Praline Paste (French Praliné)

How to make praline paste with this easy recipe made with roasted hazelnuts and almonds, this delicious and creamy paste is amazing for flavoring all your fillings and pastry preparations.

Jump to:

• What is praliné?
• Why you'll love this recipe
• More Pastry Fillings
• Ingredients you need
• How to make hazelnut praline paste
• Storage instructions
• Pro tips for this recipe
• Recipe Variations
• FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions?
• Praline Paste

What is praliné?

The French praline paste (praliné) is a creamy and delicious preparation widely used in French desserts and worldwide to flavor and add fragrance to cakes, fillings, and pastries recipes.

Composed mainly of half hazelnuts and half almonds that are roasted in the oven to bring out all their flavor before being caramelized in sugar syrup and then blended in a powerful food processor until a very concentrated and smooth paste.

Why you'll love this recipe

In French pastry, we use the almond and hazelnut praline paste to flavor the fillings of pastries like in this chocolate Royal cake, in the famous Paris-brest, or to flavor the chocolate feuilletine crunch.

You can easily buy it ready-made in the shops, but a homemade praline paste recipe is much tastier and is perfect to flavor a buttercream, a chocolate ganache, a sponge cake, a pastry cream to fill choux pastry, or macarons.

More Pastry Fillings

Ingredients you need

*You will find the quantities and complete instructions in the recipe card at the end of the page.

• Nuts: Usually a mixture of raw hazelnuts and raw almonds to make the classic recipe, but you can easily replace them with other nuts such as pecans.
• Sugar syrup: a mixture of water and white granulated sugar used to make sugar syrup for caramelizing nuts. Do not replace white sugar with brown sugar or other sugar such as coconut sugar.

How to make hazelnut praline paste

Roast nuts

• Place raw almonds, and raw hazelnuts  (whole or crushed nuts) with skin on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Heat in a preheated oven at 300°F / 150°C for about 15 to 20 minutes. They will turn to a darker color and the skin will start to peel off and you will also smell the delicious roasted nuts.
• Let the toasted hazelnuts and toasted almonds cool for about 5-10 minutes, then rub them in a clean kitchen towel to remove some of the loose skin.

Make the sugar syrup

• Place the water and sugar in a saucepan and heat over medium heat until the sugar melts while checking the temperature with a cooking thermometer, which should reach about 240°F / 116°C.

Notes: In some praline recipes caramelized sugar is made in which the nuts are added, but in this French recipe which is faster syrup is made by mixing water and white sugar which is much faster than reducing sugar to caramel.

Caramelize the nuts

• Place roasted hazelnuts and almonds into the saucepan containing the sugar syrup.
• Heat the mixture over medium-high heat for about 20 minutes while stirring with a wooden spatula from time to time.
• The mixture will first crystallize and give a white coating on your nuts.
• Continue cooking until the sugar is completely dissolved and you have a brown mixture of caramelized almonds and caramelized hazelnuts. 
• Immediately remove the mixture to a piece of parchment paper, as it cools the nuts will harden.

Mix the preparation

• Start by placing a small amount of caramelized nuts in your blender or food processor and blend at high speed until you obtain first a nut meal, then add the rest and blend again.
• Blend on high speed in 2-minute increments to avoid overheating the mixture until you have a smooth, homogeneous and thick paste.
• Pour your almond and hazelnut paste into a jar with a tight-fitting lid.

How to use homemade hazelnut praline

The praliné has a very strong taste of grilled hazelnuts and it is a delight in the mouth, we could eat it on a slice of bread so delicious, here are some recipe ideas:

• Crêpes or Pancakes: Filling crêpes or pancakes with hazelnut praline paste can add a nutty, sweet twist to these breakfast favorites.
• Tarts and Tartlets: Using praline paste as a layer or filling in tarts and tartlets can enhance their flavor profile, especially in fruit or chocolate tarts.
• Brioche or Babka: Incorporating praline paste into brioche dough, similar to a babka, can create a luxurious and indulgent bread, perfect for a special brunch or treat.
• Praline-Flavored Chocolate Ganache: Mixing praline paste into chocolate ganache can add depth and nuttiness, ideal for cake fillings or truffle centers.
• Cookies: Flavoring chocolate chip cookies or sugar cookies with a hint of praline paste can give them an unexpected and delightful twist.
• Cake Roll: Including praline paste in a cake roll, such as a chocolate hazelnut yule log, can elevate this classic dessert with rich, nutty layers.
• Vanilla Ice Cream: Swirling praline paste into homemade vanilla ice cream can create a luxurious dessert with contrasting textures and flavors.

Storage instructions

Room temperature: Place in a clean jar with a lid or in an airtight container, you can keep this praline paste for several months in a dry place.

Reduce sugar: You can reduce the sugar in this recipe by half to make it less sweet.

Chunky spread: To have a less creamy spread with more chunks, just stop mixing a little before the desired texture.

Pro tips for this recipe

• Select Quality Nuts: Choose high-quality almonds or hazelnuts for traditional praline paste. Freshness is key for flavor.
• Roast Nuts for Enhanced Flavor: Roasting the nuts before caramelizing enhances their flavor. Roast them in the oven at a moderate temperature until lightly browned.
• Consistent Nut Coating: After adding the nuts to the caramel, stir quickly and thoroughly to ensure an even coating.
• Cooling Process: Spread the caramelized nuts onto parchment paper or a silicone mat to cool. They should be in a single layer for even cooling.
• Grinding to Paste: Once cooled, break the nuts into smaller pieces and grind them in a food processor. Be patient, as it takes time to go from coarsely ground to a smooth paste.

Recipe Variations

• Chocolate Praline Paste: By blending melted chocolate into praline paste, you can create a rich and creamy hazelnut chocolate spread, perfect for toast, pastries, or as dessert topping.
• Spiced Praline Paste: Adding ground spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, or a pumpkin spice blend can infuse the praline paste with warm, aromatic flavors, ideal for fall and winter desserts.
• Pecan Praline Paste: Substitute hazelnuts with pecans to make a pecan praline paste, offering a different nutty flavor profile that's particularly popular in Southern cuisine.
• Salted Praline Paste: A pinch of sea salt can enhance the flavors of praline paste, adding a savory note that contrasts with its natural sweetness.
• Vanilla Praline Paste: Incorporate vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste for a subtle, fragrant twist that pairs well with many desserts.
• Coffee-Flavored Praline Paste: Mix in finely ground coffee or espresso powder to create a coffee-flavored praline paste, offering a rich and aromatic taste.

FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions?

Can You use other nuts in place of hazelnuts?

Yes, you can use other nuts like almonds, pecans, or walnuts in place of hazelnuts to make praline paste.

Can I make it with less or without sugar?

Yes, you can make praline paste with less or no refined sugar by directly blending the nuts and then adding a natural liquid sweetener like honey, maple syrup, or agave syrup at the end for sweetness.

Did you make this recipe?

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