if you are looking for a kick, add some cayenne pepper!
Looking for another easy dinner? Check out this Instant Pot Chicken, Broccoli, and Rice or Instant Pot Pulled Pork!
Or check out these awesome Chicken Taco Bowls from Wondermom Wannabe! They are to die for and are perfect for larger families (it makes a ton)!
Cris says
Simple recipe, I added fireball whiskey in place of the water. Turned out awesome!
Thanks for this easy recipe!
Deborah says
I used parchment paper to avoid a mess
Jessica says
About how long should they dry out? 24 hours?
Deb says
It was impossible to stir after putting on the sugar, and they were so hard to get off the pan, i lost a handful. Suggestion? I lined wirh foil, but would parchment be better?
Ashley says
Hi Deb! I used non-stick Reynolds foil on my pan. I am going to add that in the post/recipe now. I am so sorry that happened to you! I was just using a cheap pan and wanted to avoid a messy clean up so I happened to put foil on it. I think a non stick pan without foil would also work fine, but I am going to specify that I used nonstick foil with mine.
Karen Luedtke says
Parchment paper works great
KarenL says
Just made 4 batches of these over the last 2 days to give as gifts. I added 1/2 tsp of cloves and 1/2 tsp. of allspice to the spices. I also used parchment paper instead of foil – worked great
Marki says
Would honey work instead of maple syrup? Thanks.
Ashley says
Honestly, I have never tried it to give you a definite answer, but I am not sure the honey would dry out enough.
Erin says
Thank you! Can you double/triple/quadruple the recipe?
Ashley says
Yes you can! Just make sure you have a large enough pan to space them out in the oven. Or bake them in two batches. If they come out a little wetter, give them a few more minutes in the oven.
CHRISTINA TAYLOR says
How long do they last? I was thinking of putting them in a mason jar to give as gifts but would like to make ahead of time
Ashley says
They should last for a couple of weeks. They never stick around long enough in my house to really test out the expiration date. 😉
Christine Marchand says
Thanks for the simple, easy, and tasty way to make candied nuts. I love my IP!
Carolyn says
We absolutely love these. We didn’t put any sugar on at the end – they are amazing even without the added sugar! i just bought 8 pounds of pecans from Costco to make these to give out as work gifts. Thank you for this recipe!!