Home » Recipes » Appetizers » Praline Bacon
by Joanne December 6, 2022 (updated July 25, 2023)
37
I first tried Praline Bacon in New Orleans and instantly became obsessed! It’s sweet, salty, and meaty, with a subtle pecan flavor as well. It’s good stuff and only takes about a half hour to make in the oven.
Have you ever heard (weird) people say “nothing tastes as good as skinny feels?”
Well those people have OBVIOUSLY never had praline bacon.
I remember a few months ago I came across a fitness blog written by this lady who had all sorts of crazy ab action going on, and right on her website was that very statement. Then she wrote that all she eats is chicken and vegetables every day, with salt and pepper. EVERY. DAY. Seriously, can you imagine eating that every day? Give me the option between her chiseled body and the option to eat good food…and well…the choice is pretty obvious (there ain’t no chiseled abs ’round these parts…well, there may be, I just can’t see them if there are, hehe).
Don’t get me wrong, I do love chicken and veggies, but sometimes you want something dang good…that’s oh so bad…something you know is going to cost you some extra time at the gym.
Cue the praline bacon.
But hold on…what is praline bacon?
Until a year ago, I didn’t know what it was either. I first saw it on a menu of a New Orleans diner named Elizabeth’s Restaurant and practically screamed at the waitress when she asked what I wanted, “…PRALINE BACON!!!! What is that??? I WANT IT!!!”
It’s bacon that’s roasted with a pulverized pecan brown sugar until it has caramelized, and yes, it is reminiscent of Pecan Praline Candy…but with bacon.
In other words, it’s sweet salty smoky nutty delicious. It’s bacon at a whole new level.
Praline bacon is quite simple to make.
First start with some toasted pecans:
Throw those pecans into a food processor with some dark brown sugar and pulse until it forms a crumb that looks like this:
Now it’s time to marry the brown sugar mixture with the bacon.
What Bacon to Use
This is the time and the place to use good bacon. I like Neuske’s, Niman Ranch, and pasture-raised bacons.
Though I tend to like thinner and crispier bacon overall, I actually think thick cut bacon works nicely here too. Use thick slices of bacon if you want a meatier bite, and use thinner bacon if you prefer a crispier experience.
Press the bacon slices into the brown sugar pecan crumb and lay them on a wire rack set atop a sheet pan in a single layer. You may line the sheet pan with aluminum foil for easier cleanup of the bacon grease, if desired.
Sprinkle any remaining praline topping over the top, so none goes to waste.
Place the rimmed baking sheet into a 350F preheated oven until caramelized, and the bacon browns:
It’s like candied bacon, but nutty!
Let the bacon cool on the wire rack for a moment, then lay each slice of bacon on paper towels to drain, and enjoy. It is perfect with Basted Eggs and a side of Hash Browns.
Also try Bananas Foster French Toast, Overnight Cinnamon Rolls, and Carrot Cake Pancakes for more great brunch recipes. Enjoy!
Did you enjoy the recipe? Please leave a 5-star rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. Or, follow me on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest!
Praline Bacon Recipe
Servings: 3 -4, recipe easily doubles, triples, etc
Prep Time: 5 minutes mins
Cook Time: 30 minutes mins
Total Time: 35 minutes mins
I first tried Praline Bacon in New Orleans and instantly became obsessed! It’s a little sweet, salty, meaty, with a subtle pecan flavor as well.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
6
Leave a Review »
Ingredients
- 6 oz center-cut bacon*
- 1/4 cup toasted pecans
- 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and set a wire rack above a sheet pan.
Pulse the pecans until they are chopped up into itty bitty pieces, but don’t pulse them so far that they turn into nut butter. Add the brown sugar and pulse a couple times to combine.
Press each bacon slice into the brown sugar pecan crumb, making sure to get both sides and shaking off the excess. Then place the prepped bacon slices on the wire rack.
Bake for about 30 minutes until the brown sugar has caramelized. Let the bacon cool slightly, about a minute, on the wire rack. Then place on paper towels to drain. Enjoy while warm.
Notes
*I strongly recommend center cut bacon because it’s less fatty than regular bacon.
Nutrition
Calories: 363kcal, Carbohydrates: 19g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 28g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Cholesterol: 37mg, Sodium: 380mg, Potassium: 170mg, Sugar: 18g, Vitamin A: 20IU, Calcium: 21mg, Iron: 0.6mg
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Author: Fifteen Spatulas
posted in: All Recent Posts, Appetizers, Dairy-free, Gluten-free, Red Meat 37 comments
Don’t miss a recipe!
Subscribe to receive new recipes via email:
« Previous PostMolasses Crinkle Cookies
Next Post »Roasted Cauliflower
Leave a Reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
-
Cricket — Reply
Omg I had this last week in Nola at Elizabeth’s and let me say— omg yummy!! Melt in your mouth deliciousness. We ate it two days because it was so good! So happy to have a recipe! Thanks
-
James Gribble — Reply
I had this at Elizabeth’s in New Orleans, and It is excellent. Thanks for the recipe.
-
Jake — Reply
Yaaasss! Elizabeth’s is why I’m here!
-
-
Jennifer Lemberg — Reply
Can you make this a night ahead? Can you leave it out or does it need to be refrigerated?
-
Joanne Ozug — Reply
What you could do is prepare the bacon the night before then roast it in the morning. Otherwise yes, you would need to refrigerate it after roasting if waiting until the next morning.
-
-
Anne — Reply
One year into making this and I may have it down! Cayenne added to the crumb mix, two trays- one very crispy, one chewy. Always a hit at co*cktail parties. Twice I have made this in advance, packed it into plastic containers and flown with it to parties. Not difficult and worth it- bacon helps you make new friends.
-
Joanne Ozug — Reply
Woohoo! That’s awesome, Anne!
-
-
carolynn — Reply
i am in shape, round is a shape… LOL , this sounds amazing and i will try it.. i have made bacon wrapped sausages, covered in brown sugar and baked for parties… but this is good for BLT’s can you imagine? thanks!
-
Sally T. — Reply
I am Sooooooooo making this!!!!!
-
Wendi — Reply
Good to me
-
Yvonne — Reply
Everyone has abs! I even have them, they are just better packaged than most other people’s…..
(like a couple layers of bubble wrap) 🙂-
Joanne Ozug — Reply
LOL! My father-in-law always says he has washboard abs covered by a pile of laundry.
-
-
Anne — Reply
Perfect with co*cktails! Happy hour dock denizens went crazy. What worked well: Cut the bacon strips in quarters for easier snacking. What I wish I’d done differently: Lined the baking sheet with foil for easier clean up (that burnt sugar-bacon fat combo was tough) and made MORE! Thanks, Joanne. Another inspiration.
-
Joanne Ozug — Reply
Hi Anne, serving these with co*cktails sounds lovely! Thanks for sharing the tips from your experience making them!
-
-
Dottie — Reply
Has anyone tried to make this bacon, then freeze it & nuke it a couple seconds before serving? I do this with regular bacon. I have so many things cooking for my dinner party, I’m looking for things I can do ahead.
-
Joanne Ozug — Reply
Hi Dottie, I’m not sure how that would turn out because of the caramelized sugar. If you try it please let us know how it goes.
-
