Watch out! Paleo Cinnamon Pecan Brittle is so good it’s addictive. Lightly sweetened and made with 5 healthy ingredients, it’s a wonderful holiday snack. I love serving it as an appetizer or dessert at our Hanukkah parties, but it’s so delicious that I make it throughout the year as an after school snack or lunch box treat.
I made this easy nut brittle recipe with pecans instead of peanuts so that it would be paleo, and so those of you with peanut allergies can enjoy it. It also has far less sugar than other brittle recipes, so it’s a great low-carb dessert.
Don’t let the fancy name of this dish fool you because it’s so easy to throw together, you can prepare it right before your guests arrive and enjoy the amazing smell of warm cinnamon and nuts that will fill your home as it toasts in the oven. If you’re going to a party at someone’s house, and you’re the guest, this easy desssert makes a lovely hostess gift when placed in a little tin or box, that is then tied with a pretty ribbon.
- 1 egg white
- ¼ cup agave nectar or honey
- ½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 cups pecans
- In a large bowl, whisk together egg white, agave, salt, and cinnamon
- Toss nuts in the egg white mixture to coat
- Pour nut mixture onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet
- Bake at 300° for 30 minutes, until nuts are browned
- Allow nuts to cool for 5 minutes, then break apart and serve
I came up with this Cinnamon Pecan Brittle recipe when I messed up something I was making from Dorie Greenspan’s lovely cookbook, Around My French Table. I started out with a Spiced Nuts project, though when I pulled these out of the oven, I realized that I had actually made a healthy nut brittle. So, I made the recipe several additional times, tweaking each version along the way until I was pleased with this new permutation.
Here are some of my other low-carb dessert recipes!
Taylor says
Love this recipe! I had the same issue as some others originally, about it being soft in the middle. Now, I just spread it far enough apart that it doesn’t have a middle. I also bake approximately 5 minutes longer. I like it a little crisp on the edges. I then let it cool for 5 minutes and then put the batch in the freezer for about 10 minutes. It makes it really crispy. I leave in the fridge thereafter, and it remains crispy. When it gets room temp, it looses its crispness. Thank you for providing this recipe. It’s a great healthy alternative to store bought brittle.
Elana says
Taylor, thanks for letting me know that you love this recipe :-)
Katie says
I love this. Do you have any idea how to make this on a base of Chocolate?
would I bake this, let lit sit to cool, break it up, then put it on something.
Elana says
Katie, I haven’t tried that so not sure :-)
Sara says
Just made them – delicious. Great recipe!
Elana says
Sara, thanks for letting me know this is a delicious, great recipe :-)
Beth says
I’ve just made these for the first time and they turned out great.
Could not find pecans, so I used almonds instead. I left out the salt, and they are still yummy.
Elana says
Beth, thanks for letting us know this was great!
Boo says
This brittle is so good could not stop eating. Thanks Elana! Have you found a solution for the middle still being a little soft? Pecans on outside were crisp and delicious!!! Also the middle portion stuck to parchment paper. Any suggestions before i make again?? Can you use,almonds instead of pecans?? Less expensive. Agsin thanks !!! So so good…can almost do without my chocolate!!!
Elana says
Boo, thanks for your comment! I haven’t had any issues with the center being soft, this brittle comes out perfectly crisp though-and-through every time we make it. I hope you’ll feel free to experiment with the nuts of your choice and that you’ll stop back by to let me know if your experiments work. Thanks for letting me know this brittle is so good you could not stop eating it :-)
Mary Ann Gates says
What size pan should these be baked in?
Elana says
Mary Ann, if you click the green text in the instructions portion of the recipe you will be given that info :-)
Claire Letkiewicz says
You don’t mention if the pecans are raw, or roasted. Shouldn’t the pecans be soaked and roasted first? I always do this for better digestibility. Thank you!
Elana says
Hi Claire, thanks for your question; use raw pecans for this recipe. Enjoy!
Diane says
Elana, I haven’t been able to find d Ceylon Cinnamon. Any suggestions?
Elana says
Diane, if you click the green text in the ingredients portion of the recipe that says “ground cinnamon” you will be taken to a page where you can purchase this product, i.e., the Ceylon :-)
Mieke says
I have a gas oven, lowest degrees is 180 degrees celsius. How do i know how long to cook /Bake it for?
Elana says
Hi Mieke, if you google “temperature conversions from Celsius to Fahrenheit” you will get the temperature you need for this recipe. This google search will also help you convert the temperatures for my other recipes. Baking times will remain the same. Thanks for your question and enjoy the Pecan Brittle!
Michelle Hopkins says
Just tried these and mine are gooey even after sitting out. Should I cook longer?
Elana says
Hi Michelle, that might be necessary if your oven temperature is a little off. If you put the brittle back in to firm up please keep a close eye on it and I hope you’ll let me know how it turned out.
SunnySky says
Perfect! I did use half honey and half maple syrup (since I’m currently low on honey)—Now to stay away long enough to bring these as a snack prior to tonight’s football game! ;)
Definitely a recipe to KEEP. Thank you.
♡ ♡ ♡
Elana says
Sunny, so glad to hear this was perfect :-)
Kara says
My kids would love this! But they are allergic to eggs. Ideas for replacement/alternative combo of ingredients? Thanks!
Elana says
Kara, I haven’t tried that so not sure. Here’s a link to my Egg-Free Recipes page for you!
https://elanaspantry.com/diets/egg-free/
Enjoy!
Elana
Natasha says
I made this last night to try it out. I’m planning on giving this away to friends, etc. I love it. My coworkers like it (aka my guinea pigs). And my house smelled magical.
Elana says
Natasha, thanks for letting us know your coworkers loved this!
Michele Masson says
Can you sub something for the egg whites? I can’t have eggs.
Elana says
Michele, I haven’t tried that so not sure. Here’s a link to my Egg-Free Recipes page:
https://elanaspantry.com/diets/egg-free/
Enjoy!
Elana
ncherven says
Do you soak the pecans before using?
Elana says
Ncherven, I use plain, raw pecans for this recipe, that are not soaked :-)
Kristin says
ADDICTIVE!!! I can NOT stop eating them!! I do believe this may become my go-to dish to take to social events =)
Elana says
Kristin, so great to hear these were ADDICTIVE!
Allison says
For everyone who had problem with it being sticky, stick it in the freezer! Mine was a little goopy after 30 minutes too, so I let it cool in the freezer for a while. I could have let it set a while longer (the outside edges were hard, but the middle was still soft), but I just broke it all up and threw it in a container and popped that back in the freezer. It will keep it crunchy, I’m sure, and keep me out of it since I can’t seem to stop eating! YUM!!
Reiko says
Another way to avoid a gooey middle is to not have a middle at all! That is, drop them on the sheet separately instead of spread them in a layer. I have yet to try this technique, but I can’t imagine it failing :)
Elizabeth says
I made these tonight and they taste great. Mine are sticky thought and not brittle – so you think I should bake them longer?
Elana says
Elizabeth, if that happens, put the brittle back in a warm oven (with the heat off) to dry them out a bit more :-)
Samantha Angela @ Bikini Birthday says
Do you think you could make this vegan somehow?
Elana says
Samantha, I haven’t tried that so not sure. Here’s a link to my Vegan Recipes page for you!
https://elanaspantry.com/diets/vegan/
Enjoy!
Elana
KR says
I just made these and mine turned out gooey. I left them in the oven for another 10 min but it didn’t help. Any suggestions?
Mindy says
I had the same problem…gooey. Still pretty tasty, but not brittly. Any ideas on how to fix?
marla {family fresh cooking} says
I love how little agave is in these pecans – must try this recipe asap! xo
Elana says
Thanks Marla!
connie newman says
looks Yummy!
Elana says
Thanks Connie!
Kenna says
This recipe is delicious and easy! As soon as I read the post today I went to the kitchen and in a matter of minutes my house was filled with a sweet, nutty smell. They are tasty little treats!
Thanks again!
Elana says
Thanks Kenna! So glad to hear this recipe is delicious and easy!
Iris says
Mmm…I love when a mistake turns into something even better! Happy New Year Elana!
Elana says
Thanks Iris. Happy New Year!
Heather Babcock says
That looks AMAZING!!!
Elana says
Thanks Heather!
Tracee says
Oh yum…this looks so good. Great mess-up!
Elana says
Thanks Tracee!
Susan Maki says
Divine!! Just popped some in my mouth and they are yummy!! It was hard waiting for them to cool, but so worth the wait :-) Thanks Elana!
Susan Maki says
BTW – didn’t have enough pecans so I added some almonds I briefly ran through the food processor and some pumpkin seeds.
Elana says
Susan, thanks for letting us know how adaptable this recipe is and that it was divine!
Valerie @ City|Life|Eats says
This recipe sounds wonderful. I also wanted to thank you for your cookbook and blog – I recently was able to reintroduce almonds and duck eggs successfully, and since last month have been cooking and baking from your cookbook and enjoying it tremendously. :)
Elana says
Valerie, so glad to hear you are enjoying my blog and cookbooks!
Cindi Johnson says
Wow ~ Add a couple of other spices and the original recipe you were trying (spiced nuts) is what my mom made every Christmas for many, many years… and I have continued the tradition. I have never met anyone else with that recipe. The brittle version must be excellent because the spiced nut version is a hit every time. I really encourage others to try it.
Elana says
Thanks Cindi!
Mia says
This looks great! Thank you for sharing.
Elana says
You’re welcome Mia!
Tamra says
Thanks for this recipe. brittle was my go to Christmas present. But with white sugar. Now I can make it for me with Agave!
And to those that add their ideas-Thank you!
Elana says
You’re welcome Tamra!
Lisa M says
This sounds so good! I’ll have to make it soon.
Elana says
Thanks Lisa!
Lauren says
What a serendipitous discovery! I always loved nut brittle as a kid, but this version appeals to me now so much more than those sugar- & butter- laden brittles. I’m looking forward to making this!
Elana says
Lauren, I agree! So much better than those sugar and butter laden brittles!
Rudy says
I make something similar to this for a healthy snack. I use 2 tbls of agave, 2 tbls of cinnamon, 2 mini scoops of stevia and whisk that together into a paste. Then I add 3 1/2 cups of almonds and stir around until they are all coated. Bake in a 9 x 13 cake pan (sprayed with pam or use parchment) at 350 for 20 minutes. Makes great cinnamon almonds, perfect for snacking.
Elana says
Thanks Rudy!
Georgia Pellegrini says
The scent of warm cinnamon pecan…really smells like home
Elana says
Agreed Georgia!
Kathy Foulk says
Looks good!!!
Elana says
Thanks Kathy!
newrose says
I love pecans any why but in brittle they are even more delicious and rather addictive more me.
Elana says
I totally agree :-)
Melissa says
That looks yummy!
Elana says
Thanks Melissa!
Sandra Wells says
I wish I had this recipe before Christmas! What a lovely gift this would make, for now my household will get to enjoy.
Elana says
Thanks Sandra!
Stephanie O'Dea says
Gorgeous! I’m a big fan of anything brittle, and this is such an easy recipe that is sure to be a crowd-pleaser.
thank you for linking to my (not) brittle.:-) oxox
Elana says
Thanks Stephanie!
Meagan says
Looks great! I love “candy” ideas
Elana says
Thanks Meagan!
Shirley @ gfe says
Oh, what a divine permutation, Elana! I’m all about pecans and this brittle looks fantastic! :-) Super simple as usual, too–love that. ;-)
xo,
Shirley
Elana says
Thanks Shirley!
Alta says
Yum! Hooray for happy mistakes!
james says
can i leave out the salt?
thanks
Elana says
James, I haven’t tried that so not sure. If you do please let us know how it goes :-)