Caramel Sauce
Homemade Caramel Sauce tastes a thousand times better than any version you’d buy at the store, and is simple to make. It only takes 15 minutes! Use it for dipping apple slices, or topping ice cream sundaes, cheesecake, banoffee pie, coffee drinks like caramel macchiato, and more. No thermometer needed!
“Fresher tastes better.” It’s something we all hear over and over again about food. Well, let me tell you…it’s SOOOOO true when it comes to caramel. Here we will use only four simple ingredients: sugar, cream, butter, and optional vanilla extract.
It’s easy to pick up a jar of caramel sauce from the grocery store, but it won’t taste nearly as good as your own caramel sauce, freshly homemade from scratch. And as much of a scary reputation that it has, it’s totally doable for cooks of all levels. There are a lot of comments below from people who have had success with this easy recipe, and you don’t even need a candy thermometer to make this homemade caramel sauce!
Tips for Best Results
Use a quality heavy-bottomed pan – Cookware varies wildly in quality. If you have a thin and cheap pan, the heat will be less consistent and the caramel will be more prone to problems. Use a heavy-bottomed saucepan.
Shake the sugar flat before adding the water – Once you add liquid to the sugar, you won’t want to touch or move anything, in order to prevent crystallization. So shake the sugar flat in the pan before adding the water, so it all moistens evenly.
Don’t touch the pan! – Until you add the cream, the pan should not be touched at all once the sugar has been moistened with the water. No stirring, no swirling, no movement at all. This prevents crystallization.
How to Avoid Crystallization
If you follow the below instructions precisely, you should not have any issues with crystallization. The biggest cause of crystallization is from stirring or swirling the pan. The pan should not be touched AT ALL once the water has been added, and until the cream is added to stop the cooking.
Why does caramel crystallize? It’s almost always triggered by some kind of early agitation before the sugar has been fortified with fat, like cream and butter. First you’ll get a few crystallized sugar spots on the sides of the pan, where water evaporated and the sugar granules turned into crystals again, and this sets off a chain reaction for the entire pan.
How do you keep caramel from crystallizing? If you properly shake the sugar to flatten in the pan, then do not touch or move the pan after adding the water, crystallization should not happen. However, if for whatever reason it does, use a wet pastry brush to wash down any sugar from the walls of the pan. An alternative is to put a lid on the pan for a minute or two when you see sugar crystals forming, which will use steam/condensation from the lid to wash down the sides. Another preventative option is to use a little bit of light corn syrup (2 tablespoons) to prevent crystallization. However, a lot of people don’t like to add corn syrup and you don’t need it to make caramel. Most importantly, never stir the caramel until you’ve added the cream.
Can you fix crystallized caramel? YES! You don’t need to start over or throw it away. Add 1/4 cup of water and bring the mixture back to a boil. Heating it up with the water should re-dissolve and moisten the crystals. Then you can proceed with the recipe and start getting some color on the sugar.
Step by Step Overview:
To get started, place a cup of granulated sugar in a medium saucepan, and give it a little shake so the sugar lays flat in an even layer. Then add 1/3 cup of water, which should moisten all of the sugar:
Turn the stove to medium heat and cook until the sugar dissolves into a clear syrup. Remember, do not stir, and do not touch!
Can you use brown sugar?
I do not recommend swapping brown sugar in here. First, know that using brown sugar will give you quite a different flavor from white sugar, due to its molasses content. But additionally, you are supposed to use less brown sugar, as they are not a 1:1 swap. If you want to use brown sugar, I recommend searching for a specific recipe designed for its use.
The sugar mixture will look cloudy at first, but eventually will give way to a clear, bubbling liquid. You can see some spots of cloudiness below where the sugar is dissolving, as well as some clear spots:
Continue to cook the caramel over medium-high heat, and watch as it begins to take on an amber color:
Pay close attention, do not leave the caramel’s side, and have 3/4 cup of heavy whipping cream standing by.
Once the hot caramel has developed a golden color, like honey, turn off the heat and immediately add the heavy cream:
This will stop the caramel from continuing to cook.
What temperature is needed?
A thermometer is not needed for this recipe, as I’ve found it very reliable to go off color, and a thermometer can risk crystallizing the sugar if it moves around too much. However, if you insist on measuring, a temperature between 338 and 350F is your target. Above 350F, you’ll start to smell (and later taste) a burned, bitter quality. Below 338, and you won’t have proper color and caramelization.
Now add two tablespoons of salted butter. Or, you may use unsalted butter, and season to taste with sea salt. I recommend starting with 1/8 teaspoon, and adding more if desired. I would not add more than 1 teaspoon of kosher salt or 1/2 teaspoon of regular table salt. Those amounts will turn this into more of a salted caramel sauce, so be mindful of that.
Continue stirring until the caramel has an even texture.
What if the mixture seizes?
If the caramel sauce seizes up when you add the cream and butter, do not worry! This is normal and there is nothing wrong. It should smooth out with more stirring and residual heat, in about a minute or two. If for whatever reason it doesn’t, turn the heat back to medium low and stir for a couple minutes more.
The caramel sauce will look foamy upon adding the cream and butter, like this:
Eventually as the heat dissipates, the caramel will settle down:
It needs to cool to thicken
Right now while the mixture is hot, it will look very thin and runny, but the sauce will thicken as the caramel cools. I find the caramel has the best drizzling consistency at room temperature. If you refrigerate it, it may become too thick to drizzle, and you’ll need to warm it slightly. You can do this gently in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stove.
To keep your delicious caramel sauce from absorbing off flavors from the fridge, make sure to store your finished sauce in an airtight glass container or mason jar.
Suggestions for Serving
Caramel is a great topping or finishing ingredient for elevating all of your favorite desserts, but it can also be mixed into lots of different recipes.
Drizzle over cheesecake like Mini Cheesecakes with Gingersnap Crust and Raspberry Sauce, or your favorite ice cream (try my Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream Without An Ice Cream Machine).
Serve as a dip for cut apples, or incorporate it into any apple dessert like this Caramel Apple Crisp or Apple Tarte Tatin.
Bread Pudding is also great with a drizzle of fresh caramel, or add a few spoonfuls to the blender of your favorite milkshake, like this Toasted Marshmallow & Malt Milkshake or Apple Pie Milkshake.
Tips and FAQ
It will keep in the refrigerator for at least one month. Store in an airtight container so it does not absorb any off odors from the fridge.
Yes, for up to 3 months. Store in an airtight container so it does not absorb any off odors from the freezer. Thaw it in the fridge overnight or in a water bath before serving.
Yes! The cream, butter, and sugar all need refrigeration. It will get very thick as it cools, so reheat as necessary to achieve a drizzling consistency again.
In a microwave-safe container, microwave in 15 second intervals until warm and able to be drizzled. Or, heat over medium low heat in a saucepan on the stove, until warm. Heating the caramel makes the consistency thinner and runnier.
Do not stir, swirl, or even touch the pan once you’ve added the water. If you run into crystallization somehow, use a wet pastry brush to wash down the sugar from the walls of the pan. An alternative is to put a lid on the pan for a minute or two when you see crystals forming, which will use steam/condensation from the lid to wash down the sides. Another preventative option is to use a little bit of corn syrup (2 tablespoons) to prevent crystallization. However, a lot of people don’t like to add corn syrup and you don’t need it to make caramel. Most importantly, never stir the caramel until you’ve added the cream.
Yes, you don’t need to start over or throw it away. Add 1/4 cup of water and bring the sugar back to a boil. Heating it up with the water should re-dissolve and moisten the crystals. Then you can proceed with the recipe and start getting some color on the sugar.
No, this will not work, as it’s not thick enough. This is too much of a fluid and creamy caramel sauce for that. I recommend looking up caramel recipes that are specifically designed for dipping whole apples.
Did you enjoy the recipe? Please leave a 5-star rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. Or, follow me on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest!
Homemade Caramel Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup water
- 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 tbsp salted butter*
- 1 tsp vanilla extract optional
Instructions
- Add the sugar to a heavy bottomed saucepan, then shake it so it lies in an even, flat layer.
- Add the water to fully moisten the sugar. Do not stir or agitate the sugar in any way once the water has been added. It's okay if a few spots didn't moisten, don't touch it.
- Place the pot over medium heat and cook until the sugar dissolves and turns clear, a few minutes.
- Raise the heat to medium high, and cook the caramel until it turns amber colored**, about 10 minutes.
- Turn the heat off and immediately add the heavy cream. It's okay (and expected) if the caramel seizes up when adding the cream.
- Add the butter and stir everything together until the caramel smooths out. If it's still clumpy, turn the heat back on to low, and gently stir for a few minutes until it's smooth. When finished cooking, add vanilla extract, if desired.
- Let the caramel sauce cool to room temperature, then transfer to a jar and refrigerate.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
Post updated from the archives with new photos, new text, and more tips in August 2018. Originally published March 2012.
293 Comments on “Caramel Sauce”
Thank you – that was truly amazing.
I liked the “wet” method of caramelizing the sugar and the added salt
I’ve used it on vanilla ice-cream – will never go back to shop bought stuff again
Hello, is it possible to make this recipe in bulk?
I asked the same thing. Since I didn’t hear back I went ahead and tried it. YES! I only make double batches now as it goes so fast in our house! In response to others that had problems smoothing it out after adding cream and butter, I also noticed that the recipe says turn off the burner, but doesn’t say “remove” it from the burner. I don’t know if that’s what’s intended, but I added the cream and butter leaving it on the burner after turning the burner off, and though it did initially still seize, leaving it on the burner helped it smooth out much easier, and a final increase to med for just a few seconds more was all that was needed to turn it completely creamy. Loving it!!
The end result was some sugary goo inside some cream and a big mess. I followed the printed recipe exactly, and after removing from heat and adding the cream, the pot foamed up terribly, making a gooey mess all over my stove top. The caramel was beyond seized up- there were two small blobs of sugary goo inside the cream. No amount of stirring was going to dissolve them in the room temperature cream. I have made caramel before following other methods and I have not had so much trouble. The first time I attempted this recipe the sugar burned- it does not need the full ten minutes at medium high; I would recommend watching very carefully after 4-5 minutes because it turns fast.
Forgot to rate this wonderful recipe!
Amazing! Perfect for my Caramel hot Lattes, and poured over my homemade coffee cake before adding the cinnamon streusel crumb topping. Delicious. I was wondering if I could double the recipe without it becoming too unwieldy in the pot? If that makes sense… lol
Can I double this recipe? If so, do I need to make any adjustments?
Thanks so much!
This recipe is SO EASY to follow compared to others I’ve tried and the sauce turned out beautiful. I’ve made this recipe three times now and do recommend leaving ur heavy cream out on the counter about 5 or so minutes prior to pouring it in.
When I used it straight from the cold refrigerator the first couple times I made this, my sauce seized up (I didn’t mind though, I just strained the crystallized bits). However, when I had it out for about 5 or 6 min before pouring it into my caramel I didn’t get any crystallization!
Thank you for the wonderful recipe! 😊
seriously this the best caramel sauce I have ever tried. I think I must have made it 5 times already and I ‘ve just bought cream to make it again, cause I’m out of this precious golden caramel-y nectar of Gods.
I have tried many recipes in the past but this one has the right balance for my liking.
thanx!
A delicious and very simple recipe! If you read the entire recipe plus tips and make sure to follow them accurately, it’s dang near foolproof. Looking at the negative reviews, some people clearly did not do this and they end up doing things in a different way (keeping a lid on the pot, continuing to add water, cooking to too low a temperature, cooking after adding cream and butter, etc.). This leads to poor results. As long as you follow the instructions exactly, no prior candymaking experience is necessary for this to come out well.
238 not 338
AHHHH!! Thank you!!
This was a super super fun and easy recipe! I didn’t have heavy cream though, however I used hole milk and added a little extra butter and suger. It worked out great:) I made two and saved the extra for coffee.
AMAZING !!!!
SO EASY TO MAKE AND DELICIOUS
This was absolutely delicious!!!! I rarely write a review but this deserved it! I half the recipe to try it out and now I find myself doubling it and storing it for my ice caramel macchiato!
Really great recipe, I tried another caramel recipe a few days ago and it was a disaster but this went quite well! I only had a few things that went “wrong”, I turned around for a few seconds when the temp was at 325ish and when I turned back around it was already over 350, so then I panicked and turned the burner off and stirred it really well going it would come down quickly and it did! Then when I added the cream a few parts got really thick and other parts stayed thin, added the butter and some of the thick pieces thinned out but I ended up heating it up again on a low heat stirring constantly to get it smooth. In the end, everything ended up great, it tastes great no burnt flavor, it is a little thinner than I was expecting but there’s nothing wrong with that! I was wondering though it you could sub the sugar for brown sugar without any other changes to make a butterscotch??
Can this be adapted for a caramel whiskey sauce?
Simplest, easiest, and most delectable delicious caramel sauce of All! A+
When I put in the cream it kind of bubbled up and over like when you make rice. What did I do to make it do that?
You just need to use a bigger pan. Mine did the same thing and I was thankful I hadn’t used the smaller saucepan I was originally going to use!!