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.
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 tablespoon butter divided
- 6 tablespoon light cream (or heavy cream)
- ⅓ cup Joy Filled Eats Sweetener (or see alternatives in recipe notes)
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla
- pinch salt
Instructions
- Combine 4 tablespoon 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 tablespoon 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.
Ayse says
I wish there was more stars than 5 to give for this recipe. Hands down the best Keto desert-cookie I have ever eaten. I made these today and just ate 1 ok maybe 2 😉 I couldn’t help myself 🤷♀️ Just so delicious, so flavorful. Caremely flover with crunchy toasted pecan is just divine. I am already hooked. Will make two batches next time. Also would love to try it with the coconut oil. I bet it would be good too.
Thank you so much for the recipe. It is hust incredibely good. 😋😋
Sonja Skelly says
Omg!! You are a GENIUS I can not BELIEVE how good this is and it's super sweet!!! Can not believe its Keto! Mine wasn't thick enough (I burned the first batch of liquid so I was worried I would do it again so I pulled it off the heat too soon) but stuck it in the freezer and tasted just fine! 5 stars!!
Paula says
Mine did not caramelise at all and is more like cookie dough - did I not brown the butter enough?
Taryn says
Yes, you should've cooked it longer if it's the consistency of cookie dough. I'm sure it's still delicious though!
Heidi says
Just bought two large bottles of Allulose (liquid). I know substituting sweeteners is tricky and before I go ahead and perhaps waste ingredients, I wondered if you'd ever tried either this or Sukrin syrup?
Taryn says
I have not. I don't think a liquid sweetener would work in this. If you decide to try anyway half the recipe (and let us know how it turns out).
Treesa says
Can I use walnuts instead? And what about no sweetner at all, but a lil more vanilla extract
Taryn says
Yes, walnuts are fine. But this won't work without the sweetener. It wouldn't thicken and turn into a caramel.
A nna says
Can I use honey as well?
Taryn says
I don't think so. Sorry!
Suzanne says
This looks delicious! Thank you for sharing!
Dianna F. says
These are delicious. I used the swerve brown sugar like mentioned above. I made a double batch. Next time I'll probably cut the sweetener a little too sweet for me but still yummy!
Rayna says
These are amazing! First time trying the recipe today. Came out beautifully and hard to believe these are KETO!
Pam says
I made the pralines with brown sugar swerve !Amazing!!!melt the butter first!
Mona says
I have been doing keto a couple of years. This is one of the first keto dessert recipes I tried and is still my very favorite. These pralines are so delicious, so quick and easy to make, and so low in carbs! I’ve taken them to several parties and even though I tell people they are sugar free and there are other options, I never have any left over! Mona
Heather Crider says
I used golden Lakanto monk fruit/etythritol blend at 1/3 cup. The color and thickness looked good, but the praline mix broke and lost butter when I stirred as it cooled. They were tasty enough, but did not look attractive.
Taryn says
Sorry, I don't recommend subbing sweeteners in candy recipes. The heat may have been too high. That can cause the mixture to separate.
Sybil Sowell says
Can you share your blend of sweeteners?
Taryn says
Of course! There are clickable links in the post too. https://joyfilledeats.com/sweetener
MM says
I tried Stevia in the raw but threw it out because it all started to separate now after reading comments don’t know if the heat was too high or can’t use that it was what was available at the store
Taryn says
I do not recommend subbing sweeteners in candy recipes - they are very finicky. It was the stevia in the raw that didn't work.
Susan Spells says
The were delicious! I used Brown Sugar Swerve, 2 packets of Truvia and a couple of drops of Sucralose. The texture was creamy and smooth. I was really surprised since I did not measure the sugar alternatives. I have never attempted pralines but your instructions were excellent even without a candy thermometer.
Tammy says
How much brown sugar you used
Leisha says
Wondering if Pyure would work? It is erythritol and stevia. If so how much do u think I should use?
Taryn says
You can't use pyure in these, sorry. Candies are tricky and I do not recommend trying other sweeteners. Pyure is also just too concentrated.
julie says
But your notes have a recommendation on how much pyure to use
Taryn says
My notes also say "Substitutions will work in most recipes. They may not work in candies, such as caramel." This is a candy recipe. I'm sorry if that is confusing. The notes on sweeteners appear on all my recipes that use them.
Nikki says
Hi! I'd like to make these for my father in law, but I want to use regular sugar. How much would I need?
Taryn says
I'd suggest just looking for a recipe that uses sugar. Candies can be tricky.
Sarah says
If I'm using pure xylitol as the sweetener, how much would you recommend? Thanks!
Taryn says
I'd try 1.5 times the amount listed.
Bernadette says
Before it turned golden brown, the butter started to separate. Could it be the light cream?
Taryn says
That can happen if the heat is too high. If you add a little xanthan gum and whisk it should come back together.
Deion says
These look great how long will they keep? what is the shelf life?
Taryn says
They keep for months in the fridge. I'd say they would be fine at room temperature for a few days if it's not too hot.
Candi says
I used plain erythritol and these were soooo good. I’m making my second batch this week.
leslie garcia says
OMG. There is a heaven. Keto just became a perfect way of life for me. There is NOTHING about this amazine recipe that tastes like keto.