Caramel Sauce Recipe
Posted Mar 01, 2024, Updated Aug 15, 2024
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This homemade caramel sauce recipe is easy to make from scratch with 6 ingredients including butter, heavy cream and brown sugar. Learn how to make caramel sauce and never buy store-bought varieties again!
This homemade caramel sauce is so rich and delicious you will want to serve it over everything – vanilla ice cream, brownies, skillet cookies, etc.
This caramel sauce recipe is easy to make with whole-food ingredients (no condensed milk) in only 20 minutes. Plus, it’s rich caramel flavor and smooth texture make it worlds better than any jarred, store-bought sauce!
Caramel Sauce: Ingredients & Substitutions
- Light brown sugar. If you like a richer molasses taste, use dark brown sugar (or substitute up to half the light brown sugar with dark).
- Salted butter. Unsalted butter works well too.
- Heavy cream. There is no substitute for heavy cream in this recipe.
- Vanilla extract. an equal amount of vanilla bean paste can be used in place of the vanilla extract.
How to Make Caramel Sauce
Let’s walk through this caramel sauce recipe step-by-step, and don’t forget to watch the video for further help!
Begin by adding water and brown sugar to a heavy-bottom pan. Cook over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves, whisking often.
Then, add the butter to the water/sugar mixture and whisk until the butter is melted.
Once the butter is melted, bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat and cook/boil over medium heat until mixture is thick and pulls away from the sides (about 10 minutes), whisking occasionally.
Whisk in the heavy cream and sea salt until smooth, bring the mixture to a boil again and boil for 1 minute.
After 1 minute, remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the vanilla.
Transfer to a glass storage dish or jar and let cool completely before serving. The caramel sauce thickens as it cools.
Serve
There are so many ways to enjoy this homemade caramel sauce. Here are a few suggestions:
- Ice cream. Drizzle it over vanilla ice cream, chocolate ice cream, or (my husband’s favorite) Oreo ice cream.
- Brownies. Who doesn’t love a brownie sundae topped with caramel sauce? Try it over these fudgy homemade brownies or even better – caramel brownies (you can use it to make these brownies)!
- Cookies. Serve it over this skillet cookie or chocolate chip cookie bars – yum. Or, use it to make carmelitas.
Store
Store homeamde caramel sauce in an airtight container (glass jar with a lid) in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Caramel Sauce Recipe FAQS
For flavor and texture. Butter makes a rich sauce with a deep flavor.
This recipe thickens the sauce by cooking off water while boiling. If your sauce is still too thin, add ½ tablespoon water mixed with ½ tablespoon cornstarch and cook until the sauce is thick.
Homemade caramels are cooked longer so they harden well (soft ball stage). Also, they contain less liquid dairy.
Yes, you can easily double the ingredients and double the recipe.
If you make and love our recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don’t forget to follow along with us on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Youtube – be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so we can see your creations!
Homemade Caramel Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- ¼ cup water
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup salted butter (diced into ½” cubes)
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Optional: serve with flaky sea salt
Instructions
- Add water and brown sugar to a heavy-bottom pan. Cook over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves, whisking often.
- Add butter and whisk until the butter is melted. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook/boil over medium heat until mixture is thick and pulls away from the sides (about 10 minutes), whisking occasionally. (started 9:23)
- Whisk in the heavy cream and sea salt until smooth. Bring mixture to a boil again and boil for 1 minute.
- Remove from heat, whisk in vanilla.
- Transfer to a glass storage dish or jar and let cool completely before serving (mixture thickens as it cools).
Video
Notes
- Light brown sugar. If you like a richer molasses taste, use dark brown sugar (or substitute up to half the light brown sugar with dark).
- Salted butter. Unsalted butter works well too.
- Heavy cream. There is no substitute for heavy cream in this recipe.
- Vanilla extract. An equal amount of vanilla bean paste can be used in place of the vanilla extract.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
