Creamy, buttery vegan toffee topped with salted nuts and vegan dark chocolate. This sweet and salty treat is totally over-the-top decadent and perfect for the holidays.
This vegan toffee is the best thing you’ve ever tasted. It’s buttery, sweet and melts in your mouth!
It’s also packed with roasted salted nuts and topped with vegan chocolate, and more nuts.
It’s the most decadent over-the-top dessert and totally perfect for holiday season.
Have you ever made homemade vegan toffee before?
This was a first for me. And I have to admit I was surprised at the whole experience. My idea of toffee before was the chewy stuff, whereas this is more like brittle.
Toffee Apples?
I always used to call my fudge flops ‘toffee’. You know when you try and get the perfect crystallized sugar for old fashioned fudge but it goes wrong somehow and you end up with something very soft and chewy? That’s what I always called toffee.
But that’s not what toffee is all about. Think of toffee apples. The toffee on top of the apple is hard. Yep, that’s what we have with this vegan toffee.
Toffee vs Brittle
This toffee is a little softer than brittle, you cook it up to the ‘soft crack’ stage on your candy thermometer (a candy thermometer is a must for this recipe).
Whereas brittle usually cooks up to the hard crack stage.
So it’s a little softer and it melts in the mouth with a very slightly chewy texture right at the end. When it’s mostly melted away in your mouth and there is a small amount left, that can be a little chewy, but on the whole, you won’t notice a big difference between this and brittle.
If you want a great vegan brittle recipe, then you should definitely try our vegan peanut brittle.
This vegan toffee recipe also uses a whole lot more vegan butter than brittle does! So it’s super buttery and creamy.
How To Make Vegan Toffee
You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
As you can see I tried really hard to photograph the process in detail!
Jaye set up the camera above the stove and just snapped pics the whole way through because I could not stop stirring, not even for a second.
Some people say you can just stir it every minute or so, but I don’t trust that method!
I am very wary of candy making and don’t feel safe to take my eyes off it for a second. I am a believer in the keep stirring all the way through method. This is how I make my vegan honeycomb and now it’s how I make toffee too.
I did try different things with this toffee but this version was the absolute best.
I tried a version that was just vegan butter and sugar and that flopped completely. The butter and sugar separated and would not come back together!
And then I tried a version with water rather than soy milk and that worked well, but the color was much lighter and the end result was less creamy. So I definitely prefer this version with soy milk.
If you have an issue with using soy milk though, then I would recommend trying it with water.
Okay so let’s go through the steps.
- Add vegan butter, sugar, syrup, soy milk and salt to a large heavy bottomed pot and turn the heat to medium/high.
- Stir constantly as the butter and sugar melts. When melted, add your candy thermometer into the pot.
- Keep stirring as it comes to a boil and then keep stirring.
- Keep stirring all the way until your candy thermometer registers that you have reached the ‘soft crack’ stage or 285°F (137°C).
- Once your toffee has reached the soft crack stage you immediately remove it from the heat and pour it out onto a parchment lined baking sheet and smooth it down quickly with a spoon. I used a half sheet baking sheet because this is a large piece of toffee.
- Then you throw on the nuts and press them down on top.
- Quickly melt your vegan chocolate and smooth it down over the top of the toffee and nuts. And then throw some crushed mixed nuts on top of the melted chocolate.
- Place it all into the fridge to set. Once set, break it into pieces.
- I found that the longer it stays in the fridge, the better it gets. So when it’s ‘just’ set it’s not quite as tasty as when it’s been in the fridge for a good few hours.
So, this was my first go-round in making proper vegan toffee, but I have been making candy for a long time. I’m a massive fudge fan, the kind of fudge that you make on the stove and bring to soft ball stage and then beat until it sets.
I’ve made a LOT of that kind of fudge over the years. And that process is similar to this.
And I’ve also made vegan brittles. So what seems easy to me, may not be easy at all and I must just point it out that you may find this recipe a bit intimidating the first time you make it.
But that’s why I’m going to try and give you as many tips and tricks as I can think of so that it works out great the first time you make it and every time thereafter.
Must-Have Tools For Making Vegan Toffee
Candy Thermometer:
The first thing you need is a candy thermometer. You absolutely cannot make this without one. If you don’t have one, then order one now. You can get one on Amazon. And hold off on making this recipe until it arrives.
There is just no way to be accurate about the temperature and know when you’ve reached soft crack stage, without it. Don’t listen to any recipe that tells you to judge it by color or how it feels when you stir it, it’s not possible.
Heavy Bottomed Pot:
The next thing you need is a heavy bottomed pot. Don’t try and do this in any lightweight pot. You need it to have a heavy thick bottom.
If you use a pot with a thin base, it will easily burn your toffee, you need a pot that is heavy duty and can withstand a very high heat.
Basically, it should be the kind of pot that when you pick it up you complain that it’s quite heavy and your arms are getting tired.
Wooden Spoon:
And then you need a wooden spoon to stir with, and a nice well rested arm because you’re going to stir like crazy!
Tips For Making The Best Vegan Toffee
Have everything ready to go when you start. Don’t start the toffee until you have the following things in place:
- You need your half sheet baking pan lined with parchment paper (or a silicon mat) ready for you to pour out the toffee.
- You need your candy thermometer ready to be placed into the pot as soon as everything is melted and starting to come to a simmer.
- You need somewhere to put your candy thermometer and wooden spoon once they come out of the pot (covered in toffee) when the toffee is ready to be poured out onto the parchment lined half sheet pan. I just put a side plate nearby for this purpose.
- You need some oven gloves ready so you can safely grab your pot (it will be ridiculously hot) and lift it up so that you can pour the toffee out onto the parchment lined half sheet pan.
- You need the nuts weighed and measured out and ready to go on top of the toffee.
- You need the chocolate to be weighed and measured out and broken into pieces in a microwave safe bowl so you can quickly melt it and pour it over the top of the toffee and nuts.
- You need some nuts already crushed up and ready to sprinkle on top of the melted chocolate once that has gone on top.
Once you start making the toffee, you won’t have time to go and fetch things so have it all ready before you start.
You Will Love This Vegan Toffee
It is so decadent. There are few things in life as decadent as this toffee! It’s over-the-top decadent, and that’s a great thing. It’s perfect for special occasions, when over-the-top decadence is not an option but a requirement.
It’s wonderfully sweet with a hint of salty. The main flavor is sweet, but we have used some salt in the recipe and then there is the roasted salted nuts as well, so the flavor is very well balanced between salty and sweet.
It’s creamy and buttery. Oh my, is it ever!
It’s topped with salty nuts and rich vegan dark chocolate! Nuts and chocolate together are already one of my favorite things, now put that on top of delicious creamy buttery hard toffee and you have pure bliss.
The color is so beautiful. It’s this gorgeous amber color, it really looks as good as it tastes.
More Decadent Vegan Desserts
- Vegan Peppermint Bark
- Vegan Chocolate Truffles
- Dairy-Free Fudge
- Vegan Coconut Truffles
- Vegan Chocolate Pie
- Vegan Chocolate Peppermint Fudge
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Vegan Toffee
Ingredients
For the Vegan Toffee:
- 2 cups Vegan Butter (450g)
- 2 ½ cups White Granulated Sugar (500g)
- 1 Tbsp Golden Syrup or Maple Syrup
- 1 cup Soy Milk (240ml)
- 1 tsp Salt
For the Topping:
- 1 ½ cups Mixed Roasted Salted Nuts (195g) plus more to crush up and sprinkle over the top of the melted chocolate
- 10.5 ounces Vegan Chocolate or Chocolate Chips (300g) Melted
Instructions
- Have your candy thermometer nearby before you start and have the nuts weighed out and ready to be added. Break up the chocolate and add to a microwave safe bowl and set aside to melt later.
- Prepare a half sheet baking pan by lining it with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat.
- Have some oven gloves nearby ready to grab when you need them, as well as a side plate to place your candy thermometer once you remove it from the pot.
- Add the vegan butter, sugar, syrup, soy milk and salt to a large heavy bottomed pot and turn the heat to medium/high.
- Stir constantly as the butter and sugar melts. The sugar will make a scraping sound as you stir it in the pot, when the scraping sound disappears your sugar is properly melted.
- When your ingredients are melted, add in your sugar thermometer.
- Keep stirring as it comes to a boil and keep stirring all the way through until it registers ‘soft crack stage’ or 285°F (137°C).
- Immediately turn off the heat, remove the candy thermometer and then grab your oven gloves (the pot handles will be hot) before lifting up the pot and pouring the toffee out onto your parchment lined baking tray.
- Use a spoon to spread it out a little (very quickly).
- Then grab your mixed nuts and throw those over the top of the hot toffee, using the spoon again to press them down into the toffee.
- Quickly melt your chocolate in the microwave by microwaving for 30-second intervals and then bringing it out to stir, then putting it back in for another 30-seconds until melted.
- Pour out over the top of the toffee and nuts and smooth down with a knife.
- Sprinkle some crushed mixed nuts over the top of the melted chocolate.
- Place the whole tray into the fridge for a few hours for the toffee to set.
- Break into pieces.
- Keep stored in an airtight container in the fridge where it will stay good for weeks!
Notes
- If you don’t like soy milk, you can switch for water, but it does result in a slightly less rich toffee and a lighter color, but it’s still very good. I have not tested this with any different plant milks other than soy.
- Prep time does not include time spent setting in the fridge.
- Depending on how big or small the pieces are you could get 20 serves from this or 40. One batch we broke off smaller pieces and got 40 pieces and another batch they were bigger so we had 20 pieces. It is very rich, so smaller pieces are likely better.
- Keep it stored in the fridge (covered) for up to 2 weeks.
I’ve NEVER done any kind of candy. The recipe was 10/10!!!! I used 1 cup of water instead of 1 cup of soy milk.
Can I jusy say that I will do this AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN????
That’s so awesome Julianne! So pleased to hear that. 🙂
Thank you thank you thank you !!
This recipe is AMAZING ❤️
I am so incredibly grateful for all the work you put in to then make it so simple everyone can make it.
I used Oatly Barista milk as it was all I had in and it’s worked perfectly.
Cannot wait for everyone to try it.
So glad it was a success! Thanks so much for sharing Alison!
What size pan do you use for this recipe? I have a non-vegan recipe for toffee that is close to half of these measurements and it fits my 9×13 cookie sheet. I’m afraid the volume of this recipe would overflow in that pan. Please advise.
This is a half sheet baking pan, so measures 12 x 17 inches. A 9 x 13 is a quarter sheet.
Thanks! I used this recipe to make my Christmas Crack (potato chips covered in toffee and drizzled with chocolate). Needed a vegan toffee recipe. I used a digital thermometer, but am also comfortable going by colour (brown paper bag method!)
I used coconut milk instead of soy milk. It is a little chewy but I actually like it this way. I used a pizza cutter to cut it. It also keeps better if you store it in the fridge too. So good!!!
Really straight forward recipe. I found it worked really well and it tastes good.
Awesome, thanks for the great review!
For the thermometer, does it have to be a candy thermometer or any kitchen/cooking thermometer will work?
It has to be a candy thermometer.
I just made this for the first time. I don’t have a candy thermometer so I just followed the pictures. Came out perfect! Don’t be afraid to try. Just follow the directions, don’t turn the heat too high, and stir like heck!
Well….I wouldn’t recommend it, too easy to go wrong! But glad it worked out for you!
Hello, this looks amazing. Could the vegan butter be substitute for coconut oil? The non runny stuff. Thank you!
Hi Crys, it probably can, but I’m not 100% sure since I haven’t tried that so far.
Hi, did you use your homemade vegan butter in this recipe? Do you think almond milk would work as well as the soy milk? Thank you.
I didn’t use homemade vegan butter I used a store-bought option, but I think homemade would work too. Almond milk should be fine. 🙂
Is a thermometer necessary or should you be able to tell when it’s ready without? How thick should the toffee be when it’s poured into the pan? Thank you! The recipe looks great 🙂
Hi Rebecca, I regard a candy thermometer to be absolutely essential to making toffee. It’s just impossible to judge the exact right moment otherwise. 🙂
What brand of vegan butter do you use?
Hi Gina, I’ve used a few brands depending on location, and really any brand of vegan butter / dairy free margarine should work great in this recipe. 🙂
Tried Melt Organic buttery spread and I’ve had a lot of complaints on the taste, unfortunately. I even tried it a second time the same way, still having complaints of a kind of “gamey” taste, which was hugely weird since it’s vegan…???? any specific butter alternatives anyone might have that I could try? I’m really craving toffee! ????
I generally like the taste of Earth Balance, though some don’t like it. We also have a homemade vegan butter recipe that works great. 🙂
I finally made this toffee because it has been cloudy and too much humidity lately. We finally had a nice clear, low-humidity day and I had time and the ingredients. It was really good! My husband couldn’t stop eating it! I’ve been making toffee for several years. Once you have the exact method down, your toffee will never fail. Don’t make it on a rainy day and never make candy (that includes fudge!) on a day when the humidity exceeds 50%. Ever since I followed these rules, it has never failed.
I made a half batch, subbed full-fat coconut milk for the soy milk and added a tablespoon of water, the Earthly Balance plant butter and the sugar. I did not add corn syrup because many toffee makers add it to prevent sugar crystallization, which makes toffee and fudge grainy. But corn syrup can make toffee a bit on the soft side, too. I just dip a pastry brush into water and remove any undissolved sugar crystals from the pan. Many recipes will tell you to cook it to 300 degrees. They will probably flop and be under-cooked. I cook mine to 306 degrees (stir constantly, but just enough to keep the mixture moving – if you stir too fast the butter will separate) with a thermometer and have a bowl of ice cold water to drop a small sample of cooked toffee in to double-check the temperature. If it splinters off and it breaks between your fingers, it is perfect. It needs to be cooked to “hard crack”. “Softball” is for fudge. If you prefer it to be a little softer, just cook it to a lower temperature. My batch was crunchy on the first bite clear through to the last bite, but not so hard to hurt your teeth. After about 24 hours, the coconut taste melded with the butter and it was just like the real deal! Store toffee in a tin container. Airtight plastic or Tupperware works, but the plastic might make your toffee a bit soft.
Oh, I added a teaspoon of vanilla after I took it off the flame. Then I poured it out.
Thanks Susan! Glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Interesting rule on humidity! If I did that I could never make this as we live in Florida and the humidity is NEVER under 50% and closer to 100% most of the time. Trying it anyway.
Hello! I just made this for a Christmas party and I’m so excited to share it! Question though- is the texture supposed to be on the chewier side? Or is it supposed to be hard and crunchy? Did I not cook it quite enough? It was my first time using the thermometer so not sure if I did it 100% correct. Thanks!
Supposed to be snappy/crunchy on first bite but then it gets chewy. It is possible it’s a little underdone, but that’s okay, as long as it’s delicious! 🙂
Can I use brown sugar for this recipe?
I think that will be fine! 🙂
Came out perfect with coconut milk used vanilla and put slivered almonds in the toffe while it was cooking