This peanut brittle recipe makes thin, crisp shards of buttery caramel packed with roasted peanuts. Sugar, light corn syrup, butter, and water cook together until they reach the hard-crack stage, then vanilla and baking soda are stirred in quickly before the candy is spread into a thin layer and left to cool.
Once completely set, the brittle snaps cleanly into crunchy pieces with that classic old-fashioned candy-shop texture. It is an easy stovetop candy for holiday trays, homemade gifts, or whenever you want something sweet with plenty of peanut crunch.
If you are putting together a dessert tray, add my Chocolate Chip Cookies for something soft and chewy alongside the crisp candy. This White Christmas Rocky Road is another easy treat that works especially well for holiday gifting.
For another bite-size sweet, try my Raffaello Coconut Balls. A few pieces of brittle are also delicious alongside a mug of Homemade Hot Chocolate.
Ingredients for Peanut Brittle
How to Make Peanut Brittle
Prep the pan
- Line a large baking sheet (half-sheet pan size) with parchment paper. (Assumption: lightly grease the parchment or the silicone spatula and spreading is easier.) Set aside.
Start the syrup
- Combine sugar, water, corn syrup, butter and kosher salt in a heavy-bottomed sauce pan. Cook over medium to medium-high until it starts boiling.
Cook without stirring
- When the mixture comes to a boil, continue cooking without stirring for 8 to 12 minutes (or more if using a lower flame), until it is golden caramel in color (shade of an old penny) and registers about 390°F (as measured).
Add peanuts
- Take off heat and immediately stir peanuts until evenly covered.
Finish fast
- Add vanilla extract, then quickly add baking soda. It will foam and get a bit lighter.
Spread and set
- Turn out onto the prepared baking sheet and spread it into a thin, even layer as fast as possible.
Cool completely
- Allow to cool completely and harden.
Break and serve
- Break into pieces and enjoy.
What Makes Peanut Brittle Crisp and Crunchy
The signature snap in homemade peanut brittle comes from cooking the sugar syrup to the hard-crack stage. This is roughly 295–310°F (146–154°C); around 300°F is a good target for a crisp brittle. King Arthur Baking identifies hard-crack as the stage used for brittle and hard toffee.
See King Arthur Baking’s guide to caramel and candy temperatures for a useful breakdown of the different sugar stages.
Light corn syrup is also important. It interferes with unwanted sugar recrystallization, which helps the caramel stay smooth rather than becoming grainy.
The baking soda goes in at the very end. The hot caramel foams immediately, creating tiny air pockets that give the finished crunchy peanut brittle a lighter texture instead of a dense sheet of hard candy. King Arthur uses the same baking-soda technique in its nut brittle.
Have the vanilla, baking soda, peanuts, prepared baking sheet, and spatula ready before the syrup reaches temperature. Once the baking soda is added, the brittle begins setting very quickly.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Cooking the sugar mixture over very high heat and burning it.
- Not using a candy thermometer if the recipe needs an exact temperature.
- Stirring too much after the mixture starts boiling.
- Adding the peanuts too early, which can make them overcook.
- Forgetting to add baking soda quickly at the end.
- Spreading the brittle too slowly before it hardens.
- Cutting or breaking the peanut brittle before it has cooled completely.
What To Serve With Easy Peanut Brittle Recipe
Easy Peanut Brittle is delicious served with hot coffee, tea, hot chocolate, vanilla ice cream, or a glass of cold milk. It also pairs well with chocolate desserts, caramel sauce, holiday cookie trays, dessert boards, or as a crunchy homemade candy for gifting.
FAQs
Humidity is usually the reason. Keep airtight (you can put them in the fridge if they are sealed up really well).
It likely cooked too dark. You’re going for deep golden caramel, not brown.
Your baking soda might be old, or the mixture cooled too much before you added. Add it immediately off heat.
Yes. Use color (old penny) and the rapid setting reaction as indicators. It’s not steady, and a thermometer helps with that.
No. When the liquid starts to boil skip stirring so that there is less chance of crystallization.
Spread immediately and quickly. (Assumption: a silicone spatula that’s barely greased helps a great deal.)
Peanut Brittle
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. (Assumption: lightly grease the parchment or a silicone spatula for easier spreading.)
- In a heavy-bottom saucepan, combine sugar, water, corn syrup, butter, and kosher salt. Heat over medium to medium-high until boiling.
- Once boiling, cook without stirring for 8 to 12 minutes (or longer if at a lower temperature) until deep golden caramel (older penny color), about 390°F (as noted).
- Remove from heat and quickly stir in the peanuts until coated.
- Stir in vanilla extract, then immediately stir in baking soda (it will foam).
- Pour onto the prepared baking sheet and spread into a thin, even layer quickly.
- Cool completely until hard, then break into pieces.
Nutrition
Video
Notes
- Temperature note: Your target is deep golden caramel (older penny color). The mixture can darken quickly at the end, so watch closely.
- Work fast after adding baking soda; the mixture sets quickly.
- Store airtight and dry to prevent stickiness from humidity.
- If using salted peanuts, reduce or skip the kosher salt.
