My Homemade Caramel Sauce tastes perfectly buttery, smooth, and sweet with a hint of salt. It’s irresistibly good, and even better, the recipe is simple with just 5 ingredients and no thermometer required. With my tips below, you’ll be whipping up a batch of salted caramel like a pro!
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
Helpful Reader Review
“Never thought I would be able to make it like the picture. It turned out better than I thought it would. Absolutely delicious, creamy, it’s perfect. Thanks for the easy recipe. “ – Rosalind ★★★★★
Homemade Caramel Sauce
I published this recipe years ago, but I have updated it to be more foolproof and authentic. What I love most about this caramel sauce recipe is that it’s a true caramel sauce. If you prefer the original version, I have (more accurately) filed it under Butterscotch Sauce.
If you’ve ever shopped for caramel sauce at the grocery store and had a difficult time finding one without mystery “natural flavors” and corn syrup as the primary ingredient, this recipe is for you! It’s simple to make with only 5 basic ingredients and tastes amazing–better than anything at the store!
It’s so delicious, you’ll want to drizzle it on everything. Use it to dip Apples, and drizzle over countless desserts like my Pumpkin Cheesecake, Apple Pie, hot or Iced Coffee, ice cream… You name it! This is such a versatile sauce, and it keeps well in the refrigerator.
Caramel Sauce Ingredients
I suggest avoiding substitutions, since it’s perfectly balanced to prevent crystallization.
- Granulated sugar – melting white sugar slowly with water makes the base of the caramel sauce.
- Unsalted butter – cut into cubes. Make sure your butter is at room temperature since cold butter can break the sauce! European butter has a higher fat content and less water, which can make the sauce better and easier to make. I love Kerrygold butter.
- Heavy cream – warm before adding to keep the sauce from sputtering and breaking.
- Vanilla extract – Use Homemade Vanilla Extract or store-bought.
- Salt – cuts the sweetness to create an irresistible salted caramel flavor. You can add it to taste.
How to Make Caramel Sauce
The key to a successful homemade caramel sauce is to dissolve the sugar before simmering and not to stir at any point. This can flick sugar granules onto the sides of the pan, which will fall back into the mixture later and cause the whole thing to crystallize.
- Melt the sugar – Add the sugar to the bottom of a heavy-bottomed saucepan and shake the pan to distribute it evenly. Drizzle the water over the sugar and let it sit for a minute to fully moisten the sugar. DO NOT STIR – you don’t want sugar to get splashed on the sides of the pan. Set over medium-low heat and, without stirring, let the sugar dissolve completely until clear, about 5 minutes.
Pro Tip to Prevent Crystalization:
If you do see any sugar crystals at the edges, cover the pan with the lid for 30-60 seconds as it simmers; the steam will help wash the pan walls. If it does crystalize and firm up, add 2-3 Tbsp of hot water and stir until it melts again, then proceed.
- Simmer – Without stirring, bring to a simmer and increase to medium heat. When it starts to take on a little color, swirl the pan occasionally until it’s light amber or honey-colored (it takes about 5-8 minutes on my stove). Don’t let it brown too much, or it will taste bitter. As you swirl towards the end, any stray sugar crystals should dissolve.
Natasha’s Safety Tip:
Be careful not to touch or lick the hot utensils or the pan — melted sugar and caramel is scorching hot! Also, let the pan cool before washing it, then soak it in hot water to easily remove the caramel sauce.
- Add the butter – turn the heat to low, and whisk in half the butter. It will bubble vigorously. Once incorporated, stir in the rest of the butter. If it separates, remove the pan from the heat and stir until it comes together.
- Add the cream – while whisking, drizzle the warm cream into the pan (it will bubble up) and whisk until smooth (or 220°F), then remove the pan from the heat. Make sure you DO NOT add cold cream, or it may splatter.
- Finish with vanilla and salt – Whisk vanilla and salt to taste into the caramel off the heat.
- Cool and store – It will thicken in consistency as it cools, so let the caramel cool for a few minutes before using. Store cooled caramel in jars in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
How to Fix Crystalized Caramel Sauce?
I’ve had my fair share of crystallized caramel batches in developing the perfect recipe, so hopefully my tips above will prevent it for you. If it does look crystallized and seized at any point (see photo below), don’t worry! To fix siezed caramel: Add 2-4 Tbsp hot water to the separated mixture, and then reheat over medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and swirl the pan to capture any remaining sugar crystals.
My Caramel is Liquid – is that Normal?
The caramel will be more liquid and drizzling consistency when it is still hot/warm and will thicken as it cools. After refrigeration, it will become very thick and will hold its shape on a spoon. Reheating it on the stovetop or in the microwave will loosen it up again.
How to Serve Caramel Sauce
I wasn’t kidding when I told you this homemade caramel sauce was versatile, so here is a long list of ideas, and I’m just scratching the surface!
- Caramel apples or dip for sliced apples
- Apple Turnovers (inside or out)
- Cinnamon Rolls
- Baked Apples
- Caramel French Toast
- Caramel Corn Pops Treats
- Churros Dip
- Mini Cheesecakes topping
- Crepes
- Apple Crisp Drizzle
- Pumpkin Waffles topping
- Apple Pancakes topping
- Affogato
- Banoffee Pie
- Apple Coffee Cake
- Cheesecake drizzle
- Sourdough Dutch Baby
- Dutch Apple Pie drizzle
My easy homemade caramel sauce recipe tastes amazing on top of so many desserts and dishes! It’s simple to make and tastes so much better than anything at the grocery store. Mix up a batch to keep on hand, and then tell me in the comments how you use your caramel sauce!
P.S. If you preferred my original sauce, check out my Butterscotch Sauce recipe.
Caramel Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup water
- 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened at room temperature, cut into cubes
- 1/2 cup heavy cream, warm
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp sea salt, or add to taste
Instructions
- Melt the sugar – Add the sugar to the bottom of a heavy-bottomed saucepan and shake the pan to distribute it evenly. Drizzle the water over the sugar and let it sit for a minute to fully moisten the sugar. DO NOT STIR – you don't want sugar to get splashed on the sides of the pan. Set over medium-low heat and, without stirring, let the sugar dissolve completely until clear, about 5 minutes. The mixture should be clear, and the sugar fully dissolved before it simmers.
- Simmer – Without stirring, bring to a simmer and increase to medium heat. If you see crystals on the sides of the pan, cover with lid for 30-60 seconds. When the caramel starts to take on a little color, swirl the pan occasionally until it's light amber or honey-colored (about 5-8 minutes). Don't let it brown too much, or it will taste bitter. As you swirl towards the end, any stray sugar crystals should dissolve.
- Add the butter – Reduce the heat to medium-low and carefully whisk in half of the softened butter cubes, then stir in the rest. The mixture will bubble vigorously — that’s normal. Keep whisking until the butter is fully incorporated. If it separates, remove from the heat and whisk until it comes together.
- Add the cream – Slowly stream in the warm cream while whisking constantly. Again, it will bubble up and steam. Keep whisking until smooth, then remove from heat.
- Finish with vanilla + salt – Turn off the heat and whisk in vanilla and salt. Taste and adjust salt as needed.
- Cool and store – Let cool slightly before using. It will thicken up quite a bit as it cools. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. It firms up when refrigerated. Re-warm gently to drizzle.
Notes
- Do Not Stir – Stirring the sugar and water mixture can cause sugar crystals to stick to the pan walls. If those fall back into the pan later, it can “seed” the whole pan and crystallize your caramel. Also, let the sugar fully dissolve and turn clear before simmering. Be patient.
- Even Heating – use a heavy-bottomed saucepan (avoid non-stick pans) for even heat distribution and avoid temperature swings (add room-temperature or warm ingredients as directed).
- Don’t Rush It – Patience is key at every step. Don’t rush this with higher heat, or it can crystallize.
- Use a Lid – If you see sugar crystals at the edges of the pot at the simmering step, cover with a lid for 30-60 seconds; the steam will help wash the pan’s walls.
- Swirl occasionally – as soon as you start to see some color developing, gentle swirling helps to distribute color evenly and helps clear any remaining sugar flakes from the surface and walls.
- Use warm cream so it doesn’t splatter, separate, or burst, which can happen if you add cold liquid to a blazing-hot caramel sauce.
- European butter has a higher fat content and less water, which can make the sauce better and easier to make. I love Kerrygold butter.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
More Homemade Dessert Sauces
Dessert toppings, like my homemade caramel sauce, just taste better when made from scratch–and they are easy! Try these next:
Turned out great the second time I tried. The first time was a fail, because it was simmering at medium low and didn’t turn it up to medium, because I thought it was going to burn. You will need to turn it up to medium for it to be able to turn a little brown. I halved the recipe and added almond extract instead of the vanilla.
Thank you for sharing your experience making this recipe. Great to hear that you nailed it on your second try!
Tried to make this and the sugar would not brown. Since it wouldn’t brown I went on to the next step and it turned out very runny. I even tried to add some brown sugar to get it to not be white. I’m using a gas stove – I thought it would be more thick
Hi Kellie! I’m sorry you’re having trouble with the recipe. Caramel thickness comes from proper sugar caramelization. If it stayed white, it never caramelized — heat was likely too low or it needed more time.
For a gas stove you may try using a steady flame, closer to medium heat and a heavy pan. Be sure to read through my trouble shooting notes above for more details. I hope that helps.
I had this same issue. Disappointed it didn’t turn out better!
Great recipe. I made it exactly as you say. It turned out perfectly. Ty!
After initial melt the sugar recristallized. There was no way I could swirl anything. Added a drop of water and that helped but it didn’t take on any colour and hardend again. After a few times of adding drops of water and over half an hour later I added the butter and then the cream. Everything melted down alright but it’s still very pale. Not what I hoped for. Caramel and I don’t go well together I guess.
I love this recipe, but it used to have different flavored versions connected to it…strawberry and chocolate. Are they somewhere else now?
Hi Rachel! This recipe has been updated to be a more accurate version of caramel sauce. You can still find my old recipe under a new title, Easy Butterscotch Sauce. I didn’t have different variations of it, but I did mention my other sauces such as my Strawberry Sauce Recipe (Strawberry Topping), and my Chocolate Ganache.
I don’t have a thin bottom pot, is there anything I should watch out for while making this?
Hi Grace, you want a THICK bottome pot. Use a heavy-bottomed saucepan (avoid non-stick pans) for even heat distribution and avoid temperature swings (add room-temperature or warm ingredients as directed). I have more tips in the recipe post.
Thank you so much. We in this household love caramel sauce. But my last batch went so bad I was scared to try it again. Until I read your recipe. The tricks that I will never forget.
Adding water in the beginning is something I have never tried and it works so well. And putting the lid on to stop crystals from forming is something I have never heard before and that too works very well. Again, thank you.
Great to hear that my recipe and tips worked!
This turned out way different than the picture for me so I used a different recipe to make true, thick caramel sauce to drizzle on apple crisp. HOWEVER, don’t give up on this altogether because the consistency and taste was perfect for coffee syrup. It’s a rich vanilla/butterscotch flavor and dissolves perfectly into a hot drink.
Hi Julia! The caramel will be more liquid and drizzling consistency when it is still hot/warm and will thicken as it cools. After refrigeration it will become very thick and will hold its shape on a spoon.
I made a small batch, halving the amount of ingredients, but it ended up becoming very granular. I realized that this most likely happened because I whisked when I added the butter. I made a second batch, and did not stir it at all, only gently swishing the pot to mix the ingredients,and it turned out perfectly! You just need to be gentle with it.
I’m glad it worked out the second time around, Michael!
I made this for Christmas to drizzle over a Baileys cheesecake. I haven’t always had the best luck heating sugar, so I was a little hesitant at first to try the recipe. But I followed the instructions exactly and despite my “anxiety”, it came out perfectly! The caramel has a pure, rich flavor, way better than any commercially available sauce. I was tempted to just eat I with a spoon! A definite keeper! Thanks for a wonderful recipe.
That’s great to hear. Sue! I’m so happy to hear you loved it.
Hey. I used this recipe for my cheesecakes last time and it was way too thin. I have made the caramel sauce recipe so many times before when I realized something has changed. So I went and looked back and found a print out of the original caramel sauce recipe with brown sugar. It is 100 times better. It doesn’t even compare to this one. I am wondering why the recipe was changed?
I love all of the other recipes I have ever tried making from you. This is just feedback on this new caramel sauce recipe. I have spoken to some other ladies and they have all said the same thing. We all love the old recipe much better.
Hi Dajana! The original recipe is posted here as Butterscotch Sauce – I renamed it since it’s not a true caramel but more of a butterscotch.
Ok thanks a lot for clarifying. I will be using that recipe going forward.
Best caramel recipe ever! It doesn’t need corn syrup like most caramel recipes, and reheated very easily. We drizzled it on baked Brie wrapped in croissant dough and it was perfect!
Thank you for your awesome feedback!
I have to agree with the previous comment. I love Natasha’s recipes but this one did not work out at all. My sugar never became clear and it seized before it even browned. Tried to fix it with hot water per the instructions. Didn’t work. Ended up throwing it out. Used another recipe that did not use water and it came out perfect.
I’ve used Natasha’s recipes many times and they usually turn out well. Not this time! I wanted to try her version of caramel sauce, because Christmas is coming. It was a disaster! First, sugar wouldn’t dissolve and turn clear. After that it would NOT brown, or caramelize. (I tried for 48 minutes!) I also kept having sugar crystals forming around the edges, and her remedies didn’t work. Afterwards, the sauce would not thicken. I have a small pot of a white, sweet, runny mess that doesn’t taste anything like caramel!
Hi, I’m sorry to hear this one didn’t work out for you. Are you using a gas or electric cooktop? Electric is a little harder to control the heat output, especially if there are hot spots on the cooktop. The key to preventing the crystalization is to not stir (this can flick sugar crystals up on the pan) and if it isn’t melting, the heat is likely too low.
I just had the exact same experience 🙁
Natasha’s recipes have been great up til now.
Sally’s baking addiction has a great caramel sauce that’s never failed me if you are in a pinch