Easy Homemade Caramel Sauce
Quick and easy Homemade Caramel Sauce is thick, gooey, and made with just FIVE ingredients in FIVE minutes, perfect for apples, brownies, ice cream, or as a gift!
If you enjoy this recipe, you'll also love easy homemade Chocolate Syrup, Strawberry Syrup, and Cinnamon Syrup!
I'm SO excited to bring you today's post, featuring one of my personal favorite, all-time most-popular recipes...quick and easy Homemade Caramel Sauce!
In my opinion, Caramel Sauce is akin to the nectar of the gods. It complements a variety of other flavors, it turns even health food into a decadent treat, and it's pretty darn tasty with no other accompaniment than a straight-up spoon.
Quick & Easy Caramel Sauce
But...how to make Caramel Sauce?! Well, you won't believe how easy it is using this recipe.
There's no candy thermometer, no persnickety directions, and no extended stirring.
There are just five simple ingredients that transform into gooey, sticky, buttery Caramel Sauce in about five quick minutes. And it's amazing!
Ingredients
Let's take a moment to analyze those five simple, yet critical, ingredients, shall we?
- Butter. Say it with me...everything is better with butter. (And bacon. Maybe dip your bacon in this caramel sauce???)
- Brown sugar. In my younger days, I used to babysit a little girl who would hop up on the kitchen counter and eat lumps of brown sugar straight out of the jar when her ever-observant childcare provider wasn't looking. (Why yes, she was a tad bit energetic. Why do you ask?) Years later, I tried a lump of straight brown sugar myself. I totally get it now, kid.
- Heavy cream. AKA, the key to rich, silky caramel. Yum.
- Vanilla extract. Make sure you use the pure stuff here. I'll share the brand I'm obsessed with in the Tips & Tricks section below.
- Salt. Salt (I prefer using fine sea salt) complements caramel beautifully. The end.
How to Make It
Most homemade caramel recipes call for cooking granulated sugar until it reaches a specific temperature and, well, caramelizes. The caveat is that it takes awhile and it's easy to burn the sugar if you're not monitoring it closely.
This recipe relies on brown sugar for the same caramel-sauce-end-result but in a fraction of the time. And the best part? It's easy to make, but not so easy to burn!
- Simply melt some butter.
- Add brown sugar and stir for 2 minutes.
- Add cream and stir for 2 more minutes.
- Mix in vanilla and salt.
And you're done! It really is that quick and simple.
Allow for Cooling Time
There is just one small problem. Those five minutes I mentioned do not include the time it takes for said homemade caramel to cool sufficiently enough to eat it by the spoonful without singeing your mouth.
This stuff is pretty molten when it first comes off the stove! In fact, you may be concerned by how thin and almost watery it appears. Don't be!
Once the caramel cools to room temperature, it will set up to the perfect consistency. And once you refrigerate it, it will thicken even more.
Since you will naturally want to taste test as soon as your caramel is done, however, my advice is to scoop some out on a spoon, set it on a plate for a few minutes until it comes to a reasonable temperature, and then sample away. After all, let's be rational here. If you burn your tongue right off the bat, you're not going to be able to taste the rest of it anyway!
Ways to Enjoy It
So what do you do with your marvelous Homemade Caramel Sauce now that you've spent a whole five minutes of effort on it?
Well, it's perfect as a dip for fresh apple slices, and if you're feeling particularly benevolent, you can even use it to fashion an after-school snack of caramel apple nachos for your eternally grateful kiddos. (Flashback to my little apple nacho bandit back in 2013...)
After you've test driven this caramel sauce with apples, might I suggest next pouring it over a classic bowl of vanilla ice cream?
It's also delicious drizzled on bread pudding, apple cake or pie, cheesecake, pumpkin waffles, gingerbread pancakes, or even sweet potatoes! And let's not forget brownies...
And finally, this Caramel Sauce is a delicious addition to so many other scrumptious recipes, from Caramel Apple Cheesecake Dip to Caramel Brulée Coffee Creamer to Caramel Croissant Bread Pudding to Caramel Apple Cider. Yum, yum, yum, and YUM.
Gift Giving
Just as exciting as all of those mouth-watering options? Caramel Sauce makes a fabulous gift!
With the holidays coming up, I'm always looking for homemade gifts that are quick to make and economical, but that I know will actually be used and appreciated.
I mean, who wouldn't love a jar of homemade caramel sauce? It's a hostess gift that will guarantee that you're invited back, or it's a thoughtful gesture for your neighbor, your child's teacher, the mailman, or anyone else to whom you care to extend some holiday cheer.
As much as I love a plate of Christmas cookies, Homemade Caramel Sauce is a treat that's just a little bit different. It can be enjoyed right away or saved for a special occasion. Indeed, it's the gift that keeps on giving.
This recipe is a keeper and I hope that you end up loving it as much as I do!
Now if you'll excuse me, I have a carton of vanilla ice cream and a jar of caramel goodness calling my name. 😉
Helpful Tips, Tricks, & Equipment
- Use real butter here...no substitutions! Salted butter is recommended for this recipe but unsalted would work as well.
- Also use good quality vanilla, because you really do taste it in a recipe like this. Lately, vanilla has been more expensive than usual because of a global vanilla bean shortage, but Nielsen Massey Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Extract remains my favorite brand. It just has the best darn flavor...forever and ever, Amen.
- You can use either light brown or dark brown sugar in this recipe. The caramel sauce will just turn out lighter or darker depending on which you choose, and it really comes down to personal preference. The caramel sauce shown in the photos in this post was made with light brown sugar. And the caramel sauce featured in the video was made with dark brown sugar.
- Be sure your saucepan is deep enough to account for the bubbling caramel that may rise up the sides of the pot as it cooks.
- The caramel sauce will be thin when it is done cooking. DO NOT PANIC! It will thicken up nicely once it completely reaches room temperature, and even more so once chilled.
- If you wish to gift this caramel sauce, just make sure you can keep it chilled while doing so. For example, you could transport it in a small cooler and gift it when you know the recipient has access to a refrigerator.
- Recommended applications of caramel sauce: as a dip for apples, stirred into coffee, or drizzled over ice cream, apple pie, brownies, cheesecake, bread pudding, pancakes, waffles, sweet potatoes, and more...or eaten straight out of the jar with a spoon. 😉
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Easy Homemade Caramel Sauce
Ingredients
- ½ cup (1 stick) salted butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- â…” cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- â…› teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan set over medium-low to medium heat, melt the butter. Mix in the brown sugar and stir for 2 minutes. Mix in the heavy cream and stir continuously for 2 more minutes (the sauce should be gently bubbling, so adjust the heat, if necessary). Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the vanilla and the salt until well incorporated.
- Pour the hot caramel sauce into a jar and allow it to cool completely. Cover and store in the refrigerator for up to a month.
Video
Notes
- Be sure your saucepan is deep enough to account for the bubbling caramel that may rise up the sides of the pot as it cooks.
- The caramel sauce will be thin when it is done cooking, but it will thicken up nicely at room temperature, and even more so once chilled.
Nutrition
Post originally published on November 15, 2013, and updated on October 4, 2017.
Recipe adapted from Food.com.
This is the first caramel recipe I've ever made, and it exceeded my expectations! It is extremely yummy and extremely easy!! I can see myself using it a lot in the future, especially as gifts!
Yay, Emily...I'm so happy to hear that this caramel recipe exceeded your expectations! And I hope it's a hit if you decide to give it as gifts. 🙂 Enjoy!
Thank you!! needed a good homemade sauce/dip for apples and this is perfect! My 12yo helped and called it heavenly!
So happy to hear it, Susanne! I'd consider any recipe that gets a stamp of approval from a pre-teen to be a hit... 😉 Hope this makes apple season even more enjoyable for y'all! 🙂
My 5 year old and I just made the sauce! We only had half and half so I used that instead of whipping cream but it seems like the only problem is that it may not thicken up as nicely. Tastes wonderful, though! My question is about sending it through the mail. Do you think it can handle a three to four day trip through the mail? It would be at Christmas time so it'd be cold...
Hi Cassie! Gosh...from a food safety standpoint, I don't know that I can recommend mailing this sauce since the ingredients require refrigeration and the temperature won't be guaranteed to be consistent. Even if it's freezing outside, it will be processed through the post office, which I can only imagine is warmer. 😉 The only way I can see around this problem is to package it in dry ice, but I'm not familiar with how many days that stays cold either. Sorry that's not the answer you want to hear, but I'd probably use this recipe for local gifts and for your mailed gifts, find another treat that doesn't need to be refrigerated. 🙂
I was wondering if the caramel sauce should be refrigerated?
Great question, Kristine! It's hidden in the last sentence of the recipe, but yes, the caramel sauce should be refrigerated. 🙂 Enjoy!
Hi! I need to make 32 jars of caramel sauce, and I'm wondering if the sauce requires refrigeration at all times or if it can be left a room temp?
Thanks!
Hi Tammy! Since this recipe calls for fresh, perishable ingredients, I would definitely recommend keeping it refrigerated except for short periods of time (like when you remove it from the fridge for serving). I'm highly impressed that you're going to make so many jars of caramel sauce, but I wouldn't want anyone getting food poisoning. Good luck!
This was delicious and so easy! I like to grill peaches add ice cream and caramel sauce! This is really good! Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed this, Becky! And wow...drizzing it over grilled peaches and vanilla ice cream sounds amazing...I'll have to steal that idea before peach season ends! 😉
Oh my gosh! I just made this and this is the most incredible caramel sauce I've ever made or eaten.
Fantastic, Kathy...I'm very happy that you enjoyed this caramel sauce so much, and I appreciate you taking the time to let me know. 🙂 Have a great weekend!
Hi there Samantha!
I'm brazilian that has lived in America for over two years and learned to love Granny Smith apples with caramel dips.
I had been looking for a homemade caramel sauce recipe for awhile.; So glad I've found yours today and so amazed that it is so easy!
The only thing for me here in Brazil, is to find a suitable substitute for heavy cream, for we don't have it down here...and somehow make it thicker so I can dip my apple slices in it!
Thank you for sharing!
Cheers,
Erika
Hi Erika! Thanks so much for the comment and I apologize for my delayed reply...I've been out of the country. I'm thrilled to hear that you enjoyed this caramel sauce so much! I'm not sure what you could substitute for the heavy cream in Brazil, but I hope you're able to figure something out. Hope you have a great weekend! 🙂
Hi Samantha, thank you for this recipe, we were in Texas last year and we came across apples with a cream cheese and caramel dip (delicious!) But on return to the UK couldn't find a caramel like you have in the states.... This was perfect, plus homemade, quick and easy - perfect combination. I then made some for gifts at Christmas and the jars were well received! Thank you for sharing it!
You're so welcome, Clare! I'm glad that this recipe helped you recreate the treat you had in Texas. I might have to try your caramel/cream cheese dip with apples for myself...it sounds pretty good! I'm also happy to hear that this made a popular gift at Christmas. 🙂 Hope you continue to enjoy this recipe for many years to come...thanks for the sweet comment!
Do you think it would work to substitute maple syrup for the brown sugar?
Hi Charra! I haven't tried that substitution, but I'm not sure it would work. It seems to me that the caramel sauce might end up too thin using maple syrup? But honestly, I'm not sure since I haven't attempted it. Good luck if you decide to give it a go, and please come back to let us know how it turns out! 🙂
So happy I stumbled upon this recipe! I do have a question though, how long can this be left out before refrigeration? I want to make this to give as a part of a gift basket with other baked goodies and such.
Hi Heather! Great question. You know, I'm not a food safety expert so please take this advice at your own risk, but I would think this could be left out of the refrigerator for a few hours and still be okay. But I don't think I'd recommend leaving it out all day or anything. So if you're taking a gift basket to someone and ask them to pop the jar of caramel sauce into the fridge (or a small cooler with ice?) as soon as they receive it, I think that would work. 🙂 Hope that helps and I hope everyone enjoys this recipe!
I made this as gift and out in fridge right after. Will that mess people up at the office if they do not put in refrigerator right after. Also mine lightened in color after it went in fridge
Hi Morgan! I think it's fine to leave this unrefrigerated for awhile...I'd just tell your coworkers to put it in the fridge as soon as they can. 🙂 It's also normal for it to lighten as it cools. Hope that everyone enjoys!
This sauce is just perfect for what I need with dessert tonight, quick little internet search and I end up here, thank you so much
I'm so glad that you found what you were looking for here and I hope that this caramel sauce went perfectly with your dessert! 🙂 Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment...hope you're having a great weekend!
Hi what is the shelf life on this and what about storage? how long is it good for after making and everything Thanks!!!
Hi Dacia! Sorry if that information is somewhat hidden at the end of the directions. This caramel sauce may be stored in the refrigerator for up to a month. Hope you enjoy it! 🙂
The neighborhood grandma up the block when I was a kid (and that was many a day ago) used to pour warm Carmel sauce in a pan full of snow for a treat for us kids coming in from the cold. Made for some fond memories of childhood!
What a special memory, Babe! I've heard of people doing that before and I've always thought it sounds so neat...alas, we never have enough snow in central Texas to get to try it. 😉 Thanks for sharing...hope you're having a great week!
I just made 5 batches of this awesome caramel sauce for teacher gifts. Also did a couple of the framed prints and notecards but the favorite among all the teachers was the caramel sauce! So quick and easy to make. I had one batch separate in the jars but I just shook them up and they tasted fine. Thanks so much for the printables and recipe! This will for sure be Christmas gifts this next year!
Yay, Lyn...you've been a busy bee! I'm so glad that the caramel sauce was such a hit! I'm sure your teachers were very happy to be on the receiving end of your thoughtful gesture... 😉
Hi Samantha~
I have some dietary issues with dairy and wondered if the cream could be substituted with coconut cream? This recipe looks divine and I would really love to make and eat some caramel deliciousness!
Hi Merri Jo! I wish I had a for-sure answer for you, but I'm honestly not sure how coconut cream would work in this recipe as I have not tried it. I think it has a good shot of turning out well, though. At the very worst, your caramel might not thicken as much as if you had used regular cream, but I bet it would still taste good. 😉 If you end up trying this substitution, please come back and let us know how it turns out. Good luck! 🙂
I made this for the first time this afternoon to put in a caramel apple crisp and I could not get over how simple and quick it is. My daughter (35 years old) could not wait to try it and had to have it on ice cream. It is delicious, thank you so much. Can't wait to try some other recipes on your site.
Thank you for your sweet comment, Marilynn! I'm so glad that this recipe was a success for you and a hit with your family! I hope you find some other recipes here that you enjoy just as much. 🙂 Thanks again for taking the time to let me know how your caramel sauce turned out, and I hope you're having a great weekend!