Savory Roasted Pecans

When people come here for dinner, they know to arrive hungry! To stave off hunger before we eat, I put out small dishes of nuts to nibble on while gathering in the kitchen for the first hellos and catch-up conversation.
But so many "party nut" recipes are sugary. Instead, these are totally savory nuts, dark and sultry with just a touch of heat and only slightly addictive – okay that's a lie, they're totally addictive! Even at the last minute, roast some pecans in the oven for a quick appetizer or hostess gift.

Savory Roasted Pecans, a great last-minute appetizer or hostess gift ♥ KitchenParade.com, just pecan halves roasted with Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco and savory spices.

Fast & Easy Appetizer. Just Pecans & a Handful of Pantry Ingredients. Weeknight Easy, Weekend Special. Potluck & Party Friendly. Low Carb. Naturally Gluten Free. High Protein.

COMPLIMENTS!
  • "... quick, easy and turned out great. These will not last long ..." ~ Julie

Roasted Nuts, Savory Not Sweet

The holiday season can seem sugar-coated – candy canes, cookies, chocolate, Christmas cakes.

In contrast, these spicy pecans will tickle another part of your palate. If you have pecans leftover from holiday baking, this is a good way to use them up.

I make Savory Pecans often – after baking, the brown-black nuts look nice in glass jars for hostess or last-minute holiday gifts. They’re also popular at parties and on buffet tables and in small bowls on a charcuterie board.

Savory Roasted Pecans, a great last-minute appetizer or hostess gift ♥ KitchenParade.com, just pecan halves roasted with Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco and savory spices.



Just updated! First published way back in 2002.

SAVORY ROASTED PECANS

Hands-on time: 10 minutes
Time to table: 45 minutes
Makes 2 cups
  • 2 tablespoons salted butter, melted
  • 1 – 2 tablespoons Worcestershire
  • 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 cups (8oz/225g) pecan halves

Set oven to 300F/150C.

Combine all the ingredients except pecans. Add the pecans and stir well to coat, really stirring again and again to completely cover the pecans.

Transfer the nuts to a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 30 – 35 minutes (or most recently in a new kitchen, 40 minutes), stirring occasionally; the nuts are done when they're deeply, darkly brown: taste a small broken piece each time you stir. Serve warm or at room temperature.

MAKE-AHEAD Make the nuts ahead of time, then just before serving, warm in a 325F/160C oven for 5 – 6 minutes.

ALANNA's TIPS Fresh nuts really matter here. I have little luck with expensive supermarket pecans, even now (late fall and early winter) when the season is just coming to a close. In the fall, I some times order pecans or pecan meal from Sunnyland Farms in Georgia. Closer to home for both freshness and great prices? Trader Joe's. What's with the imprecision of 1 – 2 tablespoons Worcestershire? Here's why. If you're serving the pecans right away, I recommend using 1 tablespoon. But if you're making them ahead of time, use 2 tablespoons and be sure to stir in the extra liquid while they're in the oven. With 2 tablespoons, the nuts will roast faster and darker, definitely worth the extra attention.
NUTRITION INFORMATION Per Quarter Cup: 200 Calories; 20g Tot Fat; 3g Sat Fat; 7mg Cholesterol; 180mg Sodium; 4g Carb; 3g Fiber; 1g Sugar; 2g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS WW Old Points 5 & WW Points Plus 6 & SmartPoints 7 & Freestyle 7 & myWW green 7 & blue 7 & purple 7

Nuts: Quick, Protein-Packed Nibbles

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Party Nuts with Fresh Rosemary Black Pepper Almonds Maple-Glazed Pecans


More Quick Bites for Parties

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Bacon-Wrapped Dried Apricots Potato Bites with Smoked Salmon Roasted Roma Tomatoes
~ more appetizer recipes ~
from Kitchen Parade

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from A Veggie Venture

Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Quick Suppers are Kitchen Parade favorites and feature recipes easy on the budget, the clock, the waistline and the dishwasher. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail via recipes@kitchen-parade.com. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. If you make this recipe, I'd love to know your results! Just leave a comment below.

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2002, 2008, 2015, 2019 & 2020

Alanna Kellogg
Alanna Kellogg

A Veggie Venture is home of "veggie evangelist" Alanna Kellogg and the famous asparagus-to-zucchini Alphabet of Vegetables.

Comments

  1. Pecans are a favorite snack food of mine, especially when they are spiced or candied. Delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Just got this recipe and just made it. It was quick, easy and turned out great. These will not last long...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Andrea ~ By this time in the holidays, I'm sugar-ed out. So 'savory' is a welcome interruption.

    Julie ~ Wow! That's a record. Thanks so much for letting me know. I take that as the 'highest compliment' that a recipe is so appealing, you want to (and can, because the ingredients are easily available) straight to the kitchen to make it. I'm humbled ...

    ReplyDelete

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Thank you for taking a moment to write! I read each and every comment, for each and every recipe. If you have a specific question, it's nearly always answered quick-quick. But I also love hearing your reactions, your curiosity, even your concerns! When you've made a recipe, I especially love to know how it turned out, what variations you made, what you'll do differently the next time. ~ Alanna