Pecan Praline Sauce
This easy pecan praline sauce is rich, sweet and crunchy all at the same time, making it the perfect topping for ice creams, cheesecakes so much more!
There’s nothing quite like Southern praline, but the flavors and deliciousness of this sauce comes close enough. You’ll just need 5 ingredients and a few minutes of kitchen time to make this wicked delicious condiment that can also be an excellent holiday gift- just like my gingerbread syrup.
I have to admit, I do not have a sweet tooth, and that’s why, you’ll hardly find any sweet or sugary recipes here. On occasion though, I do love to experiment and try whipping up versatile sauces and sprinkles that I can use in lots of ways.
My strawberry sugar, whipped honey and date puree are all good examples. They’re sweet, easy to use and not too complicated. And so is this praline sauce!
Quick Look
- 🔪Prep time: 5 minutes.
- ⏲️Cook time: 10 minutes.
- 👪 Servings: 6 servings.
- 📋Main ingredients: Butter, pecans, heavy cream, brown sugar, vanilla, salt.
- ♨️Cooking method: Combine brown sugar, heavy cream and butter 🡢 cook over low heat until sugar melts 🡢 add coarsely chopped pecans and salt once thick 🡢 cool and serve.
- ⭐Difficulty: Easy.
- 🥣Serving ideas: Spoon some of the sauce with your favorite crackers or drizzle it over your French toast- just like some classic blueberry sauce.
Jump to:
What's So Great About the Recipe?
- The simplicity of this recipe has to be my favorite part about it. It may look too complicated and time consuming to put together, but it really isn’t.
- It's perfect for the holidays- you can feature it on your holiday grazing board with some homemade lemon marmalade, or even gift it to your family and friends!
Recipe Ingredients
Pecans: Choose the best quality pecans for this recipe. This is what will lend the sauce that amazing crunchy texture here.
Heavy cream: To loosen the sauce, and for that rich, creamy and delicious flavor.
Brown sugar: I used light brown sugar here, because I didn’t want the sauce to be too dark. You could use dark brown sugar if you want a deeper color and flavor. Sometimes, I like to use my homemade date sugar too.
Butter: Salted butter is the best! It lends a beautiful touch of richness to the sauce.
Vanilla: To lend the sauce a rich, delicate aroma.
Salt: Just a little, to balance out the sweetness. Use sea salt for best results!
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- Don’t have heavy cream? Use half and half and a dash of evaporated milk for that amazing rich flavor.
- To bring some warm, cozy flavors to the sauce, you can also add a dash of ground cinnamon. I did this when I made my apple cider caramel sauce and stewed apples too!
- Got a few extra minutes? Lightly toast pecans in a saucepan, allow them to cool down and then chop them up. Use these chopped pecans in the sauce to make the bits extra crunchy.
- Add a dash of maple syrup or date syrup and cut down the amount of sugar you’re using to make homemade maple pecan sauce.
How to Make Pecan Praline Sauce
No prep is needed to make this recipe. Simply gather all your ingredients and get started!
Step 1: Start by chopping the pecans coarsely using a sharp knife. Set the pecan pieces aside.
Step 2: In a saucepan, combine brown sugar, heavy cream and butter over medium heat, until the sugar starts to melt.
Step 3: Bring the pan to low heat and keep stirring gently with a wooden spoon, until the sauce thickens- this takes about 10 minutes.
Step 4: Take the pan off heat, add the roasted pecans and give it a quick stir. Allow this to cool completely before you use it or store it for later.
💭Top Tip
Sugar can start to burn pretty quickly. When the pan is on heat, make sure you keep whisking constantly.
Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- If you’re using unsalted butter here, you might want to add a bit more salt to enhance the caramel-like flavor of the sauce. I usually do this when I make my spiced pear butter too.
- If you don’t have brown sugar, feel free to use white sugar instead. Just make sure you caramelize it a bit in the saucepan first, and then add in the butter and heavy cream. This will add another depth of flavor to this praline caramel dessert sauce.
- If you like the sauce to be chunky, use pecan halves instead of chopping them up.
- If you want the pecan caramel sauce to have a smooth, glossy texture and shine, add a tablespoon of corn syrup into the mix.
- Use a good quality, heavy-bottomed saucepan. This will ensure the sauce doesn't end up burning. This is something I always keep in mind when I'm making my orange marmalade, spiced Christmas jam and even my fig paste.
How to Serve Southern Praline Sauce
This easy praline sauce can be used in lots of different ways! You can use it as a topping over waffles, pancakes, cheesecakes and even French toast- just like my spiced orange honey and lemon infused honey. I love spooning it over my homemade bread pudding or monkey bread to lend it a bit of texture and flavor upgrade. And of course, it is the perfect decadent sauce to top over your classic vanilla ice cream! It's either this, or my honey fermented cranberries!
Another great idea is to use this praline sauce as a gift! Pour it into a mason jar, finish up with a glittery ribbon and it’ll be an easy dessert sauce that you can use as a homemade holiday present. I usually batch make this and my fig compote, and everyone in my family absolutely love them both!
Recipe FAQs
This dessert sauce actually thickens as it cools down, and even more when you refrigerate it.
The easiest way to check if the sauce is done is to check if it coats the back of a spoon nicely. If it does, it is ready. You don’t even need to use a candy thermometer to check!
Store your leftover pecan caramel sauce in a glass jar or an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 10 days, if not longer.
You can reheat the sauce in the microwave for a few minutes, pausing in between every 20-30 seconds to give it a quick mix. Another great idea is to reheat the sauce in a pan over low heat for about 3 minutes.
More Homemade Sauces
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
If you tried this pecan praline sauce or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Pecan Praline Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup pecans
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup heavy cream
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Start by chopping the pecans coarsely using a sharp knife. Set the pecan pieces aside.
- In a saucepan, combine brown sugar, heavy cream and butter over medium heat, until the sugar starts to melt.
- Bring the pan to low heat and keep stirring gently with a wooden spoon, until the sauce thickens- this takes about 10 minutes.
- Take the pan off heat, add the roasted pecans and give it a quick stir. Allow this to cool completely before you use it or store it for later.
Notes
- Sugar can start to burn pretty quickly. When the pan is on heat, make sure you keep whisking constantly.
- If you’re using unsalted butter here, you might want to add a bit more salt to enhance the caramel-like flavor of the sauce.
- If you like the sauce to be chunky, use pecan halves instead of chopping them up.
- If you want the pecan caramel sauce to have a smooth, glossy texture and shine, add a tablespoon of corn syrup into the mix.
