This delicious Caramel Sauce is so easy to make and tastes about a million times better than anything you can buy at the store! It’s such a versatile ingredient, you’ll find yourself making it year round because caramel sauce makes everything better!
Love caramel? Make sure to try this Overnight Caramel Pecan Cinnamon Rolls, Chocolate Bread Pudding with Salted Caramel Sauce, and this Easy Caramel Apple Dip!
Caramel Sauce
Not sure there is anything on earth I love more than caramel. There is just something so pure about the flavor: so buttery, so sweet. I put it in and on everything imaginable and that’s why I wanted to share this easy caramel sauce recipe with you.
I know you’re going to find you love it as much as I do. It’s a condiment that I keep in the fridge at all times, just like me Strawberry Ice Cream Topping, whipping up another batch when necessary.
It cools to a spoonable, firm consistency so it’s perfect for layering in bars like these Oatmeal Caramel Truffle Brownies and Peanut Butter Caramel Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars. It also made it’s way into the Brownie Ice Cream Cake I shared with you just last week.
Basically, it’s errrrything.
We love to pour it on top of homemade ice cream like this Monster Cookie Dough Ice Cream or forgo the cream cheese icing on this Easy Banana Cake and serve it with caramel sauce instead for a bananas fosters take on the cake. Seriously you guys, you CAN.NOT.GO.WRONG.HERE.
Years ago, I shared this recipe for Buttermilk Bourbon Caramel Sauce and it’s been so popular lately that I thought I should share my basic caramel sauce recipe with you as well.
Just like in the bourbon caramel sauce, I use a technique that requires very little time and delivers superior results.
How To Make Caramel Sauce
Whenever you are making a new recipe, I always recommend you read through the ingredients and instructions at least TWICE before beginning. This ensures there are no surprises.
This is doubly true of candy recipes – which homemade caramel sauce definitely is. Things happen slowly and then all of a sudden, very quickly.
If you’re not prepared or are not paying close attention, the sugar can, and WILL, burn. No bueno. Have all your ingredients pre-measured so you’re not measuring out the heavy cream while keeping an eye on the sugar.
Let’s do this:
- Combine the sugar and water (and optional corn syrup) in a heavy bottomed sauce pan over medium low heat.
- Bring to a gentle boil while keeping the heat at medium, whisking or stirring frequently until sugar is dissolved.
- Cook, without stirring. Gently swirl the mixture around the pan occasionally and brush down the sides of the pan with a wet silicone brush as needed to keep sugar crystals from forming.
- Continue swirling (as needed) and cooking until the mixture turns golden in color (6 to 9 minutes).
- Remove from heat.
- Stir in the heavy cream, butter, and salt until the butter has melted and the caramel is smooth. Be careful, the mixture will bubble up.
- Stir in vanilla – if you are using.
- Let caramel sauce cool for 15 minutes in the sauce pan before pouring into a large glass jar for storage.
Ingredients Needed
Caramel is, at it’s core, a combination of sugar, butter, and heavy cream. I use a few other ingredients to give the caramel even more amazing flavor. Let’s talk about it.
- Water I add a little water to the sugar right at the beginning for a couple of reasons. One, it helps keep the sugar from burning while we gently melt it and get those sugar granules to dissolve. It makes stirring a whole heck of a lot easier and the water will just evaporate away as the sugar cooks.
- Salt (optional) This easy caramel sauce recipe instantly becomes salted caramel sauce with the addition of sea salt or kosher salt. You don’t need a lot, just a half teaspoon or so to give it that distinct salted caramel flavor. I do prefer sea salt so use it if you have it!
- Vanilla Extract (also optional) Vanilla is not traditionally found in caramel sauce, I know. BUT, I made this caramel sauce recipe about 873 times in the past two months making sure I had it exactly how I wanted and found that adding a little vanilla extract made the caramel that much better. I was worried that it would detract from that buttery caramel flavor, but it only enhanced it.
Salted Caramel Sauce
The only difference between the caramel sauce recipe below and salted caramel sauce is the addition of some salt – surprise!
You really should use sea salt or kosher salt – I prefer the flavor of sea salt. You don’t need a bunch, just a half teaspoon or so to give it that special salted caramel flavor.
FAQs
- How does the caramel sauce get so creamy?
- The butter and heavy cream! It takes it from caramelized sugar to caramel sauce.
- How do I know when to turn off the heat?
- It’s really about the color. You want it to be golden, bordering on the color of a penny – a nice new penny! If it starts to turn darker, it most likely will have a slightly burned taste. I always abort mission if I didn’t pull it off on time. No sense wasting the cream and butter since they are the most expensive parts of this recipe.
- Use my video as a guideline and remember, sooner is better than later! Nothing worse than burning the caramel!
- How long can I store the caramel sauce?
- Refrigerate for up to 3 weeks in a glass jar.
- How do I reheat the caramel?
- If you are using a glass jar for storage (which you should be), warm it up slowly in the microwave on 50% power, in 30 second intervals, stirring in between. Straight from the fridge it will be solid, a lot like butter actually. Spoonable, but you won’t be able to drizzle it over ice cream until warmed.
Special Tools Needed
This caramel sauce really doesn’t require much to make. You don’t need a candy thermometer or anything like that. But here are the tools that I do recommend:
- heavy bottomed sauce pan – you want a nice deep sauce pan, not necessarily for volume, but for safety. The mixture will boil and bubble when the cream and butter is added so a nice, deep sauce pan keeps everything safely inside the pan. A heavy bottom pan will provide more even heat distribution, preventing hot spots and scorching.
- liquid measuring cups for the heavy cream – I use this fun beaker set and LOVE It!
- silicone brush – as sugar crystals build up on the side of the pan, brushing water along the side will dissolve the sugar.
- jars to store the caramel sauce in – any heat-proof, airtight glass jar will work. I keep a bunch of canning jars on hand and use those most frequently when making homemade sauces like this one.
More Treats for Your Sweet Tooth
The BEST Caramel Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 4 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon corn syrup optional (helps to keep crystals from forming)
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt, optional if you want salted caramel
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract optional
Instructions
- Add granulated sugar and water (and optional corn syrup) to a medium sized, heavy duty sauce pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the sugar dissolves (3 to 5 minutes).1 cup granulated sugar, 4 tablespoons water, 1 tablespoon corn syrup
- Bring to a gentle boil while keeping the heat at medium, whisking or stirring frequently until sugar is dissolved.
- Don't stir the caramel sauce at this point. Just gently swirl the mixture around the pan occasionally and brush down the sides of the pan with a wet silicone brush as needed to keep sugar crystals from forming.
- Continue swirling and cooking until the mixture turns deep amber in color (6 to 9 minutes).
- Remove from heat. Stir in the cream, butter, and salt until the butter has melted and the caramel is smooth. Be careful because the mixture will bubble up.½ cup heavy cream, 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, ½ teaspoon sea salt
- Stir in the vanilla extract at this point if you are using it.1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Let the caramel sauce cool for 15 minutes in the sauce pan before pouring into a large glass jar for storage.
Video
Notes
OPTIONAL Add one tablespoon of corn syrup in with the sugar and water to help prevent crystals from forming while cooking the sugar.
Storage Information: Keep refrigerated for up to 1 month.
Tools Needed
- heavy bottomed sauce pan - you want a nice deep sauce pan, not necessarily for volume, but for safety. The mixture will boil and bubble when the cream and butter is added so a nice, deep sauce pan keeps everything safely inside the pan. A heavy bottom pan will provide more even heat distribution, preventing hot spots and scorching.
- liquid measuring cups for the heavy cream - I use this fun beaker set and LOVE It!
- silicone brush - as sugar crystals build up on the side of the pan, brushing water along the side will dissolve the sugar.
- jars to store the caramel sauce in - any heat-proof, airtight glass jar will work. I keep a bunch of canning jars on hand and use those most frequently when making homemade sauces like this one.
Martha Harris says
I just made your Devine caramel sauce…I do have a question…after I micro wave it to soften it..won’t it become fairly hard again once it sits on a cheese cake? This is how I want to serve my cheesecake,
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
If you want to thin it, you can heat it in the microwave on low heat, stirring frequently until it reaches your desired consistency. Hope that helps!
Juanita A Allard says
Thank you for the recipie. Reading the recipie several times is required here or you will not be happy with the results. On my 3rd and final try I had a fantastic salted caramel sauce.
R E A D the directions…slow down and breathe. It will help alot! I would also recommend making a double batch of this!
Jennifer says
This is definitely a trial and error recipe. I had to make it a few times in a row before I got it just right. If you cook it even a second too long it has a terribly bitter burnt taste!
Third times a charm! It’s delicious! Love your page and all of your recipes! I made your Mac and cheese on the weekend and it was a huge hit! Thanks for all the ideas!
Grams says
I just noticed that you have no reviews for this recipe. I hate to say I’m guilty too!! I just made my fifth double batch. I have tried other recipes; however, it doesn’t compare by any means! This is way better than store bought caramel. Thanks for sharing all your delicious recipes!