This Chestnut Praline Syrup is made with just 5 ingredients, and it's the perfect latte syrup for winter and especially for Christmas! Add it to coffee, cocktails, or drizzle over pancakes, waffles, or any desserts!
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Why You'll Love This Chestnut Praline Syrup
The ultimate winter latte syrup - The combination of nutty pecan flavor and roasted chestnuts is perfect for both hot and cold lattes. It's definitely up there for me with gingerbread and peppermint. This syrup adds a little holiday magic to even the simplest oat milk latte. Try it in this comforting Chestnut Praline Latte!
Just like Starbucks - This syrup is inspired by Starbucks Chestnut Praline Syrup they use during Christmas. With homemade syrup, you can make your favorite latte in the comfort of your own home during the holiday season or any time of the year. Making your own syrup is easy, cheaper, and you know exactly what's going into it. No natural or artificial flavors. Just real food, cane sugar, and water!
Easy and simple - This syrup calls for just a few simple ingredients, and it takes less than 30 minutes to make!
Versatile - You can use the syrup in drinks like lattes, hot chocolate, and cocktails but you can also drizzle it over pancakes, waffles, ice cream, or any dessert!
Ingredients
- Chestnuts - I like buying peeled roasted chestnuts that usually come in 100g packages because they're super easy to use. I roast the chestnuts to enhance their flavor. Keep in mind that packaged roasted chestnuts are dark in color, soft, a little mushy, and wet when you open the package. This is not a quality issue, they always look like this!
- Pecans - Look for unroasted raw pecans. You'll roast them in the oven with the chestnuts so they need to be plain without any sugar or flavors.
- Brown sugar - You can use regular cane sugar here but I like brown sugar to give the syrup a little more molasses flavor. The syrup I made for this Starbucks Chestnut Praline Latte is made with a mix of cane sugar and dark brown sugar but using just regular brown sugar makes the recipe simpler.
- Vanilla - Vanilla extract balances all the flavors here, you only need a little bit. You can also use vanilla bean paste or the seeds from a dried vanilla bean.
- Sea salt - I highly recommend adding a pinch of sea salt to the syrup. Salt balances out the sweetness really well and makes all the other flavors stand out more.
Variations and Substitutions
- Sugar-free - You can use a sugar-free substitute instead of brown sugar if you'd like. Keep in mind that the type of sugar you use might change the flavor of the syrup.
- You can make the syrup with just chestnuts or with just pecans if you don't have enough of both. I also have a recipe for Butter Pecan Syrup with just pecans!
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F (175C).
- Spread the pecans and chestnuts on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 10 minutes. Keep an eye on them to make sure they don’t burn.
- Take the pecans and chestnuts out of the oven and chop them into small pieces.
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- Add to a medium saucepan with brown sugar and water.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves to make sure it doesn’t burn.
- Lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes.
- Take the syrup off the heat and stir in vanilla extract and sea salt. Allow to cool slightly before straining.
- Strain the syrup through a fine mesh strainer into a large measuring cup and pour it into a glass jar.
- Wait till the syrup is fully cooled before closing with a tight-fitting lid. Store in the fridge.
Serving Suggestions
- Coffee - You can add this syrup to hot or iced coffee drinks, cold brew, espresso, or any latte. Try it in this Starbucks-inspired Chestnut Praline Latte or in a Iced Brown Sugar Oat Milk Shaken Espresso instead of the classic brown sugar syrup. You can also use the syrup in this Iced Cinnamon Dolce Latte instead of the cinnamon syrup but it also goes great combined with it!
- Hot chocolate - Try adding the syrup to this Vegan Hot Chocolate or this Christmas Spiced Hot Chocolate.
- Cocktails - Chestnut praline syrup would be delicious in this Creamy Espresso Martini or this Tequila Espresso Martini.
- On food - You can drizzle the syrup on pancakes, waffles, french toast, ice cream, or any dessert. Try it on these Apple Ring Pancakes or these 3 Ingredient Banana Oat Pancakes.
Storing
Fridge: Store the syrup in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to two weeks.
Freezer: You can also store the syrup in the freezer in a freezer-safe container for up t 3-4 months. The syrup never freezes completely solid so it should be easy to use straight from the freezer but you can also defrost it in the fridge for an hour or so to make it liquid again.
FAQs
My go-to brands of syrup are Monin and Torani.
Yes, you can but I prefer using pre-roasted chestnuts because it makes preparing the syrup so much easier. If you're using fresh chestnuts, you have to score them, roast them, and peel them before starting the recipe. You can find pre-roasted chestnuts at your local grocery store, Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, or Amazon.
Similar Recipes
If you're looking for more syrups you can make at home for lattes, drinks, or cocktails, check out the four below. The chocolate one doubles as a chocolate sauce! To see all the latest ones, head over to Flavored Syrups.
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Have you tried this Chestnut Praline Syrup? Please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!
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Print📖 Recipe
Chestnut Praline Syrup
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 1 ⅓ cup 1x
- Category: Syrup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This chestnut praline syrup is made with just 5 ingredients and it's the perfect latte syrup for winter and especially for Christmas! Add to coffee, cocktails, or drizzle over pancakes!
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw pecans
- 100g peeled roasted chestnuts (8 chestnuts, approximately ½-3/4 cup)
- 1 ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 ¼ cup water
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ⅛ tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F (175C).
- Spread the pecans and chestnuts on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 10 minutes. Keep an eye on them to make sure they don’t burn.
- Take the pecans and chestnuts out of the oven and chop them into small pieces.
- Add to a medium saucepan with brown sugar and water.
- Bring the mixture to a boil stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves to make sure it doesn’t burn.
- Lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes.
- Take the syrup off the heat and stir in vanilla extract and sea salt. Allow to cool slightly before straining.
- Strain the syrup through a fine mesh strainer and pour into a glass jar.
- Wait till the syrup is fully cooled before closing with a tight-fitting lid. Store in the fridge.
Equipment
Notes
The syrup makes about 1 ⅓ cup of syrup which yields about 10 servings if you use 2 tablespoon per serving.
The syrup will keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Nutritional info is calculated without pecans and chestnuts as those get discarded. You don't have to toss them though. I like storing them in the fridge for up to a week and adding them to oatmeal, smoothie bowls, or snack on them. You can also freeze them for longer storage.
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Sarah James says
Your chestnut praline syrup looks well worth making. We've picked a basketful of chestnuts this weekend, looking forward to roasting some for your syrup.
Marta says
I used this praline syrup to make a bananas foster daiquiri and it was so tasty! This is such a genius recipe idea!
Kathryn says
Obsessed with this! I love pouring this one top of pancakes and waffles- it makes such a treat! Great recipe!
Eden says
Sweet and delish! Starbucks who?
Tammy says
Oh what a wonderful idea! This is the ultimate holiday syrup to use in drinks :D Could you possibly let the syrup cool enough and then blend the nuts into it for a thicker kind of sauce? Though I do love the idea of saving the nuts for cereals!
Dennis says
I would love to try your chestnut syrup it sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing it with us.
Tristin says
YUM! This syrup is soooo good. I tried it for the first time drizzled over ice cream. But, tomorrow I’ll be make a latte with it.
Sean says
I am allergic to pecans so I made it with walnuts and this was perfect for my morning coffee.
Jacqueline Debono says
I made this syrup with fresh chestnuts as we have a lot of those available at the moment. So, I roasted and peeled a whole lot and used some to make this syrup. It turned out so good. So far I've added it to latte and pancakes! Yum!
Claire says
My partner is such a sucker for praline so I was super excited to come across your recipe. I made your syrup and served it in their coffee this morning and it was an absolute hit.
Kathy S. says
We have multiple chestnut trees on our property, and I discovered a site featuring a chestnut praline syrup recipe. I enjoy the Chestnut Praline latte from a popular coffee shop, but it’s only available during the holidays, and I prefer a sugar-free option.
I prepared your recipe using Swerve brown sugar, and I’m thrilled with the flavor of this syrup—its aroma is simply divine. I incorporated the strained chestnuts and pecans into my oatmeal, and I plan to top brie cheese with the strained nuts and some of this syrup as well.
I used the instant pot to make the process faster and easier.
Thank you for taking the time to experiment and create this recipe and for sharing it with us. I mentioned your site on my blog and will share your info on my facebook page.
Natalie says
I have never worked with fresh chestnuts before. I am confused by the ingredient list saying the chestnuts need to be peeled and roasted but then in the instructions it says to roast the chestnuts and pecans together for ten minutes. I've watched videos on roasting chestnuts which involve soaking them in water for two hours and then adding heat in some way to peel and then you roast them, the consensus seems to be for 20 minutes. So where would the pecans be brought into this process? the last 10 minutes? I'd appreciate any help. I love this syrup and I am excited to make this recipe! Thanks!
Veronika Sykorova says
Hey Natalie, I'm sorry about the confusion! The chestnuts I use in the recipe are already bought cooked. I just roast them for some roasted flavor. I've never used fresh chestnuts still in the shell for this recipe. I buy them bagged which are already roasted or cooked in some way. You can find them in most grocery stores or online like Amazon - for example these roasted chestnuts (affiliate link)
If you only have fresh whole chestnuts available, you will have to score them and roast them in the oven first (or prepare them some other way that lets you peel them). Then you can roast the pecans on their own or with the chestnuts and chop both and add to the rest of the ingredients.
There is an ingredients paragraph in the post explaining the ingredients. Here is what it says about chestnuts: I like buying peeled roasted chestnuts that usually come in 100g packages because they're super easy to use. I roast the chestnuts to enhance their flavor. Keep in mind that packaged roasted chestnuts are dark in color, soft, a little mushy, and wet when you open the package. This is not a quality issue, they always look like this!
Hope this clears it up! Let me know if you have any other questions.
Katherine says
This recipe is delicious! One question, when are you meant to add the vanilla and salt? It doesn't list in the instructions when to add them. I have been adding the vanilla when bringing up to a boil and the salt at the end, but am curious what you intended it to be.
Thanks!
Veronika Sykorova says
Hey Katherine, sorry about the confusion, I can't believe I missed that! I've fixed the recipe card.
I add both the vanilla extract and salt at the end, before straining the syrup. It's not a huge deal if you add it in the beginning, I often do that too with some recipes. It's just recommended to add it at the end of cooking to preserve its delicate flavor that become weaker with heat as the alcohol evaporates.
If you're using non-alcoholic vanilla extract made with glycerin, it handles heat much better and retains more of its flavor even with high heat like boiling or baking.