Cashew Brittle with Sea Salt

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This cashew brittle is the perfect sweet treat to keep in your pantry, or even to gift to loved ones around the holidays. All you need are a few simple ingredients for the sweet mixture – and cashews of course! Enjoy this crunchy and addicting candy!

cashew brittle broken into a few individual pieces and placed in a small white bowl on top of a pink surface with a poinsetta in the background

Why I Love This Cashew Brittle Recipe

I enjoy making things that I – and my loved ones – enjoy, and my family tends to like cashews more than peanuts! I was happy to make this variation of peanut brittle with our favorite nut, especially because it brings a smile to my dad’s face.

When our family experienced the hardship of losing my mother, I made this recipe for my dad to give him a little burst of light in the darkness. I think that’s a lesson we can all glean from this brittle – sometimes small acts of kindness are the most important!

This brittle recipe is also so easy to make! You can whip up this yummy candy really quickly and then have it on hand to munch on for weeks to come. You can add in a variety of your favorite nuts too – let me know how you like it!

Key Ingredients to Make This Recipe

All you need for this recipe is the sugar mixture and cashews! For the cashews, you can use a combination of chopped, crushed, and whole cashews for a variation of texture. It’s up to you!

As for the sugar mixture that you will combine with the cashews, you’ll need sugar, light corn syrup, water, butter, vanilla, and baking soda.

Sea salt is optional to sprinkle on the top when you’re done. It adds that delicious salty sweet flavor we all crave.

How To Make Cashew Brittle

Step 1: Prep

Butter a rimmed baking sheet and a rubber spatula and set them aside for later.

Step 2: Measure

Measure all of your ingredients out so they’re ready to go. This is also known as mise en place!

Step 3: Make Sugar Mixture

In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, corn syrup, water, and butter. Cook these ingredients together over medium-high heat while stirring until the mixture starts to boil. Clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pan and continue to boil and stir occasionally until the thermometer reads 315 degrees F.

Step 4: Add Cashews

Remove the sugar mixture from the heat and add in the cashews. Stir them together.

Step 5: Spread on Pan

Add in the baking soda and vanilla and quickly stir them into the mixture. Immediately pour the brittle onto the prepared pan and quickly spread it out with the buttered rubber spatula. Sprinkle some sea salt on top.

Step 6: Cool

Let the brittle cool completely before breaking it into smaller pieces. Store it in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

cashew brittle in a parchment lined bowl on the top left corner of the photo with different sized pieces of the brittle scattered on a grey surface

FAQs

What can I do with broken cashews?

Make cashew brittle of course! But you can also use them as a mix-in for your homemade granola, or even granola bars. Cashews are also a great topping for an ice cream sundae!

What’s the difference between brittle and toffee?

The difference between brittle and toffee comes down to the amount of sugar. Brittle tends to be thinner, crunchier, and sweeter. Toffee, on the other hand, has more butter and milk so it’s a chewier creamy flavor.

How do I store cashew brittle?

You can store your cashew brittle at room temperature in an airtight container. Don’t refrigerate it or the moisture will start to leach out.

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