Homemade Hazelnut Praline Recipe starts with just toasted nuts and caramelised sugar, and the ratio you choose determines the flavour, sweetness, and texture of your final praliné. Classic French praline is traditionally made with 50 percent nuts and 50 percent sugar, giving a balanced sweetness and a smooth, easily spreadable consistency.
For hazelnuts, I prefer a 65 percent nuts and 35 percent sugar ratio because I often blend praline with chocolate for mousse cakes (entremets), and too much sugar can quickly overpower the final result. This higher‑nut ratio keeps the hazelnut flavour bold while still providing enough caramelisation for depth and aroma. It’s also slightly sweeter than my almond praline, which contains even less sugar, because hazelnuts pair beautifully with chocolate and benefit from a touch more sweetness. Ultimately, the ratio is flexible, and you can adjust it to suit your taste, your recipe, and how you plan to use the praline.
Before you jump into the method, even though this Homemade Hazelnut Praline Recipe is straightforward, watching the video below can really help. Seeing the caramel cook in real time makes it easier to understand the exact colour you’re aiming for, and the final texture of the praline is much clearer when shown visually. It’s a quick way to build confidence, especially if you’re making praline for the first time.
Easy Homemade Hazelnut Praline Recipe
Ingredients
Hazelnut praline
- 300 g toasted hazelnuts
- 160 g sugar
- 2 g salt flakes
Instructions
Hazelnut praline
- Toast the hazelnuts in an oven preheated to 165°C (fan forced) – 330°F. Spread the hazelnuts in a single layer on a tray and toast for about 15 minutes, or until golden if using peeled nuts, or until the skins loosen and peel off easily. Taste to confirm a deep toasted flavour. Keep the hazelnuts warm at 35-45°C (95-113°F) until blending.
- Make a dry caramel. In a heavy saucepan, caramelise the caster sugar using the dry method. Cook to a medium amber, 175-180°C (347-356°F). Immediately pour onto a silicone mat or baking paper and allow to cool completely.
- Break the caramel. Once fully cooled and hardened, break into small shards.
- Blend into praline paste. Combine the warm hazelnuts, salt flakes and caramel shards in a powerful food processor. Pulse to break down, then blend continuously until smooth and fluid, scraping the bowl as needed. This can take 8-15 minutes depending on your machine.
Video
Why this is an Easy Homemade Hazelnut Praline
Traditional praline is made by cooking sugar into caramel, then adding raw nuts and cooking them together until the nuts are perfectly toasted and coated. This classic method works beautifully, but it can be tricky for beginners because the caramel can darken too fast, the nuts can burn before they toast evenly, and the mixture becomes extremely hot and sticky to handle.
Using a simpler approach makes this Homemade Hazelnut Praline far more accessible: toast the nuts separately, then prepare the caramel on its own. This gives you full control over both steps, reduces the risk of burning, and makes the entire process safer and more predictable, especially if you’re making praline for the first time. It’s an easy, convenient method that still delivers the same deep flavour and glossy, smooth praliné you expect from classic French pastry.
HAZELNUT PRALINE VS HAZELNUT PASTE VS HAZELNUT SPREAD
Hazelnut praline in its classic form contains 50% toasted nuts and 50% caramelized sugar. Toasting develops the nut flavour, while caramelization creates the characteristic deep taste and colour. The combination produces praline’s distinctive profile. Praline can also be made at home with a food processor.
Hazelnut paste usually refers to 100% hazelnut butter, similar to peanut butter. It may be made from raw or toasted nuts – choose toasted for a fuller flavour. It contains no added oil and is intensely aromatic. Like praline, it can be prepared at home with a powerful food processor capable of producing a smooth paste.
Hazelnut spread is widely available in supermarkets under many brands. These spreads typically contain mostly sugar and oil, with hazelnuts comprising only about 10-13%. Substituting praline with hazelnut spread will result in a noticeably different flavour, sweetness level, and texture.
COMMERCIAL PRALINE VS HOMEMADE PRALINE
Professional praline and paste often taste different from homemade versions. High-quality commercial praline is produced using a melanger – a stone grinder with rotating granite rollers that refine the mixture for hours. This process reduces particle size to microscopic levels, creating a smoother texture and deeper flavour development than most domestic equipment can achieve.
Other Praline Variations You Can Explore
Hazelnut praliné is just one option, and once you understand the method, you can adapt this Homemade Hazelnut Praline Recipe to many different nuts and seeds. Each version brings its own flavour profile and works beautifully in pastry, spreads, and fillings.
If you prefer something more delicate and less sweet, almond praline paste offers a softer, creamier texture with a naturally mild flavour, ideal for mousses, frangipane, and entremet layers. Once you’re comfortable with the technique, you can experiment with different ratios and nuts to create your own custom praline blends.
Craving more behind-the-scenes moments, step-by-step videos, and sneak peeks of upcoming recipes? Join me on Instagram @andbonbons for a closer look at the process, pastry tips, and plenty of chocolate inspiration.