Homemade Caramel Sauce is quick, easier than you’d think, and comes together in just 10 minutes with 4 ingredients! It’s the perfect topping your favorite desserts or a lovely homemade holiday gift.
This post was originally published in October of 2018, but I just updated it with fresh new photos, including step-by-step photos!
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- 10 Minute Recipe – This Salted Caramel recipe takes just 10 minutes – once you’ve made homemade caramel, and you see how easy it is, you’ll never go back!
- Simple Ingredients – This recipe uses just 4 basic ingredients – butter, sugar, heavy cream, and salt. There’s no candy thermometer involved here, like in some caramel recipes!
- Incredibly Versatile – Add my salted caramel sauce to ice cream sundaes, cakes, cobblers, cookies, and SO many desserts to amp them up!
Ingredient Overview
As always, the full recipe is found at the bottom of this post.
- Granulated sugar – Use granulated sugar for best results. I haven’t tried this with other sugars. And, if you use brown sugar, you’ll end up with butterscotch, not caramel. See my Butterscotch Cake recipe for how to make butterscotch sauce!
- Butter – I always use salted buter for the best flavor, and I’ve made my salted caramel sauce with both unsalted and salted butter, and it’s MUCH better with salted. But, you can use unsalted butter if you prefer.
- Heavy Cream – Use full fat heavy cream for best results.
- Flaky Sea Salt – I love Maldon sea salt flakes, but you can use any similar brand. You can use a pinch of regular table salt if you can’t find flaky sea salt.
Ingredient Substitutions:
- Dairy-free – I haven’t made this recipe dairy-free, but I’ve heard that it works with dairy-free butter sticks, and coconut milk instead of heavy cream.
How to Make this Recipe Step-by-Step:
Step 1: Cook the Sugar. Start by adding the granulated sugar to a clean, dry nonstick or heavy bottom pot. Cook this over medium heat on the stovetop, stirring lazily with a wooden spoon as the sugar melts, until it’s completely broken down into a deep amber-colored liquid. As the sugar cooks, it will clump & begin to melt (top right photo below). Continue stirring until it’s completely broken down.
It’s almost ready in the bottom left photo, but there are still some clumps of sugar left that you want to let melt before moving to the next step. When all the sugar dissolves, it will look like the bottom right photo. Make sure all the chunks of sugar have completely melted or the caramel will seize up when you add the next ingredients, and it will not turn out.
Step 2: Add the Butter. Next, lower the burner to medium-low heat, and whisk the butter into the melted sugar. Some of it will may look a bit separated out from the caramel, but that’s fine. Just mix it all in the best you can, and move on to the next step.
Step 3: Add the Heavy Cream. Remove pot from the heat and whisk in the heavy cream. If the caramel sauce feels a bit clumpy on your whisk at this point, that’s fine. It’s just the cold heavy cream solidifying a bit of the caramel sauce – it’ll melt back down in a minute when we return the pan to the heat.
Step 4: Finish the Caramel Sauce. Return the pot to the heat and cook over medium heat, letting the caramel get nice and bubbly, for a minute more. Then, stir in a pinch of flaky sea salt, and you’re done! Let the caramel rest for about 10-15 minutes before using or storing it. This mixture will thicken as the caramel cools.
This is truly the best salted caramel sauce! Use it to top any and all desserts to take them up a notch. It’s one of my favorite recipes to gift – pop it into a little jar with a ribbon for a beautiful homemade holiday gift. It’s better than any store-bought caramel, and it’s not sickly sweet like some caramel can be.
Expert Success Tips:
- Recipe Yield – When it comes to candy making, it’s typically not recommended that you double a recipe. I haven’t ever made a double batch of my salted caramel sauce, so I would err on the side of caution and say to make a few separate batches if you want more than 1 and 1/4 cups yield.
- Read the Recipe First – Salted caramel sauce is simple to make, but it helps to familiarize yourself with what to expect at each step before beginning, especially if this is your first time making it.
Recipe Variations:
- Vanilla extract – Feel free to stir in 1/4 tsp of vanilla extract at the end of the recipe, along with the sea salt.
Serving + Storing this Recipe:
Allow caramel to cool 10-15 minutes after cooking before storing in a glass jar or similar container in the fridge. Store in the fridge for up to a month. Caramel will become more solid in the fridge, and you’ll need to microwave it for 30 seconds or so before using.
Special Tools:
- Whisk – This is my favorite whisk!
- Mason Jars – A small mason jar with a ribbon tied on is the perfect way to gift this caramel.
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Recipes to Use this Salted Caramel Sauce Recipe with:
- Dutch Caramel Apple Pie
- Homemade Apple Cider Donuts
- Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust
- Caramel Apple Turnovers
- Salted Caramel Pretzel Brownies
- Pumpkin Snickerdoodles with Rum Caramel
- Salted Caramel Apple Galette
- Best Ever 5-Ingredient Brownies
- Caramel Apple Pull Apart Bread
Did you make this recipe? Snap a photo and leave a comment!
Be sure to follow bluebowlrecipes on instagram and tag #bluebowlrecipes with your photo! You can also post a photo of your recipe to the bluebowlrecipes Facebook page. I’d love to see what you make!
Simplest Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 6 tbsp salted butter cut into chunks
- 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp heavy cream
- pinch of sea salt optional but recommended
Instructions
- Prep: Set out all your ingredients before you begin. They don't need to come to room temperature first, but if they sit out for a few minutes before you start, that's ok too.
- Melt the Sugar: Add the sugar to a medium saucepan (a nonstick works great). Cook the sugar on medium heat, stirring lazily. For the first few minutes, it will seem like nothing is happening but eventually the sugar will begin to break down. After a few minutes, the sugar will melt into a coppery-caramely-colored liquid. (See photos above). Make sure all the little chunks of sugar are gone! If the sugar isn't completely liquified, the caramel sauce won't turn out.
- Add the Butter: Once the sugar has completely melted, immediately add the butter and reduce the heat slightly. Whisk or stir constantly until the butter is completely melted. If the butter separates a little from the caramel, don't worry. Whisk it in as best you can, and continue to the next step.
- Add Heavy Cream: Remove pan from the heat and slowly add the heavy cream, whisking as you add it. The caramel will bubble up here. (See note)
- Finish: Set the pot back on the heat for about a minute more, stirring constantly, to let it thicken up a bit. Remove from the heat, and add a pinch of flaky sea salt, to taste. Let cool 10-15 minutes before using.
- Serve & Store Store: Store cooled caramel in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 month. When using it out of the fridge, microwave it for about 30 seconds to soften it back up, so it's pourable.Yield: This recipe yields 1 and 1/4 cups of caramel sauce. The yield field above won't let me add a fraction, but I estimate you could get about 8 servings if you were to divide it up for people to dip apple slices in, as an example.
Notes
Nutrition
Alyssa says
Amazing, easy caramel! Great for baking, over ice cream, coffee or anything really! I made two batches before Thanksgiving and everyone was putting it on/in everything!
Stephanie Simmons says
Thanks so much, ALyssa!
Alesia says
Lovely, easy recipe! Made it this evening in preparation to make the apple galette on Tuesday for a dinner we are hosting!
Stephanie Simmons says
Thanks, Alesia! Let me know how the apple galette turns out too! 🙂
Zoe Morman says
Thank you for this recipe. I learned a lot! Caramel is not one of my favorite things to make because of timing and stickiness, lol.
Stephanie Simmons says
Glad this recipe helped you, Zoe! 🙂 It will be like second nature to you the more you make it!
Wendy says
I’ve always been intimidated by making homemade caramel because it’s so easy to burn. I made the PERFECT caramel using your recipe! Your instructions and pictures made it so easy and it’s delicious! I made it to top your caramel apple cider cookies and my family has devoured them. I’ll be making them a lot. Thank you.
Stephanie Simmons says
Thanks, so much Wendy! Your kind comment made my day. 🙂 Please be sure to leave a review on the apple cider cookies as well – and happy baking!
Kerry Shamblin says
I’ve never are caramel before. I’ve never even attempted anything remotely close to making caramel. I followed this recipe and it TURNED OUT PERFECTLY! So delicious and I feel very accomplished with my new skill. The directions and pictures were great, without them I surely would have messed up.
Stephanie Simmons says
Thanks so much for your kind comment, Kerry! 🙂
Catherine says
Just wondering if this needs to be kept cold if you are wanting to jar and gift it?
Stephanie Simmons says
Hi Catherine! It does need to be refrigerated but it can be kept at room temp for a day if you are traveling and gifting it. It also keeps for 1 month in the fridge. Hope that helps! Happy baking 🙂
Cheryl says
I’m a novice at candy making but followed this recipe to the T and it came out great!
Stephanie Simmons says
So glad to hear that, Cheryl! It’s definitely a recipe for any skill level. 🙂
Erinn Rynkievich says
I just made the caramel sauce but it taste as though it is burned. I used a non stick pan and do not see anything in the bottom of the pan that would lead me to believe it is burned. Any suggestions?
Stephanie Simmons says
Hi Erinn! I’m sorry to hear that. I’m honestly not sure what would cause this, as it’s never happened to me in my dozens of times making this. My best guess is that once the sugar was melted, you continued cooking it for too long before moving on to the next steps. Do you remember what color the liquid was just before moving on to the step where you add the butter?
Elysha Mahar says
I followed the recipe and ended up with caramel soup more so than sauce. Any suggestions on where I may have gone wrong?
Stephanie Simmons says
Hi Elysha! The caramel thickens up quite a bit as it cools – it doesn’t start off at the right consistency. How long has it been since you finished making it?
Elysha Mahar says
Half an hour probably, I’m making your Dutch caramel apple pie and I just finished peeling/slicing apples after I made the caramel. How long does it typically take to firm up?
Stephanie Simmons says
Hmm, it probably should have thickened up more by now. Do you have Instagram? Dm me a photo or a video of what it looks like so I can help you better!
Stephanie Simmons says
I found this online – “ If the caramel is too thin, simmer the caramel on medium heat for 5-10 minutes to thicken it (the caramel will not continue to darken). Keep in mind that the caramel will thicken significantly once cool. Likewise, if the caramel is too thick, thin by stirring a tablespoon or two of heavy cream.” – hope that helps!! I’m sorry, I haven’t actually encountered this problem before. I have had many other types of failures with caramel but it has never been too runny for me. Is it super humid where you live?
Elysha Mahar says
It isn’t typically humid here but it definitely has been lately, especially today. So maybe that was my problem, I brought it back to a boil and let it cool again and it’s much better consistency now. On to baking that pie! Thanks for your help!
Stephanie Simmons says
So glad you were able to make it work!! I’ll add that tip to the recipe notes to help people troubleshoot in the future ? thank you for making my recipes! ❤️
Annet Quintana says
I get that caramel sauce is supposed to be a naughty indulgence, but due to dietary concerns because of a medical issue, would whole milk work in place of the heavy cream ? If so, are there any extra steps that I need to take ? Thank you so much for your time and I greatly appreciate your reply.
Stephanie Simmons says
Hi! I’m not sure if that would work in my recipe, unfortunately, because I’ve never tried it! I did find this recipe however that uses milk! https://www.thespruceeats.com/homemade-caramel-sauce-recipe-1945750 –
Steph G says
I can’t wait to try this with your caramel apple pie recipe for my husband’s birthday! I have a question about the type of cream to get. Is it like half and half, or do you use heavy whipping cream?
Thank you!
Stephanie Simmons says
It’s heavy whipping cream! 🙂 hope you both love it! ?
Steph G says
Thank you! I am making it tonight. I can’t wait to see how it turns out. I think it’ll be perfect 🙂
Stephanie Simmons says
I hope so!! Let me know how it goes! ?
Fotini says
This looks lovely. Thank you for sharing!
Stephanie Simmons says
Thank you!
lauren says
I Love this!!! It looks so easy. Thank you so much for sharing!
Stephanie Simmons says
Thanks Lauren!
Sheri says
Love this easy recipe! Caramel sauce is my favorite. I’d have to be careful to not eat the whole jar with a spoon, though! Thanks for sharing!
Stephanie Simmons says
It is tempting! ❤️
Ya says
OMGGGGG I needed this! This looks delicious! I love caramel sauce and never knew it was this easy to make! thank you!
Stephanie Simmons says
Thanks! ❤️
Becky says
This looks insanely delicious! Saving to use for the holidays.
Stephanie Simmons says
Yay! Glad to hear it 🙂
Mimi says
Love this. After buying caramel sauce years ago, and almost choking on the sweetness, I’ve never looked back. I’ll have to see how yours compares – I know it’s supposed to be sweet, but it shouldn’t hurt your throat! Beautiful photos.
Stephanie Simmons says
Oo yes I’ve definitely experienced that!! I think this one is a little less over-the-top with the sugary sweetness! And thank you! ❤️