Caramel Sauce Recipe

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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!

a spoon drizzling caramel sauce into a jar of homemade caramel sauce

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!

homemade caramel sauce being poured over vanilla ice cream in a bwol

Caramel Sauce: Ingredients & Substitutions

overhead photo of the ingredients in this Caramel Sauce recipe
  • 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.
a spoon drizzling caramel sauce into a jar of homemade caramel sauce

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.

 two photos showing how to make Caramel Sauce - combining water and brown sugar

Then, add the butter to the water/sugar mixture and whisk until the butter is melted.

two photos showing how to make Caramel Sauce - adding butter and melting

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.

caramel sauce mixture boiling in a saucepan

Whisk in the heavy cream and sea salt until smooth, bring the mixture to a boil again and boil for 1 minute.

two photos showing how to make Caramel Sauce - adding heavy cream

After 1 minute, remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the vanilla.

two photos showing how to make Caramel Sauce - adding vanilla

Transfer to a glass storage dish or jar and let cool completely before serving. The caramel sauce thickens as it cools.

caramel sauce being poured from the pan into a glass jar

Serve

There are so many ways to enjoy this homemade caramel sauce. Here are a few suggestions:

Caramel Sauce being spooned over vanilla ice cream in a bowl

Store

Store homeamde caramel sauce in an airtight container (glass jar with a lid) in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

caramel sauce in a jar topped with flaky sea salt

Caramel Sauce Recipe FAQS

Why do you put butter in caramel sauce?

For flavor and texture. Butter makes a rich sauce with a deep flavor.

How do you make caramel sauce thicker?

This recipe thickens the sauce by cooking off water while boiling. If your sauce is still too thin, add ยฝ tablespoon water mixed with ยฝ tablespoon cornstarch and cook until the sauce is thick.

What is the difference between caramel and Carmel sauce?

Homemade caramels are cooked longer so they harden well (soft ball stage). Also, they contain less liquid dairy.

Can I double this recipe?

Yes, you can easily double the ingredients and double the recipe.

a spoon drizzling some caramel sauce into a jar of caramel sauce with a label

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Homemade Caramel Sauce Recipe

Laura
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!
5 from 3 votes
Course Dessert, sauce
Cuisine American
Servings 16 Servings
Calories 154
Prep Time2 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Chilling2 hours
Total Time2 hours 22 minutes

Ingredients 
 

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

Ingredient Substitution 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.
Store
Store homemade caramel sauce in an airtight container (glass jar with a lid) in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Nutrition

Serving: 2Tablespoons | Calories: 154kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 0.5g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 32mg | Sodium: 90mg | Potassium: 34mg | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 396IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 0.1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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