Homemade caramel sauce. I’ve long thought this stuff should be illegal since it’s incredibly addictive. This delicious sauce is easy to make – just make sure to follow the tips then prepare to smother everything in it.
Sweet, buttery and rich, caramel sauce makes anything it touches taste like bliss – though you’re likely to want to eat it all on it’s own, with a spoon. Drizzle it over everything from brownies to ice cream and caramel transforms them from decadent to pure indulgence.
While candy making can be intimidating, make sure to read through my tips below and you’ll have perfect caramel in no time. You don’t need a candy thermometer for this recipe and will instead just look out for the visual indicators, keeping it simple and easy for anyone to make.
Probably my favourite sweet flavour, you’ll find loads of caramel on this blog, from indulgent salted caramel cheesecake and caramel brownies to this elegant apple crostata.
This recipe was first published here on May 17th, 2022 and has been updated with better step by step photos and method.
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Ingredients you’ll need
Detailed quantities and instructions in the recipe card below.
- Sugar: You want caster sugar / superfine sugar for the quickest, easiest result but you can use granulated sugar. The important part is that it melts quickly. Don’t use icing / powdered sugar.
- Cream: You’re looking for a full fat pourable cream like thickened cream, heavy cream or heavy whipping cream (not whipped).
- Butter: Use good quality unsalted butter in this recipe, then use sea salt to determine the saltiness.
- Sea salt flakes: Sea salt flakes will give the best flavour to this caramel. I don’t suggest using table salt. Even if you don’t want to have a detectable amount, make sure to at least add a pinch of salt to balance the sweetness.
Caramel vs butterscotch
The difference between caramel sauce and butterscotch sauce is mainly in the type of sugar used. Butterscotch uses brown sugar and often has vanilla added as well.
What you will – and won’t – need
- A medium heavy-based stainless steel saucepan is a must. Too large and the caramel can colour before fully dissolving. Too small and you’ll be getting sugar stuck all around the sides of the pan and not melting. Don’t use a non-stick pan or your caramel will crystallise.
- A silicone spatula and balloon whisk. You’ll start stirring with the spatula and end by gently whisking in butter and cream. I don’t like to use a wooden spoon as the wood can absorb grease from other cooking and this can cause your caramel to crystallise.
- A preserving jar to store it or a heat proof jug.
- While many recipes will ask you to use a thermometer to keep an eye on the temperature or a wet pastry brush to brush sugar crystals from around the sides of the pan, you won’t need them here.
How to make caramel sauce
Homemade caramel sauce can be intimidating and that’s because it can be finicky but as long as you follow the steps below, you’ll have no trouble. Don’t add water to your sugar to try to to dissolve it quicker – I find this almost always results in the sugar crystallising.
Detailed quantities and instructions in the recipe card below.
1. Dissolve the sugar
Over medium heat on a medium sized burner (swapping the temperature to medium low or even low heat if it’s colouring quicker than it’s melting), add the sugar to a medium heavy based saucepan and stir constantly until you end up with an amber gold liquid. The 5 images below show the stages it will go through in this 7-10 minute process.
If you notice the caramel is colouring more quickly than it’s melting, turn the stove down to medium low heat or even low heat.
2. Add the butter
Add the butter and stir it in. You can switch to a whisk here to make it easier to amalgamate the butter into the sugar but just whisk very gently. The butter will become very hot very quickly and if you whisk too quickly it may splash up and burn you.
3. Add the cream
Pour the cream into the pot while continuing to stir or whisk gently. The mixture will start to bubble up in the saucepan at this stage but once it all comes together it will settle back down. Cook for another 30 seconds or so until you have a deep amber color. It shouldn’t be dark brown – if it is it will become bitter.
4. Stir in the salt
Take the caramel off the heat and add the salt. Spend a good minute stirring to dissolve the salt into the caramel and also to begin cooling the caramel quickly.
Tips and tricks
- Prepare your equipment: The one thing that can make caramel sauce tricky at home is the risk of crystallisation. This is where the sugar returns to it’s crystallised state after melting. Then it’s bye bye smooth sauce. Prevent grainy caramel sauce by having perfectly clean equipment since any tiny skerrick of fat can cause crystallisation. Rub vinegar or lemon juice around the inside of your saucepan and over your silicone spatula and whisk then rinse them off. No need to dry.
- Don’t let it get too dark: A very dark caramel equals a burnt caramel which will taste bitter. Check the photos above for the visual cues. It should be just pale gold in colour when the sugar still has a few lumps to melt in, then by the time the sugar has dissolved it should be more of an amber gold. When you add the butter and mix it in, it should look the colour of caramel fudge. After adding the cream and cooking for just a little longer, it should become a rich golden, amber brown again.
- Patience is a virtue: Now you have glorious homemade caramel sauce, however it’s also like molten lava so let it cool before tasting it. Caramel will firm up as it cools and in the fridge it will solidify so just re-warm it using the microwave or on the stove until warm (not boiling) then pour it over your desserts at will.
Variations
- Salted caramel sauce: Just add another ½ to 1 teaspoon of flaky sea salt to taste. Make sure to dissolve it into the hot sauce and blow on the sauce to cool it before tasting.
- Peppermint caramel sauce: Add 1-2 teaspoons, to taste, of peppermint extract to the sauce. You can add this as it cools a little, stirring in one teaspoon then tasting before adding more.
- Coffee caramel sauce: Turn this into a gorgeous coffee caramel sauce by adding 1-1 ½ tablespoons of instant coffee powder. It’s best added while the caramel is still hot so to taste, take some on a spoon and blow it well to cool before tasting.
Caramel texture
When caramel is first finished cooking, it will be liquid – thick but still liquid and runny. As it cools it will thicken. Once chilled in the fridge it will become much firmer but still spoonable. A little reheat in the microwave or a pan on the stove will get it liquid again.
If you’d like a caramel that is liquid at room temperature, just stir in another couple of tablespoons of cream or as needed to get the consistency you want.
How to use caramel sauce
This homemade caramel sauce is gorgeous over ice cream or used for dunking churros (or if you’re feeling healthier, some apple slices) in. Pour it over cheesecake, pancakes, apple pie, cinnamon rolls and muffins.
I also use this thick caramel sauce in my Caramel buttercream.
You can also freeze it in ice cube trays, then coat them in chocolate. Store your chocolate caramel candies in the fridge for sneaky treats.
How to store caramel
Store your easy caramel sauce in an airtight preserving jar, in the fridge, for up to 1 month. It can be frozen to for up to 2 months.
Caramel troubleshooting
Caramel can be finicky but so long as you stick very closely to the recipe, you’ll be fine.
- If your butter and/or cream are very cold, it can cause the caramel to seize up. Just remove it from the heat and stir it until it melts together then return to the heat and continue. If this doesn’t work, add 1-2 tablespoons of hot water, 1 at a time, stirring until it comes back together, then continue.
- Caramel can be prone to crystallisation – it’s the nature of the beast where sugar is trying to revert back to it’s crystallised state. Make sure all of your equipment is impeccably clean before you start. Clean it all with lemon juice or vinegar, then rinse off before starting – no need to dry it. I prefer to use a rubber spatula rather than a wooden one (as wood can hold onto moisture or fat residue that can be transferred to your caramel).
- Sudden temperature changes can also cause seizing or crystallisation. Try not to adjust the temperature quickly or significantly, and always use a heavy-based, stainless steel saucepan.
More caramel recipes you’ll love
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Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup caster sugar (superfine sugar) (or granulated sugar), (200g/7oz)
- ⅔ cup thickened cream (heavy cream) room temp, (160ml)
- 85 g unsalted butter room temp (3 oz)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt flakes (or ½ teaspoon fine sea salt)
For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided
Equipment
- Medium heavy-based stainless steel saucepan
- A preserving jar/mason jar or a heat proof jug to store it.
Instructions
- Have everything ready before you begin. Once you start, you can't leave the caramel so make sure you have your butter, cream and salt at the ready, and have your spatula and balloon whisk on hand. Warm the cream in the microwave for 30 seconds.
- Rub some vinegar or lemon juice around the inside of a medium heavy based stainless steel saucepan and over your silicone spatula, then rinse out with water. No need to dry them.
- Add the sugar to the saucepan over low-medium heat and cook stirring constantly as the sugar starts to harden and clump together and then begin to melt into liquid. As it starts becoming more liquid, use the spatula to press down on larger clumps to dissolve them quickly. It will take around 7-10 minutes to be fully melted and an amber colour.
- Immediately add the butter and swap to the balloon whisk. It will fizz and bubble so just whisk gently to bring it together. The butter might start to separate, but just keep whisking until it comes together.
- Pour in the cream, not too quickly, as you whisk to combine it. It will start to bubble up but just keep stirring until it's fully combined. Cook for another 30 seconds or until it's a lovely caramel colour. Don't let it get too dark or it will become bitter.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the salt for a minute or so to dissolve it in and to cool the caramel slightly.
- Please take a moment to leave a comment & rating. It's appreciated and so helpful.
Notes
- Yield: This recipe makes just over 1 cup of caramel sauce.
- Take care: Hot caramel is like molten lava – be careful not to let it touch your skin. Stand back, don’t peer into the saucepan and wear gloves if desired.
- Caramel sauce firms up in the refrigerator. Warm it a little (not to boiling) in the microwave or in a saucepan before using.
- Is this salted caramel? While this recipe has salt, mostly for balance but a touch of background saltiness, a classic salted caramel sauce would be just a little saltier than this version. Add up to another ½ teaspoon of sea salt flakes or ¼ teaspoon of fine sea salt to adjust.
- If your cream is cold, it may splatter more so room temperature or just slightly warmed in the microwave is best.
- You need pure cane sugar for best results. Don’t use powdered sugar or brown sugar.
- This caramel is not the right consistency to coat caramel apples, though you can certainly use it to dip sliced apples into.
- Feel free to add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Not normally in caramel sauce but tastes delicious and will give you more of a butterscotch flavour.
- If your butter and/or cream are very cold, it can cause the caramel to seize up. Just remove it from the heat and stir it until it melts together then return to the heat and continue.
- Caramel can be prone to crystallisation – it’s the nature of the beast where sugar is trying to revert back to it’s crystallised state. Make sure all of your equipment is impeccably clean before you start. Clean it all with lemon juice or vinegar, then rinse off before starting. I prefer to use a rubber spatula rather than a wooden one (as wood can hold onto moisture or fat residue that can be transferred to your caramel).
- Sudden temperature changes can also cause seizing or crystallisation. Try not to adjust the temperature in a large way and always use a heavy based, stainless steel saucepan.
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10 Comments on “Homemade Caramel Sauce”
I’ve tried this twice and both times the sugar turns to a hard lump when I add the butter. What am I doing wrong? I didn’t have castor sugar I used evaporated cane juice crystals. It’s the same texture as granulated which you said would still work. I don’t think it was too hot but maybe. It took way longer than ten minutes to melt the sugar. I tried in both a small and medium saucepan. I give up! Any more tips??
(Leaving 5 stars because I’m pretty sure this is my fault)
Hi Jennifer. This seizing is likely just because the butter was cold so it causes the caramel to seize. Sometimes it could be that the caramel/toffee has become too hot before adding the butter. Just keep stirring it and it will eventually come back together. It might take 5 or more minutes of good stirring but it will come back together.
Sticking to a medium saucepan is better or even a larger one is better than using a small one as the sugar will melt quicker. Make sure the pan you’re using is heavy-based as it will keep the heat more even. Hope that helps. Also, I’ve never used evaporated cane juice crystals but they do look quite large crystals which might be why they’re taking a fair bit longer to melt.
The step by step instructions and pictures help a lot- thank you for this easy and delicious recipe!
So happy you love it, Lara. Truly appreciate you leaving a review.
Great recipe! Easy to prepare and delicious on pancakes
I’m so happy you love it, Siouxzn. Thank you so much for leaving a review.
This was easy and turned out well. Caramel can be tricky but this was a success.
So happy you love it, Kim. Truly appreciate you dropping back to review 🙂
Super simple. Thanks Marie.
So happy you love it, Pamela. Thank you