Caramel Sauce
Updated
Updated
Follow this easy recipe to make homemade caramel sauce – salted or not. It only takes 10 minutes and a few pantry items. Then enjoy it drizzled over ice cream, cakes, pancakes, cheesecake, stir it into iced coffee, or use as a dessert dip for apples or other fruit!
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5 STAR REVIEWS
Right next to my homemade chocolate sauce, this homemade caramel sauce has got to be the easiest recipe ever. And it is pure nirvana! Sure, you can buy caramel sauce at the store, but as with most foods, homemade tastes so much better and doesn’t have any added unnecessary ingredients. Plus, in the time it would take you to drive to the market, this caramel sauce would be done! It’s sweet and buttery and going to rock your world, trust me! It takes this ice cream sandwich cake completely over the top.
Helpful Tips
- The utensils you use do matter. It is important to use either a wooden spoon or a heat-resistant silicone spoon to make the sauce.
- Resist the urge to stir! As the sugar and water bubble, if you stir them, you’ll cause sugar clumps to form and it will not be smooth and creamy. Once it starts cooking, do not stir. And be sure not to let the caramel go high up the sides of the pot or this will make the caramel sauce crystallize and become grainy, as well.
- What if my sauce does crystallize? Luckily, you don’t need to start over. Whew. Add a scant 1/4 cup of water and bring the sugar back to a gentle bubble. (Heating it up with the water should dissolve the crystals. Then proceed with the recipe until you get color on the sugar.)
- Use unsalted butter. Even if you want salted caramel sauce, I recommend using unsalted butter. This gives you better control over the saltiness of the finished product. For salted caramel sauce, I like to add 1/2 teaspoon of salt, but I recommend starting with 1/8 teaspoon and adjust to taste.
- Stay put and be patient. Do not step away from the stove while the caramel is cooking. This sauce is super easy, but it can take anywhere from 8-15 minutes to thicken and turn that gorgeous dark gold color. Since you don’t know where your sauce will land in that window, you need to be paying close attention.
- Can I use this caramel sauce for caramel apples? Unfortunately, no. This caramel is not thick enough to coat apples for caramel apples. But it sure makes a great dessert dip for apple slices or other fruit. It’s also perfect drizzled over ice cream or cheesecake, or stirred into coffee!
Easy Caramel Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, , cut into pieces
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Add the sugar and water to a 3-quart heavy bottomed pot; stir just slightly so it's combined and sits in a flat even layer, and try to avoid it going up the sides of the pot.
- Warm pot over medium heat and cook until the sugar dissolves, turns from cloudy to clear, and starts to bubble – this can take a few minutes. (At this point, do not stir again – simply allow to bubble and cook – and keep your heat at medium.)
- If the sugar forms clumps around the perimeter of the pot, using a spatula, you can gently brush down the sides occasionally, to prevent crystallization. But just continue cooking, without stirring, until the mixture thickens and turns a deep gold color like honey (this can take anywhere from 8-15 minutes), keeping a watchful eye so the mixture doesn’t burn. SEE NOTE BELOW.
- Carefully add the butter and whisk until completely melted. (The caramel will bubble up rapidly, so be careful and continue to whisk.)
- Remove the pot from the heat. Slowly pour in the heavy cream, whisking continuously until all of the cream has been incorporated.
- Whisk in the vanilla and salt.
- Set aside to cool in the pot for 10 minutes.
- Then pour into a lidded glass jar and allow to cool completely. (The caramel will be liquid at first, but will thicken up and solidify into a chewy texture as it cools.) Once it's completely cooled, it needs to be stored in the fridge because of the dairy. Reheat to use again – see note below.)
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and any changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are very important to you, I would recommend calculating them yourself.
Did you make this? Leave a rating below!
Do I need a Candy Thermometer?
You definitely don’t need a thermometer. If you have a thermometer and want to be very precise, the target temperature you’re after is between 225−230F which creates a sauce that has proper color and caramelization, and is thick enough to drizzle but still fluid when cool. (Making candy, requires a higher temperature.) If you follow this recipe exactly, without deviation, all you really need is a good nose and set of eyeballs!
Does homemade caramel sauce need to be refrigerated?
Yep! Because it has dairy (cream and butter), it will need to be refrigerated once it cools. You’ll reheat it, as necessary.
How to Store Caramel Sauce
- Fridge. After the caramel cools down, you’ll pour it into a lidded glass jar or container. Store in the refrigerator, tightly sealed, up to 3 weeks.
- Freezer. This caramel sauce can also be frozen in a freezer-safe jar for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature before using.
- Reheat. Caramel solidifies in the refrigerator so it needs to be reheated, either on the stove or in the microwave, until desired consistency is reached – usually just 10 seconds or so. Note: reheating the caramel will make it thinner and runnier.
I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube!
turned out perfectly in less than 10 minutes. used it warm over a kind of dry 😂bundt cake with whipped cream!
Made the recipe and followed exactly including tips. Came out perfectly. Left for a one week trip after making it and it is still tastes great after 10 days. Thanks for sharing this recipe! It’s a keeper.
Ok i finally got it to work i guess the.medium heat setting on my stove didnt give it enough heat.
Awesome flavor and easy… thanks for sharing ❤️❤️
I finally gave in and made this easy, but extremely delicious caramel! Taste identical to Werther’s original, which I replaced for cigarettes 32 years ago; I quit cold turkey and started sucking on the Werther’s Instead.Thank you for sharing this amazing caramel sauce Amy….I’m hooked!!!
Loved this! Super easy and tastes just like werthers! Thank you!
This caramel turned out great! I would suggest to anyone! Great for beginners
This is the best tasting caramel sauce I’ve ever had or made. Made it as instructed, but ignoring the build up of crystals on the side of the pot. Keeping an eye out on color. This did take a bit…about fifteen minutes and the result was amazing. Thank you for this delicious and easy to follow recipe.
Made it twice: First time the colour was great but I didn’t put in enough water so I ended up having to strain it before I put it in the jar. The second time I tripled the recipe and the texture and flavour were great but I don’t think I cooked it quite long enough because the colour was a little pale for caramel. But that’s an easy fix!!
This is a simple recipe and makes the most delectable caramel sauce! I literally want to eat it by the spoonful.
This recipe is super easy and fun to make! Remember to have patience!!
I drizzled it over slices of German Chocolate Bundt cake, everyone loved it!
I made this and it was good, but didn’t have the dark golden brown color of carmel.
Just follow the steps exactly and it turns out perfectly… Taste is impeccable and it’s soft enough for cake, ice cream, or popcorn. I highly recommend 10/10.
So I doubled the recipe not knowing you’re not supposed to (saw it in the comments). It crystallized/clumped/looked like a crumbled mess, but I found that if you turn up the heat, stir the crystallized sugar, it will start to melt and brown (watch it carefully). Once it started to brown I continue to stir until the sugar melted completely. Make sure to turn the heat down. I added butter, and stirred until incorporated then added the hwc. Sooo, if your sugar clumps, I recommend turning the heat up, continue to stir, watch the color and follow through with the rest of the recipe once it melts. Like another commenter, I too, had to strain it, but it turned out fine.
I just made this caramel sauce and it turned out perfect which is a victory for me!
Thank you for this great recipe.
I followed the directions and it came out fantastic!
Love this! First time making caramel sauce and I’ll never buy from a store again. I’m not sure I cooked it correctly because it really clumped but I added a little water and stirred it, which helped. I also strained the sauce and it was perfection.
So easy and delicious! Everyone loved it! Perfect caramel sauce!
Excellent and SO easy. Never made anything like this before and wanted to serve over cheesecake for the holidays. DELICIOUS!
I had some problems with this recipe, but I was prepared to attempt it until I got it right. I think this helped me in the long run. Through my three attempts, I found the following tricks to be helpful.
First, I used a frying pan instead of a pot. The wider base helped things cook more evenly (according to Reddit). Second, I stirred the sugar until the mixture just started to roll tiny bubbles. This seemed to help it dissolve. But most importantly, the temperature did not matter. I focused on it too much and the temperature was significantly higher than I anticipated. On my final (and third) attempt, it turned out perfectly!
I also had to switch to a pan and add another 1/4 cup of water. Took me 1 attempt the first time, 3 the second and 2 this last time. I tried a double batch as my nephew loves this (and the chocolate sauce which is amazing and I didn’t have to deviate at all) but was unsuccessful in both attempts, tried once more lastnight and did an extra 1/4 of water amd 2 less ounces of butter and it finally worked also with a pan and not a pot….It is a really good caramel and worth all the attemps
Made quite easy, just follow recipe
Turned out fantastic! First time making caramel sauce, instructions were perfect! Thank you!
I’ve made it 4 times. It’s crystallized 3 of the 4. The one time it worked it was delicious. I used different pots, I do not stir it, I keep heat on medium. It won’t turn any color and it just crystalizes after 10 mins. I make a lot of candy, I just can’t figure out why this won’t work for me. 🤷
I have had the same issue. I do not stir it, and follow the recipe to a T. Also, mine often separates after it cools in the fridge. It’s like the butter isn’t getting mixed in all the way. But, the flavor is great, and I’ll keep making it.
I’ve made this a few times too and have had oil separate from the mixture. It still tastes amazing, just not sure how to keep it from getting that oily layer. Any suggestions?
This happened to mine as well but I just turned up the heat a little and it melted back down into a perfect honey colored syrup
Came out perfect! Using as a cheese cake topper along with your chocolate sauce.
It worked this time. I stirred my water and sugar good to dissolve before it began boiling, then no stirring. I used a pastry brush to wash down sides of the pot before it boiled then sat back and watched the magic happen. Delicious.
Hi I’m from Iceland and all ingredients except the water and vanilla and salt we caramelised potatoes you should try that . After the cream add cook and peel potatoes in let them role in for 5 to 10 min on lowest heat they are delicious with any kind off meat or steak. Thank you your recipe is really good 😊
It worked this time. I stirred my water and sugar good to dissolve before it began boiling, then no stirring. I used a pastry brush to wash down sides of the pot before it boiled then sat back and watched the magic happen. Delicious.
Always wanted to make this. This recipe was easy and delicious
Yes I made this took longer than I thought it crystallized. Add water. It didn’t turn out as dark as I liked. See how it is after it cools followed the 3x recipe. Took along time for the sugar to melt down.
This is because you tripled the recipe. It only stands to reason it’s going to take much longer. This is not an ideal recipe to double or triple. You should make a single batch.
Hi, going to make this for some holiday gifts this Christmas. Can I safely triple the recipe? Where did you get your jars?
Thanks so much
Larry
Hi Larry – For best results, I would not double or triple this recipe. Make each batch separately.
Made this for Thanksgiving to spoon over sweet potatoes, because past recipes always became watery and nonexistent when heated with the potatoes. Appreciate the details provided, and proceeded according to instructions, but as it turned to golden color almost the entire contents crystallized. Gave it a little whisk and soon the crystals melted into the best sauce ever. So do NOT panic if this happens–and thanks for a great recipe.
(PS–leftover sauce in fridge and it will be used for leftover yams as well as a flavoring for my morning plain yogurt).
Easy, simple instructions for a delicious sauce.
Good recipe. I doubled it and it worked great
Thank you for the clear, simple instructions. Your caramel sauce recipe turned out perfectly!!
This is after I tried a recipe from another site that omitted the water and called for continuously stirring the sugar (not surprisingly that resulted in a hopelessly clumped sugar mass that refused to combine with the melted butter).
I look forward to making this recipe again. Thank you!
Failed 2x because I stirred the edges in too
Vigorously when I thought that it was crystallizing. My advice for anyone who’s never made this is trust the process.! do not stir or move around at all! I didn’t realize that stirring causes even more crystallization! However, when I did do it right it turned out amazing! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Easy, straightforward directions. Turned out perfectly and delicious. And, I know what all of the ingredients are! Thanks for the recipe.
My search for the perfect homemade caramel sauce is over!! This is so easy and results are chef’s kiss. I’ve made it 4 times now with consistent results. Thank you so much!
Just made this for the second time, both times with half and half because it was all I had, and it is a winner! The first time I simmered it down to make it thicker, came out like fudge, delicious! Thanks for the directions.
Fabulous recipe! Delicious taste. Ate it by the spoonful!
Making for probably the 9th time. So easy to follow and straight forward! Makes caramel simple to make.
Im making it for the second time. Was a HUGE hit with my nephew. He put it all over vanilla ice cream and I used some as dipping sauce for my daughters apples
I just finish making the caramel sauce. It’s delicious.
Good recipe but WARNING: Do not use raw organic sugar. It contains impurities that can affects the sugars ability to properly dissolve.
This is phenomenal! This one will be in our family recipe box forever. Follow the recipe step-by-step and it came out beautifully.. Thank you for sharing.
This recipe was easy to follow and the caramel came out amazing!
Please can you use everperted milk for the recipe?
Heavy cream is needed for best results
I just made this for the 2nd time. So easy to make and it is delicious! I put it on ice cream and dip apple slices in it. I could eat it by the spoonful! I didn’t have heavy cream so I used half and half and it turned out great! Maybe not as thick but not too thin. This is a keeper!
I followed the recipe exactly and the caramel sauce is amazing! As instructed, you do need to keep an eye on it because it goes quickly once it gets that honey color. I appreciate the thoughtful detail in this recipe.
So easy. My family loves this sauce with ice cream
sauce turned out perfect— no graininess, no separation, and perfect consistency
I’ve been looking for a simple caramel sauce, this is perfect, storing in 4oz. mason jars.
Thank you
I’ve literally been using this recipes for 3 months, making it weekly and it’s perfect. Thank you!
Came together in no time! Thank you for the recipe. I’ll be using this for my homemade coffee creamer.
Best caramel sauce ever!! Came together so easily and tasted like Werther’s candy. Thank you for sharing!
delicious. stays “soft”enough to pour from jar without reheating.
My daughter(10) made this for her class project. It was so easy and taste delicious. So glad we came across this page. Thank you something new to add to our memories and cook book.
I thought everyone was joking when they said it tasted like Werthers AND was easy. This was like DEVASTATINGLY easy, I literally broke a glass on my hand in the middle of it and was bleeding profusely and I still was able to finish the caramel myself. It was THAT simple. And it was delicious! 10/10 recommend.