These pecan pralines melt in your mouth and deliver buttery and sweet flavors. They are a hybrid cookie-candy confection and filled with crunchy nuts.
Pecan Pralines
Updated on Apr. 30, 2025
When traveling in the southern United States, you’ll find pecan pralines as easily as you will find a chocolate bar. Legend has it that this treat originated from nuts accidentally spilling into a vat of caramel. Regardless of how they came to be, they are irresistible and delicious. Pecan pralines offer buttery, sweet and rich flavors that melt in your mouth. It is nearly impossible to eat just one.
Pecan Praline Ingredients
- Butter: The butter aids in creating a melt-in-your-mouth caramel that envelops the pecans in this recipe.
- Sugar: We use granulated and brown sugar to prepare the caramel for these pecan pralines.
- Half-and-half: The half-and-half is essential for creating this recipe’s creamy and rich caramel.
- Condensed milk: We depend on condensed milk to provide these pecan pralines with a nostalgically sweet and comforting flavor.
- Corn syrup: The corn syrup helps solidify these pecan pralines so they do not fall apart as soon as you pick them up.
- Pecans: We mix pecans into the batter of these pralines because they give the confection a necessary crunch.
- Vanilla extract: The vanilla helps deliver the warm flavor profiles in this pecan praline recipe.
Directions
Step 1: Make the caramel
Grab a large saucepan and place it over medium heat. Melt the cubed butter. Next, stir in the sugars, cream, milk, corn syrup and salt.
Cook and stir until the mixture boils and a candy thermometer reads 236°F (soft-ball stage), about 20 minutes.
Step 2: Assemble the pecan praline batter
Stir in the pecans and vanilla after removing the caramel from the heat.
Let the mixture cool without stirring until it reaches 170°, about 20 minutes. Then, stir the batter with a wooden spoon until it starts to thicken but still looks glossy, about two minutes.
Step 3: Set the pecan pralinesÂ
Quickly drop rounded tablespoonfuls of the praline mixture onto prepared baking sheets. Let the pralines stand until they set and are no longer glossy. Refrigerate until completely set, for about one hour. Store the pralines in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Pecan Praline Variations
- Stir in a different nut: Try mixing peanuts, walnuts or almonds into the batter of these pralines instead of pecans.
- Make them nut-free: Swap in crushed pretzels for the nuts if you have a peanut allergy.
- Sprinkle flaky salt on top: To balance the sweetness of these pecan pralines, sprinkle flaky sea salt on top.Â
How to Store Pecan Pralines
Once your candies have set, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Add parchment or waxed paper layers between the candies to prevent them from accidentally sticking together.Â
Can you make this pecan praline recipe ahead of time?
You can prepare these pecan pralines ahead of time, keep them refrigerated for up to a week and then serve them to your guests when you need a delicious sweet treat.
Can you freeze these pecan pralines?
If you have leftover pralines, store them in the freezer to prevent them from going to waste. Place them in an airtight container or a freezer-friendly bag. They will last for up to three months in the freezer.
Pecan Praline Tips
What’s the difference between brittle and praline?
Praline is a softer candy and brittle is very crunchy. This is determined by what temperature the sugar mixture reaches. At a lower temperature, the sugar will be chewy and soft once cooled. If cooked to a higher temperature or hard-crack stage, the sugar will be brittle when cooled. Modern candy thermometers make it easy to decipher, as these sugar-cooking stages are listed directly on the thermometer.
How do you set pralines?
Pralines become hard when completely cooled (though not as hard as brittle, as mentioned above!). This can take one hour or more at room temperature, it but can be sped up if the room is colder or if the pralines are placed in the refrigerator.
Why are my pecan pralines grainy?
When sugar crystallizes, it yields a grainy candy. To fix this, don’t heat the sugar too fast when you’re cooking the mixture for your pecan praline recipe. Instead, keep the heat at medium and let the mixture come to a boil. Stir occasionally, but not constantly, especially when the recipe is cooling. And it’s never a good idea to make substitutions or double a candy recipe. Check out these other common candy mistakes and how to fix them.
Watch How to Make Pecan Pralines
Pecan Pralines
Prep Time
30 min
Cook Time
30 min
Yield
about 2-1/4 pounds
Ingredients
- 3 teaspoons butter, melted
- 1/2 cup butter, cubed
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 cup half-and-half cream
- 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
- 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
- Dash salt
- 3 cups pecan halves
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
- Line 3 baking sheets with foil and grease the foil with 1 teaspoon melted butter each; set aside.
- In a large heavy saucepan over medium heat, melt cubed butter. Stir in sugars, cream, milk, corn syrup and salt; cook and stir until mixture comes to a boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until a candy thermometer reads 236° (soft-ball stage), about 20 minutes.
- Remove from heat; stir in pecans and vanilla. Cool, without stirring, to 170°, about 20 minutes. Stir with a wooden spoon until mixture just begins to thicken but is still glossy, about 2 minutes.
- Quickly drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets. Let stand until pralines are set and no longer glossy. Refrigerate until completely set, about 1 hour. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Nutrition Facts
1 praline: 139 calories, 8g fat (2g saturated fat), 10mg cholesterol, 30mg sodium, 17g carbohydrate (16g sugars, 1g fiber), 1g protein.
Loading Popular in the Community
My pecan praline recipe is special to me for I received it from my mother, who was an excellent cook! I also am a Texas Aggie Mom and I use pecans from a South Texas Aggie grower that our Aggie Mom's club has purchased from for many years. The quality is outstanding and far better than you will find in any grocery store. —Carol Jones, Blue Ridge, Texas
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