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. Anna says:

    This recipe is the best. it is the only I follow. I make it every year at Christmas and can’t make enough of it. Instead of spraying the pan I line it with parchment paper.

  2. Vicki says:

    I used this recipe for my first attempt at peanut brittle and it turned out amazing!! I added 3 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoon vanilla based on what other recipes called for.

  3. Cassandra says:

    Not sure where I went wrong…. Executed it perfectly and it looked amazing but when I went to eat it, it completely stuck to my teeth and almost formed onto them?!

    1. Lori Lange says:

      No idea!

  4. randel tanner says:

    can’t seem to get my peanut brittle up to temperature ,need to know how important this is
    might be my stove but it smelt like it was starting to burn so took it off and finished with the rest of the ingredients
    seems to be setting but not sure on the taste yet
    temperature only went to 250f

    1. Lori Lange says:

      I have the same problem sometimes when I’m making candy… and I usually just pull it off the stove at that point and cross my fingers! I think it has to do with the candy thermometers not always being entirely accurate. Did it turn out okay?

  5. Kathy says:

    Holy moley, turned my back to wash off the spoon and the temp skyrocketed from 260 to 300. Don’t turn your back, ladies! And, I had to use a 4 qt Dutch oven.

  6. Tara Brown says:

    This method is the bomb! Thank you so much….I tried one other brittle method on the net and it was a complete failure. This method produced a rich brown batch of brittle. We new it was done when we lifted the spoon and it wrapped like caramel for an apple. Upon sampling the spoon, the mix will stick to your teeth like candy.
    Tips:
    …we preheated the pan lined with wax paper and salted butter to 200* in the oven.
    …we started the mixture off on 7 on our stove, after the rapid boil for a few minutes, we added the peanuts and increased the temp to level 7. After you add the peanuts the mixture turned milky and we let it boil rapidly.
    …we had no thermometer. Inspect the great pictures above and you won’t need one.
    …don’t let the foam scare you, just keep stirring
    …add a cap full of vanilla after you add the baking soda.
    …If you think you’ve boiled for too long, keep boiling and stirring. I stirred constantly just to be sure the bottom wasn’t scorching.

    Once again, thank you. This made an inexpensive yet high quality treat.

    1. Lori Lange says:

      Thanks for your tips!

  7. Donald Squires says:

    Great recipe. The best I’ve found. I preheated my cookie sheet with parchment paper to 300° and took it out of the oven when I was ready to pour and spread the brittle. I found that this gave me considerably more spreading time to get it thin and even.

  8. Stephanie Goodman says:

    It was yummy! Thanks for the pics! I have wanted to make this for years and your pics and recipe finally gave me the courage! Happy Holidays!

  9. Stephanie Goodman says:

    I made this twice already, but DID add some butter and vanilla at the end just before pouring into pans. It has been a huge hit. I would say, just pay attention to getting the correct temperatures. Give it time and it turns out perfectly! Thank you!

    BTW, has anyone tried to make the soft peanut brittle yet? I’ve seen a few recipes with peanut butter added.

    1. Lori Lange says:

      That sounds intriguing!

  10. ginny says:

    I tried this receipe nd it was yummy! I was just wondering this, I did not see Butter or Vanilla as ingreiants as in most others posted out there. I made a second batch from another site and that one failed me. so I am back to making this one, and the ones I gave samles to said it was delicious as well! so Thank you!