These Pecan Pralines are the ultimate sweet-and-salty treat that’s perfect for the holidays—or any time you’re craving something special! With their delightfully crunchy texture and chewy caramelized coating, they strike the perfect balance of flavors in every bite.
Easy Pecan Praline Recipe
One of my favorite sharable desserts for Christmas is Southern Pecan Pralines. They are easy to make and so yummy. I remember the first time I ever tried a pecan praline was in New Orleans and immediately fell in love! I love that they aren’t too sweet and are wonderfully balanced with a little salt and crunchy pecans. If you want a showstopping shareable treat to make for your next holiday gathering, these should be at the top of your list! There won’t be any leftovers — you might even have to double the batch. Just remember to save yourself some extras at home!
If you love pecans, also try these other easy homemade candy recipes: Chocolate Pecan Turtle Clusters, Rolo Pretzel Turtles and Saltine Cracker Toffee.
Why You’ll Love These Pecan Pralines
- Ready in 15 minutes. It only takes 15 minutes to prepare and set the pecan pralines. It’s a very speedy dessert that’s easy to make last minute! I love this recipe if plans change or if I need a dessert ready fast.
- No thermometer is needed. Many recipes require a candy thermometer, but this one doesn’t. It’s very easy to get the mixture to the correct consistency before you form the pralines.
- They make a great gift. Put them in a festive bag with a ribbon or a holiday gift box. They are a thoughtful homemade gift that any of your friends and family would love to receive!
What You’ll Need
Simple ingredients are used in this pecan praline recipe. They will be found in the baking and dairy aisles of any grocery store. Take a look at the recipe card to find the exact measurements needed.
- Brown sugar: The molasses flavor in brown sugar compliments the cream and butter mixture. It adds more depth of flavor than white sugar.
- Cream: I use heavy cream in this recipe to make the butter mixture perfectly rich and creamy. You may also use evaporated milk if you prefer.
- Butter: I use unsalted butter in this recipe. If you want to use salted butter, omit the salt. Do not use margarine as it won’t yield the same result.
- Vanilla extract: The subtle vanilla flavor enhances the other ingredients. I recommend using pure vanilla extract if possible.
- Pecans: Halved pecans are best for this recipe. They aren’t too big or super tiny so you still get a good crunch.
- Powdered sugar: This is key in achieving the correct consistency in these pecan pralines. It helps them to set but not become hard.
- Salt: A pinch of salt balances the sweetness in these treats.
How to Make Pecan Pralines
This can be a tricky process, but don’t worry! If you follow these directions it will result in some delicious southern pecan pralines for you to devour. I recommend having your ingredients measured ahead so you can focus on the cooking.
- Prep a baking sheet. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper to keep the pecan pralines from sticking.
- Make the cream and butter mixture. Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat and add the brown sugar, heavy cream, butter, and salt.
- Bring to a boil. Stir the mixture often and allow it to come to a boil over medium heat. Let it boil for a minute without stirring.
- Add powdered sugar. Remove the pot from the heat and whisk in the powdered sugar until it’s smooth.
- Add vanilla and pecans. Mix in the vanilla and pecans until they are well incorporated.
- Cool. Allow the mixture to cool for only 1-2 minutes.
- Form the pralines. Scoop about 1 tablespoon of the mixture with a cookie scoop and drop it onto the lined baking sheet. Repeat this for the remaining pecan praline mixture.
- Set and serve. Let it sit at room temperature to cool completely and set. Enjoy!
Tips for Success
- Watch the mixture closely. The cooling portion of the instructions is important because you don’t want it to cool too much and become too hard to work with. It’s a very quick process.
- Pay attention to timing. I find that this is crucial for the boiling step. The mixture doesn’t need to boil for long, so don’t leave it unattended to prevent the chance of it burning or reducing too much.
- Don’t refrigerate them. These pecan pralines are best served at room temperature. I don’t recommend storing them in the refrigerator because it makes them a little bit too hard to bite into.
Proper Storage
Store these pralines in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. Freeze them for up to 3 months. Thaw them completely at room temperature before you enjoy them.
This pecan praline recipe makes great gifts for the Holidays. We like to place red or green tissue paper into a decorative can and give them out to family, neighbors and friends.
More Pecan Recipes to Try
- Pecan Tassies
- Easy Maple Pecan Bars
- Pecan Pie Bread Pudding
- Buttermilk Pecan Pie
- Caramel Pecan Cinnamon Rolls
Southern Pecan Pralines
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown sugar packed (You can use light or dark)
- 1/3 cup whipping cream
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter 1/2 of a stick
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups pecan halves
- 1 Cup powdered sugar
- Pinch salt
Instructions
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set it aside.
- In a medium saucepan, add the brown sugar, butter, salt and cream and bring it to a boil over medium heat, stirring often.
- Once the mixture reaches a full boil (where it continues to bubble when you stir), start a timer for one minute.
- Allow it to boil without stirring.
- After a minute, remove the mixture from heat and add the powdered sugar. Whisk quickly until smooth.
- Add in the vanilla and pecans and stir until fully incorporated.
- Allow the mixture to cool slightly for a minute or so. Don’t walk away!
- Use a cookie scoop to drop Tablespoons of the pecan mixture onto the prepared baking sheet.
- Allow the pralines to cool and set before serving.
Last Step:
Please leave a rating and comment letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business to thrive and continue providing free, high-quality recipes for you.Notes
- Make sure to work quickly.
- Don’t walk away from the pecan mixture while waiting for it to cool. It’ll turn into a hard mess! However, if it does become too hard, add a teaspoon of cream to the mixture and stir to smooth it out.
- If you wait too long and it crystallizes completely, you can reheat and start again.
- You can use salted butter, but then make sure to omit the salt.
- I’ve learned that pralines are not always easy. They are finnicky! I’ve tried them using a candy thermometer and they turned out fine as well. Using this method yielded the least grainy candy.
- If things fail, don’t waste the mixture! If it doesn’t set or sets too hard, eat it anyway!
Nutrition
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3 comments on “Southern Pecan Pralines”
I have not tried the recipe yet, but it look delicious. I’ll try it, in a couple days.
Looks great!
I’d like the recipe sent to me.
Thanks Janice. The recipe card is at the bottom of the post or you can use the “Jump To Recipe” button at the top of the page. You can use the “Print” button in the recipe card to print it out.