I am sharing with you truly the best recipe for Peanut Brittle.  This recipe has been made by tons of RecipeGirl readers, and it has gotten the best positive reviews over the years.  Watch the short video showing you how to make peanut brittle, then scroll to the bottom and print out the recipe so you can make it at home!

Everyone loves to make it for the holidays.  Who doesn’t love peanut brittle??

Peanut Brittle

Why do kids grow up so quickly?  I can hardly stand it.  I stare at my boy and gaze at how handsome he has become.  I marvel at the adult conversations we have.  I admire his intelligence and his ability to navigate the world already.

My baby boy was 2, and all of a sudden he’s 10, and in a matter of months he’ll be turning 11.  Pretty soon the darn kid will be off to college.  And then I’ll have to mail him treats like this peanut brittle.

We’ve always said that we’re “not a nut family,” but my boys like their peanut brittle.  You could buy it in a package, already made… or you could make it yourself.  All you need is a candy thermometer and a handful of ingredients.  It may or may not be tricky.

Just relax and follow the directions, and you should have some homemade peanut brittle in about a half hour.

How to Make Peanut Brittle

How to Make Peanut Brittle:

It starts simply enough with sugar and water and corn syrup.

How to Make Peanut Brittle

Attach a candy thermometer to the side of the saucepan, being careful just to dip the thermometer into the liquid and not shoving it to the bottom of the pan where it will get a false reading.

Making Peanut Brittle

Bring the mixture to a boil.

Making Peanut Brittle

Watch the thermometer and add in the peanuts when it reaches 245 degrees F.  Continue to stir and cook the mixture until the temperature reaches 300 degrees F.

Making Peanut Brittle

Add the baking soda and continue to cook a couple more minutes until the mixture turns a golden brown.

Making Peanut Brittle

There it is:  golden brown!

Peanut Brittle on a pan

Pour it onto a greased baking sheet, and let it sit until completely cooled and hardened.

Peanut Brittle

Once cooled, jiggle a spatula underneath the peanut brittle and you should be able to lift up the whole slab and just break it apart into pieces.

This is the fun part!  It should break apart nicely into pieces, but you can certainly eat the bits that get left behind… you know, for sampling!

Peanut Brittle

It’s ready to serve and eat at this point.  If you’re saving it for later, be sure to keep it in a tightly covered container.  Humidity can greatly affect the texture of candy.  Keep it tightly covered (I keep mine in a tupperware bowl) and your peanut brittle should stay nice and crunchy.

I’m hoping that next year goes more slowly… so I can take time to enjoy my (not so little) boy and the changes in him that I see almost daily. I’m just glad my boy still wants to snuggle with his Mama, share stories… and eat my peanut brittle.

Here are a few more homemade candy recipes you might enjoy:

4.75 from 24 votes

Peanut Brittle

Great, classic recipe for Peanut Brittle.
Prep: 25 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Total: 50 minutes
Servings: 16 servings (8 cups)
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Ingredients

Instructions 

  • Spray a rimmed cookie sheet with nonstick spray.
  • Combine sugar, water and syrup in a medium-large saucepan. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and cook at medium heat slowly to the soft ball stage (245 degrees F. on a candy thermometer), stirring gently every so often. Add 2 cups of peanuts and salt (if using). Continue to cook and stir until the thermometer registers 300 degrees F. Add baking soda. Stir to blend and continue to cook until golden brown (just a minute or so more). Remove from heat and stir to combine.
  • Pour the hot mixture onto the prepared pan and spread it out as much as you can with a wooden spoon. Cool completely, and then break into pieces.

Notes

  • *Keep your peanut brittle in a tightly covered container until you are ready to serve/eat it. The texture of candy can be greatly affected by the humidity in the air.
  • *If you are using a candy thermometer that clips to the side, just make sure that the bottom of the thermometer is resting inside the liquid and not pushed all the way to the bottom of the pan (you'll get a false reading if it's touching the bottom of the pan where the heat source is strongest).

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5cup, Calories: 263kcal, Carbohydrates: 45g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 120mg, Potassium: 120mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 42g, Calcium: 13mg, Iron: 0.4mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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4.75 from 24 votes (6 ratings without comment)

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110 Comments

  1. Lacey says:

    I love peanut brittle.This looks so easy, hopefully it turns out yummy!

  2. Mr Dad says:

    Count me as another happy brittle maker! I love macadamia nuts and toffee, so I guess my course is planned for me :^).

  3. maria says:

    mine never got hard, i dont know why?

    1. Lori Lange says:

      Usually it’s temperature-related when the texture doesn’t turn out.

  4. RecipeGirl's Mom says:

    Yum. This is my favorite Christmas candy ever.

  5. Lacey W says:

    Attempted this last night… Complete fail. Candy thermometer is now in trash and I am gonna do whatever it takes to make this successfully! Without that dang thermometer!!! I believe it has turned me away from all of them…. We shall see. Anyway, my medium size sauce pan wasn’t anywhere near big enough! Huge mess, didn’t get it cooked long enough to be golden brown, wasn’t set up an hour later… We will see how it is later. Taste was good though… (had to lick my finger after sticking it in the stuff to see if it’d gotten hard yet). 😉

  6. Anna Maria says:

    Mmm, this sounds so yummy cant wait to try it =D

  7. vanillasugarblog says:

    you know it wasn’t till about 2 years ago that i finally got a candy thermometer. i had been eyeing all candymaking–meaning don’t leave the stove. lol
    have you ever tried adding cayenne to your peanut brittle? so good.

  8. recipegirl's mom says:

    Good thing I need to gain a couple pounds. Love peanut brittle and can’t stop with one piece, the more peanuts the better! Yum.

  9. Lisa Schumacher says:

    Thanks for the timely recipe and heartwarming reminder.

  10. Jessica @ How Sweet says:

    total flashback for me – my grandma loved peanut brittle and always had a ton. i want some!