Caramel Sauce Recipe

This Caramel Sauce recipe is a rich and buttery recipe, which is made with granulated sugar and heavy cream. It’s the perfect dessert topping, a surprisingly easy guide to making foolproof, liquid gold at home, ready in about 20 minutes.

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Caramel Sauce Ingredients

A simple list for the perfect homemade salted caramel.

1 1/2 cups Granulated Sugar
1/4 cup Water
1 stick (1/2 cup) Unsalted Butter, cubed and at room temperature
3/4 cup Heavy Cream, at room temperature
1 to 1 1/2 Tablespoons Sea Salt
1/4 tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract

How To Make Caramel Sauce

A step-by-step guide to this wonderfully rich and decadent sauce.

Melt the Sugar: In a heavy-bottomed, stainless steel saucepan, combine the sugar and water. Do not stir; just gently swirl the pan to moisten all the sugar. Place the pan over medium-high heat.
Caramelize: Bring the mixture to a boil. Continue to cook, without stirring, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture turns a beautiful, deep amber color, like a copper penny. This will take about 13–14 minutes. Watch it very carefully, as it can go from perfect to burnt in seconds.
Add Butter and Cream: Immediately turn the heat down to low. Add the room temperature butter all at once (be careful, as the mixture will bubble up violently). Whisk until the butter is completely melted and combined. Carefully and slowly pour in the room temperature heavy cream while whisking vigorously until the sauce is smooth.
Finish and Cool: Remove the pan from the heat. Whisk in the vanilla extract and the sea salt. Allow the caramel to cool in the pan for a few minutes before transferring it to a sealed, heatproof container like a glass jar. The sauce will thicken considerably as it cools.

Recipe Tips

For perfect, smooth, non-grainy caramel every time.

How to prevent the caramel from crystallizing? The most important rule is: do not stir the boiling sugar! Stirring can cause sugar crystals to form, making your sauce grainy. If you see crystals forming on the sides of the pan, use a pastry brush dipped in water to gently brush them down into the boiling syrup.
Why use room temperature cream and butter? Adding cold dairy to scorching hot sugar can cause the sugar to seize up into a hard lump and will create a more violent bubbling reaction. Using room temperature ingredients helps everything to combine smoothly and safely.
How do I know when the caramel is the right color? The color is key to the flavor. You’re looking for a deep amber or copper penny color. If it’s too pale, the flavor will be just sweet. If it’s too dark (like a dark beer), it has started to burn and will taste bitter.
Can I make this ahead of time? Absolutely! This caramel sauce is perfect for making ahead. It keeps beautifully in the refrigerator and is wonderful to have on hand for a quick dessert upgrade.

What To Serve With Caramel Sauce

The perfect accompaniments for this rich, sweet, and salty sauce.

This versatile sauce is a fantastic addition to countless desserts. It’s perfect for:

Drizzling over a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream
Topping for brownies, blondies, or a simple pound cake
A dip for fresh apple slices
Stirring into your morning coffee for a salted caramel latte
A topping for cheesecake or bread pudding

How To Store Caramel Sauce

Keeping your homemade sauce fresh.

Refrigerate: Once completely cooled, store the caramel sauce in an airtight container or a sealed glass jar in the refrigerator. It will stay fresh and delicious for up to 2 weeks (or longer). The sauce will become very thick and firm when cold.
Reheat: To serve, you can gently rewarm the sauce in the microwave in 15-20 second intervals, stirring in between, until it reaches a pourable consistency.

Caramel Sauce Nutrition Facts

An estimated guide per tablespoon.

Calories: 80 kcal
Carbohydrates: 12 g
Protein: 0.1 g
Fat: 4 g

Nutrition information is estimated and may vary based on ingredients and cooking methods used.

FAQs

My caramel seized and became a hard lump! What went wrong?

This usually happens if your cream or butter were too cold when you added them to the hot sugar. Don’t throw it out! Just keep the pan on a very low heat and continue to whisk gently. The hard caramel lump will eventually melt back into the cream, and you can save the sauce.

Can I make this dairy-free?

Yes. For a dairy-free version, you can substitute the butter with a good quality vegan butter alternative and the heavy cream with full-fat canned coconut milk (the thick cream from the top is best).

How much salt should I use?

The amount of salt is a matter of personal preference. Start with 1 tablespoon for a nicely balanced salted caramel. If you love a very salty-sweet contrast, you can go up to 1 1/2 tablespoons.

Try More Recipes:

Caramelized White Chocolate Recipe
Salted Caramel Brownie Recipe
Caramel-Chocolate-Pecan Ice Cream Pie Recipe

Recipe by MarryCourse: SauceCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Calories

kcal

A simple, foolproof recipe for a rich, buttery, and perfectly balanced homemade salted caramel sauce. The ultimate decadent topping for all your favorite desserts.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups Granulated Sugar
1/4 cup Water
1 stick (1/2 cup) Unsalted Butter, cubed, room temperature
3/4 cup Heavy Cream, room temperature
1 to 1 1/2 Tbsp. Sea Salt
1/4 tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract

Directions

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the sugar and water. Cook over medium-high heat, without stirring, until the mixture turns a deep amber color (about 13-14 minutes).
Turn the heat to low and immediately whisk in the room temperature butter until it has melted completely. Be careful, as the mixture will bubble vigorously.
Slowly and carefully pour in the room temperature heavy cream while whisking constantly until the sauce is smooth.
Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the vanilla and salt.
Let the caramel cool in the pan for a few minutes before transferring it to a glass jar. The sauce will thicken as it cools.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Notes

It is crucial that you do not stir the sugar and water as it boils to prevent crystallization. Gently swirl the pan if needed.
Using room temperature butter and cream is the secret to a smooth sauce that won’t seize.
Be very careful when making caramel, as the hot sugar is extremely hot.
The caramel will thicken significantly as it cools. Reheat gently in the microwave to make it pourable again.