The Best Salted Caramel Sauce — This homemade salted caramel sauce is creamy, buttery, rich, thick, smooth, and blows away anything you’ll ever buy. Best of all, it’s done in 15 minutes!
Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce
I love caramel sauce and could literally eat it by the spoonful. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on how you look at it, it’s fast and easy to make.
I’ve tried lots of recipes and methods, and I’ve found this is the best, easiest, least fussy way to make homemade caramel sauce, and it’s ready in 15 minutes. The easy caramel sauce is creamy, buttery, rich, thick, smooth, and blows away anything you’ll ever buy. You’ll never want store-bought again, which is usually thin, runny, and lackluster in flavor.
I love salted caramel and for salty-and-sweet treats, and always add a pinch of salt to my caramel. Even if you don’t want it ‘salty’, a pinch of salt helps balance the sweetness so the homemade caramel sauce doesn’t taste overly sweet.
Salted caramel sauce makes great gifts and keeps for months, but I doubt it will last long enough to give away.
What’s in Salted Caramel Sauce?
To make this homemade caramel sauce, you’ll need:
- Granulated sugar
- Water
- Corn syrup
- Heavy cream
- Vanilla extract
- Salt
How to Make Caramel Sauce
To make salted caramel sauce, combine sugar and water with a tiny bit of corn syrup (reduces the likely of crystallization) and whisk until smooth. Then just let the mixture boil away until it turns caramel-colored.
Depending on what size pot you use and the conductivity, the boiling time could range from about 5 minutes on the low end to about 10 to 12 minutes on the high end. I have an electric stove, and because I always use a pot much larger than I ‘need’ as insurance against bubble-overs, boiling usually takes about 10 minutes.
The final stage where the sauce turns from pale amber to that perfect shade of caramel can go quickly, in less than 30 seconds, so keep a watchful eye and don’t let it burn. Super stinky and you’ll have to start over.
Then just whisk in the cream, vanilla, and salt, and dig in!
Can I Make Caramel Sauce Dairy-Free?
Having never made dairy-free salted caramel sauce, I can’t say for sure if a non-dairy alternative will work in place of the heavy cream. If you find a method that works for you, please leave me a comment so I can try it for myself!
What Type of Salt Should I Use?
I used regular table salt, but you can also use kosher or sea salt. Just note that salt with larger flakes tastes less salty than table salt, so you may have to play around with the amount you add in.
How to Store Homemade Caramel Sauce
You can keep this salted caramel sauce at room temperature for up to a month. If you’re planning on giving it away as gifts, use your best judgement when figuring out how far in advance to make the sauce.
Tips for Making Salted Caramel Sauce
The tiny bit of corn syrup in this recipe helps prevent the homemade caramel sauce from crystallizing, but you can omit it if desired.
While making this salted caramel sauce, you can swirl the pan gently every minute or two if necessary, but the less the sugary mixture gets on the sides of the pan, the better in preventing crystallization in the final sauce.
There are pleasant vanilla undertones in this easy caramel sauce, which are heavenly for a vanilla fiend like myself, but the vanilla can be omitted or swapped with bourbon, rum, Grand Marnier, or a favorite liqueur. The alcohol burns off quickly, and it’s a mere 1 tablespoon for the whole batch, and what remains is an extra layer of subtle flavor.
Here’s how to make caramel sauce from scratch!
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Salted Caramel Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup water
- 1 teaspoon light-colored corn syrup, can be omitted but helps reduce crystallization
- ½ cup whipping or heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, optional (or substitute with bourbon, rum, Grand Marnier, or a favorite liqueur)
- ½ to 1 teaspoon salt, optional and to taste (for a true ‘salted caramel’ sauce, I use 1 teaspoon)
Instructions
- In a medium to large saucepan (use a pan much larger than you think you’ll need because the sauce will bubble very vigorously at the end), add the sugar, water, corn syrup and bring to a boil over high heat, whisking until sugar has dissolved.
- Allow the mixture to boil for 5 to 12 minutes, or as necessary, for it to turn caramel-colored, at which point it will likely be smoking slightly. The final stage where the mixture turns from pale amber to that perfect shade of caramel can go quickly, in less than 30 seconds, so keep a watchful eye and don’t let it burn. Super stinky and you’ll have to start over. Throughout the boiling time, you can swirl the pan gently every minute or two if necessary, but the less the sugary mixture gets on the sides of the pan, the better in preventing crystallization in the final sauce.
- As soon as the sauce has turned caramel-colored, reduce the heat to low.
- Very carefully and slowly, add the cream. Stand back because mixture will bubble up considerably.
- Optionally, and very carefully, add the vanilla and salt, to taste. Stand back because mixture will bubble up again.
- Whisk until sauce is smooth and combined, and let it boil another 1 minute, which helps thicken it up.
- Transfer sauce to glass jar or heat-safe container (easiest to pour into a 2-cup measuring cup and then easily pour into glass jar). Allow sauce to cool uncovered to room temperature; sauce thickens considerably as it cools.
- Sauce will keep airtight at room temp for at least 1 month, although will likely last much longer; use common sense if giving as gifts with storage considerations.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Recipes That Use Caramel Sauce:
Salted Caramel Buttermilk Brown Sugar Muffins — These easy, one-bowl, no-mixer muffins are soft, wonderfully moist, and the crumb has the perfect balance of density and lightness.
Peanut Butter Twix Caramel Bars — In these bars, there’s buttery shortbread, rich and dense peanut butter, sweet and intense caramel, and smooth dark chocolate.
Salted Caramel Pretzel Blondies — Salty-and-sweet, soft and crunchy. If you enjoy contrasting flavors and textures, these easy blondies are just for you!
Caramel Apple Sheet Pan Pancakes – Craving pancakes but not the work of standing at the stove flipping them? Make these EASY sheet pan pancakes!
Caramel Macchiato Banana Bread – Banana bread that tastes like a caramel macchiato!! Soft, tender, infused with salted CARAMEL and topped with a brown sugar glaze!
Caramel Apple Crumble Foil Packs – EASY, zero cleanup, made on the grill (or oven) in record time, and tastes amazing!! Juicy apples, chewy crumble topping, and luscious salted caramel…SO irresistible!!
Caramel Cream Poke Cake — Poke cakes are always supremely moist and this one reminds me of a cheater’s version of Tres Leches Cake because it’s sweet and creamy.
So delicious! I made this for turtle poke cake, haven’t tried the cake yet but caramel sauce is so good I was burning my tongue “testing” it! Than you.
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad that even the scalding hot tastes were great!
Sorry, I whisk in a half tablespoon of cacao after the milk!
I love this sauce! Using it as a base, I make my own caramel chocolate coffee creamer. There’s an ucky taste to the commercial ones that ruin them for me.
Follow Averie’s recipe with
3 cups sugar
3/4 c water
Half gallon of milk (I use A2 or lactose free milk, either whole or 2%. Make sure to be whisking as you add the milk.)
Cover while it cools.
All other ingredients as per her recipe.
Makes approximately 2.5 quarts.
I love this sauce! Using it as a base, I make my own caramel chocolate coffee creamer. There’s an ucky taste to the commercial ones that ruin them for me.
Follow Averie’s recipe with
3 cups sugar
3/4 c water
Half gallon of milk (I use A2 or lactose free milk, either whole or 2%. Make sure to be whisking as you add the milk.)
Cover while it cools.
All other ingredients as per her recipe.
Makes approximately 2.5 quarts.
Thanks for the five star review and what a genius use of this recipe to make homemade coffee creamer that’s much more natural!
Very easy to make and very yummy. Just thought you might like to know that I made it to go with the salted caramel buttery crumb bars (delish!). Made it in July, and used the rest of the caramel up to make individual chocolates in February. So it obviously keeps for a long time.
Very easy to make and very yummy. Just thought you might like to know that I made it to go with the salted caramel buttery crumb bars (delish!). Made it in July, and used the rest of the caramel up to make individual chocolates in February. So it obviously keeps for a long time.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad it kept for you for a good 6 months!
This recipe turned out terrific as is the first time I made it. The second time I made it I increased the cream to 3/4 cup because I love a really cream caramel sauce. I also cooked 1 min longer at the end. This turned oft perfectly as well. Thanks for a great recipe!
This recipe turned out terrific as is the first time I made it. The second time I made it I increased the cream to 3/4 cup because I love a really cream caramel sauce. I also cooked 1 min longer at the end. This turned oft perfectly as well. Thanks for a great recipe!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad it turned out great both ways for you!
Is it supposed to stay soft after it cools? Mine hardened. Wonderful flavor, though!
Yes it is supposed to stay soft. If it hardened that just means you boiled it a bit too long and next time can reduce your boiling time a bit.
I’m a little confused by the serving size. If I want to make jars of this how many small jars will it make?
I’m a little confused by the serving size. If I want to make jars of this how many small jars will it make?
I indicated that the recipe makes about 1 1/4 cups of sauce total.
Sooo…depending on the size of your jars, that will determine how many jars the batch makes for you.
Hi! I made this caramel several times and absolutely loved it! Recently, however, when I leave it to cool it is hardening to the point that you cannot even stir it. Any suggestions? Thanks!
Hi! I made this caramel several times and absolutely loved it! Recently, however, when I leave it to cool it is hardening to the point that you cannot even stir it. Any suggestions? Thanks!
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad that you’ve been loving it overall.
You are just overcooking/boiling it. It’s getting too hot. Ease off the heat and/or cook for a bit less time, and that should soften it up. In the winter with less humidity and dry air, things can actually cook quicker so you can back off heat and/or duration.
Could you substitute turbinado raw sugar?
Hmmmm hard to say. I never have so cannot say what would happen and the texture of the final caramel.
The only problem I had with this recipe is that by the time I was making my bars I didn’t have enough caramel for them because I ate so much. I had to make a second batch. So the standard recipe should just be doubled in my opinion… 😂
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad that the caramel was so good you had to make a second batch :)