Prepare for Ice Cream Season With This Amazing Pecan Praline Sauce! (2024)

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Diana Rattray

Prepare for Ice Cream Season With This Amazing Pecan Praline Sauce! (1)

Diana Rattray

Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.

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Updated on 11/7/22

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Prepare for Ice Cream Season With This Amazing Pecan Praline Sauce! (2)

Prep: 10 mins

Cook: 5 mins

Total: 15 mins

Servings: 6 servings

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This scrumptious brown sugar pecan praline sauce is a very easy dessert sauce to prepare and it is out of this world on ice cream, bread pudding, or cheesecake.The pecans can be toasted for even more depth of flavor. This is great with toasted almonds or hazelnuts as well.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cups light brown sugar

  • 3/4 cup evaporated milk

  • 1 tablespoon butter

  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 1/4 cup chopped pecans

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. In a small saucepan over low heat, combine brown sugar, evaporated milk, and butter.

  3. Cook and stir sauce until it is smooth and syrupy, about 5 minutes. If it seems lumpy at all, strain through a mesh sieve.

  4. Stir in vanilla extract and pecans. The sauce will thicken as it cools.

  5. Serve praline sauce warm over ice cream, cheesecake, or bread pudding.

  6. Refrigerate any leftover pecan praline sauce and heat it in microwave or on stovetop before using.

Tips

  • How to toast pecans. To toast pecans, spread them out in a dry frying pan or skillet. Place the pan over medium heat and cook, stirring and turning the pecans constantly, until they are lightly browned and aromatic. Remove to a plate to stop the cooking process. Alternatively, spread the pecans out on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated 350 F oven for about 5 minutes, checking and stirring frequently.
  • Substitute dark brown sugar for the light brown sugar or use unrefined brown sugar, such as muscovado, if desired.

How to Store

This sauce keeps for up to 3 weeks tightly covered in the refrigerator. Warm it back up over low heat before serving.

How to Make Praline Sauce for Gifting

This sauce makes a great holiday gift and it can be made up to 3 weeks ahead of time. Keep the sauce refrigerated in an airtight container and when you are ready to package and gift it, gently reheat it and portion it into jars.

Make Praline Candy From Praline Sauce

This sauce recipe can be turned into praline candy when it is cooked to the soft ball stage, about 234 F on a candy thermometer. To test for the soft ball stage without a thermometer, drop a small amount of syrup into chilled water. If it forms a ball in the water but flattens when picked up with the fingers, it's at the right temperature.

Remove the syrup from the heat. Add the pecans and vanilla and beat the candy with a wooden spoon until it is thickened and no longer glossy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Quickly spoon the candy onto buttered baking sheets or waxed paper to form patties. Let cool completely before eating. Store in an airtight container at room temperature, covered, with waxed paper or parchment paper between the layers.

The History of Praline Candy

This confection dates to 1750 Louisiana when it was originally made with almonds and considered a digestion aid at the end of a meal. The native Creoles and Cajuns one-upped this French recipe by using the abundant pecans of the region and replacing the white sugar with brown sugar. Today, it's a culinary tradition in the South.

  • Southern Desserts
  • Desserts
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
236Calories
8g Fat
41g Carbs
3g Protein

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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories236
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 8g10%
Saturated Fat 3g15%
Cholesterol 14mg5%
Sodium 59mg3%
Total Carbohydrate 41g15%
Dietary Fiber 0g2%
Total Sugars 40g
Protein 3g
Vitamin C 1mg3%
Calcium 118mg9%
Iron 0mg2%
Potassium 166mg4%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Recipe Tags:

  • sauce
  • dessert
  • cajun
  • potluck

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Prepare for Ice Cream Season With This Amazing Pecan Praline Sauce! (2024)

FAQs

What is praline sauce made of? ›

In a small saucepan over low heat, combine brown sugar, evaporated milk, and butter. Cook and stir sauce until it is smooth and syrupy, about 5 minutes. If it seems lumpy at all, strain through a mesh sieve. Stir in vanilla extract and pecans.

What flavor is praline and cream ice cream? ›

Taste some South in your mouth! Sweet praline-coated pecan pieces and rich caramel in creamy vanilla flavored ice cream. Y'all will love it!

What is the difference between butter pecan and pecan praline ice cream? ›

The vanilla flavoring makes a big difference here — it distinguishes butter pecan as vanilla-forward, while pralines are more caramel sugar-forward.

How to thicken praline sauce without cornstarch? ›

Add brown sugar and cream and stir well until mixture is uniform. Bring sauce to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes to allow sauce to thicken.

What is praline flavor made of? ›

There are two main types: French pralines, a firm combination of almonds and caramelized sugar. American pralines, a softer, creamier combination of syrup and pecans, hazelnuts or almonds with milk or cream, resembling fudge.

What are pecan pralines made of? ›

What is a Praline? The praline is a southern tradition, commonly made with sugar, corn syrup, milk, butter, and pecan halves. It's a confection with a history as rich as its flavor.

Who makes pecan praline ice cream? ›

Pecan Praline Ice Cream - Prairie Farms Dairy, Inc.

What's the difference between a pecan and a praline? ›

A pecan is a type of nut while a praline is a type of candy that is made with sugar and nuts. While pecans are the most common type of nut used in pralines, almonds or hazelnuts will work too.

What the heck is a praline? ›

praline, in French confectionery, a cooked mixture of sugar, nuts, and vanilla, often ground to a paste for use as a pastry or candy filling, analogous to marzipan; also, a sugar-coated almond or other nutmeat.

Are pecan pralines good for you? ›

Being that pecans are the main ingredient; the snack contains essential vitamins & minerals, can aid in long-term heart health, can be enjoyed by gluten intolerant consumers, can provide a high number of antioxidants, and can supply a large amount of protein & fiber.

Does Breyers make butter pecan ice cream? ›

Same page link. Discover Breyers® Butter Pecan with rich vanilla and butter-roasted pecan pieces. So good, it's nuts!

What is pecan ice cream called? ›

Browned butter creates a standout version of classic butter pecan ice cream. Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.

Can you thicken sauce without cornstarch? ›

Use Flour and Water

Combine 2 tablespoons flour with every 1/4 cup cold water and whisk until smooth. Add the mixture to your sauce over medium heat, and continue to stir and cook until you've reached your desired consistency. Test with a spoon.

How do you thicken sauce without losing flavor? ›

If flour's the classic then cornflour is the gold-standard in thickening agents. Why? Because it is flavourless so it won't change the taste of your sauce, it's translucent when heated so it won't make your sauce cloudy and most importantly, it works.

What is an alternative to thicken sauce? ›

Ways To Thicken Sauce
  • Tomato Paste. If your soup or stew is watery, adding tomato paste may help! ...
  • Arrowroot. You might prefer to avoid gluten in your recipes. ...
  • Flour. ...
  • Reduce Your Liquid. ...
  • Puréed Vegetables. ...
  • Egg Yolk. ...
  • Yogurt. ...
  • Rice.
Jul 15, 2022

What is praline syrup made of? ›

Combine corn syrup, brown sugar, and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil; boil one minute. Reduce heat; stir in pecans and vanilla; simmer 5 minutes. Carefully ladle hot syrup into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace.

Does praline taste like caramel? ›

Even though praline has a caramel-like flavor and scent, it should in no way resemble caramel sauce or soft chewy caramel. The low fat content is very different than in its cousin caramel.

What's the difference between chocolate and praline? ›

Chocolate is a solid or semi-solid state of matter that is made from cacao beans. Pralines are confections that are made with a thin shell of chocolate encasing a variety of fillings.

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