To help you with your search for the best peanut brittle for snacking, goodie bags, or gifts, we checked out 40 products and analyzed them according to the quality of their ingredients, their taste, and packaging.
Of all the products we evaluated, the Brittle-Brittle brand emerged as our top pick. Its peanut brittle, which has passed the standards of the British Retail Consortium, is made of all-natural ingredients. Each purchase is cost-effective as you get two tubs of brittle per order, making them the best peanut brittle to buy on the market today. Keep reading to learn more about this product and five other highly recommended brands.
Top 6 Best Peanut Brittle
#1 Brittle-Brittle Peanut Brittle
Award: Top Pick
WHY WE LIKE IT: This handmade peanut brittle brand is made of large peanuts, honey, and all-natural ingredients. You get two clear plastic containers per order, each containing 42 ounces (2.6 pounds) of light and crunchy peanut brittle goodness.
- Best quality
- No preservatives
- BRC-certified
- Plastic tub dents easily
The brittles are packed in two 6.2-inch transparent plastic containers with a lid . They’re not just enjoyable to eat on their own. You can crush the brittles and use them as toppings on ice cream, cookies, cupcakes, and cakes. Each serving or about five pieces (40 grams) of brittle contain 160 calories, seven grams of fat, and 24 grams of carbohydrates.
Brittle-Brittle’s peanut brittle is the main product of the Texas-based company and has a food safety certification from the British Retail Consortium (BRC). The internationally recognized standard is known for complying with best food safety and quality practices. Brittle-Brittle has been in the business since 1988, making old-fashioned peanut brittle and other sweet treats. It makes great gifts for gamers to munch on while they play, or anyone really.
#2 See’s Candies Peanut Brittle
Award: Honorable Mention
WHY WE LIKE IT: Roasted peanuts are used for this popular peanut brittle brand that’s known for its buttery taste. Each 680-gram (1 pound and eight ounces) box contains hand-crafted brittle that’s salty-sweet, based on founder Mary See’s peanut brittle recipe.
- Best for gift giving
- Great buttery taste
- Also salty-sweet
- Needs to be transferred to a new container to prolong freshness
Double-A fresh butter is used to give the signature buttery flavor of See’s iconic product. Each 42-gram serving contains 230 calories, 15 grams of fat, and 21 grams of carbohydrates. The earthy taste of roasted nuts counterbalances the brittle’s sweet toffee. And just like our top pick, you can opt to mix this product with your cold desserts or pastries. This makes it the best snack for high-activity holidays such as Halloween. So, apart from buying the top 8 geekiest but coolest Halloween costumes for your next holiday, remember to also pick one of these peanuts.
The peanut brittle also has a kosher certification and comes with a special sleeve during Hanukkah. This and some star wars gifts get any holiday off to a good start.
#3 Whitley’s Homemade Peanut Brittle
Award: Best Budget
WHY WE LIKE IT: Experience the best of Virginia’s freshly grown peanuts for every brittle shard you get from Whitley’s 284-gram (10-ounce) can. No need to transfer the brittles into a separate container to prolong shelf life as the original packaging is a covered, air-tight can.
- Vacuum-sealed tin
- Safe Quality Food (SFQ)-compliant
- Peanuts harvested from company’s farm
- Small quantity per order
All of Whitley’s peanut confections are slowly hand-cooked. The company was named a finalist in the Outstanding Hors D’oeuvres category of the National Association for Specialty Food Trade. Whitley’s has also committed to comply with the modules of the Global Food Safety Initiative’s SFQ Program.
Every 30-gram serving contains 120 calories, six grams of fat, and 18 grams of carbohydrates. Due to the warm climate in Virginia, the company only makes and sells peanut brittles from October to June. This makes great gifts for geeks.
#4 Yankee Traders Homestyle Peanut Brittle Candy
Award: Best in Plastic Pack
WHY WE LIKE IT: Golden brown brittles fill up every two-pound Yankee Traders bag. If you need plenty of peanut brittles for distribution in smaller quantities as gifts, then buying several bags of Yankee Traders is a wise choice.
- Large quantity per order
- Golden brown color
- Thick brittles
- No box or airtight container
This product is a great choice when you need to serve peanut brittles as a dessert or snack for a large gathering or if you plan to use them as toppings for cakes and pastries in large quantities. Every 30-gram serving from its 15-inch-high bag of brittles contains 110 calories, 2.5 grams of fat, and 27 grams of carbohydrates.
Yankee Traders is also known as a wholesaler of granulated dry roasted peanuts that are used to top brownies, pies, cookies, and caramelized apples. Star Trek gifts are good and all, but I want a snack.
#5 Granny’s Confections Peanut Brittle
Award: Best Gluten-Free
WHY WE LIKE IT: The gluten-free brittles of Granny’s Confections use Virginia-harvested peanuts. No artificial colors or flavors are added in every hand-packed and labeled one-pound plastic tub.
- Registered with the FDA
- Hand-cooked, hand-packed
- Sturdier plastic container than top pick
- Small quantity per order
Granny’s Confections peanut brittle contains milk but is totally gluten-free. It’s made of all-natural products: peanuts, butter, milk, corn syrup, baking soda, sugar, and vanilla extract. Each one-ounce (28-gram) serving contains 160 calories, eight grams of fat, and 20 grams of carbohydrates. It is therefore a great snack for those undertaking energy-draining tasks such as research, which mostly entails using top-tier microscopes for hours on end.
Each plastic container of brittles, which are FDA-registered and made in Michigan, are hand-made and hand-packaged, one order at a time. Each container comes with a tamper-proof lid so you can safely store your brittles longer.
#6 Brittle Brothers Peanut Brittle
Award: Best Low Sugar
WHY WE LIKE IT: Brittle Brothers uses less sugar and corn syrup for its peanut brittles compared to most products. You’ll enjoy lightly salted and large Virginia-grown peanuts in every bite of this buttery product, which comes in a 16-ounce box.
- “Jumbo” peanuts
- Less corn syrup
- Comes in a box
- Needs to be transferred to a new container to prolong freshness
The brittles are made based on the recipe used by the great grandmother of the company’s founder John Spalding. However, he tweaked it to contain less sugar and more nuts. Each serving of Brittle Brothers brittles contains only 12 grams or about half of the 20 to 35 grams of sugar that’s in regular brittles.
The Tennessee-based company, which started in 2006, also produces brittles made of pecan and cashew nuts. They’ve become a hit in the country music city of Nashville that the Country Music Awards included Brittle Brothers’ brittles in their swag bags. From there, the Grammy Awards caught on and also gifted guests with products from the company. This peanut brittle will be a special treat to put into your best lunch box. Or if you’re interested in making your own peanut brittle, you can make your own with the Wakefield Peanut Company’s Premium Grade Raw Cocktail Peanuts on Amazon, where they’re rated 4 stars/5 stars. They also listed their special Wakefield peanut brittle recipe on Amazon as well. You’ll need a few additional ingredients, like butter, baking soda, salt, white sugar corn syrup, and water. First, grease a large baking sheet pan before mixing 1 cup of white sugar 1/2 cup of light corn syrup, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 cup water, and the peanuts in a cooking saucepan until it’s boiling. Use a candy thermometer to check when the temperature reaches a medium heat of 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Add butter and baking soda, then pour into the sheet and form peanut brittle rectangles. Let them cool, break them into smaller pieces, then enjoy.
How We Decided
Our selection features peanut brittle made of actual peanuts, instead of other nuts, with a home-made, crunchy taste. Most of the brittles on our list have long histories of patronage nationwide. Some like Brittle-Brittle and Whitley’s made efforts to partner with big organizations to certify the quality and safety of their products.
The array of peanut brittle products in this buying guide only features peanuts cooked in sugar or honey and natural ingredients. None of the brittles have extra flavorings such as chocolate, coffee, hot cinnamon, mango, and other flavors. Caramelized or coated nuts, as well as protein and granola bars with nuts, were also excluded.
We also included a low-sugar product in our selection so that people reducing their sugar intake will have a chance to partake of this great American sweet treat.
Best Peanut Brittle Buyer’s Guide
The Most Important Factors to Consider
- Nuts
The best peanut brittle is made of raw or unroasted peanuts although some products feature pecans, macadamia, small almonds, cashew halves, or a combination of various nuts. Peanuts don’t burn as easily as the softer nuts such as cashews, pecans, and walnuts. Burned nuts can make candy taste bitter. - Texture
The best peanut brittle is crispy or crunchy and dry instead of sticky and soft or too hard to chew. - Sweetness
Honey and brown sugar are usually used for making the best peanut brittle. Others who make them at home can opt for other alternatives such as cane or coco sugar or other sugar substitutes. - Buttery flavor
Some peanut brittle makers incorporate butter into their brittles, which makes them tender and richer in flavor.
