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.
I just made this and it tastes great! I incorporated the sea salt. Thank you!
This homemade caramel sauce is a must try!!
I am making this today to go with apples we just picked from the orchard. It looks so easy and delicious! Just one question - Is the sauce supposed to be bubbling during the four minutes you are stirring?
Hi there! The caramel sauce doesn't need to bubble the whole time, but it should start bubbling during the last couple minutes. That being said, I've made it before when it never bubbled and it still turned out fine. 🙂
I live at 7,000 feet. I’m wondering if the cooking time would need to be longer since everything else takes longer
I'm so sorry that I can't advise, Donna...I have no experience with high-altitude baking/cooking.
Wow! This is the BEST Caramel Sauce that I have ever tried.. It is creamy not grainy,,I have tried several other recipes that turned our gritty with sugar crystals in it, This recipe turned out very creamy and flavorful... This is a keeper recipe.. I am putting this recipe in my recipe book. I have made it several times and it turns out GREAT every time..Very Creamy and buttery flavor....I was buying the Caramel for my Starbucks Style Coffee Macchiato that I make every morning...Cause I use a lot of it...Then I decided to see if I could make the Caramel Sauce myself. I tried several recipes before I found yours.. It is the BEST...Thanks for the recipe...
You're so welcome, Verna...I'm thrilled that it's been such a hit for you! 🙂
Just tried this yesterday and it was to DIE for! I would like to make a huge batch to give out as favors at my sister's baby shower. Can I triple the recipe? Quadruple?
I have doubled and had no problems.
I just wanted to let you know how much my whole family (all 24 local plus the other 10 that visit twice a year) love love LOVE this sauce! I have even caught my BOTH my 13yo and 6yo daughters sneaking spoonfuls from the jar in the fridge! My boys love it just as much, but aren't quite so brave as to steal my sauce! Also, I was trying to come up with a treat to take to a baby shower last week and I only had about a third of a jar left so I poured it over a brick of cream cheese and sprinkled Heath bar bits over it and it made an apple dip to die for! It was gone ten minutes in to the baby shower! Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe!
I'm having a fondue party and was wondering if it would be ok to serve it in a crockpot on a warm setting. Or would that ruin it?
That's a great question, Jolynn...I'm honestly not sure. This caramel sauce is pretty thin and runny when warm, so I have a feeling it might not make the best fondue. I also don't know if the sugar would start to crystalize (or something weird like that) if it was kept warm for an extended period of time. I'm sorry! But it's a great dip at room temperature!
I used it for my fondue party and it worked great. It was a hit with everybody. It only crystallized when I refrigerated it and then tried to reheat it again. So if anyone is planning on using this for a party I recommend making it the day of the party. The fresher the better.
Is there a difference between heavy cream and heavy whipping cream? I didn't see heavy cream but i did find and try heavy whipping cream. However my caramel sauce isn't very....saucy. It tastes good but it's kind of grainy. Or perhaps I did something wrong while making it..
Hi there! Heavy cream and heavy whipping cream are the same thing -- sometimes they're just labeled differently -- so you used the correct ingredient. 🙂 I'm not sure why your caramel sauce turned out grainy, though...it should definitely be thick and saucy once it cools. I hope it turns out better if you decide to give it another try!
Mine was not thick at all like in your picture. I am hoping it's going to harden a little when it cools since it's so watery.
Hi Bertha! This caramel sauce is definitely thin when it's warm, but it should thicken considerably once it reaches room temperature. Chilling the sauce will make it very thick. Hope you enjoyed!
This is awesome!!!! It was so easy:) The cream, butter, and sugar aren't fantastically healthy, but it is better than the storebought stuff with corn syrup, fractionated palm oil, glycerine, corn starch and high fructose corn syrup. I know exactly what I am eating and it tastes EXACTLY the SAME!!!!
Yay, Shinika! I agree...this caramel sauce is a decadent treat, but real ingredients are better than processed stuff any day! 😉
This caramel is amazing....HEAVENLY!! My husband and I made it for our sweet tooth craving. Keep the quick, sweet, amazing, and easy recipes coming!
Did you firmly pack the brown sugar or is it loosely packed?
Thanks for the great recipe! I have been making my own caramel sauce for years. Mainly for popcorn! I never realized until experimenting that the milk/cream is the glue to keeping the butter and sugar together! Who knew?
Will this work for caramel apples? Does it thicken enough?
Hi Tori! Great question. This caramel sauce thickens once completely cool (and particularly after time in the fridge), but it's not sticky enough to adhere to caramel apples. Hope that helps! 🙂
Mm delicious, this turned out just right. Thanks for sharing.
Simon
Thank you so much for this post! I wanted to get caramel sauce for some apple slices to set out with our food for the Super Bowl tonight and couldn't find any pre-made at the store today. Then I forgot to pick up a bag of the caramel candies to melt so turned to Google. Your recipe was the second one I looked at (the first was like you describe, using sugar and corn syrup...sounded too easy to mess up for me!) and I had all the ingredients on hand. It turned out perfectly and is delicious. Once it cools down and I refrigerate it a little bit it will be perfect for dipping the apple slices in. 🙂
I'm having trouble with my sauce as it's cooling it starts separating. Do you have any idea as to why this is happening? Thanks
Hi Sarah! I'm so sorry to hear that your caramel sauce started separating. I've never had that happen so I'm honestly not sure what could have happened??? I hope that you were still able to salvage it, and I hope that the recipe works out better for you if you decide to try it again. Have a great weekend!
Awesome recipe! Inspired me for my mini caramel apple pies. I went store bought the first time due to a time crunch, but man, after seeing this I'm regretting it. Will be making them again with this caramel recipe. Pinning it!
Your apple pies sound delicious, Nate...I'm sure this caramel sauce would be the perfect accompaniment for them! Enjoy, and thanks for the pin! 🙂