This Pecan Honey Butter is sweet, salty, and nutty, just like buttered pecans in spreadable form! It’s made with 4 common ingredients in a few simple steps, perfect for elevating breakfast, sweet treats, and more.
Why You’ll Love This Honey Butter Recipe:
- Sweet and Savory: Sweet honey complements the salty butter and nutty pecans, creating a trio of flavors that’s simply divine.
- Simple and Quick: You may already have everything you need to make this recipe, just butter, honey, pecans, and cinnamon! It’s quick, accessible, and doable for even beginners.
- Family-Favorite: Everyone from young kids to grandma and grandpa will love this pecan honey butter! Pass a bowl of this with French toast at family brunch, or with hot biscuits at your holiday dinner for guaranteed rave reviews.
Let’s Get Started! Here’s What You’ll Need:
Ingredients
Butter - I like to use salted butter because it is pre-seasoned. The salt in it accents the sweetness of the honey. If you don’t have salted butter, use unsalted and salt it to taste. If possible, I recommend using high-quality butter, such as grass-fed or cultured, in this butter pecan recipe. Bring the butter to room temperature for 1-2 hours before making the recipe.
Pecans - For the best flavor, choose raw pecans and toast them with my easy directions. Fresh-toasting pecans brings out their flavor superior to pre-toasted. If you can’t find whole pecans (or need a more budget-friendly option), use pre-chopped pecans and skip the chopping step after roasting.
Honey - This sweetens the butter pecan spread. Use your favorite brand of honey or local for flavor, quality, and nutritional value (source).
Cinnamon - Adds a note of sweet warmth to the honey pecan recipe. Always use spices within their expiration date for the best flair.
Equipment:
Skillet - You only need a smaller 8 or 10-inch skillet to accommodate the small portion of pecans, but a larger skillet works fine, too.
Cutting Board & Chef’s Knife - This is for chopping the pecans after toasting. If you don’t have a chef’s knife, you can use any broader-bladed knife, such as a santoku, carver, or slicing knife.
Mixing Bowl - To mix the butter honey pecan butter. You can use any size of glass, ceramic, or plastic bowl.
Spoon or Spatula - For mixing the pecan honey butter recipe.
How to Make Pecan Honey Butter
Soften the butter.
Place the butter at room temperature for 1-2 hours or until it is soft and easily indented when pressed. Be patient- if the butter isn't fully softened it won't mix well.
Toast the pecans.
Heat a skillet over medium-low to medium heat. Add the pecans and toast for 5 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally until fragrant and smell nutty. Remove the pan from the heat.
Chop the pecans.
Using a chef’s knife (or other broad-bladed knife), chop the pecans. You can chop them as roughly or finely as desired.
Combine.
Add the softened butter, chopped pecans, honey, and cinnamon to a mixing bowl. Using a spoon or spatula, stir the mixture well until combined.
Recipe Success Tips
- Properly soften the butter. Set the butter at room temperature for 1-2 hours or until it is soft enough to indent with your finger easily. Room temperature softening is the best method; doing so in the microwave will risk melting. If you cannot easily stir the butter with the nuts and honey, it should be softened further.
- Toast the nuts on the stovetop. Pecans are easy to burn and don't take long to toast, so I recommend skillet toasting whenever possible. If toasting in the oven, they may be overdone or burnt by the time you smell them.
- How to check the nuts for doneness. Let the nuts cool for 5 minutes after toasting before sampling. Compare a bite of the toasted pecans to one of the untoasted; if it has a nutty and deeper flavor, they are done.
- Handle hot pecans carefully. Because of their fat content, the nuts will be very hot immediately after toasting. Be careful when handling them, or let them cool on the cutting board for 3-5 minutes before chopping.
- Nut chopping alternatives. For quicker chopping, pulse the nuts a few times in a food processor until your desired size.
- Chop nuts finely for young children. If you plan to give this butter to little ones, chop the nuts well to prevent a choking hazard.
- Flavor variations. Swap pumpkin spice for cinnamon for fall flavor, use toasted pistachios or cashews for a different nut variety, or stir in a pinch of flaky sea salt for an extra salty finish.
Serving Suggestions
Enjoy this honey butter pecan spread on breakfast and sweet treats where you would otherwise enjoy a spread or dollop of butter, such as on toast, oatmeal, banana bread muffins, or biscuits. Or, dollop it on whole roasted sweet potatoes, Crockpot Mashed Sweet Potatoes or Roasted Sweet Potato Slices for an indulgent twist.
Storage Directions
- Refrigeration: Store the buttered pecan spread covered in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 months.
- Freezing: The butter can also be frozen in a freezer-safe container for up to 6 months. Defrost it in the refrigerator overnight.
FAQs
Compound butter refers to butter that has been mixed with savory or sweet ingredients to give it additional flavor. Nuts, honey, brown sugar, spices, herbs, citrus, and more can all be mixed with softened butter to make compound butter.
No, you should not melt butter when making compound butter. The butter needs to be soft and spreadable to mix with the flavoring ingredients while retaining its spreadable consistency. If melted, it may mix well but will have a hard-to-spread and firm texture when the butter firms back up.
Yes, according to the USDA, it is safe to leave butter out overnight for up to 2 days. Any longer than this, you risk the development of rancid flavors or bacteria.
More Sweet Condiment & Topping Recipes
📖 Recipe
Honey Pecan Butter
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter salted
- ½ cup raw pecan halves
- ¼ cup honey
- ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Allow butter to soften at room temperature for at least an hour.
- Toast pecans in a small skillet on low to medium heat for about 5 minutes, until just fragrant.
- Chop pecans, and add to a small or medium mixing bowl.
- Add softened butter, honey, and cinnamon to the bowl with pecan pieces. Stir until well combined.
Notes
- Refrigeration: Store the buttered pecan spread covered in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 months.
- Freezing: The butter can also be frozen in a freezer-safe container for up to 6 months. Defrost it in the refrigerator overnight.
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- Properly soften the butter. Set the butter at room temperature for 1-2 hours or until it is soft enough to indent with your finger easily. Room temperature softening is the best method; doing so in the microwave will risk melting the butter. It should be softened further if you cannot easily stir the butter with the nuts and honey.
- Toast the nuts on the stovetop. Pecans are easy to burn and don't take long to toast, so I recommend skillet toasting whenever possible. If toasting in the oven, they may be overdone or burnt by the time you smell them.
- Chop nuts finely for young children. If you plan to give this butter to little ones, chop the nuts well to prevent a choking hazard.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. It is recommended to use your preferred calculator with the actual ingredients you use for optimal accuracy.
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