This Perfect Pecan Roasting method won me over to pecans. I truthfully never though much of pecans before a friend shared this method with me. I was blown away how easy it was to turn something that was “meh” to me into one of my favorite salty + crunchy whole food snacks!
Why We Love This Perfect Pecan Roasting Method
First of all, these pecans are Whole30, Paleo, Keto, Gluten-free, dairy-free, oil-free, and egg-free. Plus, they can be cooked in your oven or air fryer. I love my air fryer and thought it was so fun to use it to get these nice and crispy.
These pecans are game-changing. I know, it’s just a roasted nut – but these are RIDICULOUS! Simple, just water, salt, and pecans, but we have a very hard time keeping them stocked in our house. They are a fantastic snack add-on – full of healthy fats and not messy. Easy to pack in a lunch, take on a trip, or even take hiking.
These were a big win with some of my nut-opposed kids to help convert them to loving nuts. And we package them up nicely and give them out at Christmas as teacher gifts. Yeah, they are *that* good.
Ingredients
The ingredients for these are simple. If you have raw pecans on hand, you probably have what you need to make this recipe!
- Pecans – I get them in bulk from Sam’s Club or the bulk bins at Winco to get the best price. Use whole pecans.
- Salt – Regular old table salt works great here!
- Water – Tap water is fine.
How to Make Them
Do yourself a favor; go ahead and double these!
Perfect Pecan Roasting
Ingredients
- 1 pound pecan halves
- 3 tablespoons salt
- 1 1/2 quarts water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 275. Combine water and salt in a medium saucepan and place over high heat.
- Bring to a boil. Once boiling, remove from heat and add pecans.
- Stir pecans in salted water for 4 minutes. Drain.
- Place on a baking pan lined with parchment paper.
- Bake for 90 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from oven and enjoy hot or cold...just don't burn your tongue! ; )
Notes
Nutrition
So good thank you. I save a lot by roasting these myself
I’m so happy you love these and they are saving you $$! Thank you for the review.
These are incredibly delicious pecans! Thank you so much for the recipe.
I am wondering if the recipe might also work with walnuts? I don’t want to make a big batch of walnuts this way, and have it not work out. Have you tried other nuts?
I’m so happy you loved them! 🥰
Yes — this recipe *does* work with walnuts, with just a small tweak. Walnuts are a bit softer and more delicate than pecans, so I recommend:
* Using slightly lower heat or
* Reducing the cook time by a few minutes, and keeping a close eye on them so they don’t turn bitter
I’ve also had good success with cashews and almonds using the same method, again just watching closely since different nuts toast at different speeds. If you’re nervous, I’d suggest starting with a half batch of walnuts as a test run — they should still turn out delicious and flavorful.
Thank you so much for leaving a review and for trusting my recipes — it truly means the world to me! 💛
So delicious! I took these as a hostess gift, and they disappeared quickly. I was asked for the recipe, too. I love how your fingers don’t get messy when eating these nuts, as there’s no added oil or butter, and no salt sprinkled on them; the salt is soaked into the nuts.
You know it’s a good recipe when everyone is asking for it! I agree, these ones are uniquely roasted in a way that we can’t keep our hands off them. Thank you for the review!
I love nuts. Had perfected roasted pecans and cashews, or so I thought! I didn’t want to like this method but I tried it anyway, just in case.
Soooo glad I tried this recipe. They are absolutely the best nuts ever!! So crunchy, which I love. And no oil is a big bonus! I roast pecans and cashews this way. Cashews need to soak in the salt water longer though.
Yes, the boiling and soaking is an extra step but it’s really not a big deal to get awesome results like these. Go ahead and try this recipe. You won’t regret it.
I’m so glad this is one that you loved! “Best nuts ever”?! Amazing! And agreed, the step to boil and soak makes all the difference in this recipe. Thank you!
I’ve been making these for a few years now. They are amazing!!
Thank you for sharing this recipe.
I love that this recipe has stood the test of time and is one you keep coming back to. Thank you!
If I use the convection setting on my oven, how long would I need to cook the pecans?
That’s a great question, but I haven’t specifically tested for that. I will put it on my list to try out and get back to you. LMK if you tried it what you learned!
Made these for the first time using the oven method. Oh my word – they are amazing! I want to try the air fryer method next. My fryer has racks instead of a basket so I’m hoping it works well Do you use the parchment paper when air frying?
Thanks for this delicious recipe!
I’m so happy you loved these! No parchment paper needed for the airfryer method. Enjoy!
I’ll admit to being a bit skeptical about using this process, but will happily give it 5 Stars. I used the full water/salt amounts for my 12 oz bag of raw pecan halves. My airfryer won’t do 275, so I used 280, and roasted them for 15 minutes. Perfect! They’re cooling now on a cookie sheet, and my husband says I’d better put them away before he eats them all. Thank you for a really useful process!
Cannot stop eating these!! They get better and better each day!
Yay! We love this easy roasting method – so delicious. Thank you!
Do they have to be in a single layer in the air fryer?
No, you can layer them, just be sure to stir every 10 minutes or so to help distribute the heat evenly.
Absolutely love this recipe! Super easy to make, simple ingredients, tastes amazing! •win•win•win•
So thankful for this recipe!! I used this to make cashews, because that it what I had, didn’t quite remember the recipe so I soaked them for hours. My daughter pick one up while they were cooling and immediately grabbed a handful. She volunteered, “Mom! These are great! And I don’t even like cashews!!” I sent a small batch with my husband on his trip and have another batch of mixed nuts soaking now! So excited!!!
I love that you tried and enjoyed them with cashews! Great to know that soaking them for a few hours still turned out great. Thank you!
WOW!!! These are amazing. I have roasted nuts before, but not using this method. These pecans are so delicious. Do you know if this method will work for other nuts as well?
Do you leave out the water for air frying? Thanks
No matter if cooking in the oven or airfryer, still do the salt water bath first – it makes all the difference!
This recipe is awesome! Since the first time I made it, a couple of months ago, I have not stopped! Everyone loves it, including my younger daughter, who did not like pecans at all. Thank you, Autumn!
Hooray! I’m thrilled to hear that and love a mom win! My pickiest eater doesn’t like pecans either and will eat these.