Looking for an authentic, Southern pecan pralines recipe?
This Savannah pralines copycat recipe combines butter, sugar, vanilla, whipping cream, and pecans for a rich decadent sweet. The creamy buttery flavors melt in your mouth with every crunchy bite.
"I am 69 years old and have never made pralines before because I thought they would be too much work and time consuming. When I read through your recipe, I thought it sounded easy enough and let me just say, I am so glad I tried them. Made a double batch! Couldn't have been easier and OMG are they delicious!!! Will definitely be saving this recipe to use again and thank you for sharing!! Happy Holidays!!"
★★★★★- Shirlene
One of my favorite vacations spots is downtown Savannah. I love the beautiful scenery, rich history, shops, and FOOD! The restaurants are AMAZING!
And so are the Southern little treats. One of their specialties are pecan pralines. My favorite place to get them is Savannah's Candy Kitchen-you can even watch them being made! They hand out samples fresh off the slab, and after one bite, I was hooked. I knew I had to learn to make them at home… and lucky for you, I've mastered the recipe!
Your kitchen will smell amazing as you make them. The smell of butter and sugar will fill the air.
They are perfect for a simple dessert, a special treat, Christmas candy, or a homemade hostess gift. They are great crushed up and sprinkled on ice-cream too!
I hope you love this classic Southern candy as much as we do. Enjoy! Xoxo -Katie.
Jump to:
Ingredient notes and substitutions
You will need the following simple ingredients for this praline pecans recipe:
- brown sugar-I prefer light brown sugar for pralines.
- heavy whipping cream-Do not substitute with regular whipping cream.
- butter- You can use salted or unsalted for this recipe. If you use unsalted butter, add a pinch of salt when cooking on stovetop.
- vanilla extract
- powder sugar
- chopped pecans- Chopped pecans work best for this recipe. I found that the whole pecans are too big for the confection to bond onto correctly and some pieces ended up crumbly rather than whole.
How to make
Follow these simple steps to make homemade Southern pecan pralines.
- In a sauce pan, combine brown sugar, heavy whipping cream, butter, and vanilla extract.
- Cook over medium heat and bring to a boil stirring continuously. (Do not break on stirring or they will burn.) Boil for 1 minute.
- Remove from heat. Stir in powdered sugar.
- Stir in chopped pecans.
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Drop heaping spoonfuls of praline mixture on parchment paper. Allow to cool to harden (approximately 30 minutes).
- Store in an airtight container until ready to eat.
Watch video how to make
How long do they last?
Pralines will last up to two weeks in an airtight container.
However, they are better fresh. Towards the end of the two weeks, they can become dry and crumbly.
Can you freeze pralines?
Pralines can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
It is best to align the container with wax paper to prevent the candy from freezing onto the container.
About the recipe
This recipe is featured in Women's View Magazine. I invited Alice (pictured above) to help make these with me.
Alice is one of my dear sweet neighbor friends. She is a clever, spirited, beautiful 10-year-old who dreams of becoming a chef and running her own restaurant when she grows up.
In the meantime, I enjoy her company creating fun and sweet things in my kitchen.
When you make these pecan pralines, tell me what you think in the comment section! I would love to hear back! My readers will too.
Also post your picture of your homemade candy on Instagram or Facebook, and tag @aforkstale with #aforkstale hashtags! I will share with my followers! xoxo!
📖 Recipe
How to Make Pecan Pralines - A Southern Candy Favorite
Equipment
- cookie baking sheet
- parchment paper
Ingredients
- ¼ cup butter
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ⅓ cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup pecans chopped
Instructions
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a sauce pan, combine brown sugar, heavy whipping cream, butter, and vanilla extract. Cook over medium heat and bring to a boil stirring continuously. (Do not break on stirring or they will burn.) Boil for 1 minute.¼ cup butter, 1 cup brown sugar, ⅓ cup heavy whipping cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Remove from heat. Stir in powdered sugar.1 cup powdered sugar
- Stir in chopped pecans.1 cup pecans
- Drop heaping spoon-fulls of praline mixture on parchment paper. Allow to cool to harden (approximately 30 minutes).
- Store in an airtight container until ready to eat.
Patricia JohnsonWalker says
Looks so smooth in texture
Amanda says
I was skeptical about the short cooking time, but these turned out great. That said, adding the pecans at the end did not provide enough time/heat to create the delicious caramelized flavor and texture I was expecting, and the pecans tasted disappointingly undone and unincorporated with an otherwise delicious candy. If I make this recipe again, I might try toasting the pecans separately first.
Linda Dozier says
I have always struggled with getting the perfect praline, or not even perfect, just decent…but this recipe can’t be beat!!! They were setting up and holding shape almost instantly. However, I got all excited and figured I could do a double batch..not a good idea. They did finally come out right but I had to do a little reheating and stirring. Otherwise, this is the easiest praline recipe ever!!
Melanie says
This was sooooo easy and delicious! I moved from Texas to Utah and the Mexican restaurants have no clue what these are! I made them tonight for a family lunch gathering tomorrow. They came out gorgeous! Honestly, they are easier than rice crispee treats! One batch made a dozen. Chopping the nuts was a great idea. I pulsed them in food processor.
Nancy Kimball says
Forgot to add my stars! This recipe is a winner!
Nancy Kimball says
Just made these, and they are fabulous! Easy, great directions, and rewarding outcome! Will be a hit with my family.
Sara says
Love this recipe! I add a little cinnamon to it!
Celeste says
Indeed this recipe is for the person with the sweetest tooth ever! I made this today and if I try it again I would cut the confectioner sugar in half.This is to sweet for me and I'm hoping my daughter inlaw will gobble this up, it's rite up her alley!
Dee says
I have never tried making Pecan Praline Candy,
My first taste was of a “soft and chewy” version, not a “crunchy recipe. Is there anything I can do to make this a softer caramel like version, instead of crunchy?
Katie Crenshaw says
I think if it was chewy, you will need a recipe with corn syrup... and that is a total different type of recipe. I am sorry. This recipe should turn out soft and crunchy.
Tempest Murray says
This was so fast and easy and delicious. I will be making this a lot. My family’s going to want them often
LaKita says
Love making pecan pralines this time of year and your version is the perfect balance of nutty sweetness!
Anna says
These are fantastic! So quick and so easy to prepare. The only trouble is that it is super hard to stop eating them once you start! 🙂
Moop Brown says
Being from the South, pecan pralines have always been one of my favorite desserts and I'm looking forward to trying this recipe for them.
Cathleen says
Wow, these look amazing!! I have a lot of pecans that need using, so I am excited to make this tomorrow night!
Tristin says
These pralines are a favorite around Christmas time, so these are on my must make list! Saving for later.
Kari Heron | Chef and Steward says
Oh my, what have I discovered here! This is definitely a recipe I’m printing out to make over the holidays!
Laura says
The buttery flavor from these pralines is simply amazing. Making them again for Christmas! Thank you!
Mindy says
Made it for a holiday party this weekend and got rave reviews from everyone!