Quick and Easy Quinoa Peanut Brittle

Make this easy homemade Quinoa Peanut Brittle in less than 30 minutes for a crunchy sweet treat that’s doesn’t contain any refined sugars, butter or corn syrup!

Growing up, I used to LOVE peanut brittle.  The combination of the buttery sweet crunch with the salted peanuts was just so addicting.  No wonder, looking back — it was filled with sugar and butter.  Of course I loved it!

Nowadays, I can’t really get away with eating a ton of butter and corn syrup in my sweet treats.  Lucky for us, it’s shockingly easy to still enjoy the foods we love without sacrificing our healthy eating goals.

I present: Quinoa Peanut Brittle.  I’m happy to inform you this healthy peanut brittle is crunchy, chewy, filled with peanuts, sweet, and slightly salty.  Yep, all the goodness of your traditional peanut brittle, but with some upgrades.

This homemade quinoa brittle has a higher protein, fiber, and healthy fat contents than the original, thanks to the addition of quinoa, chia seeds, and rolled oats. I gotta admit I’m very proud of myself for managing to make peanut butter brittle healthy.

HOW TO MAKE QUINOA PEANUT BRITTLE

What I love the most about this healthy peanut brittle recipe is that it’s so yummy. When it comes to holiday desserts, this quinoa dessert definitely makes the cut. But I also love the fact that it’s so easy to make.

Here’s how to make quinoa peanut brittle:

1. preheat the oven to 325 degrees F;
2. line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper;
3. combine uncooked quinoa, uncooked rolled oats, raw peanuts, coconut sugar (more about this later), chia seeds, and sea salt in a mixing bowl;
4. add coconut oil, pure maple syrup, and vanilla extract and stir until everything is mixed;
5. transfer the quinoa brittle mixture to the baking sheet and spread it into an even layer;
6. bake for 12-15 minutes;
7. let the peanut brittle cool completely;
8. break the healthy peanut brittle into bite-size pieces with your hands.

WHAT TO SUBSTITUTE FOR CORN SYRUP IN BRITTLE

There are many dangers of regularly eating high fructose corn syrup, including significant health problems, such as diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and weight gain.  Does this mean we can’t enjoy peanut brittle ever again?  Nope!  The good news is that it’s totally possible to make peanut brittle without corn syrup.

Substitute a combination of pure maple syrup and coconut sugar for corn syrup like I do to make a healthy peanut brittle. This combination will work well to sweeten the quinoa brittle.  Both pure maple syrup and coconut sugar are healthier sweeteners that don’t shock your body in the same way.  You can read more about these added sweeteners here, if you’re interested.

And, if you’re wondering what is coconut sugar, I think you will be happy to find out that it’s a low glycemic sugar alternative that also has some amazing health benefits.

The great news is this quinoa peanut brittle is still quite sweet, despite not having any corn syrup, which is exactly what you want from a holiday dessert.

HOW TO KEEP PEANUT BRITTLE FROM GETTING STICKY

Peanut butter brittle and humidity do not get along. You can check the weather broadcast to see the humidity forecast in your region and only make peanut brittle when the humidity allows you to OR you can learn how to keep peanut brittle from getting sticky and make it any time you want.

I bet you like the idea of learning how to keep peanut brittle from getting sticky more so here are some useful tips:

• Use a candy thermometer to check the temperature of the brittle during cooking. You want the brittle to have the perfect crispy texture, not a sticky texture but you don’t want to burn it either so, when the quinoa brittle reaches 305 degrees F, you can remove it from the oven.
• Speed up the cooling process. You can do this by putting a cookie sheet in the freezer to make it cold and use it for cooling the quinoa peanut brittle. Speeding up the cooling process makes for crispier peanut brittle.
• Store the peanut brittle properly. I’ll tell you how in just a minute.

HOW MANY CALORIE ARE IN QUINOA PEANUT BRITTLE?

Peanut brittle calories… now, this is something that you might be afraid to check because, let’s face it, it’s pretty clear that a classic peanut brittle made with corn syrup and butter doesn’t make a low-calorie treat. And you are correct. One serving of normal peanut brittle = around 486 calories.  WOWZA that's a lot.

My healthy peanut brittle, on the other hand, is only 123 calories per serving.

Isn’t it amazing when you can make a delicious treat that’s low in calories but also sweet and yummy?

I think it is!

HOW TO STORE QUINOA PEANUT BRITTLE

Adding moisture will soften peanut brittle and take away its crunch, so always store it in a completely dry, air-tight container. Any sealable plastic container, glass jar with a tight-fitting lid or plastic bag will work.

I also recommend that you use wax paper or parchment paper to separate the layers of the quinoa peanut brittle. Remember to leave a small gap in between the pieces in each layer to keep the pieces from sticking together.

• Store the sealed container in a cool, dark and dry location to preserve its crunch for up to 1 month.  It’s best not to store the quinoa peanut brittle in the refrigerator because the humidity will make it become more chewy than crunchy.
• If you have to store it in the fridge (which is a great way to store it), make sure to keep it in a sealed plastic bag to protect against the moisture inside the fridge.
• In fact, I like my brittle to be super crunchy so I actually store my brittle in the freezer.  I use a freezer-safe container and keep it as a cold, crunchy sweet treat.  It will store in the freezer for up to 2 months.

3 MORE HOLIDAY DESSERT RECIPES

With the holiday season is upon us, I’m pretty sure you’re looking for easy to make and yummy holiday desserts that will be loved and enjoyed by your entire family. I have 3 more delicious options coming your way right now.

EGGNOG ICE CREAM

Easy to make, healthy, and totes amazing Eggnog Ice Cream is the first holiday dessert I want you to try this season.

This eggnog ice cream is not only season-appropriate but also thick, dreamy, made with only 6 ingredients that you probably already have, and delicious. Get the recipe.

PEPPERMINT BARK

Making homemade Peppermint Bark is super, mega easy. And a great refreshing treat to have around the house during this time of the year.

Made with dark chocolate, white chocolate, crushed peppermint, and peppermint extract, this Peppermint Bark is totes amazing. Get the recipe.

GINGERBREAD WHOOPIE PIES THAT ARE DAIRY-FREE!

Last holiday dessert recommendation of the day is this Gingerbread Whoopie Pies That are Dairy-Free!  Making gingerbread treats around this time of year is definitely a must.

Delicious, easy to make, non-dairy which means no butter and no cream cheese which also means healthy whoopie pies. Hooray. Get the recipe.

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