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:
Is this the same caramel for caramel apples or is this sauce too thin?
Hi Jaime, this wouldn’t firm up like you would want for a caramel apple. I have that on my list for this year though.
What is shelf life of caramel sauce in Fridge and outside fridge
Hi, see the section above titled: “Can I Make Caramel Sauce Ahead?”
Made this to top my sticky date pudding. It was so easy to make and it tastes divine. Didn’t have regular brown sugar so I used dark and some extra cream – thanks for this incredibly simple and good recipe
You’re welcome Nisani! I’m so happy you enjoyed that!
The sauce is delicious but I could not get it to thicken no matter what I did. I probably stirred it for 20 mins straight and even added cornstarch to see if that would help. I followed the recipe exactly so I’m not sure why it wouldn’t get past the watery phase.
Hi Melinda, I suggest whisking constantly or until thickened and no longer watery (6-9 minutes). Keep in mind it thickens more as it cools. Also to make it thicker, cook the sauce longer. As more of the liquid evaporates, it will thicken. Was anything changed or altered in the recipe to further troubleshoot?
Hi Luda-
Thanks for sharing. Question for you- I know you said it can keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. Are you allowed to leave it at room temp instead? How long would it keep that way?
Thanks!
Hi Brit, since there is dairy in it I would not leave it at room temperature. I would refrigerate after a day at room temperature. The sooner you refrigerate, the longer it will last.
Hi Natasha, I want to make caramel sauce and pair it up with cheesecake. Do you recommend using dark brown sugar instead of light brown? And if not, why? Please and thank you!
Hi Luda, I have only used a light brown sugar in the recipe.
Natasha, regular brown sugar had much more intense taste, but it was too much for such a tasty caramel. I used light brown sugar for my second batch of caramel (was pairing them up with my second batch of cheesecake cupcakes 🙂 ) and about 3/4 tsp salt instead of 1 tsp, and was much more pleased with results. Thank you!
Thanks for sharing that with us, Luda. That’s useful info – we appreciate it!
I made this sauce 3 times now. It tastes amazing however I cannot get it to thicken. I followed the directions and measurements and this third time I left it on heat for 30 minutes stirring constantly and adding more brown sugar and it’s still runny. Not sure what could be going wrong but it does taste good.
Hi Julia, are you using the same quantities of ingredients and making sure to pack the sugar? Check out our post on how we measure ingredients which may help.
cheese cake was delicious but I could’nt get the carmel sauce to thicken
Hi Debbie, to make it thicker, cook the sauce longer. As more of the liquid evaporates, it will thicken. Was anything changed or altered in the recipe to further troubleshoot?
I have tried your recipes, its so nice and easy. Can I have the whipped cream recipes pl.
Hi Maureen, are you referring to the Half & Half cream we used for this recipe? Half & Half is the name of a cream mixture here in the US. It is a 50/50 mix of milk and cream. I hope that helps.
i don’t care for brown sugar so I caramalise my own! Easy and YUM!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me!
Hi Natasha,
I made the caramel sauce for the mini cheese cakes and I followed your instructions exactly and I used the exact ingredients. While the sauce had a delicious flavour, it was rather runny, dripping over the sides of the little cheese cakes. Perhaps a recipe that is thicker would work better. I cooked my sauce on medium heat for 9 minutes, took it off the burner and poured it into a jar. When it was cool i put it in the fridge overnight. I poured a tablespoon on each mini cheese cake and returned them to the fridge but the sauce remained thin.
Joanie Lee
Hello Joanie, I suggest whisking constantly or until thickened and no longer watery (6-9 minutes). Keep in mind it thickens more as it cools. Also to make it thicker, cook the sauce longer. As more of the liquid evaporates, it will thicken. Was anything changed or altered in the recipe to further troubleshoot?
I made this sauce with the cheese cake recipe last night. They were easy and did not disappoint! The flavor of this sauce is amazing! It turned out perfect, but after cooling in a jar, I noticed a thin layer of crystallize sugar on top. I stirred it, now it’s all grainy. Can this be fixed ?
Hi Erin, I haven’t had it turn grainy on me so I wonder if any substitutions were made. I highly recommend making the recipe as directed before making any modifications or substitutions. Also, make sure to pack the brown sugar – you’ll know it’s packed adequately when you empty it from the cup and it holds its shape.
I had the same think happen to mine after it cooled. The only thing I did different was cook it longer then you suggested to make it thinker. Do you think that could have done it. It was beautiful and silky when I first took it off the heat, but once cooled the top crystalized and went somewhat grainy once reheated. Still tasted good, but just not the nice silky consistency it originally had before cooling.
Hi Stacy, make sure to use the same kind of sugar listed n the recipe. Also, a grainy appearance can be due to overcooking or undercooking. To fix that consistency, try reheating it before serving. Also, it normally does thicken up when it cools and especially when refrigerated so I like to warm it up slightly before serving.
Hi Natasha
Do you think this would work at altitude (I am at 6700 ft elevation), or are there adjustments to make due to the lower boiling point of liquids here?
Thanks,
Laura
Hi Laura, I can’t say that this recipe will be impacted by a higher altitude to advise. I would love to know if you have that experience testing it out however!
I am going to make this to pour over warm gingerbread.
Yum! That sounds amazing! I hope you love this recipe!
Can I use Truvia brown sugar blend instead of regular brown sugar? Watching carbs.
Hi Kathy, I haven’t tested with that to advise. If you happen to experiment I would love to know how you like it!
So easy and SO delicious! I think the brown sugar really adds a great flavor.
Thank you for the wonderful review!
I tried this for the first time and it’s so delicious! I used 1/4c Condensed milk & 1/4c all purpose cream from our leftovers. Tastes like butterscotch 😋
Thank you Ms Natasha!
You are so welcome! I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed this recipe.
Hi
If i am heating the caramel sauce how do I do it?
Thanks 🙂
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 in a saucepan to make it more drizzle-able.
Best caramel sauce ever so smooth and thicker than all the others I’ve tried, we all love it, I used pure cream👌🏼
Perfect! Thanks for sharing your great experience with us.
We stopped using syrup in our latte and started using this – so delicious! Goodness, I could eat a spoonful of this caramel, but I shouldn’t!…but I could.
That’s a great idea! Thank you so much for sharing that idea with me Grace!
Hi natasha! I did this but they ended up bubbling in the oven as they cook and deflated in the middle once done…. What did i do wrong
Just tried making this. I had ice cream and was craving a caramel sauce to spoon on top. Cut the recipe in half and used 1/2 thickened cream and 1/2 milk since we don’t have half and half in Australia.
It is delicious! What a quick and easy recipe. Thank you.
I’m so glad you loved the caramel sauce! Thank you for sharing your great review.
Hi Natasha,
I the Caramel Sauce and it was delicious, first time. Its being use on Baklava. I am wondering since the sauce will be used periodically, should it be refrigerated? Please let me, thank you much
Hi Christine, yes, you can refrigerate up to 2 weeks. It does keep well. You can reheat slightly if you want to drizzle it over your dessert or morning pancakes!
Hello,
I am confuse in cream and milk measurements. Plz explain what is 1/2 cup and half and half???
Thanks
Hi Bushra, Half & Half is the name of a cream mixture here in the US. It is a 50/50 mix of milk and cream. I hope that helps.