Keto Pecan Pralines Recipe
These Keto Pecan Pralines are creamy and sweet with toasted pecans throughout. My Pecan Pralines Recipe cooks in about ten minutes and is ready to eat in under an hour. They are low carb, sugar-free, gluten-free, grain-free, keto, and a THM S.
Ever since my husband and I went to New Orleans for our first anniversary pralines have been one of my favorite treats. I was thrilled to come up with a low carb sugar-free version.
My first attempt was good, but not great. Those were too crunchy. More like Candied Pecans. Those are great for salad. One of my favorites is fresh baby spinach with strawberries, feta, and some of my chopped candied pecans.
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But this creamy pecan pralines recipe is just like the ones sold in New Orleans. Ever since our 1st anniversary trip to NOLA I’ve occasionally ordered Aunt Sally’s Pralines online. Now I don’t have to. There are several types of pralines throughout the world. These are the best.
When I decided to play around with my original recipe today I had high hopes and they were fulfilled.
How to Make Pecan Pralines
To make pralines you basically make a caramel type sauce, add the pecans, and let them set. It is easier than you think and my method doesn’t even require a candy thermometer.
Just cook some of the butter with sweetener and cream. Add the rest of the butter, vanilla, salt, and your toasted pecans. Drop spoonfuls onto parchment paper and let them cool. That’s it!
How do I know when my keto pecan pralines are done?
The photo above is a good representation of the color you are looking for when cooking this praline recipe. You want the mixture to get thick, turn golden, and smell fragrant.
I do not use a candy thermometer because it is hard to temp such a small amount of caramel. If your caramel looks like my photos you are good!
How do I toast pecans?
I simply put a cookie sheet of pecans in a 400-degree oven for 5-8 minutes. I check them frequently. Nuts are pricey and I’ve burned enough to know not to forget about them.
You want to take them out with the edges get slightly darker and they smell fragrant. If you taste one the flavor should be stronger than with a raw nut.
How to store pralines:
I recommend storing these at room temp and eating them within 2 days. If you want to store them longer you can refrigerate them but they will get a little firmer and the sweetener may crystallize turning them whiteish. They are still delicious!
American cream-based pralines
French settlers brought the recipe to Louisiana, where both sugar cane and pecan trees were plentiful. During the 19th century, New Orleans chefs substituted pecans for almonds, added cream to thicken the confection, and thus created what became known throughout the American South as the praline.
Pralines have a creamy consistency, similar to fudge. They are usually made by combining sugar (often brown), butter, cream or buttermilk, and pecans in a pot over medium-high heat, and stirring constantly until most of the water has evaporated and it has reached a thick texture with a brown color. This is then usually dropped by spoonfuls onto wax paper or a sheet of aluminum foil greased with butter, and left to cool.
‘Pralines and Cream’ is a common ice cream flavor in the United States and Canada. In New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, pralines are sometimes called “pecan candy”. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Praline
If you love this Creamy Pecan Pralines Recipe make sure to also take a look these:
Pecan Praline Brownies – fudgy brownies topped with a rich praline topping
Pecan Praline Ice Cream – homemade vanilla ice cream with ribbons of praline running through
Pecan Praline Cookie Bars – just like a pecan pie, but a bar instead
Chocolate Pecan Pralines – the classic but with chocolate
Keto Toffee – layers of chocolate around a crisp nutty toffee
Did you realize yet how much I love these pecan pralines?
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Keto Pecan Pralines
Ingredients
- 1 cup pecans toasted
- 5 tbsp butter divided
- 6 tbsp light cream (or heavy cream)
- 1/3 cup Joy Filled Eats Sweetener (or see alternatives in recipe notes)
- 1/4 tsp vanilla
- pinch salt
Instructions
- Combine 4 tbsp of the butter with the sweetener and cream over medium heat. Stir until sweetener is dissolved.
- Cook until it is a deep golden brown. As soon as it reaches that deep color (right before burning) remove from the heat and immediately add the other 1 tbsp butter and vanilla. Stir until smooth.
- Add the salt and toasted pecans. Drop by spoonfuls onto on wax paper. Refrigerate just until firm.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Originally Published March 9, 2016. Revised and Republished March 16, 2020.
Would it be possible to use Truvia for the sweetener? If so how much would I use?
Truvia is similar in sweetness to my sweetener but I’m not sure it would work in this recipe. Some of the stevia blends don’t melt well.
I just want you to know these are my new go to treats! I’ve substituted cashews and put them in molds with chocolate covering, used with pecans on your brownies, and just piles of pecans. Love them -thank you so much for the recipe!
Is this something that would hold up at room temperature, after they have been refrigerated? I’m thinking of making them for a party and I just don’t want them to get super soft and milky while they’re sitting on the counter during the party.
They should be fine at room temp for a few hours. Once the sugar alcohols crystalize they are pretty stable.
Hi Taryn, do these freeze well?
I haven’t frozen them but I have kept them in the fridge for up to a month successfully.
Thanks!
I made it with 2 tablespoons of sweet blend and it turned out beautifully.
Thanks for the great recipe!
What 2 tablespoons of sweet blend did you use.
Maybe granulated Splenda?
I have no idea if that would work. Sorry. I prefer more natural sweeteners.
Can’t use xylitol in this house. If I use half the amount of super sweet blend, do you think it will still work out? I’m running low on sweetener, so I’d rather not waste it! These look amazing!
No, sorry. I think it would be better to try just erythritol with a small amount of stevia added. I don’t think the super sweet would cook down the same way.
do they have to stay refrigerated?
I do store them in the fridge. They could probably be kept at room temp for a couple days.
My butter separated towards the end. What did I do?
It may have gotten too hot. Were you using gentle sweet or my sweetener?
I used swerve. I read somewhere to add a little more powered swerve after you take it off the heat and it should come back together.
Stevia does not work for me, it never thickened except what stuck to the pot. I need to get swerve.
Did you try straight stevia? I use a blend of xylitol, erythritol, and stevia.
Can I use Swerve sweetener? I can’t tolerate some of the sugar alcohols. If so do you know how much? These look fantastic!
I’m not sure. Sorry! I would try melting a little bit. I think it will work. You might need more to get to the right sweetness. Gentle Sweet is twice as sweet as sugar. Swerve is about the same as sugar.
So you didn’t use a thermometer? What temp should this be cooked to?
No idea. Sorry. You really don’t need to temp this. I tried once and it went higher than I thought it would before getting to the right color. Since you add more butter at the end it lowers the temp to make it the right consistency.
Do you have the nutritional value information for this recipe? Also, about how many pralines does one recipe make? Thanks! I can’t wait to try them!
I just added it to the post. It makes about a dozen.
Thank you!
Being from Louisiana originally, I love
pecan pralines! So happy to find a low carb, sugar fee version I can eat!
Thank you so much for posting this
recipe. It sounds yummy!
These. Are. Amazing.
I had to hide them on myself or I would have eaten every last one!!
Thank you thank you thank you!
I just made these and I can’t figure out what I did wrong. The saucy part never thickened up so I ended up pouring the whole mixture into a sheet pan and I’m hoping I can break it up into pieces after its cooled. Any suggestions?
Hi Joye, it’s possible you didn’t cook it long enough. It can take 10-15 minutes to get it to thicken. I didn’t put a time in the recipe because it really depends on the heat of your stove. You need to stay in the kitchen and babysit this recipe the first few times you make it until you have the timing down. How long did you cook it?
Anyone tried a non dairy version? Would almond milk work instead of cream?
I would try full fat coconut milk and coconut oil or almond butter instead of the butter. And maybe a half batch just in case it doesn’t work. Almond milk doesn’t have enough fat, it might curdle.
I’m a chef. LOVE this recipe. Lactose-cream w/fat curdles BANG! nutmilk you have to cook to death for it to break.
Thanks for your input Jill. So you are saying a nut milk would work best for a dairy free version?
What is the copycat recipe for the gentle sweet ????
Hi Cecile, There is a link in the post. It is: http://joyfilledeats.com/trim-healthy-mama-gentle-sweet-substitute/
Ahhh! Tar. You make me soo hungry!
when you say “light cream” – what is that? Half & Half?
It is between “half and half” and “heavy whipping cream” if you look at the fat content. http://www.thekitchn.com/whats-the-difference-halfandha-73203
Name of the light cream or where you buy it?
My local grocery store, Shoprite, has it. If you can’t find it try equal parts half and half and heavy cream.
It is between “half and half” and “heavy whipping cream” if you look at the fat content. http://www.thekitchn.com/whats-the-difference-halfandha-73203