This Easy Microwave Peanut Brittle Recipe takes a delicious holiday treat and makes it easy by using the microwave. It’ll come out crunchy and with the perfect mixture of sweet and salty. You’ll never to back to stovetop!
If you’re looking for tasty holiday treats, check out my super easy Homemade English Toffee, 3-Ingredient Peppermint Bark, Churro Toffee (Disneyland copycat!), and Pecan Pie Roll-Ups.
Why This Recipe Works
Sweet & Savory: One of the reasons why I love peanut brittle is that perfect combination of savory and sweet. The caramel, buttery flavor of the brittle along with the salty, nutty flavor of the peanuts just combines so perfectly. And with this easy microwave peanut brittle, you get all of that flavor made easy.
Simple: Anything that can be made in a microwave is just absolutely simple to make. Have you ever wondered how to make peanut brittle? This easy peanut brittle recipe can literally be made by anyone and it is so delicious and impressive! If you look at peanut brittle recipes and feel intimidated, don’t fret. This no thermometer brittle recipe makes things super easy without sacrificing any flavor.
Shareable: Something beautiful about this recipe is that you can whip up a bunch of it and share with friends and family as little holiday gifts! Wrap it up with a little bow, and they will absolutely love it.
Ingredients
- Dry Roasted Peanuts- Dry Roasted Peanuts are the best for this recipe. They are the perfect balance of salty and nutty!
- Granulated Sugar– The brittle mixture is made of melted granulated sugar which can be perfectly melted in the microwave.
- Light Corn Syrup– A little bit of light corn syrup is added for flavor and texture.
- Salt– A bit of extra salt is good to balance the sweetness.
- Vanilla Extract– Vanilla is added for extra flavor.
- Butter– Butter makes the brittle creamier and more like caramel.
- Baking Soda– A little bit of baking soda is added to make the brittle a bit fluffier. It will still be nice and crunchy!
Here’s How to Make It
Step by Step Instructions
- Grease a baking sheet or line it with parchment paper and set aside. Pre-measure your ingredients and have them ready to go. (not pictured)
- In a microwave safe bowl, combine, sugar, and corn syrup. Microwave for 3 minutes, stirring halfway through. (photos 1-2)
- Stir in peanuts and microwave 3 minutes longer. (photo 3)
- Stir in butter, vanilla and salt and then microwave for 1 minute longer until mixture is a deep golden brown. Watch the mixture carefully at this step and make sure not to burn. (photo 4)
- Quickly stir in baking soda (just until mixture is foamy). Immediately pour the mixture onto a prepared baking sheet and spread as needed with a greased rubber spatula or spoon. (photos 5-6)
- Allow to cool for 15 minutes or until completely hardened. Break into pieces using a butter knife and enjoy your easy peanut brittle!
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 10 days.
Expert Tips
- Be sure to pre-measure your ingredients before starting the process, as it will go fast and you’ll want everything to be ready!
- Since every microwave is different, keep an eye on your mixture at each stage to make sure it isn’t burning.
- This easy microwave peanut brittle recipe is versatile, so make it your own! You can add different nuts besides peanuts like almonds and cashews for a delicious nut brittle!
- Drizzle the top with a chocolate drizzle for added flavor and sweetness!
More Easy Dessert Recipes to Try
- Scotcheroos
- Easy No Bake Peanut Butter Bars
- Sugar Cookie Bars
- White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
- Raspberry Crumb Bars
Easy Microwave Peanut Brittle
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry roasted peanuts
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light corn syrup
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- Grease a baking sheet and set aside. Pre-measure your ingredients and have them all ready to go.
- In a microwave safe bowl, sugar, and corn syrup. Microwave for 3 minutes, stirring halfway through.
- Stir in peanuts. Return to microwave for 3 minutes.
- Stir in butter, vanilla and salt and then microwave for 1 minute longer until mixture is a deep golden brown. Watch the mixture carefully at this step and make sure not to burn.
- Quickly stir in baking soda (just until mixture is foamy). Pour immediately onto greased baking sheet and spread as needed with a greased rubber spatula or spoon.
- Allow cool 15 minutes or until hardened and cooled. Break into pieces (I just use a butter knife to crack it apart), and store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 10 days.
Notes
Nutrition
Original recipe from here.
My peanut brittle came out chewy — did I need to cook longer?
It sounds like you needed to cook it longer!
To Bobbi, sometimes I do mine that way on purpose because i like caramel.
Did not turn out good. Taste tough and chewy. What went wrong? Help please.
My guess is something happened in step four. You may have microwaved it a bit too long and it was overheated. I would keep a close eye on it next time, possibly even reducing the microwave time in each step. Your microwave may be stronger than mine. I have a video attached to this post, the visual may help you as well. Hope this helps!
I followed recipe and my brittle came out perfect, I added a little cayenne pepper to spice it up..yummy
I made this recipe exactly like the directions and watched the last minute to be sure it didn’t burn or overcook, however it turned out too light and not say to break into pieces. I made this recipe and another from the web, which cooked l9nger and it came out darker and not as chewy, so I think I maybe should have cooked it longer, it is no doubt my microwave, but it isn’t old, so I figured it would be hotter. The other recipe turned out perfect and I followed those directions exactly as well.
This recipe turned out great. Mine never got a golden color but regardless it had the perfect texture and taste. Easy to make for Christmas.