Homemade Caramel Sauce

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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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.

1. 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.

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.
4. Finish with vanilla and salt – Whisk vanilla and salt to taste into the caramel off the heat.

5. 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.

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:

• Cranberry Sauce
• Blueberry Sauce
• Lemon Curd
• Cherry Sauce
• Strawberry Sauce
• Chocolate Ganache