Microwave peanut brittle is an easy 15 minute candy recipe perfect for the holidays. It’s a family favorite sweet at every Christmas!
Easy Homemade Peanut Brittle Recipe
This Microwave Peanut Brittle recipe has been a family favorite for as long as I can remember. My mom makes it every single Christmas and everyone always loves it. It has a light melt in your mouth texture with a sweet and salty flavor that is to die for!
Whether you are making a batch to share with your family at the holidays or looking for an easy homemade gift idea, this microwave peanut brittle is perfection.
Peanut Brittle in the Microwave
I had been telling my mom that she needed to get a new microwave since I was a teenager. It took FOREVER to heat things up. I knew it was old and loosing power but she wouldn’t hear it.
Needless to say, 10 years later when she finally moved to a new home and tried to make her microwave peanut brittle recipe in her new microwave it burnt! The cook time was far too much in a fully powered microwave. HAHA!
The old microwave happened to be located in our basement yet seeing we are the ones who bought their old house. After her first failed attempt, she immediately requested her old microwave back. She could gladly have it.
Now every Christmas season, my Dad has to haul the old microwave upstairs from the basement storage room just so Mom can make her amazing Microwave Peanut Brittle!
Microwave wattage for Peanut Brittle
So this presents an issue that is common with making any sort of desserts in the microwave. Whether you are whipping up a batch of Microwave Caramel Corn or Snack Mix, it is important to have a grasp on the power of your small appliance.
The cooking times for this Microwave Peanut Brittle Recipe are for a 1,000 watt microwave.
If your microwave has a different wattage, keep a close eye and nose during the final steps of cooking. It may take you one or two tries to perfect it depending on the wattage and age of your microwave. As microwaves get older, they tend to loose power.
But once you get the recipe down, tuck it away in a special cookbook and keep it for the life of your microwave, because its that amazing! I promise you it is worth the potential failed attempt, because once you master the cooking times of your microwave, it is such an easy recipe that you can crank out batch after batch with ease.
This may all sound overwhelming, but it really is such an easy recipe. The effort doen’t even compare to how much work it is to make peanut brittle on the stove with a candy thermometer.
How to Make Peanut Brittle in the Microwave
After testing this Microwave Peanut Brittle recipe for my new KitchenAid 1,000 watt microwave multiple times, I am excited to share it with you!
Everything comes together in a glass casserole or mixing bowl. The first step is to stir the corn syrup and granulated sugar together and microwave for 3.5 minutes. Next, stir in peanuts and microwave for 3 more minutes, until light brown. Add the butter and vanilla to mixture and stir until well combined. Microwave for an additional 1.5 minutes.
How do you make Peanut Brittle
You will need to work quickly for the next step, so be sure to have your buttered baking sheet already to go. Add the baking soda to the mixture and gently stir until light and foamy. Do NOT over stir. Only stir enough to mix in the baking soda in, in more of a folding motion.
The baking soda adds air to the mixture, which creates more of that melt in your mouth texture. If you stir too hard or too much, it will break down the air bubbles and the brittle will be thin and hard.
Quickly pour the foamy mixture onto the greased cookie sheet. Do NOT use a spoon to spread the mixture around. Instead, gently rotate the pan to spread the mixture around until it is about 1/2 inch thick.
Let the peanut brittle cool for 1/2 hour. When it is cooled, break the candy into small pieces and store in air-tight container.
Peanut Brittle Candy
I remember the stress of first time I made microwave peanut brittle myself very well. Not only was I worried it wouldn’t turn out like Mom’s, but I stared at the bowl with crusted on caramelized sugar when I was all done and thought “Oh crap, I am never going to get this clean!”
The good news is that you just need to soak your glass bowl with soap and water and it all comes off super easy. Just be sure not to add cold water to a hot glass bowl or you will have broken glass!
More delicious holiday sweets!
If you are looking for more great treats for the holidays, check out some of these fantastic dessert recipes!
- Peppermint Chocolate Candy Cane Cupcakes
- Eggnog Fudge
- Cranberry Orange Custard Pie
- Salted Dark Chocolate Pomegranate Tart
Microwave Peanut Brittle
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light corn syrup + 2 Tbsp
- 1 1/4 cup roasted salted peanuts
- 1 1/2 tsp. butter
- 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 tsp. baking soda
Instructions
- In a glass 1.5 qt casserole or mixing bowl, stir the corn syrup and granulated sugar together and microwave for 3.5 minutes. Stir in the peanuts and microwave for 3 more minutes until light brown. Add the butter and vanilla to the mixture and stir until well combined. Microwave for an additional 1.5 minutes.
- You will need to work quickly for the next step, so be sure to have your buttered cookie sheet ready to go. Add the baking soda to the mixture and gently stir until light and foamy. Quickly pour the foamy mixture onto the greased cookie sheet.
- Do NOT use a spoon to spread the mixture around. Instead, gently rotate the pan to spread the mixture around until it is about 1/2 inch thick. Work quickly, because it will began hardening very fast.
- Let the peanut brittle cool for at least 1/2 hour or until it is hard and smooth to the touch. When it is cooled, break the candy into small pieces and store in an air-tight container.
Bruce A Brandon says
has anyone tried dark corn syrup & what happened ?did the flavor change ? I
Veronica Snipes says
Does anyone have an idea on how long this would be in a 700 watt microwave
Cristy says
Thank you for this awesome recipe!! I have a 1500 watt microwave so I experimented with lowering the times and wound up using the following cook times: 2 minutes 45 seconds to cook the sugar and syrup, added peanuts and cooked 2 minutes, added butter and vanilla and cooked 1 minute 10 seconds! I made three batches back to back and each one came out perfectly with these cook times!
This will be my go-to recipe year round!! Thank you for sharing!!
Danielle Green says
Thanks so much for sharing what worked for you and glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Cristy says
I have a 1500 watt microwave, any suggestions on what I should lower the cook times to?
Danielle Green says
Someone in the comments said this worked for them : ” 2 minutes 45 seconds to cook the sugar and syrup, added peanuts and cooked 2 minutes, added butter and vanilla and cooked 1 minute 10 seconds! “
Heidi Park says
OK. A few questions. It says one and a half teaspoons of butter. Is it supposed to be one and a half sticks? Also, is this recipe able to be doubled? If so, are there any changes to the recipe cooking times?
Danielle Green says
Not sticks, it is teaspoons, so essentially a half tablespoon. I find it best to make separate batches myself.
Pam Stokes says
I have been making this peanut brittle for years. EVERYONE loves it and wants it!! Here is a secret I would like to share – only use a wooden spoon! The first time I made it I used a spatchula and after I stirred the peanuts, I only had a handle left (oops). Here is a tip that is great! Just before you pour the baking soda in, I put red or green food color in. Makes for a festive treat around Christmas time.
Danielle Green says
Great point about the spoon! We always use a wooden spoon, but I can imagine a rubber spatula being a problem.