Learn how to make sugar-free peanut brittle with just 3 ingredients! This keto friendly candy is sweet, salty and crunchy. You can make it on the stovetop in minutes.
Have you ever tried peanut brittle? It's a hard candy made with peanuts covered in a crunchy sugar coating.
Since love anything to do with peanuts (I have a whole peanut butter recipes category), I have been working on making a keto peanut brittle recipe.
I already have this keto toffee on my website, which uses a chewy caramel made with heavy cream and butter. But a proper brittle needs to be, as the name suggests, crunchy. I had to experiment!
I tried the recipe first with erythritol, which sets nice and hard. However, it recrystallises as it cools, which makes the sugar mix grainy.
Also, erythritol does have a cooling aftertaste. I becomes very intense when used in large quantities like we do here. I did not like it much.
By using a sweetener called Bocha Sweet I ended up with a caramel that remained wonderfully smooth. It also has virtually no aftertaste.
This brittle is so delicious I just can't stop eating it.
Just like my keto candied pecans, I think I'll have to hide it from myself!
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🌟 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- So much flavour - Sweet and salty candy, with gorgeous caramel taste
- Easy recipe - Only 4 ingredients, comes together in minutes.
- No fancy equipment - All you need is a stove, a pot and a spoon.
- Sugar free, gluten-free and keto friendly - 1.2g net carbs per serving
Ingredients
Peanuts. I used dry roasted salted peanuts. Or course, unsalted peanuts will work just as well.
Powdered sweetener. My choice is powdered Bocha Sweet. It does not recrystallise like erythritol and it sets a little harder than allulose. You can also use allulose.
Butter. Adds a creamy taste and nice brown caramel colour.
Instructions
This section contains step-by-step instructions and photos that show how to make this recipe. See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities
Step 1: Melt the sweetener and the butter in a saucepan over a low heat.
Step 2: Let the mixture bubble over medium-high heat until it browns. Stir regularly with a wooden spoon.
Step 3: Add in the peanuts and stir. Then, pour onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Spread the mixture out into a square.
Step 4: Place the sheet in the freezer and cool until fully set.
Expert Tip
Use a pan with a white or silver interior. This way, you can see easily when the caramel has browned sufficiently. This is harder to notice when the pot is dark like mine was.
Recipe FAQs
There is no need for a candy thermometer. Sugar free sweeteners do not reach the candy crack stage like sugar does. All you need to do is watch out that the caramel becomes nice and brown but does not burn.
Yes, but the low carb peanut brittle will taste and set differently. Make sure your sweetener is powdered to minimise graininess.
Only if you use powdered erythritol. However, it won't be smooth and it will taste gritty. I made a test and replaced 2 tablespoons of the Bocha Sweet with powdered erythritol. This way, you can store it in the refrigerator and the graininess is minimised. But it will still be chewy at room temperature.
Yes, if you use powdered erythritol as a sweetener. This way, the brittle stays hard enough at room temperature. However, of you're looking for an edible gift for the holiday season, I recommend my sugar free cinnamon stars or the keto biscotti.
Variations
Dairy-free: Use a dairy-free butter.
Other nuts: This recipe also works with walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts or pecans.
Flavor: Add ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract or ½ teaspoon of blackstrap molasses.
Storage
Store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Enjoy straight from the freezer or let defrost for 10 minutes.
Related Recipes
Making sugar-free candy is simple and fun. Here are some of my go-to recipes:
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Recipe
Sugar Free Peanut Brittle
from Sugar Free LondonerNote: The servings slider only changes the first amount in each line and not any subsequent amounts. Please make your own calculations where necessary.
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry roasted peanuts salted, 140g
- ½ cup powdered Bocha Sweet or allulose, 96g
- 2 tablespoon butter 28 grams
Instructions
- Melt the sweetener and the butter in a saucepan over a low heat.
- Let the mixture cook over medium-high heat until it is bubbling, foaming and turning a golden brown. Stir regularly so it does not burn.
- Take off the heat, add in the peanuts and stir. Then, pour onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and spread out in a single layer into a 7 x inch square.
- Place the sheet in the freezer and cool 15-30 minutes until fully set.
Kallah
We love this recipe!
Do you microwave instructions?
Katrin Nürnberger
You can try this in a microwave for sure. Just stop frequently to stir and use a tall pot so that the mixture does not overflow.
Jo
Hi,
Here in the UK we have ‘dry roasted’ peanuts which are savoury, very intensely flavoured nuts.
For UK folk, don’t use dry roasted peanuts! It would be a disaster, obviously.
I made these using no butter and Allulose syrup, turned out like the old fashioned British peanut brittle of the 80’s. Yum.
Mr Michael Whitaker
Will try tomorrow
Becca
This was absolutely delicious!!! I used 100% allulose and followed the recipe exactly. The caramel was so good and so chewy, which is what I wanted! I think it is cooked it longer it may have been more like a crunchy brittle which would also have been good, but I am DEFINITELY making this one again!!! THANK YOU!!
Teresa Faulconer
Can powdered Stevia (1:1 ratio) be substituted for the allulose? Thank you!!
Katrin Nürnberger
It depends on which bulking agent the powdered stevia has. Normally it is erythritol. This means the brittle will set crunchy. Adding half a spoon of a spirit such as brandy will help create a crisp shell. This is a trick I figured out when I made my keto candied pecans.
Linda
I have a question! Can this recipe be made in the microwave?
Katrin Nürnberger
Perhaps, I have not tried it. I would use a large pot and stop and start a lot so you can stir it regularly.
Ave Maria
Can you use powdered xylitol ?
Katrin Nürnberger
Yes. All sweeteners behave differently, and from my experience, xylitol sets softer than erythritol but harder than allulose. I think it may be similar to Bocha Sweet in that respect. So, to have a crunchy brittle, you may also have to store it in the freezer.
Nigel
Can I use granulated Erythritol?
Katrin Nürnberger
Hi Nigel, I have discovered a trick on how you can use granulated erythritol in the recipe without a large amount of re-crystallisation. I discovered it when making my keto candied pecans. By adding a spirit such as brandy to the mixture at the end of cooking, the erythritol does not recrystallise. You must end it at the end, to prevent the alcohol cooking off!
Katrin Nürnberger
In the candied pecans recipe, I added 1/2 tablespoon brandy to set 1/2 cup or 100 grams of erythritol.
Sarah in CA
I made this with coarsely chopped pecans. It was just wonderful. Can't do peanuts.
Cheryl
Can I use Splenda instead?
Katrin Nürnberger
I have not tested the recipe with Splenda. Low carb sweeteners all behave differently, so I don't know what the result would be like.
Darlene Leighton
What about adding baking soda?
Katrin Nürnberger
I haven't tried it. But it may add tiny air bubbles to the caramel and also encourage the caramel to brown more.