Praline Bacon
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.
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 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.
In other words, it’s sweet salty smoky nutty delicious.
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:
Press the bacon slices into the brown sugar pecan crumb and lay them on a wire rack set atop a sheet pan:
Roast in the oven until caramelized:
Then close your eyes and take a bite! Mmm…

Praline Bacon Recipe
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, but enjoy while hot and fresh out of the oven.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
37 Comments on “Praline Bacon”
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
I had this at Elizabeth’s in New Orleans, and It is excellent. Thanks for the recipe.
Yaaasss! Elizabeth’s is why I’m here!
Can you make this a night ahead? Can you leave it out or does it need to be refrigerated?
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.
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 cocktail 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.
Woohoo! That’s awesome, Anne!
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!
I am Sooooooooo making this!!!!!
Good to me
Everyone has abs! I even have them, they are just better packaged than most other people’s…..
(like a couple layers of bubble wrap) 🙂
LOL! My father-in-law always says he has washboard abs covered by a pile of laundry.
Perfect with cocktails! 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.
Hi Anne, serving these with cocktails sounds lovely! Thanks for sharing the tips from your experience making them!
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.
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.
No one in my house appreciates the versatility of bacon like I do. Everyone left to go eat wings and I’m making praline bacon. All for me!
haha! I’d definitely rather be making praline bacon with you than out eating wings. They don’t know what they’re missing!
It was so good! I will be making this for my “Secret Santa Baconpalooza White Elephant Ugly Christmas Sweater Christmas Party.” I think my friends can appreciate this dessert.