This is the BEST Vegan Toffee recipe and it’s so easy to make! You only need 5 ingredients and 30 minutes to make this sweet and crunchy treat. It’s the perfect gift year round.
Have you ever wanted to try making your own candy? Now you can, and without needing any fancy equipment or tools! Making Vegan Toffee from scratch is a breeze thanks to the 5 pantry-staple ingredients and quick cook time. It’s all said and done in about 30 minutes!
Break up your homemade toffee into smaller bits and fold them into chocolate chip cookies, vegan ice cream, and chocolate peanut butter bars. You won’t be able to get enough of this sweet treat!
Want more vegan candy recipes to make at home? Try these Vegan Peanut Butter Cups, Vegan Truffles, Vegan Fudge and Vegan Peanut Butter Balls.
Why you need this vegan toffee recipe in your life
- Easy and foolproof. This is a simple, foolproof toffee recipe that doesn’t require any fancy tools or methods. The finished result is always deliciously sweet, salty, and crunchy.
- Only 3 ingredients! You could make this toffee right now using 5 ingredients you likely already have in your kitchen: sugar, vegan butter, and salt.
- A million ways to use it. Fold the bits into cookie dough, vegan ice cream, cookie bars, chocolate bark, and more! A batch of homemade toffee bits will quickly become a new baking staple.
How to make vegan toffee
Find the complete printable recipe with measurements below in the recipe card.
Line a 9 inch square baking dish with parchment paper and sprinkle the chopped nuts across the bottom in a single layer.
In a heavy bottom saucepan, add the vegan butter, sugar and salt and cook until the butter melts. Increase the heat and bring to a steady boil. Cook for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
It should go from cream colored to a light golden (or darker golden brown, but I prefer to stop when it’s a bit lighter in color). Be careful not to let it get too dark brown, or it will taste burnt.
Remove from heat and pour over the nuts in the prepared pan. Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top and let them soften for 5 minutes before spreading the chocolate evenly. Sprinkle with more chopped nuts and coarse salt, if desired. Let it cool in the refrigerator for about an hour, until hardened, then break into pieces.
Ways to use it
- Chop into smaller pieces and mix into almond flour cookies, peanut butter cookies, and even edible cookie dough.
- Use the bits in chocolate bark or as one of the layers in these seven layer bars.
- They’re a must in homemade vegan Skor bars.
- Press them onto the outsides of vegan chocolate truffles.
- Stir the bits into homemade ice cream.
Break up the pieces and enjoy them for the holidays or give them away as gifts!
Frequently asked questions
- Do I need a candy thermometer? No, you don’t need a candy thermometer to make this toffee. Instead, you’ll watch for doneness using the “stir and watch” method. You’ll know it’s ready when the liquid toffee has a light golden brown color and is completely homogenous.
- My toffee separated! What should I do? If the mixture separates as you’re stirring, simply take the pot off the heat and keep whisking until it comes back together. Return it to the heat and continue the recipe as normal.
- How do you store vegan toffee? The toffee are best stored in the refrigerator as they have the crunchiest texture when cold. This is likely due to the coconut oil in the vegan butter, which hardens when cold (I used Miyoko’s vegan butter).
Want more ideas on how to use vegan toffee bits?
- As a topping on Vegan Chocolate Cake
- Sprinkled on Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
- To decorate Pumpkin Cupcakes
- Sprinkled on top of Vegan Pecan Bars
- On a piece of Vegan Apple Pie
Vegan Toffee
Ingredients
- 1 cup chopped nuts I used pecans
- 1 cup vegan butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup vegan chocolate chips
- coarse sea salt and more chopped nuts, optional for topping
Instructions
- Line a 9-inch square baking dish with parchment paper with overhang for easy removal. I also like to spray the bottom of the pan so the parchment will stay in place better. Set aside.
- Sprinkle the chopped nuts across the bottom of the parchment lined dish in a single layer.
- In a heavy bottom saucepan, add the vegan butter, sugar and salt. Cook over low-medium heat, stirring, until the butter has melted. Attach a candy thermometer, if using. I don't usually use one!
- Increase heat to medium-high and bring to steady boil. Cook for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, slowly and evenly and watching closely. It should slowly go from cream colored to golden. If you have a candy thermometer, the temperature should reach 290 degrees F. This will take about 20-30 minutes. Be careful not to cook until it's dark brown, you want a golden amber color but not dark brown.
- IF IT SEPARATES AT ANY POINT – If it starts to separate and look like there is a layer of oil on top, remove from heat and whisk well, being careful not to splash yourself with hot oil. It should come back together. Return to heat and continue to cook.
- Remove from heat and immediately pour the hot mixture onto the nuts in the dish and let it spread into an even layer.
- Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top of the toffee and let them soften for 5 minutes. Gently spread the chocolate in an even layer using a spatula. Sprinkle with more chopped nuts or coarse salt, if desired.
- Place in the refrigerator and cool for about an hour, until hardened.
- Lift the toffee out using the parchment paper and place on a cutting board. Use a big sharp knife to cut into pieces. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or at room temperature. Enjoy!
Notes
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I have tested this with Miyoko’s, Earth Balance and Melt brands of vegan butter. They all work well but the Miyoko’s version tastes the best to me.
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Feel free to double the recipe but use a large pot and it will take longer to cook.
- If you don’t have a 9 inch baking dish, you can also just line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Sprinkle the nuts on it, then the hot toffee and let it spread. The toffee will be thinner, but that can be a good thing!
Followed directions carefully and the toffee was beautiful! Only problem is I doubled the recipe and then used a 9×13 pan. The toffee was delicious but too thick, tooth breaking thick. So I put all of the pieces back in the oven the next day in a much larger cookie pan with brim. It melted down all together and was much thinner. It was delicious all mixed together and much easier on our teeth.
Tried and failed, not sure what I did wrong. I used Earth Balance sticks and it got all foamy in the cooking process so I couldn’t see if it was separating. Had to remove it from the heat because it was starting to foam over. But it never got golden that I could see, it was very dark, almost black and runny and smelled bad. Had it on medium on my gas stove. I really was excited to try this and wish I knew how I messed up.
Oh, it sounds like you definitely burned it unfortunately. The dark color and bad smell is because it got way overcooked and burnt. You can always use a candy thermometer if you don’t feel like you can see good enough as it cooks.