Pecan Pralines
Last Updated on September 7, 2023 by Annie
These pecan pralines are a vegan and dairy free treat, with the absolute PERFECT balance of salty and sweet.
I have very little experience with pralines outside of my random decision to make Peanut Pralines. I remember eating pralines occasionally as a child, but always remember them being overly sweet.
When I set out to make these pralines, I wanted to make sure you weren’t left feeling like you might go into a sugar-induced coma. These pralines strike the perfect balance between melt in your mouth sweetness and nutty saltiness.
What are Pralines?
Traditionally, pralines hail from Louisiana. It is thought that French settlers brought this recipe with them when they settled in Louisiana. This candy dessert is traditionally made from boiling sugar and milk and adding in nuts like almonds, pecans, and peanuts.
Why We Love Pecan Pralines
What’s not to love about sugar, salt, and nuts? Here are some of the reasons we love to make these soft, melt-in-your-mouth vegan pecan pralines.
- Salty + Sweet Treat. They are the perfect blend of sweet and salty.
- Melt-in-your-mouth goodness. These vegan pralines quite literally melt in your mouth.
- Dairy-free, vegan, and totally delicious.
Dairy-Free and Vegan Changes to Pecan Pralines
This recipe contains two main ingredient swaps to make it a vegan praline recipe.
- Plant-based butter– In place of a traditional butter, I used vegan butter sticks.
- Full-fat coconut milk– Swap heavy cream with a full-fat coconut milk to keep these melt in your mouth delicious and dairy-free.
How to Make Vegan Pecan Pralines
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Vegan Butter- I like to use Country Crock’s Plant-Based baking sticks for a simple 1:1 swap.
- Brown Sugar– Used to sweeten these pralines.
- Coconut Milk– Full fat coconut milk works best in this recipe.
- Corn Syrup– I like to use light corn syrup.
- Salt– To balance out the sweetness of the pralines.
- Powdered Sugar– Because one sugar just isn’t enough.
- Vanilla– To boost the flavor.
- Pecans– Toasted pecans add a soft bite to the praline.
- Flaky Sea Salt– A sprinkle of flaky sea salt on top helps balance out the sweetness of the praline.
Step-by-step Directions for Pecan Pralines
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Toast pecans: Pour pecans onto a cookie sheet and toast in the oven for about 5 minutes, or until a slight nutty smell comes from the oven.
- Cool + chop: Remove and allow to cool, then chop to desired size.
- Melt vegan butter: In a medium sauce pan, over medium high heat, melt the butter.
- Add sweeteners: Once the butter is melted, add brown sugar, coconut milk, salt, and corn syrup to the sauce pan.
- Bring to boil: Stir often and bring mixture to a boil.
- Add vanilla + powdered sugar: Remove from heat and pour sugar mixture into the bowl of a standing mixer with vanilla and powdered sugar.
- Beat together: Using the whisk attachment, stir together on medium-low until smooth.
- Rest: Take the bowl off the mixer and fold in the pecans. Allow to rest to thicken for 10 minutes.
- Scoop: On a sheet of parchment paper, or a silicone baking mat, spoon out 1 Tablespoon of the praline mixture.
- Cool: Continue spooning out the mixture leaving about an inch between spoonfuls. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and allow to cool for 3ish hours.
- Store: Remove from parchment paper or baking mat, and store in an airtight container.
Helpful Kitchen Tools
When you are ready to whip up a batch of these vegan pecan pralines, here are a few helpful kitchen tools you might need to use.
- Silicone baking mat– To cool the pecan pralines on for easy removal.
- Whisk– To stir the melted butter and sugar mixture in the sauce pan.
- Flaky Sea Salt– Used to sprinkle on the top of the finished vegan pralines.
Pro-tips for Pecan Pralines
These strategies make creating these dairy free pecan pralines an absolute breeze.
- Toast your pecans. Toasted pecans produce a nuttier flavor than raw pecans.
- Allow the mixture 10 minutes cooling time to thicken. If you skip this step in an effort to save time, your pralines will be too runny and they will not set properly.
- Sprinkle the flaky salt on top of the pralines after every 5-10 you have made or they may begin cooling and the salt won’t stick to the top. While not the worst thing ever, the salt helps balance out the sweetness of the praline mixture.
Energy Saving Tip!
You do not have to wait for the oven to reach 350°F, instead I set the oven to 350°F and put the pecans in immediately.
I know, it’s not hot yet, but leave them in for 8-10 minutes. Give them a shake halfway. They will be toasted before the oven reaches 350°F and you can cut the energy waste.
Why Toast Your Pecans?
Toasting nuts before baking with them makes for the best nutty bakes. The toasting process draws out the nuts’ natural oils. Then, in the baking process, they keep their extra crunchy texture, not getting soggy or mushy from the batter.
More Nutty Desserts to Make Next
If you tried these Vegan Pecan Pralines and enjoyed them feel free to leave a comment below! I would love to hear how it went! Or, snap a picture and share it with me on Instagram by tagging @mylifeafterdairy to share all your life after dairy adventures!
You can also get delicious dairy-free recipes and tips by signing up for my newsletter!
Pecan Pralines
These vegan and dairy free pecan pralines make the perfect salty and sweet treat this holiday season!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups Pecans
- 6 Tablespoons Vegan Butter
- 1 ½ cups Brown Sugar
- ½ cup Coconut Milk Full Fat
- 1 ½ teaspoon Corn Syrup light
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 ⅔ cup Powdered Sugar
- ½ Tablespoon Vanilla
- Flaky Sea Salt for garnish
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350°F. Pour 1 ½ cups pecans onto a cookie sheet and toast in the oven for about 5 minutes, or until a slight nutty smell comes from the oven. Remove and allow to cool, then chop to desired size.
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In a medium sauce pan, over medium high heat, melt 6 Tablespoons butter.
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Once the butter is melted, add 1 ½ cups brown sugar, ½ cup coconut milk, ½ teaspoon salt, and 1 ½ teaspoon corn syrup to the sauce pan. Stir often and bring mixture to a boil.
-
Remove from heat and pour sugar mixture into the bowl of a standing mixer with ½ Tablespoon vanilla and 1 ⅔ cup powdered sugar.
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Using the whisk attachment, stir together on medium-low until smooth.
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Take the bowl off the mixer and fold in the pecans. Allow to rest to thicken for 10 minutes.
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On a sheet of parchment paper, or a silicone baking mat, spoon out 1 tsp- 1tbsp of the praline mixture. Continue spooning out the mixture leaving about an inch between spoonfuls. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and allow to cool for 3ish hours.
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Remove from parchment paper or baking mat, and store in an airtight container.
Recipe Notes
If you do not have a standing mixer you can make this by whipping in the powdered sugar and vanilla using a hand whisk. It’s a GREAT forearm workout.
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