Caramel Sauce

This Caramel Sauce recipe is so easy to make. With just a handful of ingredients that you probably already have in the fridge and in the pantry, you can make this rich and luscious caramel sauce.

You will fall in love with this homemade caramel sauce, and want to make it over and over again!

The steps are very straight forward and I will give you lots of tips here on how to make the best caramel sauce, prevent crystallization, or troubleshoot your sauce in case something goes wrong.

Homemade Caramel Sauce Recipe

Find the ingredients amounts below on this page, you can click on Jump to the Recipe or Print the Recipe button on top. Here you will find the detailed instructions along with pictures showing you how to make this delightful caramel sauce.

To make this recipe you won’t need a candy thermometer. We are using the dry method of making caramel which means we start off caramelizing the sugar by itself in the saucepan, without mixing it with water first.

Add the granulated sugar to the saucepan.

Place over medium heat, and stir the sugar constantly, until it melts.

It’s important to continue to stir the sugar, to ensure it melts evenly.

First the mixture will look lumpy, with a lot of bits of crystallized sugar, but slowly all the crystals will melt.

If the sauce is getting too dark, and there are still bits of crystallized sugar in the pan, remove it from the heat, and continue to stir in order to distribute the heat and help those crystals melt.

Once all the crystals have melted and the sauce is smooth and has a light amber color, turn to medium low heat, and add the butter to the pan.

Be careful, the mixture may splash, or release a lot of steam, which can burn your hands if you aren’t paying attention. Use gloves or a towel to help protect your hands, as needed.

Cook the sauce until the bubbling subsides and the butter melts with the syrup.

Add the warm cream, slowly, while stirring. Again, be careful so you don’t burn your hands.

Continue to stir and cook the sauce until every bit of crystallized sugar has melted, or re-melted, as some crystals may form after adding the cream.

The sauce should be smooth and have a deep amber color.

Add the vanilla and salt to the pan and stir to combine.

If you don’t like salted caramel sauce, feel free to leave the salt completely out.

Pour the sauce in a bowl.

Let the sauce cool down completely, then cover and store in the fridge.

Best pan to use for Caramel Sauce

I prefer to use copper or stainless steel pan to make caramel sauce.

Avoid using non-stick pans. They are usually made of too thin of a material. That can lead to hot spots and uneven heat distribution while making the sauce, causing it to burn or crystallize.

Also ensure the pan is clean, because any bits of food or grease can also cause crystallization.

Moreover, the pan needs to have a thick bottom. This way the caramel can be evenly cooked, and prevent scorching and burning.

Troubleshooting Caramel

I will address the two of the biggest issues that can show up when making caramel sauce: burning and crystallization.

First let’s talk about burning. Burning caramel is super easy because sugar can go from caramelized to burnt in just a few seconds depending on how long you cook it, or how high the heat is.

Controlling the heat is essential when making caramel. When the sugar is melting, the heat shouldn’t be too low, or too high. If the heat is too low, it can cause the sugar to crystallize. If the heat is too high, it can cause some parts of the sugar to cook too fast and burn, while others haven’t even melted yet.

Stir the sugar constantly while it’s cooking to prevent uneven melting issues, which can prevent scorching, and crystallization.

If you notice that you still have bits of crystallized sugar in the pan, but other parts of the syrup are already browned, remove the pan from the heat, and continue to stir, to help the heat distribute evenly and give the crystals a chance to melt.

To prevent crystallization, cook at the appropriate temperature as highlighted above. And make sure all the sugar has melted before adding the butter. After adding the butter, cook until the sauce is smooth again before adding the heavy cream.

Making sure the heavy cream is warm, and not cold, can also help prevent crystallization.

If you notice your caramel always ends up crystallizing, add a couple of tablespoons of corn syrup to the sugar when you start to cook it. The corn syrup will stabilize the caramel because it contains long chains of glucose molecules that keep the sucrose molecules in the syrup from crystallizing.

Moreover, if you do end up with a few crystals in your sauce, just strain them out. If there are too many crystals, or they are too large, you can keep the caramel at low heat for about 15 minutes. Stir frequently, to help the crystals melt.

What to do with caramel

Besides the obvious, which is to drizzle over ice cream, you can use this homemade caramel sauce in so many different ways!

Caramel is the best when used as dipping sauce for apples or bananas.

Use this caramel sauce to fill cakes, or cupcakes, or to mix with frosting to make caramel frosting. You can use it for cheesecakes, such as in this Caramel Cheesecake Recipe. You can use the caramel sauce in macarons, like in these Salted Caramel Macarons.

Or you can use it in this delicious Salted Caramel Chocolate Cake.

Drizzle caramel sauce over apple pie, or use it to make a delicious Caramel Latte at home.

This sauce will make any dessert even better, with its rich taste, caramelized flavors, and deep toffee notes!

Another lovely idea is to divide the sauce between jars, and gift to your friends!

Dry Caramel vs. Wet Caramel

What is the difference between the dry method and the wet method of making caramel?

Wet caramel requires you to mix the sugar with water before caramelizing it. And the dry method of making caramel starts off with the sugar by itself being caramelized in the saucepan.

Both methods have their place. I like to make wet caramel for example when making caramel for Pineapple Upside Down Cake or this Apple Upside Down Cake. Wet caramel doesn’t get as thick as dry caramel.

Wet caramel takes longer to make, and is more hands off during the sugar caramelization part, because you aren’t supposed to stir the sugar and water once you place the pot over the heat. You also have to use a pastry brush to melt all of the sugar crystals stuck to the sides of the pan. One of the benefits of the wet caramel method is that the chances you will burn the sugar are lower.

But if you pay attention to the tips in this post while making your caramel, you will end up with a rich and smooth homemade caramel sauce.

Also learn how to make Balsamic Caramel Swiss Meringue Buttercream made with a delicious Balsamic Caramel Sauce., and Vegan Caramel Sauce, or Instant Pot Dulce de Leche.

If you like this recipe, here are some other recipes you may like:

• Peach Cobbler Cake
• Salted Caramel Cheesecake
• Dulce de Leche Cheesecake
• Pecan Pie Cheesecake Bars

Caramel Sauce

Camila Hurst

This Caramel Sauce recipe is so easy to make. With just a handful of ingredients that you probably already have in the fridge and in the pantry, you can make this rich and luscious caramel sauce.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 1 cup

Ingredients

  

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• 1/2 cup heavy cream 120 ml
• 1 cup granulated sugar 200 grams
• 5 tbsp unsalted butter 85 grams
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp salt

Instructions

 

Caramel Sauce

• Heat the heavy cream gently in the microwave or in a saucepan until it’s warm to the touch. Set aside.
• Add the sugar to a saucepan with a heavy bottom. The pot you are using should be stainless steel, don’t use non-stick pan to make the caramel.
• Place the pan over medium heat, and stir until the sugar melts. It’s important to stir constantly, to make sure the sugar melts evenly. Continue to stir the sugar, and when the last bit of sugar melts, the syrup should be a golden color. Be aware that the sugar can turn from golden to burnt in just under a minute, so you should pay a lot of attention when making this recipe.
• If the syrup is becoming too dark but there are still bits of sugar unmelted in it, remove the pan from the heat and continue to stir to help the sugar melt.
• As soon as the last bit of sugar melts and the syrup is light amber color, add the butter. Be aware the syrup may splatter, which can burn your hands if you aren’t careful.
• Stir the mixture until the butter melts.
• Add the heavy cream, a bit at a time, while stirring non-stop. Also be careful while doing this because the syrup may bubble or release steam that can burn your hands.
• Continue to cook the caramel over low heat, until all the cream has been added. Continue to cook just until the sauce is smooth, without any crystallized bits of sugar or lumps.
• At this point the caramel should have a deep amber color.
• Remove from the heat.
• Pour in a bowl, add salt and vanilla. Mix to combine.
• Let the caramel come to room temperature.

Notes

Storage: Store the caramel in the fridge for up to 1 month in an air tight container. You can re-heat it gently, stirring every 5 to 10 seconds, until the caramel becomes soft with a drip consistency.
Store the caramel in the freezer for up to 3 months in an air tight container.
To thaw, let it sit at room temperature until it thaws, or in the fridge overnight.

Pan: Use a pan with a heavy bottom, preferably stainless steel or copper. Don’t use non-stick pan to make caramel, because non-stick pans are usually too thin and don’t distribute the heat evenly, leading to hot spots in the sauce which will cause it to burn or crystallize. Also make sure the pan is clean before starting, clean it thoroughly because any bits of grease or food can cause the caramel to crystallize.

Corn syrup: You can add about 1 tablespoon of corn syrup to the sugar when you start melting it. This can help if you usually have issues with your sauce crystallizing. The corn syrup has this long glucose molecules that prevent the sucrose molecules in the sauce from crystallizing.

Crystallization: If there are bits of crystallized sugar in the caramel, you can run it through a fine mesh sieve. Or, you can place the saucepan over low heat and stir the caramel occasionally while you wait for the crystals to melt. It can take as long as 15 minutes to melt the crystals sometimes.

Salt: Flaky sea salt is the best for caramel! I am indicating 1/2 tsp in the recipe, but you can add up to a teaspoon of salt, according to your preference.

Keyword caramel

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