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.
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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Video
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.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally Published March 9, 2016. Revised and Republished March 16, 2020.
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.
Sorry, I don’t recommend subbing sweeteners in candy recipes. The heat may have been too high. That can cause the mixture to separate.
Can you share your blend of sweeteners?
Of course! There are clickable links in the post too. https://joyfilledeats.com/sweetener
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
I do not recommend subbing sweeteners in candy recipes – they are very finicky. It was the stevia in the raw that didn’t work.
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.
How much brown sugar you used
Wondering if Pyure would work? It is erythritol and stevia. If so how much do u think I should use?
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.
But your notes have a recommendation on how much pyure to use
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.
Hi! I’d like to make these for my father in law, but I want to use regular sugar. How much would I need?
I’d suggest just looking for a recipe that uses sugar. Candies can be tricky.
If I’m using pure xylitol as the sweetener, how much would you recommend? Thanks!
I’d try 1.5 times the amount listed.
Before it turned golden brown, the butter started to separate. Could it be the light cream?
That can happen if the heat is too high. If you add a little xanthan gum and whisk it should come back together.
These look great how long will they keep? what is the shelf life?
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.
I used plain erythritol and these were soooo good. I’m making my second batch this week.
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.
Taryn, how much Lakanto sweetener would I use. I have monk fruit/ erythritol white and brown plus the powdered. Which would be best and how much? Thanks!
One and half times the amount would be equal to my sweetener. I have had readers use the white Lakanto monkfruit/erythritol blend in these.
What does that mean exactly? Like the original 1/3 cup plus another 1/3 cup, 2.5 tbsp and 1/2 tsp of the erythritol/monk fruit sweetener blend?
No. The original 1/3 cup plus 1/6 cup.
That equals 1/2 cup.
Can you use honey? I have a friend who would LOVE these but she is on an SCD diest and I’m not sure she can do these sweeteners!
-Thanks
I’m sorry but I’m not sure if honey would work.
I tried these with Truvia brown sugar. Because the Truvia is already brown it was hard to tell when it was done. I do not think I cooked it long enough because it was not the consistency of a praline. More like gooey caramel. Still tasted good but could not call them pralines. I think I would do better with a candy thermometer.
Sorry the Truvia didn’t work. I don’t recommend swapping out sweeteners in candy recipes because they are so particular.
Best low carb dessert I have ever made and I’ve been at this for over 2 years. Simply delicious! I used your sweetener recipe and they didn’t crystallize. Thank you!
I made it with mung swetener because that’s what I had on hand, and I loved them! Can’t wait for my dad who is obsessed with pralines to try them! Thanks!
These are amazing! I used Truvia and heavy cream. Love these!
How much Truvia?
Thanks!