Simple Southern Praline Sauce

Praline sauce is a sweet southern staple to keep on hand for all kinds of dessert recipes. Make this easy version with just four ingredients in no time!

There's nothing quite like a southern praline but this sauce comes close. Pecan praline sauce is pure indulgence that's easy to make and great served over ice cream and many other treats. Let's get into the delicious details!

And if you enjoy this recipe, try my easy sweet cherry jam or praline cream cheese frosting, too.

What does it taste like?

As you might guess from the name, praline sauce is basically a liquid praline. It tastes buttery, sweet, and rich with nuttiness from the pecans. The texture is smooth, thick, and ooey gooey!

This pecan praline topping recipe inspired my Texas Pecan Praline Pound Cake.

What You'll Need for this Recipe

What are pecan praline sauce ingredients? You'll only need 15 minutes and four common ingredients to make your own praline caramel. This is a versatile recipe so I've outlined easy swaps based on what you may have on hand.

Brown Sugar - What kind of brown sugar is best for praline sauce? Use either dark or light brown sugar. Dark brown sugar will result in a deeper flavor than light but both are perfectly delicious. This is a no corn syrup praline sauce recipe.

Heavy Cream adds creaminess and makes for a silky smooth praline caramel sauce. I don't recommend making any substitutions. I make my praline sauce with heavy cream and no condensed milk and it's just the best.

Butter - Can I use salted butter in this recipe? I typically go with unsalted because it allows for the best control of flavor and sodium content. But salted butter is fine, too. If you have unsalted butter in your fridge but want more of a salted praline sauce flavor, simply sprinkle in a little sea salt.

Pecans - Chopped or whole pecans for pralines? Pecan options are wide open, too. I've made praline sauce using chopped pecans, pecan halves, and pecan pieces before. I like chopped pecans best for my praline bread pudding sauce.

Check out the recipe card below for full ingredients list, measurements, and step-by-step instructions!

Will half and half work in this recipe? Heavy cream is the only non-negotiable in this southern dessert sauce recipe. I don't recommend using regular milk or even half and half because the texture just won't be the same. They will work in a pinch but heavy cream is best option to avoid having to add any thickeners.

More Favorite Southern Dessert Recipes

Bourbon Sweet Potato Pie

Cranberry Apple Spice Bread Pudding

Fresh Peach Cobbler

Sweet Tea Pound Cake

Tips & Tools

Grab a small saucepan and kitchen spoon. That's really all you'll need. If you plan to chop your pecans, you can also grab a cutting board and sharp knife.

How to store homemade praline sauce? Once cooled, you can refrigerate brown sugar praline sauce in an airtight container, such as a mason jar. It will keep for up to two weeks.

Can I freeze it? Yes, you can freeze praline sauce in an airtight, freezer-safe container. It will keep for about one month this way.

How to Serve Praline Sauce at Home

Eat praline sauce for dessert. You can eat it by the spoonful or serve over bread pudding. I love praline caramel sauce over ice cream.

Serve praline sauce at brunch. Keep a warm pot or jar of it on hand to top waffles or pancakes or whip up this Apple Praline Monkey Bread. Your friends will love you for it.

Make an easy praline sauce appetizer. My favorite party trick is pouring praline sauce over baked brie and calling it dip! It gets devoured every. single. time.

Favorite Recipes with Praline Sauce

I can't forget to mention trying praline sauce to give as gifts. It's always welcome. And sharing is caring on the internet, too, so be sure to pin this praline sauce recipe with heavy cream for later and follow me over on Pinterest. Thanks for reading!

How to Make Praline Sauce at Home