I love to have quick ideas for homemade food gifts, especially during the holidays. Sometimes I opt for sweet treats like cookies, but many times I like to make munchie treats too like my microwave chex mix or the recipe I’m sharing here today for savory spiced pecans. And even though I usually use pecans, this recipe for spiced nuts could probably work with walnuts, peanuts, or mixed nuts too!

How To Make Savory Spiced Nuts

To make your own savory spiced nuts, you’ll start by melting 4 tablespoons of butter and then adding some spices. To the melted butter I add 2 tsp of Tabasco sauce, 1 tsp of Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp of salt, and a ½ tsp of garlic powder. One thing I’ve always liked about this recipe for spicy pecans is that this combo of spices does indeed make the nuts a little spicy, but they have just the right amount of flavor without being too strong or overpowering.

I then pour the spiced melted butter mixture over about 3 cups of nuts (I use pecans). You’ll need about 10 to 12 ounces of pecans to equal about 3 cups. Then everything gets stirred around so that all the nuts are coated with the savory spicy butter mixture.

The buttery spiced nuts are then spread out on a baking sheet and toasted for 15 minutes at 325 degrees. When they are done toasting, you can spread them out on paper toweling to cool.

Spicy Nuts Are Great for Gifts or Just Munching!

Even if you don’t have much time for making homemade food gifts, you can still whip up a batch of these spiced nuts with very little hands-on effort and only 15 minutes of toasting time in the oven. You can then package your nuts in little jars or bags and you’ve made your own holiday spiced nuts!

And these spicy nuts don’t necessarily have to be gifts either. They’re great for sharing at gatherings with friends or family, or to use as an appetizer, or just to enjoy munching on something a little special at home.

This post was originally published December 2013 and updated November 2022.