Microwave Peanut Brittle with raw peanuts is a delicious, nostalgic Christmas candy recipe you can make in about 8 minutes. All you need is a microwave and seven simple ingredients -- no candy thermometer. Check out my video to see just how fast and easy it is to make old fashioned peanut brittle!
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This delicious microwave peanut brittle candy is a holiday favorite, and I make batches and batches of it every holiday season. It's a great homemade gift, and it goes perfectly on my Christmas goodie trays with Cranberry Pecan Microwave Fudge, Million Dollar Bars, and Red Velvet Cookies.
It has a perfectly crunchy, crispy texture and rich, caramel-like flavor -- and is positively packed with lots of peanuts. Each batch of old-fashioned peanut brittle has a whole bag of raw peanuts! It's so much better than anything you'll find in the stores.
Best part? It's a fast and easy recipe I can make in 7 ½ minutes -- most of which is waiting for the microwave to ding. No candy thermometer, no bubbling pots of sugar on the stove. Just me, my microwave, and a Pyrex measuring cup.
You're Going to Love This
- Fast, easy microwave recipe for you can make in minutes without a candy thermometer
- Delicious homemade peanut brittle makes a great edible gift for the holidays
- Tastes 1000x better than store-bought
- Fun to make -- I'll never get tired of the reaction when the baking powder hits the hot sugar.
Ingredients
There are only 7 ingredients in this easy peanut brittle recipe. See the recipe card for the full list of ingredients.
Light corn syrup. Corn syrup is not to be confused with high fructose corn syrup.Corn syrup from the grocery store is sugar that is extracted from corn and processed into a liquid. The more you know...
Raw peanuts. Raw Spanish peanuts with skins on are the nut of choice for traditional peanut brittle recipes because the skins add peanutty flavor. I have also made this recipe with a mixture of dry roasted peanuts, walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pepitas, and almonds, and it turned out great. If you try a different kind of nut, keep an eye (and your nose!) on it to make sure it doesn’t burn.
Baking soda. For best results, make sure your baking soda is fresh. To test it, place a small amount in a bowl and add a little vinegar. If it bubbles and fizzes right away, it's good to go!
Salt (optional). Even though salt is optional, adding a sprinkle of sea salt before the brittle sets adds a nice salty counterpoint to the sweet peanut brittle.
Variations
If you love this easy microwave peanut brittle with raw peanuts recipe, try one of these fun variations!
Spicy Peanut Brittle with sesame seeds, ginger, and red pepper flakes! Click here for the recipe.
Chocolate Peanut Brittle (my favorite!) is rich and chocolatey. You can even dip it in chocolate and decorate it with Christmas sprinkles! Get the recipe right here.
How to Make Microwave Peanut Brittle: Step-by-Step Instructions
Before you start: Have a baking sheet pan ready with parchment paper or foil sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
Step 1: Stir the sugar and corn syrup together in 4-cup or larger Pyrex measuring cup (highly recommend!) or a large microwave-safe bowl. You MUST stir, or it WILL burn. Microwave on high for 4 minutes.
Step 2: Stir in the raw peanuts and microwave on high for 3 ½ minutes.
Stir in the butter and vanilla extract. Careful, it will sputter when you add the vanilla. If the mixture has not yet started to turn golden brown, microwave for up to 1 ½ more minutes or until it begins to turn color.
Step 3: If the mixture has started to turn golden brown, stir in the baking soda. It will turn light and foamy.
Step 4: Pour the peanut brittle mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and spread to your desired thickness. If desired, sprinkle with a little bit of sea salt.
Step 5: Let the peanut brittle cool, then break it into small pieces with your hands or a kitchen mallet.
Step 6: Enjoy! Microwave peanut brittle with raw peanuts makes a great homemade gift, but be sure to save some for yourself.
Expert Tips
- Cooking times may vary depending on the age or wattage of your microwave oven. My fairly new microwave is 1000 watts and makes perfect peanut brittle in 7 ½ minutes. My old microwave needed 1 ½ more minutes. Keep a close eye on it and make sure the peanut mixture is light brown before adding the butter, vanilla, and baking soda.
- Please be careful when dealing with bubbly hot sugar. And it will sputter when you add the vanilla.
- I highly recommend a Pyrex 4-cup measuring cup with a handle that stays cool when making microwave peanut brittle. A microwave-safe bowl will work, but you'll have to use oven mitts.
- Your bowl and spoons will have hardened candy on them. Soak them in hot water for a good long while. If something gets particularly stuck onto your glass measuring cup or bowl, add some water and microwave on high for a few minutes to loosen it up.
FAQs
You can make peanut brittle up to a couple of months in advance. Just keep it stored at room temperature in an air-tight container or plastic zip-top bag to keep it fresh. It is not recommended to store peanut brittle in the refrigerator.
Yes. Place it in an airtight container or storage bag and freeze it for up to 3 months.
If the peanut brittle never hardened to begin with, it’s likely because it didn’t cook long enough.
If your peanut brittle started out crunchy and then became sticky after sitting out, it’s usually because of humidity. Put it back into an airtight container, and it should return to being nice and crunchy again.
Peanut brittle that never hardens up is a result of the sugar mixture not being cooked long enough. Try adding a little more time to your cooking time next time.
Peanut brittle that is too hard has usually been overcooked. So it could be caused by too much time in the microwave or higher wattage of your microwave. Try adjusting the times down.
📖 Recipe
7 ½ Minute Microwave Peanut Brittle
Ingredients
- 1 cup white sugar
- ½ cup light corn syrup
- 1 ½ cups raw Spanish peanuts
- 1 teaspoon butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- sea salt, to taste, optional
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with foil sprayed with no-stick cooking spray or parchment paper.
- Stir the sugar and corn syrup together in a microwave safe bowl. You MUST stir these together or it will burn. Microwave on high for 4 minutes.
- Stir in the raw peanuts and microwave on high for 3 ½ minutes. Stir in the butter and vanilla. Careful, it will bubble a bit when you add the vanilla.
- If the mixture has not yet started to turn golden brown, microwave for up to 1 ½ more minutes, or until it begins to turn color.
- If the mixture has started to turn golden brown, stir in the baking soda. It will turn light and foamy.
- Pour the peanut brittle mixture onto the baking sheet and spread to your desired thickness. If desired, sprinkle with sea salt.
- Once the peanut brittle has cooled, break it into small pieces.
Video
Notes
- Cooking times may vary depending on the age or wattage of your microwave. It takes 7 ½ minutes in my fairly new 1000 watt microwave, but my older one needed 1 ½ more minutes. Keep a close eye on it and make sure the peanut mixture is golden brown before adding the butter, vanilla, and baking soda.
- Please be careful when dealing with bubbly hot sugar. And it will sputter when you add the vanilla.
- I highly recommend a Pyrex 4-cup measuring cup with a handle that stays cool. A microwave-safe bowl will work, but you'll have to use oven mitts.
I’m sure it was operator error. I followed exactly, but my 1100 watt microwave just wouldn’t do the trick for some reason, I dumped it all onto parchment and a cookie sheet and melted it down again until it turned golden. Tasted good, but still was too sticky for my crowns.
Well, shoot. Sounds like it didn't cook long enough if it was still sticky. I would try a little more time next time. Every microwave is different and the times will definitely vary depending on wattage and sometimes even how old your microwave is.
I doubled the recipe in a 16 cup pyrex bowl (I used pot holders to hold it). I had to microwave the mixture another 5 or 6 minutes to get it to begin getting the golden color. I didn't add the peanuts until about the last two minutes (I used dry roasted peanuts). It was a bit hard to pour it out of the dish, and the end product turned out thicker than I expected, but I didn't realize I hadn't spread it out enough.
All in all, it's a good recipe and quick so I will try it again.
Hi, Gail, I'm so glad you enjoy the recipe! I would recommend making it one batch at a time so it's easier to pour and spread before it cools. Also, if you like thinner peanut brittle, try pouring the mixture out onto a warm pan so you can more easily spread it out. Let me know how it goes! Thanks, Cara
I also made a double recipe using Spanish raw peanuts, And I made it in a large Pyrex bowl. I increased The butter to 1 tablespoon per batch. Of course I had to increase the amount of cooking time which I did and I didn't really keep track of it, But I've made it enough times that I know by color and by smell, however I did double check it quickly at the end when I thought it was done with my instant read thermometer looking for at least a 300° temperature which is the hard crack stage, and And it measured just a little over 300°, which is perfect and actually I prefer my peanut brittle a little bit darker in color which is what I ended up with.. I had previously prepared two cooking sheets with a large silpat on each sheet, and using a heavy large stainless steel spoon I spread it out so it's not too thick.
Thank you for this! A true game-changer for my holiday candy making.
I'm so glad, you're very welcome! Cara
Just made this and used praline pecans instead of peanuts (allergies). It was a little scary (when it bubbled up), but just as easy as you say. Thank you for a great recipe!
Hi, Mary, thank you so much for your note, it sounds absolutely delicious with pecans! I'm so glad you enjoyed it and found it easy to make. Thanks, again! Cara
Is there a recipe for soft peanut brittle?
Hi, Jackie! I wish I could help you out with this, but I do not have any recipes for soft peanut brittle. Cara
I use an 8 cup measure. My brittle foams up more than a 4 cup measuring cup will hold.
I make 10 batches of this every Christmas season to include in the treat baskets that my wife gives to family and friends.
Hi, Wayne, Wow, 10 batches, impressive! I bet your friends and family look forward to your yummy treat baskets every year. Thank you for the tip on the 8-cup measure. I've made this many, many times and my 4 cup measure has always worked perfectly, but everyone's microwave is different, so I definitely appreciate you sharing your experience. Happy holidays, Wayne! Cara 🙂
Been making peanut brittle this way for years. People don't believe me when I tell them I made it in a microwave...
Hi, Steven, That's awesome! I know, it's hard to believe something so wonderful can come from the microwave. Peanut brittle is one of those things that seems hard to make, but it really isn't at all! Thanks for your nice note :). Cara
I don't think we'll rest until it's gone. We can't leave it alone because it's delicious!