This easy homemade Peanut Brittle is an old-fashioned hard candy with an irresistible sweet and salty crunch. A family favorite that’s perfect for holiday parties and gift giving.

Jump to Section

What is Peanut Brittle?

Peanut Brittle is a delicious, buttery, caramelized, hard candy, similar to toffee, that’s filled with roasted peanuts. It’s made on the stovetop with simple ingredients and roasted peanuts, poured on a sheet pan to cool, then broken into pieces. It lasts at room temperature for weeks and makes the perfect edible gift.

The BEST recipe

This sweet and salty peanut brittle is chock full of peanuts and buttery toffee. Adding the peanuts midway through cooking gives the brittle a wonderful peanut flavor. Baking soda added to the hot caramelized syrup creates tiny bubbles throughout the candy, giving it the perfect crunchy, but light texture.

Ingredients

Sugar – the base for the toffee-like hard candy. It gets caramelized and boiled to the hard crack stage (about 300°F)
Light corn syrup – keeps the brittle smooth and prevents the sugar from crystalizing
Peanuts – I’ve used roasted salted peanuts here, but you can also use raw Spanish peanuts. The peanuts are added after the temperature of the sugar syrup has reached 280° F. This allows the candy to be infused with peanut flavor while preventing the peanuts from burning, which can occur if roasted peanuts are added at the beginning of cooking. If using unsalted peanuts, add ¼ teaspoon salt.
Baking soda – bubbles, foams, and fills the candy with tiny air bubbles. It gives peanut brittle its characteristic crunch and lightness, as well as a softer bite.
Butter – gives the candy a rich, buttery flavor
Vanilla – gives depth to the caramel flavor of the toffee

How to make

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and keep warm in a 250°F oven.

Measure out the peanuts, baking soda, butter, and vanilla. Set them aside and have them ready, to add to the syrup. You’ll need to work quickly once the sugar syrup reaches 300°F.

Combine the sugar, corn syrup, and water in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved, then attach a candy thermometer to the side of the pan. Don’t let the tip of the thermometer touch the bottom of the pan.

Bring to a boil and let the syrup gently boil without stirring until it reaches 280°F. Have patience and cook on medium heat. Turning it higher can cause the mixture to burn.

Stir in the peanuts and continue cooking on medium-low heat until the temperature reaches 300°F.

Working quickly, stir in the butter, vanilla, and baking soda. The baking soda will foam and bubble up. Immediately pour onto the prepared, warm baking sheet in a zig zag pattern, tilting the pan from side to side to evenly distribute the mixture. If necessary, spread the mixture out with 2 forks or a spatula.

Let cool completely. Break the candy into pieces.

To make ahead

Peanut brittle can be made several days or even weeks in advance. It stays fresh at room temperature for about 2 months.

To store

Store peanut brittle once it's completely cooled in an airtight container at room temperature. Do not refrigerate as it will soften and change texture. Store for up to 2 months.

Tips

Keep baking sheet warm in a 250F oven, brittle will be easier to spread in pan by carefully tilting the pan around. Spreading the brittle with a spatula may break some of the tiny the air bubbles that make it crunchy but light.
If you don’t have parchment paper, you can lightly grease the baking sheet, although this will give the brittle a slightly greasy feel.
Baking soda foams up and makes bubbles in the sugar syrup. This gives the candy a softer bite and an opaque color. If you prefer a more translucent brittle with a harder bite, omit the baking soda.
If you use roasted peanuts, don’t let the temperature rise above 300F or it will taste burned. Adding the peanuts after the syrup has reached 280°F helps them not to burn, while still infusing the candy with peanut flavor.
Adding the peanuts after the syrup reaches 300°F prevents them from burning, but the candy will have more of a toffee flavor than a peanut flavor. It also cools down the mixture making it harder to spread quickly on the baking sheet.
If your peanuts aren’t salted, add ¼ teaspoon salt to the recipe when stirring in the peanuts.
Have a pan of very hot water ready to put your utensils into for quick clean up.
Use a large enough pan because even though the volume of the syrup is small, it foams up to many times its original size when the butter and baking soda are added.
Don’t dump the mixture into one spot on the baking sheet. Pour it around the pan in a zig zag motion for an even distribution of peanuts, then tilt the pan from side to side to spread it evenly.
It takes a while for the temperature to reach 250°F, but from there it jumps up to 300°F pretty quickly. Keep a close eye on it at that point.
Have the room temperature butter, vanilla, and baking soda measured out and ready to add to the pan as soon as it reaches 300°F. You’ll need to work quickly so the candy doesn’t harden before it gets spread on the baking sheet.
Making the brittle on a humid or rainy day may cause it to be soft or not set.
Have patience and cook on medium heat. Turning it higher can cause the mixture to burn.
Use a wooden spoon. A plastic spoon may melt in the hot syrup.
Make sure the candy thermometer isn’t touching the bottom of the pan for the most accurate temperature.

Recipe