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”
I read the whole thing as well as many many comments… Twice. And then I got Brave and got out of bed and put my hair up and went to my kitchen and got started. My first try I used too big of a pot and the whole thing crystallized from the middle out. It was pretty weird. But I added more water and started again in a smaller pot and I swear it took forever, but the sugar finally became an Amber ish color and I added my cream which by now is very lukewarm. It’s still seized up but I started and stared and stared and stared and stared and I ended up… With caramel sauce! Amazing. I was so scared! it tastes delicious but it is so hot… I need to let it cool down so I can enjoy it. thanks for helping me be brave in the kitchen!
I want to keep it from crystallizing but I tried your method and it started to burn and was ruined. How do you keep it from burning, if you don’t stir it for a couple of minutes with the lid on. Also when the lid is on there was no way to tell if it was sticking, until I smelled the burn. So mine is either burning or crystalizing.
What am I doing wrong? What do you suggest?
Hi Will, do you have a gas or electric stove? It sounds like the mixture is cooking too fast before the sugar has a chance to dissolve into a clear syrup. Does this sound like what’s happening? Even though it may feel strange not to stir, if you stir the mixture, you will almost certainly set things up for crystallization, and it’s not necessary to stir in order to dissolve the sugar crystals. Also, the lid shouldn’t be on at any point during the cooking process, that is only a suggested hack to put the lid on for a minute or two if you’re having issues with crystallization, and that minute shouldn’t be the difference between the caramel burning or not. Here are my thoughts for action steps: are you okay with adding some light corn syrup to the sugar mixture? That will help prevent crystallization. The other thing you can do is add more water at the beginning, to completely moisten the sugar before heating. This will take longer to cook, as you have to cook off all the water before the sugar will caramelize, but it may help you. Let me know your thoughts.
Thank you so much for answering me. I have a 2 year old smooth top Samsung Electric Stove, which seems to change the burner temperature depending on how high I set it. Example when the burner is on medium, it will turn red hot for a few seconds, then cools down quickly which is so different from the old coil stove. So your comment that the mixture may be cooking too fast seems possible.
My liquid always looks a little cloudy – not clear. So I will try turning the heat down and cooking it slower and adding more water if that doesn’t work; adding corn syrup will be my last option. I remember my mom told me when she cooked candy, that the sugar mixture had to spin a thread. I do not think I have ever been able to get any of my mixtures to do that because I do not understand how that is suppose to happen or what it is suppose to look like. LOL
I have a 2 year old smooth top Samsung Electric Stove, which seems to change the temperature itself. The burner turns red hot for a few seconds, then cools down – so different from the old coil stove. So your idea that the mixture may be cooking too fast seems possible. My liquid always looks a little cloudy – not clear. So I will try turning the heat down and cooking it slower; and adding more water if that doesn’t work; adding corn syrup will be my last option. Thanks again,
Hi Will, ah yes, I’m familiar with that type of stove. Ours was like that when I was a child. It seemed to just blast it red at full heat, and then go off completely, alternating every few seconds. I would definitely cook it lower to start, to try to get the sugar fully dissolved and clear. Once everything is clear, it’s easier to brown it from there because you don’t have to worry about undissolved sugar. As far as the thread story with your mom, that was one of the ways to tell what stage the sugar was at without an instant read thermometer. However, threads in this case would be way too low for a target temperature. That indicates about 230F, and you need to get into the final stage which is hard crack. If you have a thermometer, it’s 338-350F that’s the golden window for perfect.
Can this recipe be used to coat apples for caramel apples?
Hi Caitlin, my feeling is it may be a little bit too thin. I think it’d be better to find another recipe specifically for coating the apples.
Thanks for the great instructions( including about what to do if you get crystals) it came out tasting very nice … much better than a different recipe that I tried previously
Hi Christina, that’s wonderful, glad to hear!
Hullo,
What I really would like to make are chewable caramels.
Should I just keep cooking the sugar-cream mixture, maybe w/o butter, until it gets thicker and solidifies?
Hi Silvia, you need a different recipe for that. I have two chewy caramels: https://www.fifteenspatulas.com/sea-salt-caramels/ and https://www.fifteenspatulas.com/pumpkin-spice-caramels-and-common-mistakes-people-make-when-making-caramels/
I’ve been making CHEWY CARAMELS recipe by Harshma on “allrecipes” for years now … they are awesome … everybody LOVES them. Make sure you use a pot with a heavy bottom. I cook on a gas stovetop — I bring my batch to 238 degrees and then drop the flame down lower so as to keep it from going above the 238 while you continue to cook them as instructed. I can usually have a batch from prep to pouring into a pan in 30 minutes. My friend with an electric stovetop says it takes much longer with hers. My suggestion is to put aluminum foil into the pan (9″ x 13″ x 1/2″ for $1.00 at Dollar Tree) and smather it with butter. I have other suggestions as well, but I don’t want to type forever. Be aware that it takes forever to wrap these as small individual caramels — but it is so worth it.
As far as the CARAMEL SAUCE recipe above — it is VERY easy and VERY good. On my gas stovetop it took about 10 minutes. My husband loved it on cheesecake — & it would be awesome on vanilla ice cream.
Made this tonight, it tastes AMAZING! I’m going to use this as a part of my holiday gifts! So excited to add this to chocolate recipes!
Hi Erika, that’s great! Happy holidays!
I love this recipe!!!! Success!!! After trying countless recipes for the best caramel none of them ever worked despite having time stamps and precises instructions and following them meticulously it just flopped everytime, I tried this one just now, and behold my first caramel sauce success I will be using this forever now, thanks so much for sharing your recipe.
Hi Elisma, that is fantastic!! Really happy to hear this went so well for you.
I made this with a sub for heavy cream (Greek vanilla yogurt warmed till I could add melted butter then whisked till smooth) and I used home juiced apple juice to flavor. It didn’t want to thicken so I added 2 tbsp cornstarch slurry and oh my, my house smells like caramel apples. You inspired me! Thank you!
This sounds really great!
How much apple juice!? This may save me as I don’t have heavy whipping cream but plenty of vanilla greek yogurt!!
Looks like all butter but tastes amazing. What did I do wrong? I feel like maybe I didn’t let the sugar/water get golden enough?
Hi Alicia, if I understand correctly, the caramel sauce is pale in color? If so, then yes, it needed to be cooked longer.
tastes very good…………did I add the cream too fast, it made hard lumps that mostly dissolved?
That’s normal, if you keep cooking it, the lumps dissolve.
Oh my gosh so easy and yummy. In my house we have a lot of tree nut and peanut allergies. So so many times we miss out on having caramel sauce that’s safe. I’ve been meaning to make it myself and came across your recipe it was so simple. Thank you
Hi Jessica, so glad you enjoyed!
What’s the serving size fir this?
The nutrition info listed is for the entire batch, which is about 1 cup, or 16 tablespoons. So if you were to have 2 tbsp on something, then divide the calories and such by 8, etc.
Thank you for this! It was delish. I added just a touch of sea salt. Best caramel sauce I’ve ever had.
Hi Megan, that’s so fantastic! Glad you enjoyed it!!
I can’t wait to pour this over my next dessert!
It’s hard to beat the flavors of homemade caramel.
I can’t wait to try this!