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”
Wow, this is so good! It was really easy too. No need to worry how long it will last in the refrigerator, it is so good it will be gone quickly.
Would give 5 stars if I could, GREAT RECIPIE
WOW! Thank you so much for the recipe. After the story with the thermometer, I just melted the sugar without water. For me it’s much easier to do it like this as I did it before to do that caramel flan or creme. I melt the sugar than when is amber colour I stop the heat and move the pot around to coat the walls of the pot with caramel. After that I pour in the egg and milk mixture in double boiler in the oven.
Now going back to the caramel. The second one I did tastes amazing.I threw in butter first (it sizzled) than the cream, also sizzled but cooled soon. I used a little more cream (approx 1 cup instead of 3/4). Now I have to put it away as it is so good, LOL.
I just did it tonight, but I think I made the mistake of using a candy thermometer. And after reading I shouldn’t allow the syrup to go over 250F, I was scared to leave it more. At that stage the syrup was light brown-beige. I also had a problem assessing the real colour because of the foam. So, the result tastes more like super rich condensed milk, than caramel sauce. I am going to try to melt the sugar with no water. It’s much easier than boiling it so long. It’s ready in 3-4 minutes, even earlier. The moment you get liquid sugar at a medium brown turn of the heat and immediately throw in the butter (2 tbsp) and then whisk in the cream. If the mixing is not complete, you may heat it a little while stirring. Eventual all caramel will dissolve.
Amazing caramel sauce! Amazingly simple to make! Added just a touch of sea salt. Have to watch it a bit more at high altitude. Thank you.
I LOVE this recipe. I’ve tried others, but this one is the best. It’s exactly what the pictures show. I was a bit nervous at first with the medium heat then high heat and not mixing, but it turned out absolutely perfect. I’m going to save this recipe for the rest of my life!!!
I am man. Wow!!!!..thats all I need to describe it. Tried this one first time and finally the taste is what I a was looking for. Just so balanced and correct. I tried natashakitcen and other recepie (with muscavado) neighter came close. This one is authentic. And you know why? – because of first step! Secret is to get sugar caramelizing … many recepies do not include that.
It is very critical step and needs some experience. You actually dont get genuine caramel skipping that part even when comments on other recepies say that is best they have had. Dont believe that. This recepie here is real deal.
Suggestion – I stopped boiling sugar when I smell slightly burning or stronget bitter smell. Color is also getting darker and darker. It means sugar is changing taste and caramelizing. Do not use too high heat. Sugar needs to boil slightly. Too long time and again you get too bitter and burning taste. It just have be in the middle. I took about 10 to 15 min for me. I used unref. cane sugar. Very light brown.
Totally agree with your “tweaking” of recipe, though this step by step recipe is one of the best versions I have ever read – method wise. It does take a few attempts to get this right in terms of the right colour of the syrup when to add the cream – too early and it’s pale and just sweet, too late and yeek! bitter. I take it off the heat perhaps a minute before the syrup is at the right colour and baume – the foaming ends which gives a better colour / more caramel taste. I don’t use butter anymore, just cream NB: this is not a recipe you can walk away from. No answering the phone, watching your ipad, whatever. It’s worth it. Get it right and people WILL ask you how you made it.
tastes great but I had a decent sugar clump that didn’t dissolve even with a lot of stirring. I turned on the heat on low and stirred until most was incorporated and threw the little bit away that didn’t and it still turned out great.
Best recipe i have ever used! You have to watch it close but def worth it!
Wow the best recipe and instructions! I have tried several times before to make caramel and have not been able get it until now. I got it on the 1st try! Thank you
THIS IS AWESOME ! Thanks so much for the recipe. I’ve been looking for this recipe for so long ! It’s perfect. I love it.
First time making this and came out perfectly! Regular sugar and all dissolved …no clumps. Yum yum!
Can someone tell me why I followed the directions to the letter and it turned out a big grainy granulated gloppy mess that was inedible?
What happened? I am a seasoned cook and baker. Thanks in advance.
Maybe these things went wrong. 1) didn’t add enough cream (try to add a little extra if you think it’s seizing up with the given quantity…… It worked for me.), 2) too much sugar, too little water, 3) turned the fire too high (too high heating causes terrible lumps.), 4) don’t stir the solution when not told to, 5) don’t let the syrup cool without stirring in the butter and cream, 6) don’t let it turn brown…… Amber’s the colour to go. Hopefully this will help you make a better one the next time.
Regards
– Lily Luna potter
P.S I’m still learning to cook.
Awesome recipe..made a perfect caramel sauce. thank you for your recipe.made it for the first time.
Could this caramel be used as an ice cream topping?
Yes
I have made this twice in the past 24 hours. It tastes amazing, but it’s not a perfect recipe. Both times I had some hardened sugar clumps that wouldn’t release from seizing, even after rigorous stirring. The first time I just fished them out (and ate them!); the second time I put the entire pot back on the burner on a low-med heat and stirred until it dissolved entirely. I should also note for the second attempt I did blend the sugar from granulated to caster so it would dissolve faster. I have made other recipes crom the web and believe the common mistake is adding the cream or milk in one go. When I make this again I will whisk in half of the cream for the seize, then the rest immediately after. That has worked with other recipes/techniques.