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This caramel sauce recipe is so simple, you’ll never want store-bought again! There are only 5 all-natural ingredients that all go into the pot at once and then you whisk until it’s thickened to your liking. How easy is that?! You’ll learn how to make caramel sauce in no time!
I’ve been disappointed many times looking for caramel that didn’t have high fructose corn syrup, or artificial colors and flavors, or other ingredients I couldn’t pronounce. It’s crazy! This caramel recipe is not just easy, but it tastes amazing. Nothing beats homemade caramel sauce!
I learned how to make caramel sauce from Pioneer Woman years ago and have been making this salted version ever since! The little bit of salt in this recipe balances the flavors perfectly so don’t skip it! There’s a reason why salted caramel is “a thing.”
Caramel Sauce Ingredients:
1 cup (200 grams) light brown sugar, packed
4 Tbsp unsalted butter*
1 tsp sea salt, or to taste
1/2 cup half and half (or use equal parts heavy cream and milk)
1 Tbsp real vanilla extract
*If using salted butter, cut the salt to 1/2 tsp or add it to taste.
To make the Easiest Salted Caramel Sauce:
1. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and simmer over low heat, whisking constantly or until thickened and no longer watery (6-9 minutes). Keep in mind it thickens more as it cools.
P.S. That’s homemade vanilla extract you see up there. You only need to ingredients for it – so easy! It also makes for a great homemade gift!
Can I Make Caramel Sauce Ahead?
Homemade caramel sauce can easily be made ahead and we love keeping a jar in the refrigerator. Caramel sauce is great served warm, at room temperature or chilled with refrigeration. Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 2 weeks. You can warm it slightly to make it more drizzle-able.
P.S. Be careful with the sampling – It’s easy to get carried away!
What Causes Caramel Sauce to be Grainy?
Sugar crystallization can cause a grainy caramel sauce giving your caramel sauce a rough consistency. To prevent this, use a pastry brush moistened with water to brush down the sides of your saucepan if any sugar is present on the sides of the pan. Also, avoid any ingredient substitutions.
To Fix a Grainy Caramel Sauce:
To fix a caramel that separates or a grainy caramel sauce, you want to add a little water (1 to 2 Tbsp), bring it to a boil, and re-dissolve the crystalized sugar. Once it’s smooth again, remove it from heat.
⬇Print-Friendly Caramel Sauce Recipe:
Easy Caramel Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, *
- 1 tsp sea salt, or to taste
- 1/2 cup half and half, or use equal parts heavy cream and milk
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a small/medium saucepan and simmer over low heat, whisking constantly or until thickened and no longer watery (6-9 min). Keep in mind it thickens more as it cools. Serve warm, at room temperature or chilled. Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 2 weeks. You can re-warm it slightly to make it more drizzle-able.
Notes
Filed Under
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
We love this homemade caramel sauce over our pumpkin cheesecake, vanilla ice cream, over baked apples, and the mini cheesecakes I will post later this week, and everything we can possibly put caramel over ;).
Just made this so easy and GREAT!! putting on top of pear pie with home made ice cream
I read through a bunch of reviews and ended up googling the difference between butterscotch and caramel sauce. There’s not a huge difference, so you could just call it butterscotch caramel and end the debate. Lol. Now let’s get down to the serious part. It is quick! Easy! And delicious! What more could anyone want? As far as the reviews that complained about excessive salt. I used the 1 tsp called for and it was perfect! But I think the type of salt used will have a major impact. They aren’t all interchangeable. I used Maldon flaked sea salt and the level was perfect. I just pulled a big tray of your brownie recipe out of the oven and made this sea salt caramel to drizzle over the top for our Super Bowl party. One question; I’m assuming this would get drizzled over the top after the brownies have completely cooled?? Thanks for this recipe. It’s just what I was looking for. P.S. I compared it to some Torani caramel sauce I had in the fridge and this is so much better!!
Thank you so much for your commend and feedback, Paulette! Drizzling caramel over brownies that are cold or warm is personal preference. A fee things to consider – when drizzling over cold brownies the caramel layer will be more firm and creating a caramel texture. The warm brownies will melt the caramel partially resulting in it seeping into the brownies and making it a bit more gooey. I hope that helps & I’d love to know which you prefer once you experiment.
Thanks for your reply. I drizzled it over the brownies that weren’t completely cooled. Just a bit warm. I felt if it was done while the brownies were still hot, the lines would’ve all melted together. So the brownies were just barely warm and I let the caramel cool a bit, so it thickened a little. But the caramel was still warm, not hot. It drizzled beautifully and the lines held their shape and dried.
Wish we could post pictures in the comments. (I’m not on social media so can’t put it on fb or instagram.) but I do put on Pinterest when I can.
I am enjoying this in my coffee. Natasha, I’ve been making more meal plans and your large variety of recipes make it so easy to do! Thank you for your YouTube channel and your blog.
You’re very welcome, Jeanette!
Hi Natasha,Nice to meet you.Your recipes were a big success in my kitchen and I love your recipes….
I’m so glad to hear that, Diya!
As Whitney said below, the salt is way off. I love salted caramel, but this is way too much. Had to chuck it
Hi John, did you pack your brown sugar and also make sure to use unsalted butter? Both of those things will make a difference. Otherwise this is a pretty standard amount of salt if using the same proportions of ingredients. That said, you can definitely add it to taste.
I used coconut milk and evaporated milk…it is sooo
Deelicious!! Thank you.
From the Caribbean
How do you fix the sauce where the butter has separated and floats to the top?
Hi Shirley, this could be due to overcooking (make sure the heat isn’t too high). Also, avoid dark brown sugar which can seize the caramel and turn it grainy. To fix a grainy caramel or a caramel that separates, you want to add a little water (1-2 Tbsp), bring it to a boil, and re-dissolve the crystalized sugar then remove it from heat.
I’m not sure what I did wrong but my first batch, when I cooked it down to have 1cup, ended up being so solid that I tempered and added pecans for pralines. The next time I had more than a cup when I thought I should stop but it has separated into the sauce and a clear dark layer on the bottom. What should I do differently?
Hi Evelyn, if you let it cook for too long or over too high of heat, that can happen. You have essentially made toffee (over 300˚F is the hard crack stage).
hi, what do you mean by use REAL vanilla extract? can i use PURE vanilla extract?
Yes, you can. Just avoid imitation vanilla.
WOW! This is DELICIOUS!! I am in West Africa right now so many ingredients are different from what we have back home in USA. I whisked for 15 minutes, thought it might have failed, but decided to raise the heat and within 5 more minutes it morphed into a beautiful consistency!! If it doesn’t thicken right away, don’t quit, raise the heat and keep whisking!! YUM!!
Thank you for sharing, Gordo!
Oh my gosh, I can’t recommend this recipe enough! Such easy ingredients and steps. I just made a batch and poured it over two bags of microwave popcorn – I’m never going back! So sweet but salty; truly the best home recipe!
That’s wonderful, Madeleine! Thank you for sharing.
It’s so delicious that I ate it with a spoon and I don’t normally like sweet sauces.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Serenity!
Can I freeze this caramel sauce? I’d love to make ahead for Christmas gifting!
Hi Deny, I haven’t tried freezing this caramel sauce so I’m don’t sure if that would break the consistency.
Keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. To thaw, leave in the fridge overnight, or to quick thaw, place into a warm water bath until it thaws. Store in an airtight container so the caramel sauce doesn’t absorb any off odors.
Delicious and easy! This recipe turned out great, I ran out of things to put it on, it was that good! I used unsalted butter and added the proper salt as called for but next batch I’ll probably cut back the salt a little more for my liking but still as is was sooo tasty. This is a keeper.
Thank you for sharing your experience with the recipe! I’m glad you found a keeper!
If I make the caramel sauce, then place into canning jars that have been sanitized and fitted with sanitized lids/rims, would the caramel sauce last longer than 2 wks? I would love to make this ahead of time for Christmas gifts.
Hi Kay! Likely not. I would still follow the recommended time frame.
This was very good and REALLY EASY! It rises quite a bit when it boils, make sure you have a big enough pan. Add time for it to cool and thicken, about 10 minutes, before you plan to pour it.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Judy!
Can this caramel sauce be canned for later use? I wanted to add it to the Christmas baskets that I give to my family. Thanks.
Hi Luan, I haven’t tried canning this to advise.
Can I use this for recipes that ask for dulce leche – such as the Alfajores cookies?
I want to make my own dulce leche but not from condensed milk.
I have not tested it to advise. Let us know if you experiment.
I needed a caramel sauce for the apple bar for my daughter’s baby shower. After reading the comments on here I decided to go with another recipe…huge mistake. My son tried it and said no, so I made this one and he said it was much better. I told him I should have known better because Natasha never lets me down, I’ve never had a bad recipe from her. This caramel sauce is delicious!!!
I’m so glad you loved this recipe, Jennifer!
Tell you lady that had hard brown sugar to put a few slices of bread in the bag. It will never get hard again Louise Coleman
I wasn’t able to properly measure my brown sugar because it was so hard but it still turned out delicious. Thank you for the recipe
You’re welcome, Sarah!