10-Minute Salted Caramel Sauce

A spoon dipping into a jar of caramel sauce.

10-Minute Salted Caramel Sauce

Salted Caramel Sauce is easy to make at home! It comes together in just 10 minutes and requires only three ingredients. It's perfect for topping all your favorite desserts, and it makes an incredible homemade holiday gift.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Dessert

Keyword Caramel Sauce, Homemade Caramel, Homemade Caramel Sauce, Easy Caramel, Easy Homemade Caramel, Christmas Food Gifts, Gluten Free Holiday Recipes

Prep Time 2

Cook Time 10

Total Time 12

Servings servings*

Calories 222kcal

Author Stephanie Simmons

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

NOTE: When you add the heavy cream, a lot of heat will rise from the pan, and if you're using a metal whisk, it will get very hot. I recommend keeping an oven mitt nearby to use on your stirring hand during this step.

NOTE: As with most candy recipes, I don't recommend that you double this recipe. Make a few separate batches if you want more than one batch.

Nutrition