Healthy Pecan Recipes

Find healthy, delicious pecan recipes, from the food and nutrition experts at EatingWell.

Staff Picks

Baked Banana-Nut Oatmeal Cups

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Muffins meet oatmeal in these moist and tasty grab-and-go oatmeal cups. Feel free to swap out the pecans for any other nut--walnuts would be great--or omit them altogether. Make a batch on the weekend and keep them in your fridge or freezer for quick and easy breakfasts all week. Reheat in the microwave for about 40 seconds.
By Carolyn Casner

Carrot Cake Energy Bites

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These no-cook energy bites keep well in the fridge or freezer and are easy to grab on the go for a healthy snack.
By Beth Lipton

Apple Pie Energy Balls

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These no-bake Apple Pie Energy Balls come together easily and will give your body the energy it needs to power through the afternoon.
By Andrea Mathis, M.A., RDN, LD

Grilled Chicken with Red Pepper-Pecan Romesco Sauce

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Many variations of the Catalonian roasted tomato sauce, romesco sauce, add roasted red peppers for a little sweetness. Here, we scorch the peppers and tomato on the grill alongside the chicken to keep things simple.
By Adam Dolge

Apple-Cinnamon Overnight Oats

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It takes just a few minutes in the evening to mix rolled oats and almond milk and you have a head start on a healthy breakfast the following morning. In the morning, top the oatmeal with fresh fruit and toasted nuts. Make up to 4 jars at once to keep in the fridge for quick grab-and-go breakfasts throughout the week.
By Sylvia Fountaine

Classic Dill Chicken Salad

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We lightened up the creamy dressing in this healthy chicken salad recipe with a combo of mayonnaise and plain Greek yogurt. Dill, grapes, celery and walnuts make up this classic chicken salad but feel free to experiment with your favorite fruit, vegetables and herbs. Serve it open-face on toasted bread or scoop it on top of fresh salad greens.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Creamy Blueberry-Pecan Overnight Oatmeal

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These overnight oats with Greek yogurt, blueberries and pecans are an easy, on-the-go-breakfast. If desired, reheat the oatmeal before adding the toppings.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Baked Blueberry & Banana-Nut Oatmeal Cups

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Muffins meet oatmeal in these moist and tasty grab-and-go oatmeal cups. The nutty flavor of the pecans and the sweetness from fresh blueberries and banana make for an extra tasty snack or breakfast.
By Carolyn Casner

No-Bake Berry Cheesecake Bars

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As if no-bake weren't tempting enough, consider that the graham cracker crust for these berry cheesecake bars has pecans in it. Ooh la la! In the filling, nonfat Greek yogurt and reduced-fat cream cheese cut the calories and saturated fat.
By Carolyn Malcoun

Bourbon Sweet Potato Casserole

This version of the holiday staple uses a little bourbon to boost the flavor of the sweet potatoes, but you can also use orange juice. Baking the potatoes in their skins allows their natural sugars to caramelize for enhanced sweetness.
By Andrea Kirkland, M.S., RD

Chocolate Zucchini Brownies

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The batter for this healthy one-bowl brownie recipe is stirred together right in the saucepan used to melt the butter and chocolate--no mixing bowl needed and less cleanup for you. Using shredded zucchini in this healthy dessert recipe creates a tender, moist brownie with about half the amount of butter and sugar found in a classic recipe--and it's virtually undetectable in the baked brownies.
By Stacy Fraser

Salted Coconut-Caramel Energy Balls

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A blend of dates, sunflower seed butter, salt and vanilla make these bites surprisingly reminiscent of salted caramel--both in taste and texture. Unlike our ultra-easy mix-and-match basic energy ball recipe, you'll need a blender to make a paste for the base of these balls, but the extra effort is oh-so-worth it for the sweet and satisfying result.
By Joy Howard
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Inspiration and Ideas

23 Desserts Featuring Pecans
These pecan dessert recipes are so delicious, they'll have you going nuts. Pecans add a great, crunchy texture to any dessert. Whether it's pie, cookies or other desserts, you can use pecans in the batter, as a filling or as a topping. Recipes like Pecan, Date & Pumpkin Bread Pudding and Peach Coffee Cake with Pecan Streusel are healthy and will satisfy any sweet tooth.
Chicken-Quinoa Bowl with Strawberries & Pecans
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This simple chicken grain bowl makes a perfect family dinner. Let everyone customize their meal by portioning the greens and grains into bowls, then serving the remaining ingredients buffet-style so eaters can pick and choose what they want to top theirs with.
Pumpkin-Oatmeal Muffins
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Cranberry-Almond Granola Bars
Moist Zucchini Bread
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Mable Clarke includes this zucchini bread among the treats that end the fish fry she started to save Soapstone Baptist Church in her South Carolina community. This recipe uses grated zucchini--it's easy to do with a food processor, but you can also use a box grater to do the job. While some recipes call for squeezing the water out of the zucchini after it's grated, don't--it's the secret to this quick bread's extra moistness.

All Healthy Pecan Recipes

Cranberry Chicken Salad

This healthy chicken salad recipe with cranberries, toasty pecans and crunchy vegetables is slathered in a combo of mayonnaise and yogurt which keeps the dressing light and tangy. Serve it open-face on toasted bread or scoop it on top of fresh salad greens.
By Julia Levy

Cinnamon Icebox Cookies

Slice-and-bake icebox cookies are the ultimate make-ahead treat. You can make a batch and bake as many as you like, saving the rest of the dough in the freezer. These simple swirled cookies are rolled in finely chopped pecans. They're mildly sweet—perfect for after dinner or paired with coffee.
By Hilary Meyer

Grandpa's Homemade Granola

Once you make this super-nutty, not-too-sweet granola, courtesy of Chris Johnson, father of EatingWell's social media editor Sophie Johnson, you'll never go back to store-bought. Nuts, seeds, coconut, dried fruit, Rice Krispies--this easy granola recipe has it all. Feel free to mix and match your favorite add-ins based on what's in your kitchen.
By Chris Johnson

Blueberry-Pecan Energy Balls

Dried blueberries and pecans team up with cacao nibs for a chocolaty treat any time of day. The cacao is a bit more bitter than chocolate, but the maple syrup helps tame it. Almond butter and chia seeds provide protein to make these bites substantial snacks to fuel your body.
By Katherine Martinelli

Carrot Cake Cheesecake

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This orange-scented carrot cake cheesecake has a wonderfully moist and flavorful carrot cake shell which holds the creamy cheesecake portion. The swirl effect of dollops of cheesecake batter is a fun and festive way to round out this rich dessert.
By Karen Rankin

Apple Coffee Cake

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Apples lend their sweet-tart flavor to this warm and comforting apple coffee cake. The nutty oat and pecan filling in the middle of the cake also acts as a crispy topping that's drizzled with a sweet vanilla glaze.
By Sarah Epperson

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

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These easy-to-make homemade granola bars are inspired by the flavors of a classic oatmeal chocolate chip cookie. But feel free to vary the mix-ins to your preference. We tested several sticky sweeteners, including maple syrup and honey, but found brown rice syrup held the bars together the best.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Apple & Cheddar Side Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette

This salad is easy and festive--the perfect healthy addition to your holiday table. The no-sugar-added dressing blends well with the sweet notes of apple and sharp Cheddar cheese, and crunchy pecans round out the dish.
By Hilary Meyer

Broccoli Salad with Sherry Vinaigrette

Parmesan, red onions and pecans contribute flavor and texture to this quick and easy broccoli salad that makes a great easy side dish for almost any protein. If you have leftovers, toss them with pasta for lunch the following day.
By Karen Rankin

Mini Pecan Pies

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The key to these decadent treats is the portion size--baking them in mini-muffin tins keeps the carbs and saturated fat in check. And maple syrup allows you to make this pecan pie recipe without corn syrup.
By Lauren Grant

Morning Glory Scones

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No bakery degree required for this recipe: these healthy carrot- and raisin-studded morning glory scones are as easy to make as a batch of muffins. White whole-wheat flour adds a boost of fiber, and just enough butter gives them great flavor and texture without going overboard on calories. For a sweeter scone, drizzle with the optional scone glaze.
By Breana Lai Killeen, M.P.H., RD

No-Sugar-Added Sweet Potato Casserole

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Instead of loading up this comfort food side with tons of brown sugar and marshmallows, we have turned to sweet spices, vanilla and inherently sweet dried fruit to enhance the natural sweetness of the sweet potatoes. A topping of pecans and pepitas replaces traditional marshmallow topping to keep it healthy and add texture and color for a beautiful casserole.
By Carolyn Casner

Apple & Pecan Stuffed Butternut Squash

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Let this cute little vegetarian stuffed squash side dish steal the show at the dinner table! Butternut squash is stuffed with a sweet and savory filling that gets a crispy finish under the broiler. If you can't find small butternut squash, honeynut squash is a great alternative. Shaped much like a butternut squash (but smaller), the honeynut squash has a deep orange skin and sweet flesh.
By Karen Rankin

Pear-Pecan Cheese Ball

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Sweet pear, salty Cheddar cheese and crunchy nuts make this healthy cheese ball recipe an alluring holiday treat. Serve with an array of crudités and crisp party crackers.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Sweet Potato Bread Pudding with Pecan Praline Sauce

The dessert menu at Brigtsen's restaurant in New Orleans offers "Bread Pudding du Jour," which changes with the seasons. This sweet potato version plays well during the holidays.
By Frank Brigtsen

Pan-Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Dried Cherries & Pecans

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Dried cherries and nuts give this healthy sweet potato side dish recipe a traditional feel. The addition of some bacon for lushness and Aleppo pepper for a little bite really kicks things up.
By Marcus Samuelsson

Pecan-Cherry Toasted Muesli Yogurt Cups

Yogurt gets topped with muesli, pecans and dried cherries for a healthy breakfast idea.
By Stacey Ballis

Chocolate-Coconut Dump Cake

This rich and chocolaty dump cake has plenty of nutty, sweet coconut flavor. Shredded coconut and pecans give texture to this easy mix-and-bake cake. It's great on its own but adding a whipped topping and toasted coconut are worth the little extra effort.
By Pam Lolley

Pecan Pie Cocktail

If you like pecan pie, you're sure to love this sweet and nutty cocktail for two. Maple syrup and crushed pecans line the rim of the glass, while bourbon and maple-pecan-flavored liqueur sweeten things up. Try this fun and festive drink on Thanksgiving as a before- or after-dinner treat.
By Quin Liburd

Mango Tart

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This pretty mango tart combines sweet, juicy mangoes with a creamy, tangy yogurt filling that's reminiscent of cheesecake.
By Laura Kanya

Slow-Cooker Apple Crisp

Let your Crock-Pot do the work for this easy slow-cooker apple crisp. It tastes just like a classic apple crisp, with the apple combination adding a sweet and tart balance in each bite. It's sure to become a new fall favorite.
By Pam Lolley

Vegan Cheesecake

This luscious vegan cheesecake nixes the dairy in favor of a filling made with coconut cream, tofu and cashews or macadamia nuts instead of the traditional eggs and cream. Coconut oil and nuts make for a rich-tasting and crunchy crust, so nobody will miss the butter.
By Breana Lai Killeen, M.P.H., RD

Apple-Crisp-Stuffed Baked Apples

This apple dessert marries the best parts of apple crisp with a baked apple to make an adorable and tasty sweet treat. Cooking an apple crisp inside an apple is a wonderful treat in summer with a scoop of ice cream, or in fall after an apple-picking trip.
By Carolyn Casner

Custard Pecan Pie

While every bit as delish as the classic pie, this one has less sugar. Cane syrup, a toasty alternative to corn syrup or molasses, sweetens the pie along with brown sugar. Because the filling for the pie is wet, we brush the crust with egg white and par-bake it to create a barrier to prevent sogginess.
By Virginia Willis
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