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It only takes 6 ingredients to make this easy Microwave Peanut Brittle. It’s sweet, salty, crunchy, and a great holiday treat or homemade gift.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients:
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes:
- Baking soda: Adding baking soda to the hot sugar syrup makes lots of tiny air bubbles that give the candy the porous, honeycomb texture it’s famous for.
- Peanuts: I use regular roasted peanuts, but readers have shared they have had better success with raw.
Step-by-step instructions:
- Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat. In a large microwave-safe bowl, stir together the sugar and corn syrup and microwave on HIGH power for 4 minutes.
- Next, using a silicone spatula, stir in the peanuts and microwave on HIGH power until the picture is a light golden brown. Keep your eye on it during this crucial stage. In most microwaves, this could be anywhere between 3 and 5 minutes.
- Then stir in the butter and vanilla and microwave on HIGH until the peanuts are lightly toasted, 1 to 2 minutes longer.
- Stir in the baking soda. The mixture will get very foamy and light in color.
- Quickly pour the hot mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and tilt the pan one way and then the other to let the brittle spread out.
- Let cool for 30 minutes before breaking into pieces.
Recipe tips and variations:
- Yield: This recipe makes about 1 pound of peanut brittle.
- Grease the pan: Butter a baking sheet or line it with parchment so the brittle doesn’t stick.
- Let it flow: Don’t try to spread it with a spatula; just let it flow like lava.
- Clean-up: Spray the bowl and the spoon or spatula with a non-stick cooking spray before you use them. It will make the hot brittle less sticky and make clean-up a little easier.
- Microwaves: Each appliance is a little different and your results may vary.
- Storage: Store covered at room temperature for up to 2 months.
- Chocolate peanut brittle. Sprinkle a layer of semi-sweet chips as soon as you pour the hot brittle onto the pan. Then wait a minute for the chips to melt and gently spread the chocolate over the surface. Amazing!
- Without corn syrup. Unfortunately, there isn’t a good method for microwaving peanut brittle without corn syrup.
Frequently Asked Questions
Adding baking soda when making peanut brittle makes the hot sugar syrup foam, creating lots of tiny air bubbles that give the candy the porous, crispy honeycomb texture it’s known for.
If your peanut brittle is light in color and chewy, it was not cooked long enough. If it is too dark and brittle, it was microwaved too long.
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Microwave Peanut Brittle
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light corn syrup
- 1 cup peanuts
- 1 teaspoon butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda (see note 1)
Instructions
- Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. In a deep microwave-safe bowl, combine sugar and corn syrup. Mix thoroughly and microwave on HIGH for 4 minutes.
- Stir in peanuts and microwave on HIGH until the mixture is light brown, about 3 to 5 minutes longer.
- Stir in butter and vanilla until combined. Microwave on HIGH until peanuts are lightly browned, about 1 to 2 minutes longer.
- Stir in baking soda until mixture is light and foamy. Pour onto prepared pan and cool 30 minutes. Break into pieces to serve and store in an airtight container.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Baking soda: Adding baking soda to the hot sugar syrup makes lots of tiny air bubbles that give the candy the porous, honeycomb texture it’s famous for.
- Yield: This recipe makes about 1 pound of peanut brittle.
- Grease the pan: Butter a baking sheet or line it with parchment so the brittle doesn’t stick.
- Let it flow: Don’t try to spread it with a spatula; just let it flow like lava.
- Clean-up: Spray the bowl and the spoon or spatula with a non-stick spray before you use them. It will make the hot brittle less sticky and make clean up a little easier.
- Microwaves: Each appliance is a little different and your results may vary.
- Storage: Store covered at room temperature for up to 2 months.
- Chocolate peanut brittle. Sprinkle a layer of semi-sweet chips as soon as you pour the hot brittle onto the pan. Then wait a minute for the chips to melt and gently spread the chocolate over the surface. Amazing!
- Without corn syrup. Unfortunately, there isn’t a good method for microwave peanut brittle without corn syrup.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
Works with chopped pecans too, even better!
Since my pecans were already toasted, I added them with the butter and vanilla.
Sounds delicious! Take care! – Meggan
Great! So much easier than in a pot! Important to not try and spread it more thin. Thanks
You’re welcome, Ka! – Meggan
I just made the microwave peanut brittle. Can’t wait to taste it. Super easy and it looks great. Thank you.
Can you double this recipe?
Hi Terri, I haven’t myself, but another reader wrote that they doubled the recipe. I would make sure to keep an eye on the color of the peanuts while microwaving. I hope you love it! – Meggan
Delicious. Every now and then, I overcook a bowl of peanut brittle. I toss it out and make another. It’s me, not the recipe@ eat up!
Amazing! Not normally a fan of microwave cooking… But yummmo!
So glad you enjoyed it, Cindy! Thanks for trusting my recipe! – Meggan