Vegan Peanut Brittle
Ginny McMeans
Published:
November 22, 2020
Last Modified:
May 8, 2024
Peanut Brittle is an old fashioned candy and luckily it is easy to turn vegan. I’ll show you how to make peanut brittle on the stovetop. It’s a wonderful holiday gift too.
Can you remember all of the peanut brittle you’ve eaten in your life? Especially when you were a kid? I hope you can because that means you have good memories of a really popular candy that’s been around since 1890.
I have a soft spot for old fashioned candy and absolutely love those small candy stores that stock every type of old fashioned candy you can think of. I’ve even made some of them at home!
Some other old fashioned recipe favorites that I’ve tackled for the blog are Peppermint Patties (oh, yeah!), Mounds Candy Bars in the shape of balls, and Almond Joys (with or without googly eyes).
Traditionally peanut brittle is most often made around Christmas and I think this is not only because it is delicious but it keeps a really long time and makes a great gift. Everybody loves it.
Luckily, there are good excuses to enjoy peanut brittle year-round. Like very single holiday and all of the days in between.
Peanut Brittle is a smooth, flat candy that has peanuts in it. It’s cooked to hard candy stage on the stovetop and then poured into a sheet pan.
You have to spread it out as it gets hard pretty quickly. Just as soon as it cools. Then you pick it up over the pan and start cracking off nice pieces.
Another good thing is this easy candy keeps at room temperature for weeks.
Ingredients
- Organic granulated sugar is a necessity for this candy.
- Light corn syrup makes the hard candy and texture snap happy and delicious.
- Water for thinning out the candy mixture.
- Unsalted dairy-free butter adds a lot of flavor to the vegan peanut brittle.
- Vanilla extract is used in a small amount and adds just the right touch of flavor.
- Baking soda is a crucial ingredient to make the hard candy just the right texture.
- Roasted salted peanuts add more texture and a great contrast to the sweetness.
How to make peanut brittle
- Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment papers or a silicone mat. You’ll be pouring the brittle into the pan so you want to have an edge just in case.
- In a large heavy saucepan, stir together sugar, corn syrup, and water. Corn syrup gives the best texture.
- Measure peanuts, butter, vanilla, and baking soda and have it ready to add.
- Add a candy thermometer to the side of the saucepan.
- Cook over medium heat until temperature reaches 240° F on the thermometer. Stirring occasionally.
- Add peanuts and stir constantly until temperature reaches 280° F. Be very careful – it is hot hot hot.
- Add butter and continue to stir until the temperature reaches 300° F.
- Remove from heat and add vanilla and baking soda, stirring constantly. You must use baking soda as it caused the brittle to have a looser texture even though it is still hard. The mixture will have a chemical reaction and will foam up. This is correct.
- Pour immediately onto a prepared baking sheet and spread as evenly as possible.
- Cool completely. It takes about 30 minutes.
- Break into nice individual sized pieces.
Pro tips
Be careful
I need to repeat myself. Be careful! Don’t have any pets or children around and don’t splash yourself. Use cooking mitts when pouring the pan of candy onto the baking sheet. Use a long-handled utensil to scoop out the candy from the pan.
Temperature
Invest in a candy thermometer if you don’t have one. It will make the candy foolproof. You don’t want the vegan peanut brittle too soft and chewy.
FAQ’s
Store in an airtight container at room temperature and it will keep up to a couple of months. Seriously!
Not really. It will change the texture of the candy so keeping it at room temperature is best.
Yes, for this classic candy you do need to use roasted peanuts. If you use raw peanuts it will come out bland.
Yes, otherwise it could be a real mess when trying to remove the candy. With parchment paper or a silicone mat you can easily lift the sheet of candy and snap it nito pieces.
Yes, gluten-free, egg-free, soy-free.
If you want true peanut brittle then you can’t. But if you don’t care that much if the texture, consistency and taste are a little different then you can substitute with rice corn syrup, agave nectar, and light molasses.
Peanut Brittle
Ingredients
- 2 cups Organic granulated sugar
- 1 cup Light corn syrup
- 1 cup Water
- 2 tablespoons Dairy free butter
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons Baking Soda
- 2 cups Roasted salted peanuts
Instructions
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment papers or a silicone mat.
- In a large heavy saucepan, stir together sugar, corn syrup, and water.
- Measure peanuts, butter, vanilla, and baking soda and have it ready to add.
- Add a candy thermometer to the side of the saucepan. Cook over medium heat until temperature reaches 240° F on the thermometer.
- Add peanuts and stir constantly until the temperature reaches 280° F.
- Add butter and continue to stir until the temperature reaches 300° F.
- Remove from heat and add vanilla and baking soda, stirring constantly
- Pour immediately onto prepared baking sheet and spread as evenly as possible
- Cool completely. Break into pieces. Store in an airtight-container.
