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:
Hi Natasha,
Can I use equal parts heavy whipping cream and milk instead of heavy cream?
Hi Sue, I haven’t tried that yet to advise. If you do an experiment, please share with us how it goes.
I used heavy whipping cream in substitute for heavy cream an it worked great! I would highly recommend this option if you don’t have heavy cream.
Nice to know that, Dandy! Thank you for sharing that with us, so helpful.
Hi Sue, I honestly haven’t tried that yet to advise. If you give that a try, please share with us how it goes.
Está deliciosa la receta de caramelo… Gracias…
Pero al enfriarse se me hizo azucarada!!! No sé que hice mal😞
Thank you! Glad you liked it.
Love all your recipes! Never made one I didn’t love! Your also so fun to watch! Thank you a 🇨🇦 fam!
You’re welcome, Joan! I’m happy to hear you’re enjoying this recipe.
Just made it. I used Demerara sugar as that’s all I had on hand. Omg! Delicious 😋 a bit darker colour but you’re right. Don’t think I’ll ever buy store bought again. Thank you for the really easy recipe.
Delicious and easy to make. Not grainy and doesn’t separate. Unfortunately….. it only lasts me five days and then I have to make it again! Note to self: Make a double recipe.
Glad you liked it, Susan! Yes, doubling it sounds like a good idea.
Disappointed.
After mine cooled, it wasn’t smooth, it was very grainy.
Followed the instructions to a T.
Hi Maria, 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.
Natasha im trying to male this recipe can i use coconut sugar instead of brown sugar?
Hi Lena, I haven’t tested that so I’m not sure if it would melt and caramelize the same way.
i used coconut sugar and needed to cook a little longer. The flavor had much more depth, however, it is very dark no matter how much cream you use. side note. I also tried it with coconut whipping cream. MUST TRY.
Love all your recipes. I like the caramel too. How do I make caramel for apples. I want to make candy apple coated in caramel. I think the sauce recipe you have is for dipping and will not harden for candy apple. Thank you
Hi, this caramel sauce doesn’t harden the way you would want for candy apples. I have that on my list to post, but it’s still in progress.
I have not made this sauce, yet, and I need to know – will it slightly-crystalize after it cools, like other caramels I’ve made that included corn syrup? Also, how would adding bourbon affect it?
Hi Rick, I haven’t tested those add-ins so I can’t say for sure. It shouldn’t crystalize, but it does firm up. A quick heat-up will loosen it up again.
Just use the bourbon instead of the vanilla extract. Comes out perfect!
Hi Natasha, happy holidays to you and your family 🎄🎄🎄I made this caramel sauce and is very delicious 😋.
I have one question, it took about 20 minutes to get the sauce thick.
I was wondering should I start with medium heat and when it starts to bubble, should I go to low heat and let it simmer for 6 to 9 minutes?
Hi Rosy, you can try that. Just make sure not to boil or burn it. Stoves vary, and that can impact how long it takes to cook on low.
I followed the recipe exactly and it came out great. It thickened up as it cooled and was smooth. Although it was tasty, this is more of a penuche sauce and not a caramel sauce. The brown sugar taste is strong. If you want a penuche sauce this is a great recipe.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Hi Natasha,
What do you mean by “use equal parts of heavy cream and milk”?? So you mean 1/2 heavy cream and 1/2milk? I hope my question makes sense. Thanks!
Yes, that is right!
i love the way you cook..it make sense and very knowledgable..thanks be to God for all your recipes❤️
Thank you for that wonderful compliment!
Hi Natasha! I made the recipe and it was perfect while it was hot. But when it cooled down, the sugar crystalized and had a sand-like texture. What should I do to save my sauce?
Hi Raquel, it sounds like the sugar didn’t melt completely. I would recommend making 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. It normally does thicken up when it cools, especially when refrigerated, so I like to warm it up slightly before serving.
Hi Natasha…love all your recipes and videos. This recipe for caramel sauce is actually the recipe for butterscotch sauce, as you are using brown sugar. Caramel sauce calls for white sugar. Makes no difference to me, but a chef friend of mine has asked that I bring it to your attention….
Thanks for bringing that to my attention, we’ll take note of these things for our future videos.
Should the sauce separate when it cools? The caramel looked great on the saucepan but quickly separated while it cooled in a glass jar!
Thanks!
Hi Sonny, normally it thickens but doesn’t separate while refrigerated. Try warming some of it and see if it comes together. I wonder if it was heated too long.
Thanks for sharing this recipe. I never knew it was so easy to prepare caramel sauce. I made it for the mini cheese cup cakes. I did not read the instruction properly and used complete amount of heavy cream since i did not have half and half. My caramel sauce is pretty thick. I was able to melt it by cooking on the stove. My question is, can i always heat it up before using or is that a bad idea and do you recommend tossing this and creating a new batch. I did warm up the caramel sauce and added it on the cheese cupcakes. I hope that does not spoil the taste.
Hi Vin, this homemade caramel sauce reheats really well and it’s ok to warm it up a little before serving. I have warmed it in the microwave and on the stovetop.
Hi Natasha. I’m Wong from Malaysia. I have tried this recipe together with the mini cheese cake. I couldn’t gibd half anf half here so i substitute it fully with dairy whipping cream. Find the caramel seems to melt and became watery on top of the cake after 2 days in the fridge. What did i do wrong here. Hope to get some advice. TIA
Hi, a substitute for half and half would be equal parts of milk and heavy whipping cream mixed together. Since cheesecake can release some moisture in the refrigerator, I prefer to add the caramel when I am serving.
Hi Natasha, please tell me, for the caramel sauce, heavy cream needs 121 ml?
Hi Manana, yes that is correct. If you click on the metric button it will convert to the liquid measurement in metric measurements.
Hi, is it possible to replace the light brown sugar for demerara sugar? Does the cooking time or consistency changes?
Thanks!!
Hi Eti, I am not familiar with demerara sugar and haven’t tested with that so I can’t say for sure.
HI Natasha,LOVE,LOVE this. I should not admit this but I will. I eat this by the teaspoon!! I can not get enough of it.My Fiance’ and oh yes, my kitty is in on the act I let her have a little taste once and now she wants it every time she sees me eating it.Do you by any chance have one for chocolate? I love all your receipes.You do a great job and I look forward to your shows. Blessings and stay safe!!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!
Hi ladies!
Demerara sugar is the same then brown sugar. Azucar moreno in spanish.
@ Farah Zoquier Demerara sugar and brown sugar are NOT the same thing although you can substitute one for the other.
I have made the sauce three times and I can’t get it to thicken. I end up with a runny caramel sauce.. What am I doing wrong?
HELP!
Hello Diana, 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 cannot get this caramel sauce to thicken. Have tried twice now.
Hi Dev, 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?
Caramel sauce that was truly easy. Toasted great also. Definitely make again and again
I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe Ritu! Thank you for sharing this great review with me!
Don’t you need to use a candy thermometer?
Hi Julie, an instant-read thermometer also works if you wanted to check the temperature, but this can be made without a thermometer following the instructions and visual cues.