This Healthy Peanut Brittle recipe needs just 5 ingredients! Free from refined sugars and dairy, this paleo candy is perfect for Christmas!
This is not your grandma's peanut brittle. And while I am sure her recipe is delicious, this Healthy Peanut Brittle spins this classic candy on its head.
It is made without refined sugars, butters, creams, or oils of any kind! This is arguably the healthiest recipe of Cookie Week, and also arguably the tastiest. It has the perfect crisp but melt in your mouth texture. Each piece is full of rich caramel sweetness and studded with nutty peanuts.
And happily, all you need for this Healthy Peanut Brittle recipe are 5 simple ingredients:
- Coconut sugar: a natural, unrefined sugar that adds the best caramel flavor!
- Peanuts: can we have peanut brittle without 'em?
- Peanut butter: this not only takes the place of the butter and cream, it also adds extra peanut flavor. Make sure you choose a very creamy brand.
- Maple syrup: this helps get the sugar to melt.
- Baking soda: without it, peanut brittle would be tooth-breaking hard! Baking soda lightens it up and gives it it's signature crunch.
You will also need a candy thermometer for this recipe. While I tend to be a minimalist when it comes to kitchen gadgets, but I have to stand firm here. You can't make Healthy Peanut Brittle if you don't have this essential tool.
In order to get that perfect crunch, you'll need to cook the sugar to exactly 300 degrees, which is why the thermometer is so essential. If you have the superpower of knowing the exact temperature of everything you look at, you can skip it. But for us mere mortals, stick with the thermometer on this one. Perfect peanut brittle is worth it.
Healthy Peanut Brittle
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 20 pieces 1x
- Category: Sweet Things
- Cuisine: dairy-free, egg-free, gluten-free, grain-free, no nightshades, oil-free, paleo, refined sugar-free, soy-free, vegan, vegetarian
Description
This Healthy Peanut Brittle recipe needs just 5 ingredients! Free from refined sugars and dairy, this paleo candy is perfect for Christmas!
Ingredients
- 1 cup coconut sugar
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup water
- ½ cup peanuts
- 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter - no additives like flax seed! Just plain peanut butter.
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- Place a silicone mat or parchment paper onto a baking sheet and set aside.
- Add the coconut sugar, maple syrup, and water to a heavy bottomed nonstick pot. Make sure you have at least 6 inches above the sugar mixture. When the sugar boils, it can easily boil over if the pot is not large enough. Using medium heat, bring the mixture to a simmer. Watch it carefully, so that it doesn't boil over.
- Once it has simmered, add in the peanuts and stir. Attach your candy thermometer to the side of the pot. Continue to simmer over medium-low until the mixture reaches 300 degrees, or the "hard crack" stage in candy making terms. This can take up to 30 minutes or more, so don't worry if it seems like your sugar temperature will never get there, it will.
- Once the temperature reaches 300 degrees, immediately remove it from the heat. Add in the peanut butter and baking soda and whisk thoroughly to combine. The mixture will lighten up and become one color once everything is mixed through. Working quickly, pour the mixture out onto your baking sheet with a silicone mat and use a spatula to spread it out into an even layer. Let it sit on the baking sheet until hardened. You will know your brittle is done when it is stiff and snaps into pieces easily. Serve.
Notes
The enemy of peanut brittle is moisture! Try to make peanut brittle close to serving and store any leftover pieces in a zip top bag or lidded container in a cool dry place.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 0
- Sugar: 0
- Sodium: 0
- Fat: 0
- Saturated Fat: 0
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 0
- Fiber: 0
- Protein: 0
- Cholesterol: 0
Omg I found your blog from your smoky split pea soup recipe and I can't stop bookmarking EVERYTHING! There's so many amazing unique vegan recipes - you are so talented!
Kristin! This absolutely made my day! Thank you so much for your kind words :)
Happy Cooking, Laurel
Hi There,
Just wondering if the temperature is in 300F or 300C?
Thank you
Hi Alisha, Great question! It is fahrenheit.
I tried this, but when I added the peanut butter the mixture turned into a powder. I know I added the correct quantities. Do you know where I might've gone wrong?
Hi Bradford, happy to help! Peanut brittle can be tricky - no matter the recipe! Did you use a candy thermometer? What temperature was the peanut butter? Was it in the fridge or at room temperature? And what was the brand of the peanut butter? These answers will help us get to the bottom of this! :)
Same thing happened to mine. I used a candy thermometer, My peanut butter was room temperature. I used Earth Balance Peanut Butter and flax seed.
Hi Patrick, Sorry to hear that! The flax seed in the peanut butter is likely what created the problem. This recipe needs plain peanut butter, no additives - just peanuts and salt.
Can you use this recipe with other types of nuts and nut butters? I have almost every type on hand except peanuts, haha. Almonds? Cashews? My partner has Christmas childhood memories of peanut brittle that I'm trying to approximate (and I've never made before). Thanks in advance!
Hi Sarah! Great questions. While I haven't tested it out and can't vouch 100% for the results, I do think other nuts/nut butters would work! I would try to choose a nut butter with a similar smooth consistancy to natural peanut butter for best results. Any nuts should work! Happy baking and I hope your partner loves it!
Hello! Super excited to try this! Can I sub butter for the peanut butter?
Hi Allie! Yes, that should absolutely work. Happy cooking!
Would it work to make this without any nut butters, butter and nuts?
Hi D, no those are all essential ingredients to the recipes success.