Easy Pecan Praline Sauce
This easy pecan praline sauce made with brown sugar is perfect on cakes, ice cream, bread pudding, pancakes, and any and all other desserts! It’s only six ingredients, tastes like a nutty homemade caramel sauce, and definitely can be eaten by the spoonful with no judgement.
If you love pecans and caramel sauce, this Easy Pecan Praline Sauce is just what you need in your dessert life! It’s like a cross between candied pecans and homemade pecan caramel sauce!
It’s Friday!
Which means it’s the weekend and I’m planning on eating my weight in this pecan praline sauce.
I’m calling it a cheat weekend.
(Let’s not discuss the fact every weekend is a cheat weekend.)
It’s the kind of dessert sauce that can go on absolutely everything and it’s the best (and worst) thing ever. My preferred method of devouring this pecan praline sauce (besides by the spoonful) is as a dip for these Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Donut Holes or on top of this Slow Cooker Maple Pumpkin Spice Latte (in case you needed some more recipe inspiration 😉).
All right so this praline sauce recipe actually came out of a budget conscious college girl who was trying to stretch her food budget while also making monkey bread on the regular (this Maple Pecan Monkey Bread? #winning).
In attempts at trying to ration my butter and sugar, I used milk to stretch the sauce. It wasn’t until later that I realized how similar this was to a homemade caramel sauce. Swap out the milk for something a little richer and heavier (half and half) and the monkey bread sauce I was making was an easy caramel sauce.
And when you add nuts to the whole thing?
Behold, something amazing awaits.
Let’s talk about the easy pecan praline sauce ingredients:
- brown sugar
- butter
- half & half
- vanilla extract
- salt
- pecans
It truly is so simple to make and it goes on everything! Like, need a caramel praline sauce for ice cream? Or, need a praline caramel sauce for cake? What about waffles? Pecan praline sauce for pancakes? THIS IS THE ONE.
Yeah, I’m that excited about this recipe.
Some tips and tricks for this easy Pecan Praline Sauce Recipe!
- I guess, first of all, we should answer the question what is praline sauce? Praline sauce is a southern staple and is often used over desserts, baked goods, or breakfast recipes. Many praline sauce recipes use corn syrup in the mixture, but I opted to make this with brown sugar instead. It makes this recipe more like a praline caramel sauce, which is what I was going for.
- It takes about 10 minutes or so from start to finish. Everything just needs to boil enough where it’s thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- This can last for a week or so in the fridge (of course, it might last longer, but you’d have to keep an eye on it). I store mine in a covered mason jar.
- You can chop the pecans as fine as you want. I like bigger pieces of pecans so I did a rough chop; however, if you prefer thinner, finer pieces, chop away.
This caramel praline sauce is pretty much life.
Easy Pecan Praline Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 4 Tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup half & half
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- In a medium sized pot, bring butter, brown sugar, and half & half together to a boil over med-low heat, whisking constantly. Allow the mixture to boil for 3-4 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened and coats the back of a spoon (can be anywhere as long as 5-7 minutes).
- Drop the mixture to low and add in the salt, vanilla extract, and chopped pecans and cook another minute or so.
- Turn the heat off and allow the caramel praline sauce to cool completely before storing in a glass jar.
- Store in the fridge.
- Enjoy!
The nutrition facts provided are calculated using a third-party tool and are estimates only. Actual nutritional content may vary based on the ingredients and brands you use, as well as portion sizes. For accurate results, please consult a registered dietitian or nutritionist.
Here are some other recipes this praline caramel sauce would pair well with:
Meet Michelle
I’m a self-taught baker who truly believes it’s impossible to be upset when eating dessert. It’s my life’s goal to bake everyone happy!
If I’m not baking, I’m probably reading a good book with a cup a coffee in hand.
Welcome! I’m glad you’re here!
so good!!
Loved the sauce and easy to make.
I want to try this recipe on a pound cake for Christmas. Thank you for sharing. Many Blessings