As the end of the year rolls around, even in Australia, it’s time for cinnamon and spice and all things nice. Something that is synonymous with holidays for me is candied nuts, although since I don’t eat sugar, I had to come up with a way to enjoy something similar without a load of sugar.

Recipes like this are a mountain for me. Sugar provides caramelisation and crunch to recipes, so when you take it out, it can be hard to replace those amazing properties even with the sugar free sweeteners I use.

But alas, I’ve used a combination of egg white and pure powdered monk fruit which creates that “sugar coated” taste and texture. Please note pure monk fruit powder is not the same as the “monk fruit sweetener” you see in supermarkets – it’s very misleading I know but these are different ingredients. Read up on the difference and what to look for in this guide.

Ingredients For Sugar Free Candied Pecans

Pecans – The holiday nut! You can use any nut for this, but they may vary in cooking times, so watch carefully to ensure they don’t burn. Pecans are my preference for this because they taste so good when roasted and the coating goes into it’s natural grooves and omg it’s so good.

Egg white – This is the binder that creates clusters and a hard shell coating. This ingredient is they key to creating the candied taste and texture without the caramelisation of sugar.

Cinnamon – The perfect warming and naturally sweet spice.

Flakey sea salt – I love the balance of sweet and salty and this recipe is perfect to really amp up that contrasting factor.

Pure monk fruit – I use pure powdered monk fruit which contains the dried version of monk fruit juice. It looks like a pale grey and very fine powder. Similar to stevia, it’s extremely sweet and has an aftertaste, so be cautious to use very small quantities. Don’t confuse this with “monk fruit sweetener”. You want to see only monk fruit extract in the ingredients list. This is how you know it is pure monk fruit.

How to make sugar free candied pecans

This is a very simple recipe that simply involves coating the nuts in all the dry ingredients, whisking the egg white to make it foamy, tossing it through the nuts, spreading on to a tray and then roasting in the oven.

You want to spread the nuts on a baking paper lined tray in a single layer. It’s ok if the nuts are touching, in fact I love this because they form sticky clusters and make for perfect snacking.

These nuts store well at room temperature in an airtight jar for months. They make a perfect festive addition to a grazing board, but you can also serve them on their own, or package up to give away as gifts. Enjoy this delicious recipe!