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:
Amazing!!!!!! Used this sauce after messing up another recipe I found online. I was able to make this recipe in about 10 min. (in time to get my kids from daycare) and the flavor is unbelievable!
Thank you for sharing, Rachel. I’m so happy to hear that.
Omg this caramel sauce is amazing! Mine didn’t go as thick as what you’re looks. In Australia we don’t have ‘half and half’ cream so I used half thickened cream and half full cream milk. Any suggestions on what would make it thicker? Would double cream work?
Hi Felicity! Half & Half is a mix of milk and heavy whipping cream. The heavy whipping cream here is about 36% fat. I’m not sure how much fat double cream has, but if it’s close to that 36%, that may work to mix with the milk to make your own Half & Half. I hope that helps!
I dont know if you found this out to be but, the first time I made this amazing recipe I dont think i cooked long enough. So this last time I kept it on till it bubbled much! And I did get the sauce to come out right.
Natasha, I have tried several of your recipes and my family has enjoyed them all. Enjoy your bubbly personality.
Hi Judy. I’m so glad to hear that. Thank you for sharing that with me.
Just yum. Runnier than expected but still 5 stars. I’ll be making this again
Thank you for the review! I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe.
While this is indeed an easy recipe, and yummy, it isn’t caramel, it’s butterscotch.
Butterscotch is made with brown sugar, caramel is made with white sugar. Butterscotch is a distinctly different flavor than caramel, but people often confuse the two or even think they are interchangeable. And you’re not the only post for “caramel” that uses brown.
Absolutely correct 😁
Technically
White is caramel
Brown is butterscotch
I have always used brown sugar to make homemade soft chew caramels and they have never tasted like butterscotch. It is really odd that I keep reading that brown sugar cannot be used to make caramel yet I have only used white sugar once to make a caramel sauce and it was good but still prefer the brown and I def know the difference between butterscotch and caramel. I’m not a fan of butterscotch but love caramel so that’s interesting!
Hi Natasha! How can I make stay runny even if I place it in the fridge? I plan on using this for iced coffee and I don’t really want to heat it every time I make coffee. Thanks!
Hi Anna, I haven’t tested that to advise on the technique to make that happen! I hope you try and love this recipe!
5 stars for the taste, 5 stars for the colour, and 10 more for how easy this recipe is! I made it with dark brown sugar and it was just perfect!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
Elena I want to use dark brown sugar as well. Can you please tell me will the colour be darker than the photos? Thank you 🙏
I have tried a few recipes for caramel sauce but this blows them out of the water!! Thank you!!! (also, for me, the Color was beautiful!) 🙂
You’re welcome, Kim. Thanks a lot for your excellent feedback!
Love this recipe. It’s delicious! My only problem is that when I pour it over ice cream it hardens up and becomes incredibly chewy. This is most recipes I’ve tried, and again yours is delicious in everything else, but I’m wondering if there is some way to prevent it hardening on the ice cream?
Hi Elizabeth! I’m glad you like the recipe. I haven’t tested another variation of this to advise on how to change the freezing point of this caramel sauce. You may try researching this. It likely has to do with the ratio of fat/water, etc. I hope that helps. Let us know if you experiment.
Love, love, love, the caramel cheesecake. The recipe is easy to follow, the sauce easy and quick. Thank you so much!
We love easy recipes and I’m so happy you do too, Deborah! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
I made this recipe but it didn’t thicken and it was too salty even though I followed the directions carefully.
Can this Carmel recipe be doubled or tripled? I need to make 25- 4oz jars for gifts.
Hi Patty, I think that would work fine but it may need to be on the stove longer and you’ll definitely need a larger pot to hold it.
I was skeptical on this based on the color (sort of gray-ish), but then I tasted it and was blown away. Amazing!
Wonderful feedback, Mike. Thanks a lot for sharing that with us!
I would love to make this and give as part of Christmas gifts, can the recipe be doubled?
Hi Becca, that sounds like a good idea! I imagine that will work, you can go to the recipe card and click the number of servings to adjust the ingredients too.
Best caramel sauce!!!! Easy. Delicious. Did I mention easy? Lol. Don’t bother with any other recipe. This is the one. Thank you, thank you!
Perfect! Thanks for sharing your experience trying out this recipe, Robin. I’m happy that you loved it!
Made this in a double batch. Turned out great. I made to go with my fresh apple pie I just made. Yummy
Hello Kerrey, thank you for your review. I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Awesome flavor, easy to make!
When I pulled it off the heat it was super smooth and not grainy at all, but as it cooled to room temp and got thicker it became quite grainy at that point. How could this be prevented or what did I miss? I assumed the directions for adding water and bringing it to a boil again was for if it was grainy during the cooking process rather than after cooling.
It still tasted amazing and didn’t stop us from enjoying it!
Hi Erin, that’s right, it sounds like it needed a little more time to melt completely. I recommend ensuring you’re not using a different kind of sugar.
Tastes fine but didn’t turn out for me. It separated and I have to stir it each time I want to use it. Followed the recipe exactly so not sure what happened.
Hi Amber, keeping it on too high of heat could cause that. Also, make sure not to use any substitutions in ingredients before testing the recipe as written, otherwise, it’s difficult to troubleshoot.
This caramel sauce is to die for!!I eat by the spoon fulls. Thank you for sharing!!!
Thanks for the awesome feedback, Beth. I’m glad you love it!
This is thee best caramel sauce everrrrr. Not only is it delicious, it’s easy to make. As in EASYYY hehe. Don’t even think about any other recipe. This is the one! I ran out of light brown sugar so I used dark brown sugar this time. Was just as delicious FYI. Thank you so much for sharing!
You’re welcome, Robin. Thank you so much for your great comments and feedback!
I am just wondering if this recipe can be made with white sugar?
Hi Shelby, I haven’t tested it that way but I imagine it would be lighter in color.