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!
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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:
Just tried this and it was amazing, just wondering if you MUST store it in the fridge after? I’m worried it will set to much
Hi Sophie, yes, Store cooled caramel in jars in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
I couldn’t find the recipe I wanted, so I thought I would give this a try, followed the EXACT instructions. This came out way too thin even after cooling, not even close to caramel sauce. I am bummed because good butter, sugar, and cream is expensive. Not to mention time wasted.
Hi Ruby! I’m sorry to hear that. I would love to hope troubleshoot. Did your container say “heavy whipping cream?” If it’s just whipping cream, it’s lighter and the sauce won’t thicken as much.
Yes, I used heavy whipping cream. After looking at a gazillion caramel sauce recipes this evening they are all basically the same, other than the ones using corn syrup.
I have concluded it is something I did wrong w/the heat, I was so afraid of burning it that perhaps I didn’t let it boil long enough, or something? It looked like your pictures, so I had confidence! I did everything to a T. Even after sitting and cooling it didn’t thicken. Whatever it is don’t take personally, not your fault, so apologies, feel free to delete my post.
The sauce IS tasty, I simply need it thicker for my cake. I used to have a caramel sauce recipe that was for an apple cake that was incredible, and I can’t find it:(. It was so simple. I am pretty sure it used brown sugar and maybe that makes the difference?
I used white pure cane sugar, heavy cream was warm, butter cubed room temp, I didn’t stir etc.
I have read a corn starch slurry might help, so tomorrow I will give that a try.
I don’t know, I am just bummed because I spent the extra money for quality ingredients, (even bought Kerrygold, on sale) for a Christmas celebration dinner this weekend. Thank you replying!
Hi Ruby, it sounds like it needed a little more time on the stove. I suggest letting it bubble until it’s a golden honey color before adding the butter.
Will this recipe work as the filling for your thumbprint cookie recipe?
HI Lisa, yes this or my Butterscotch sauce would work great in thumbprint cookies.
I made this caramel sauce to go onto the pumpkin cheesecake I made for my family and thrilled at my first time results. After reading all the updated information Natasha wrote along with the reviews I became a bit nervous, but kept telling myself….trust the process! My stove took a bit longer than the suggested times and I resisted the urge to stir (multiple time urge). The caramel turned out perfect!
It was teen tested with a big thumbs up!!! Thanks so much Natasha for both this and the pumpkin cheesecake recipes!!! So scrumptious!!!!
Ooh hurray!! I’m so happy to hear the caramel sauce worked out great for you. I lost sleep over this caramel on Thanksgiving. I was up making it 5 times until I was convinced it was fail-proof. The temptation to stir is real!
Bless your soul you beautiful angel! This is the most delicious recipe I have ever tried! Thank you so much!
Mine also didn’t turn out but turned out differently then everyone said. Mine basically turned into a vanilla butter simple syrup. It tastes good but really thin and watery. The sugar never dissolved in the first step, even when on the stove for 10 minutes but the water also didn’t dissolve. Strange but worked for what I needed. I think refomulating this recipe would be best.
Thank you for sharing your feedback. I’m sorry to hear it didn’t work out, I retested the recipe three more times to troubleshoot what may be going wrong and I have added some clarification and tips to the instructions in the recipe. Hope that helps.
Is there somewhere to find the old version of this recipe? This was my absolute go to for a beautiful and super easy caramel. I knew when I pulled it up on my phone as I do each year to make, it seemed different but I just assumed that maybe I forgot. Nope, it’s definitely different. I tried to make it multiple for my thanksgiving dessert and each time was a complete flop. With the old version it came out perfect every time. If the old version is available I’d love to see it again, it was a staple in my household
Hi Ariel, The original recipe is posted here as Butterscotch Sauce – I renamed it since it’s not a true caramel but more of a butterscotch. I’m so glad you enjoyed that one. Also, sorry to hear the caramel didn’t work for you. I ended up tested it 5 times the day before and day of Thanksgiving to see where things were going wrong for people and made some updates to the recipe to make it more fail proof.
I should have read the comments first. I frequently make caramel sauce for the kids but thought I’d be adventurous this year and tried this recipe. Multiple failures. Never changed color no matter what I did. Too many steps and heat changes. There are much simpler ways to do it.
HI Brian, sorry to hear that it didn’t work out for you. If you didn’t see color, it could be that your heat was too low. Was it simmering and bubbling?
My daughter and I (attempted separately) had the exact same issue. And the heat was definitely high enough. Natasha – What is the difference between this recipe and the previous one?
Hi Melanie, I have this note in the recipe post, I hope it helps “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.”
Hi, can I use evaporated milk instead? Also do I need a candy thermometer? and bring to a boil at med-high to get to 235-240 degrees? I messed it up and burnt it and it was too runny, what did I do wrong?
Hi April, I haven’t tried that, but here’s what one of my readers wrote “I used coconut milk and evaporated milk…it is sooo Deelicious!! Thank you. From the Caribbean”
Can I substitute half and half for heavy cream?
Hi Nelia, I haven’t tested this with half and half but from my research, half and half is more prone to separation and heavy cream gives the best texture.
This is amazing!!! My first time trying this recipe it worked perfectly and tastes incredible! I did exactly as the recipe says and used kerrygold! I’m so happy I have more of this butter to make more caramel sauce! Plus I’m going to gift this to everyone I know this holiday season! Thank you for sharing this simple, delicious recipe!
HI Katie, than you so much for sharing your great review. I love the idea of gifting it, especially since it does keep really well.
I never leave a comment but I wanted to share with others what I learned in this process. This caramel sauce turned out perfect the second time. I failed miserably the first time. The sugar and water simply hardened. I have an induction stove (electric) so my heat wasn’t high enough. I had it on 2 trying to suffice for medium low. The second time, I turned the heat up to 5 and it turned amber brown perfectly. Then I followed the rest of the recipe. So if your sugar and water isn’t browning, turn up the heat.
Thank you so much for sharing that with us, Yanaj!
Easy recipe, success my first try! But… I’m really glad I didn’t add the whole teaspoon of salt… I added about half, and its almost too salty. I think it’ll be ok for drizzling over apple turnovers, but next time I will add less salt. Great instructions, easy to follow.
I’m happy to know that you enjoyed this recipe on your first try!
Wish I had read the comments before I made this. It’s okay but not what I was expecting.
Sorry to hear that it didn’t work out for you. Can you share what exactly happened so we can help troubleshoot with you?
I made this recipe twice and both batches failed and I finally figured out why. The issue is the added water. When making caramel, sugar must reach 320–350°F to properly caramelize. Adding water forces the mixture to boil at 212°F, which delays caramelization and keeps the temperature unstable. It also dramatically increases the chance of sugar crystallization, which is exactly what happened both times.
On top of that, butter is already 15–20% water, so adding extra water throws off the fat-to-liquid ratio even more. This results in a thin, grainy, split caramel instead of a smooth sauce.
I tired a recipe I found on Pinterest that’s a standard recipe with zero added water, and it turned out perfect on the first try!! Rich, creamy, no crystallization. Even with high quality ingredients, this recipe simply doesn’t work because the chemistry is off.
Hi Jule, Thanks for taking the time to share what happened in your kitchen — caramel can be tricky, and I’m glad you were able to find a method that worked for you. I do want to clarify one thing: adding water to sugar doesn’t prevent caramelization or change the final temperature the sugar reaches. In wet-caramel recipes, the water simply dissolves the sugar first, then cooks off as the mixture heats. Once the water evaporates, the sugar caramelizes exactly the same as a dry caramel. Both methods (with water or without) are classic and work well — they’re just different techniques. Dry caramel heats faster but can crystallize more easily; wet caramel is more beginner-friendly but needs the sugar fully dissolved before it boils. I’m going to add some extra tips to the recipe to help make it more fool-proof for everyone. I appreciate you sharing your experience!
Same. I decided to change my usual recipe and try this. Failed every time. And I make caramel frequently. You don’t need all these steps and heat changes.
My first attempt was a total fail. I messed with the water and the sugar too much in the beginning. My second attempt, I left it alone and cooked it on medium and it browned beautifully. The sauce turned out amazing. It is absolutely delicious! Just leave it alone and be patient.
Yes, there is a temptation to stir but I’m glad you persevered! Happy Thanksgiving!
The sugar never turned amber and then all the water evaporated and the sugar crystallized and hardened. Reading other recipes, they say to just let the sugar cook after it starts to simmer and not swirl, which makes sense as swirling causes more evaporation. Maybe this is more of an issue at high altitude and dryer climates.
HI Kristin, I had that happen while developing this recipe and it was due to having the heat too high, but no worries, it can be fixed. Check out the section titled: “How to Fix Crystalized Caramel Sauce?”
I tried the swirling method but maybe I was too rigorous. Each swirl left a thicker wall of crystals. I ended up finishing it without bumping the crystals. The stuff in the middle was pretty good.
HI Kevin, towards the end when the sugar is about to change color, those crystals should melt into the sauce on their own.
I should have read the comments before trying. I make caramel sauce frequently and decided to try this. Too many steps and heat changes. Way more simple recipes out there.
I am so disappointed I tried this twice tonight and it never turned amber. I finally read the comments to see what I was doing wrong and I saw that this happened to many. Happy it was not just me. Saw that you were posting the original recipe today but I can’t find it anywhere. I am making the caramel mini cheesecakes and unfortunately do not have time to play around with this new recipe. Please help I have too much Thanksgiving prep! Thanks Natasha!
Hi Cheryl, If you are looking for the original version, I have more appropriately named it Butterscotch Sauce (it uses brown sugar and all of the ingredients are added to the pan at once).
I don’t understand why the recipe was changed. I saved and have been using this link for 3 years. Wasted 2 batches. Definitely not beginner friendly. And it was never titled butterscotch sauce.
Hi Jackielyn, I’m sorry to hear that it didn’t work out. I added some notes to help with troubleshooting the common issues which should help, but I renamed the original to Butterscotch sauce because that is a more accurate naming. One of my readers pointed that out so I made the change. This recipe is a true caramel, but the other one is easier.
I love Natasha, her recipes and watching her in her videos, but I could not get this caramel sauce to turn out. I’ve made caramel sauce before with no problem?? The recipe I used before was almost identical. The first time, it never turned color, and the 2nd time, it crystallized. After 2 tries, I used my other recipe and my non-stick saucepan. This recipe has you simmer over medium heat, stirring only every so often, about 5 minutes, and then increase the heat to medium-high and cook until golden, without stirring. My gas stove took about 6 min. Hmmm?? I may try Natasha’s recipe again, doing it this way. I was running out of butter after two tries. I had to do something different. Cause I didn’t want to run to the store for more butter. Lol! I give her recipe a 4-star cause I don’t think it was the recipe, it was? ( I don’t know?)
Hi Penny, Here are some troubleshooting tips that should hep: Let the sugar and water cook on medium until it turns a warm honey color (don’t rush it). Don’t stir during the color change—just swirl the pan gently.
Have the butter and cream ready so you can whisk as soon as it’s the right color. Also check out the tips I shared about how to repair it if it does crystalize. Almost every time, it’s fixable.
Hi- I’m planning to make this caramel sauce but I forgot to buy heavy cream. Is it possible to use whole milk instead?
Hi Katie! Heavy cream is an important ingredient for making this. Whole milk won’t work the same, the sauce would be very thin and possibly even curdled.