Praline is a type of candy that can refer to a few different confections, depending on where they are made. The term praline can refer to a cooked mixture of sugar, nuts, and vanilla, often ground to a paste for use as a pastry or candy filling, analogous to French pralin. The American praline is a creamy, fudge-like confection featuring a cluster of pecans coated with a caramelized mixture of brown sugar, granulated sugar, cream (or milk or evaporated milk), and butter. The French praline is made by cooking almonds in boiling sugar until caramelized and crunchy. The candied almonds can then be ground to create pralin, which is used to fill chocolates or create chocolates that are categorized as praliné. Belgian pralines are filled chocolates, and sometimes the filling is comprised of ground caramelized almonds, as with French pralin, or hazelnuts.

Praline paste is important in the commercial confectionery and bakery industries as a filling for chocolates, a flavoring for icings and creams, and an ingredient in various doughs. Pecan pralines, usually made with brown sugar, have been produced for generations by the French-extracted Cajuns of Louisiana. The taste of praline is sweet, creamy, and nutty, with a soft, fudgy texture. The history of pralines dates back to the 1600s in France, and it is widely accepted that the creator of the praline was the French pastry chef Clement Lassagne.