The idea for this brittle came to me one night when I was about to drift off to sleep (as many ideas do). I dreamt of a brittled almond cookie with serious crunch, so we started there. But after a few failed attempts we stopped trying to separate them into clumps and just made almond brittle on a baking sheet, and it was the best, happiest semi-accidental decision ever!
What’s it like? This is like grown-up peanut brittle but with wholesome almonds, natural sweeteners, and no butter in sight. Plus, no candy thermometer needed (why are those things so scary?) and just 4 ingredients and 30 minutes required! Let us show you how it’s done.
What is Brittle?
Brittle is a sweet, crunchy candy studded with nuts, with peanut brittle being the most common type in the United States. It’s usually made by heating water and sugar (often corn syrup) until caramelized, then mixing in nuts, pouring it onto a flat surface, cooling, and cracking the candy into uneven pieces. Many similar treats exist around the world, including croquant in France, kotkoti in Bangladesh, and gozinaki in Georgia (source).
The following recipe is adapted from peanut brittle but is easier to make, swaps the peanuts out in favor of almonds, and skips the corn syrup and butter, keeping it dairy-free and naturally sweetened!
How to Make Almond Brittle
This incredibly simple, 4-ingredient recipe starts with melting coconut oil, maple syrup, and coconut sugar in a saucepan (similar to the method used in our Quinoa Brittle).
Then we add slivered almonds and an optional pinch of salt and give it a stir!
Next we transfer the mixture to a baking sheet (parchment-lined for easy cleanup!), spread it into an even layer, and bake it in the oven.
When it comes out of the oven, the brittle is golden brown with a lacy mixture connecting the almonds.
After it’s fully cooled, you’ll be able to break it into bite-sized pieces for enjoying right away or saving for later (we double dog dare you to try).
We hope you LOVE this almond brittle! It’s:
Crunchy
Sweet
Quick & easy
Seriously snack-able
Perfect for the holidays
& SO delicious!
Make a batch to gift to family and friends or enjoy as a sweet treat for yourself this holiday season and beyond!
More Giftable Sweet Treats
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Easy Almond Brittle (4 Ingredients!)
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp coconut oil
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 2 Tbsp coconut sugar
- 1 ½ cups blanched slivered almonds (or sub cashew halves, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, or sesame seeds)
- 1 healthy pinch sea salt (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (162 C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper, ensuring it covers the entire surface and all the edges (to prevent spillover).
- To a small saucepan, add coconut oil, maple syrup, and coconut sugar. Warm over medium-low heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until there is no visible separation and the coconut sugar has dissolved.
- Remove the pan from the heat and stir in almonds and salt (optional) until evenly coated.
- Pour mixture onto the parchment-lined baking sheet and spread into an even layer with a metal or wooden spoon. Try to get it as even as possible, or the edges will burn and the center won’t crisp up as it should (see photo).
- Bake for 15 minutes, then turn the pan around to ensure even browning. Bake 5-10 minutes more and watch carefully to prevent burning. You'll know it's done when it’s uniformly golden brown in color and very fragrant. The edges may appear to be getting too brown, but they’re just getting crisp and caramelized, so don’t be afraid of that! If you don’t bake it long enough, it will end up chewy instead of crunchy.
- Let cool completely before breaking into bite-size pieces with a sharp knife or by hand.
- Once completely cooled, store leftovers in a sealed bag or container at room temperature for 1 week or in the freezer for up to 1 month. This makes an excellent holiday dessert or gift!
Fatima says
Hi there :) do you have a substitute for the maple syrup? Thanks for all of your awesome recipes ♥️
Hi Fatima, we haven’t tried this with other liquid sweeteners but it’s possible that agave nectar or honey would work. Possibly more coconut sugar would also work, but we aren’t sure. Let us know how it goes!
Alexis says
I made this today. It was excellent! I personally liked it both chewy and hard. A tip for those folks who find it too chewy just throw it in the freezer for a few minutes I think I did 15 to 20 minutes and it hardened very quickly and nicely. I also substituted brown sugar instead of the coconut sugar and it tasted just marvelous. Hope this helps! Thanks for an excellent recipe as usual you are a lifesaver to this absolutely exhausted professional and home cook 🥹
Amazing! Thank you so much for sharing, Alexis! xo
The Vegan Goddess says
I made this tonight and it’s AMAZING!
At first I used a larger baking sheet and didn’t think it would spread the full width so I switched to a smaller sheet and worked it until it filled out.
It came out browned and bubbly, and I hoped that it would harden up enough as it cooled and was pleased that it turned out perfect. Sprinkling salt on top would bring it up another level.
It’s addictive and something to add to the rotation list. Thank you for another great recipe.
Yay! So glad you enjoyed. Thanks so much for the lovely review!
Elaine says
I have made this twice…first time it almost burned but ate it anyway….second time it was just a bit chewy but still yummy! My question is…..If I were to use a coconut sugar syrup in place of the maple syrup, would it work and what proportion of sugar to water would I use to make it? Say I wanted to mix ccnut sugar and water, simmer it a little to make about a pint or quart of syrup then use that to measure out and replace the maple syrup…what would the recipe be? Maple syrup is soooo expensive. I don’t think it would hurt the flavor that much. I hope you can help with this. Thanks for all your great recipes.
Hi Elaine, thank you for sharing your experience! Hm, we’re not sure how it would turn out as we haven’t experimented with making a coconut sugar syrup. We think the thickness might be different though and possibly make it have trouble crisping up.
Stacey says
Hi, this recipe look amazing. I can’t seem to find coconut sugar unfortunately. Can l use something else instead. Thanks
Hi Stacey, brown sugar should work! Hope that helps!
Kortneii MacKenzie says
I made this tonight! 2 batches! Turned out pretty perfect except some of the edges are slightly over done. I will eat them still. Haha I used a 18×12 pan. The mixture didn’t fill the pan to begin with but spread out to almost fill the pan by the end. Holiday delish! Thank you. Fyi. I used slivered almonds (not blanched) worked just fine.
Thank you for sharing your experience, Kortneii! xo
Samantha says
Is it still supposed to be a bit bubbly when you remove it from the oven?
That’s normal! Hope you love it, Samantha! xo
Samantha says
It was a huge success! I didn’t have slivered almonds, so I subbed a mix of cashews, pepitas, sunflower seeds, and a handful of whole almonds. It looks lovely and festive and tastes delicious! Can’t wait to share with my neighbors. Thank you for the recipe!
So great to hear, Samantha! Thank you so much for sharing! xo
Sabrina says
This was really easy to make. I baked mine at 325 but it already got a bit burnt by 10 mins so I think next time I will try at 300. It was still good though and I will definitely make again since it is so easy.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Sabrina! Thank you for sharing your experience! If you’re using a gas oven, that could be the issue. Either way, reducing the temp and making sure to bake on the center rack should help!
Carol says
Hello!
I just made this recipe. It turned out well and tastes great but it is very oily, messy to hold. Could the coconut oil be reduced and have it still turn out? Also, when you measured the coconut oil did you measure it as a solid or melted?
Thank you,
Carol
Hi Carol, we measured it before melting, but it shouldn’t make much difference. We think reducing the coconut oil would make it not spread much and therefore be chewy vs. crunchy. Hope that helps!
Delena says
Turned out delicious, I’m about to make a second batch! I was needing something to give as gifts to my friends and this is perfect. Easy to make, looks beautiful, and taste AMAZING! I added chunky sea salt at the end to give it that ‘salted caramel’ taste. Thank you!
Woohoo! Sounds lovely. Thanks so much for the review, Delena!
Piper says
Made this tonight, it tastes delicious, but unfortunately it did not crisp up for me. Turned out more like a caramel with almonds. We are at high altitude so maybe that is the culprit?
Hmm, that’s interesting! It could make a difference, it depends on how high up you live! Sometimes it’s suggested to increase your oven temperature by 25 degrees at elevation, or perhaps just leave it in longer? Did you happen to make any modifications to the ingredients?
Julie says
I’m trying this recipe for the first time and wanted to make 2 batches. My first batch is in the oven and I followed the recipe exactly, although I couldn’t get it to spread all the way across the baking sheet.
Question- I’m all out of real maple syrup- could agave syrup work instead? Thanks in advance!
Hi Julie, is it possible you’re using an extra large baking sheet? We haven’t tested with agave, but think it might not crisp up the same. Let us know if you try it!
Joanna Randolph says
I love the flavor! I made my first batch with cashews but I think I must have used way too much coconut oil, as my was oily & (no problem for me, but) never got hard, it was more like toffee but yummmm none the less!
Interesting! Thanks for sharing, Joanna. So glad you enjoyed!
Windy says
What size baking sheet did you use? I made this on what I would call a standard sheet, however it was challenging to get it to spread the entire sheet? It stilled turned out delicious. I want to make it again and just making sure I’m doing it correctly.
Thx
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Windy! Thank you for sharing your experience! We used a 26 x 18 inch baking sheet.
Tonia Davidson says
I just made this and love it. However, part of it is sticking to the parchment paper. I was only able to recover half of the batch. Any suggestions on how to prevent this? I would love to make this again.
Hi Tonia, we’re so glad you enjoy the flavor, but bummer on the sticking! What brand of parchment paper are you using? To confirm- it’s parchment and not wax paper? We use If You Care brand parchment and find it doesn’t cause any issues with sticking!
Holly says
Are you using or recommending refined coconut oil or virgin? I always wonder why some recipe writers don’t specify because there’s a huge difference in the two flavor wise in a recipe. I’m guessing refined here but not sure. Thanks in advance – this looks so good!
Hi Holly, Either works here! We used virgin coconut oil, but you can use refined if you don’t love the taste of coconut.
Emily Cooke says
Hi! I was wondering if you tried this with chopped up almonds (not balanced and slivered) and why you use blanched and slivered?
Thanks:)
Hi Emily, we like the crunchiness and ease of blanched slivered almonds, but haven’t tried with chopped. It should work!
Kat says
“Not cooking enough makes it chewy and not crunchy.”
Good chewy?
Or bad chewy? (Like stick to your teeth and jaw?)
Crunchy enough for everyone else cuts my gums, I like my crunchy a little chewy…
:)
Like stick to your teeth chewy. This brittle isn’t as hard as your standard peanut brittle, so it may be okay for you!
Kat says
Thank you. :)
I can’t use maple syrup, (or honey, or agave, due to family allergies), so hopefully I can find my recipe for flax brittle and adjust it to your recipe and come out with something good, lol! :)
And mix it with the quinoa recipe…
I don’t have sprouted quinoa, is that ok?
A little worried about it being real hard.
Ah, got it! Regular quinoa is fine too.
Bonnie Gladish says
Hi
Can you substitute the coconut oil with something else?
Hi Bonnie, perhaps vegan butter (or dairy butter if not vegan/dairy-free)? But we haven’t tried it so can’t guarantee it will work. Let us know if you try it!
Bonnie Gladish says
Thank you. I will. My son is allergic to coconut but this recipe sounds so good.
Melisha says
What would you substitute for coconut oil and sugar?
Hi Melisha, perhaps brown sugar for the coconut sugar and vegan butter (or dairy butter if not vegan/dairy-free) for the coconut oil? We haven’t tried it though so can’t guarantee the result! Let us know if you try it!
Dalarama says
Looks amazing! Do you think this could work with peanuts?
Yes!
Amy says
If I substituted cashews, would raw be okay?
We think that would be delicious! Let us know if you try it!
Laura says
Absolutely amazing! Thank you very much. Used cashews lovely. I wouldn’t change a thing but the nuts what you have on hand😊
Ooo yay! So glad this worked with cashews. Thanks so much for the lovely review, Laura!
Anja says
Can I use something else instead of maple sirup – i don´t like the idea of drilling into tree strunks … the rest seems to be delicious :-)
Hi Anja, honey might work, but we haven’t tried it. Let us know if you do!
Jenn says
Can white sugar or raw sugar be substituted for the coconut sugar? I’m not sure I can source coconut sugar.
Hi Jenn, we think that should be fine, but haven’t tried it ourselves. Let us know how it goes!
Kim says
I just made this (RIGHT after you released it on YouTube) and it is DELICIOUS!! Thank you so much for such a wholesome and tasty recipe. I’m getting ready to put a second batch in the oven – this time cashew, and then pecan. And I’m DEFINITELY going to try the quinoa version. Thanks again!! And Merry Christmas!!
AMAZING! We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Kim! Thank you for the lovely review and Merry Christmas! xo
Aimee says
Could I sub regular white or brown sugar for the coconut sugar?
That should be fine. We’d suggest brown sugar for best flavor.