Homemade Caramel Sauce is EASY to make! It only takes 10 minutes and all you need is sugar, butter and cream. Spoon it over ice cream, swirl it in brownies, or add it to your morning coffee.
In this recipe
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How to make caramel sauce
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What kind of pan to use
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Water vs No Water
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Safety first!
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Try caramel sauce in these recipes
Making your own caramel sauce from scratch is a lot easier than you might think! It takes practically no time.
I learned how to make caramel sauce this way from my friend Suzanne years ago, and now I make it every time a recipe calls for caramel sauce. There’s really no reason to buy it when you can make it so easily with just three simple ingredients – sugar, butter and cream.
How to make easy homemade caramel sauce
To prepare caramel sauce, first heat white granulated sugar. (Make sure you’re using real sugar, not a sugar substitute.) When the sugar is heated, it melts and begins to “caramelize” (hence the name “caramel”), changing color and creating caramel flavors.
Once the sugar has completely dissolved and turned brown, we add butter. The heat of the caramel will melt the butter and create even more wonderful flavors.
Finally, after the butter has melted, we add heavy whipping cream. This will fluff the mixture enough to use as a sauce.
Use a sturdy, heavy-bottomed pan
To make caramel, you need to heat the sugar evenly, which is much easier with a sturdy, thick-bottomed pan that can distribute the heat.
Also, use a pan with a high rim. If you add cream to the caramel mixture, the hot caramel will bubble up. You want to make sure you have a pan that won’t overflow in this case.
Use water or don’t use water
If you’re having trouble burning the sugar before it’s all melted, you can try adding 1/2 cup of water to the sugar early in the process. This will help the sugar dissolve and heat more evenly. Also, it takes a little longer to caramelize the sugar, so I don’t usually use water.
Safety first!
My only note of caution is to be extra careful when cooking the sugar, as with any candy-making process. Once the sugar has melted, it’s at a much higher temperature than boiling water. It helps to wear oven mitts and long sleeves to avoid burns if the caramel splatters.
Try caramel sauce in these recipes:
- French vanilla ice cream
- Apple Cake
- classic cheesecake
- Coffee Bourbon Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
- Caramel Brownies
Caramel sauce
This recipe works best if you use a heavy-bottomed pan.
If you find that you end up burning some of the sugar before the rest has melted, on your next try add 1/2 cup water to the sugar early in the process. This helps the sugar cook more evenly, although it takes longer since the water has to evaporate before the sugar caramelizes.
We do not recommend doubling this recipe.
ingredients
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1 cup (210G) sugar
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6 tablespoons (85G) butter (salted or unsalted)
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1/2 cup (120ml) heavy cream
method
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Gather the ingredients:
Before you begin, first make sure you have everything ready—the cream and butter by the pan, ready to pour. Making caramel is a quick process that can’t wait for you to scout for ingredients. If you don’t work fast, the sugar will burn.
Safety first! Make sure there are no children under your feet and consider wearing oven mitts. The caramelized sugar is much hotter than boiling water.
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Heat sugar:
Heat the sugar in a 2-quart or 3-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. The sugar will begin to melt in a minute or two. When the sugar begins to melt, stir vigorously with a whisk or wooden spoon. The sugar will form lumps and begin to melt around the edges of the pan.
When the sugar begins to melt, reduce the heat slightly to prevent the sugar from burning.
Continue beating until all the sugar has melted. It will get quite clumpy, but just keep stirring. Once all the sugar has melted, stop stirring. If you want, you can swirl the pan around a bit.
Simple tip!
A stray grain of sugar that hasn’t melted can seed your caramel and cause it to crystallize. To avoid this, use a damp pastry brush to wipe down the sides of the pan while the sugar melts, making sure to incorporate any crystals.
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Add butter:
Once all of the sugar crystals have melted (the liquid sugar should be a medium amber color), immediately add the butter to the pan. Stir until the butter has melted.
Simple tip!
If your caramel starts to clump after adding the butter, continue whisking it over the heat until smooth again before adding the cream.
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Add cream:
Once the butter has melted, remove the pan from the heat. Count to three, then slowly pour the cream into the pan, continuing to whip to incorporate.
Note that the mixture will foam a lot as you add the butter and cream. Because of this, you need to use a pan that holds at least 2 liters, preferably 3 liters.
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Beat smooth:
Whisk until the caramel sauce is smooth. Allow to cool in the pan for a few minutes, then pour into a mason jar and allow to cool to room temperature. (Remember to use oven mitts when handling the jar filled with hot caramel sauce.)
Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
To reheat the caramel, microwave in 30-second intervals, heating just until warm and pourable. Alternatively, place in a double boiler or heatproof bowl set over a saucepan with some simmering water and heat until warm.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 229 | calories |
| 14g | Fat |
| 27g | carbohydrates |
| 1g | protein |
