Vegan Toffee

This simple homemade vegan toffee recipe is rich, buttery, and completely addictive!

The best vegan toffee recipe

Smooth dark chocolate coats a crunchy layer of the most delicious dairy free toffee you will ever taste.

For almost a decade, I’ve made a large batch of this toffee each December and given it out as a holiday gift to friends and family members.

Even though most of my friends are not vegans, they cannot get enough of this buttery vegan toffee!

After many requests, I am finally sharing my famous recipe today. If you make it, I hope you love it as much as we do.

Also try these Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies

What is toffee?

Toffee is a sweet English candy comprised of caramelized sugar and butter. The mixture is slowly heated in a saucepan then cooled to form a delicious brittle texture.

This hard candy is especially popular during the holidays, where gift givers often stir in chopped nuts or add colorful toppings like cranberries.

Toffee is similar to caramel, which also contains butter and sugar. However, caramels are softer in texture because they traditionally include heavy cream or condensed milk.

In addition to being fully plant based, my version also contains no corn syrup, which is present in many other homemade and store bought toffees.

Depending on the specific ingredients you choose, this vegan recipe can also be gluten free, nut free, egg free, soy free, sugar free, and keto friendly.

Readers also love Lemon Truffles and Coffee Truffles

Easy step by step recipe video

Watch the full vegan toffee recipe video above.

Dairy free toffee ingredients

You need just three ingredients plus water for this easy vegan toffee.

Sugar – Feel free to use regular white sugar, brown sugar, or unrefined coconut sugar. For keto vegan and sugar free toffee, use a monk fruit or erythritol blend.

Plant based butter – Thankfully, numerous options for vegans are available these days at both large chain grocery stores and health food stores.

I chose original Earth Balance. You can use Melt Organic, Miyoko’s, Country Crock, or Trader Joe’s brand vegan buttery spread if you prefer.

Salt – Adding few pinches of salt will deepen the classic toffee flavor.

Optional vanilla – For a slight vanilla taste, I like to add half a teaspoon of pure vanilla extract after boiling. Or add the seeds from half a vanilla bean pod.

Chocolate coating – While it is fine to skip the chocolate coating, I almost always pour a layer of melted dark or semi sweet chocolate over my pan of toffee.

You may top the recipe or dip each hardened toffee bar into melted vegan white chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, or homemade Vegan Peanut Butter Chips.

Remember to check the ingredients of your chocolate chips or squares of chocolate to ensure they are milk free and nondairy.

Toppings and serving ideas

Traditional English toffee does not contain nuts, whereas the toffee we can buy here in America often includes them.

Stir in chopped almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios, pecans, or walnuts before pouring the mixture into a pan. Or sprinkle the nuts on top of the chocolate layer.

You can also add a small handful shredded coconut, peanuts, crushed cinnamon graham crackers, or pretzels.

For a fun and chewy texture that perfectly compliments the hard toffee, try diced dates, raisins, dried apple, or cranberries.

Want to make your own vegan Christmas crack? Layer saltine crackers into the bottom of the pan, pour the toffee on top, and bake five minutes before adding the chocolate.

If you need vegan toffee bits to use in cookie bars or other desserts, carefully chop the candy into tiny pieces with a sharp knife.

This toffee is shelf stable, making it a great option for holiday parties or cookie trays.

Or keep it all for your family or yourself, to enjoy as a cozy evening snack alongside a hot cup of coffee or tea.

How to make vegan toffee

Line an eight inch square baking pan or a sheet pan of any size with parchment paper. Then set this pan aside.

Combine the sugar, water, salt, and vegan butter in a heavy bottomed saucepan.

Turn the stove to low-medium heat, and bring to a boil. Stir constantly until the butter melts fully and all of the sugar dissolves.

Continue cooking at a boil and stirring until the sticky mixtures thickens and turns light brown in color.

Turn off the heat, and stir in the pure vanilla extract. If adding toasted nuts or dried fruits, throw them in now as well.

Quickly pour the hot toffee into the prepared pan. Spread out evenly with a spatula.

Sprinkle the chocolate chips directly on top, then smooth out with your spatula or spoon, allowing the chocolate to melt over the toffee layer.

*Toffee trick: I often melt the chocolate in the microwave first. This way I know the chocolate layer will always set super smooth with no bumps.

Sprinkle on any additional nuts, flaky sea salt, or other toppings. Allow the toffee to sit at room temperature in a dry place for at least two hours. Or leave it to sit overnight. The dairy free candy will harden during this cooling time.

If you are in a rush, you can put the toffee in the refrigerator to firm up. However, I do not recommend this shortcut if you include the optional chocolate, because refrigerating melted chocolate may cause it to bloom and lose its shiny appearance.

Once the chocolate sets, break the vegan toffee into pieces. Store in an airtight container or cookie tin, with parchment or wax paper between each layer of toffee.

The recipe should last for a week or two at room temperature or for about three months in the freezer.

Vegan toffee tips and troubleshooting

Choose an eight inch pan for toffee bars like the ones in the photos here. Or make vegan toffee bark by spreading the melted toffee onto a sheet pan instead.

If you are feeding a large crowd or turning the treat into edible holiday gifts, feel free to double the recipe. Use a larger pot and a nine by thirteen baking dish.

For those who own a candy thermometer, heat the toffee sauce in the saucepan until it reaches 300° Fahrenheit or 149° Celsius. This is known as the “hard crack” stage.

To ensure the best results, it is important to use a heavy bottom saucepan (where the base is thicker than the sides of the saucepan). This allows the heat to distribute more evenly and guards against burning.

If you are making sugar free toffee, go with an erythritol or monk fruit blend over xylitol or allulose. The latter two options do not properly caramelize and will remain soft after cooling. Stevia is also not recommended here.

Note that sugar free toffee with zero net carbs will remain somewhat chewy, because most sugar substitutes do not harden the same way as sugar.

Why did my toffee separate?

This is not specific to vegan recipes. In fact, it is a common issue people run into when making homemade candy in general.

You want to heat the toffee over low-medium, or medium heat at the absolute hottest. If your stove gets too hot, try lowering the heat.

Melting the butter and sugar too quickly may cause the fat in the butter to separate.

Using a saucepan with a heavy bottom will also help to ensure the toffee does not heat up too quickly.

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