After days of festive indulgence, rich sweets, heavy meals, and endless treats, your body deserves a refreshing reset. But who said detoxing has to be dull? Enter pecans, the ultimate supernut packed with antioxidants, healthy fats, and a naturally buttery flavor that transforms even the simplest detox recipes into something deliciously indulgent.
Kavita Devgan, Nutritionist, American Pecans, shares three pecan-powered recipes that blend taste with wellness.
Pecan Crisp Fruit Salad: Crunch Meets Freshness
A fresh, fruity salad topped with golden, nutty pecan crisps, this bowl is sunshine in edible form. The crisp topping adds just the right amount of crunch to balance out juicy bites of seasonal fruit.
Ingredients
Pecan Crisp:
1/3 cup pecan pieces 1/3 cup rolled oats 3/4 cup oat flour 1/3 cup coconut
sugar 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 1/4 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt 3 tablespoons unsalted butter or coconut oil, softened but not melted
Fruit Salad:
6 cups fruit of choice, cut into bite-sized pieces (blueberries, strawberries, and peaches work well)
Juice of 1 lemon
Splash of vanilla
Process
Mix together all the crisp ingredients except butter.
Cut in the butter and use your fingers to press it into the dry ingredients until a shaggy, sand-like texture forms.
Bake at 350°F for 10–12 minutes, or until golden brown at the edges. Let crisps cool on the pan.
Mix together fruit salad ingredients.
Store in the fridge and toss the fruit with the crisp topping just before serving.
Serves 4–6 people.
Berry Pecan Smoothie Bowl: Your Breakfast Glow-Up
Think of this as a smoothie but better. Thick, spoonable, and topped with colorful goodness, this bowl combines pecan milk, berries, and chia seeds to create a nutrient-packed breakfast that feels like dessert.
Ingredients
Smoothie Bowl:
1 cup pecan milk* (see recipe notes
4 cups frozen mixed berries, slightly thawed (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries)
1/2 cup raw pecan pieces
2 tablespoons chia seeds
2 tablespoons coconut or pecan oil
4–6 teaspoons honey (optional)
Toppings:
1/4 cup raw pecan halves
1/2 cup fresh raspberries
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
1 1/4 tablespoons hemp seeds
1 1/4 tablespoons unsweetened coconut flakes
Process
Add pecan milk, frozen berries, pecan pieces, chia seeds, oil, and honey to a blender. Blend until smooth but still thick, similar to soft-serve ice cream.
Transfer to bowls and top with fresh berries, pecan halves, hemp seeds, and coconut flakes.
If the mixture is too thick to blend, add 1 tablespoon of water at a time until it comes together.
Makes 2 large or 4 small smoothie bowls.
Banana Pecan Smoothie: The Perfect Pick-Me-Up
Smooth, creamy, and naturally sweet, this banana pecan smoothie is the perfect post-festive refresher. With yogurt for probiotics, bananas for potassium, and pecans for protein, it’s both energizing and soothing.
Ingredients
1½ cups low-fat vanilla yogurt
2 large ripe bananas, sliced and frozen
1 cup ice
½ cup finely chopped roasted pecan halves
½ cup milk
1 tablespoon honey
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Process
Blend yogurt, bananas, ice, pecans, milk, honey, and cinnamon until smooth.
Pour into glasses and serve immediately.
