Easy Salted Caramel Sauce Recipe
Homemade salted caramel is a delicious and easy dessert topping! You only need 5 ingredients and a few minutes to make your very own caramel sauce.
This sweet, sticky, salty sweet sauce is an amazing addition to so many desserts, and is the perfect thing to drizzle on your bowl of ice cream!
This homemade ice cream topping is perfect because you can easily make it without a candy thermometer!
When warmed, this is perfect to drizzle on top of your favorite ice cream like apple pie ice cream or mocha chip ice cream! It does solidify when stored in the fridge, but is easy to make liquidy again and added to your favorite recipes.
Other great homemade ice cream toppings you need to try:
Recipe Ingredients
You only need a few simple ingredients to make this sauce:
- White granulated sugar – gotta have it. Don’t reduce the amount and do not substitute with another sweetener.
- Water – helps to melt the sugar without burning.
- Unsalted butter – use a good quality with great taste. You want to use unsalted butter because there is no regulations on how much salt is added to salted butter, and you want to be able to control the taste of your caramel.
- Heavy cream – You want one with a good amount of fat. Do not substitute with milk.
- Salt – You can use any kind of salt. Start with ½ teaspoon and add more if you want the caramel to be even more salty.
- Vanilla Extract – Helps to round out the flavors of the sauce. Use real extract, not immidtation.
How to make this recipe
This particular caramel sauce is made using the “wet method” which means we melt the sugar with some water to help prevent the sugar from burning as it melts. It makes creating your own caramel sauce really, really easy.
For the full set of directions, please make sure to scroll down to the recipe card below.
- Set out all the ingredients and tools you need before you start.
- Combine the sugar and water in a medium sized saucepan over low heat, whisking until the sugar has dissolved. This takes about 3-5 minutes.
- Add the butter to the saucepan, and whisk until it has melted.
- When the butter has melted, bring the mixture to a low boil.
- Stop whisking!
- Allow the mixture to boil for 10-15 minutes, until it develops a deep copper color. Don’t walk away from the stove, you want to watch it so it doesn’t burn. The color will change quickly.
- Remove the pan from the heat.
- Carefully and quickly whisk in the cream. Be careful, as the mixture will splatter a little as you add the cream into the pan.
- Add in the vanilla extract and the salt and whisk to combine.
- Transfer to a glass jar (I like using a mason jar), and allow to cool to room temperature.
- Place the lid on and store in the fridge.
Recipe Tips
- Prep all your ingredients and tools that you need before you start making this recipe. It moves quickly, and you want to be ready!
- The sauce will bubble up when you add the cream, so make sure you use a pan that is a little bigger than you think you need. You do NOT want to clean this up off your stovetop, and you don’t want to get burned by boiling sugar, either.
Recipe FAQ’s
How to store?
When the caramel has cooled to room temperature, you can store it in the fridge for up to 1 month in an air-tight glass container with lid. The caramel solidifies as it cools, but you can easily scoop out portions and reheat it in the microwave to make it liquidy again.
What kind of salt should I use?
Using a good quality salt will help your salted caramel taste the best! You can use any kind you want.
If you want to use a coarse, flaky salt like fleur de sal or maldon salt, you can use
Do I have to make it salted?
This recipe is great for regular caramel, too! Just use 1/4 a teaspoon of salt instead of the full amount.
How to use salted caramel sauce?
This salted caramel sauce is good for so many different things! Try it:
- Add a spoonful into your coffee
- Drizzle it over homemade ice cream
- Top your bread pudding with it
- Serve it with homemade puff pastry apple turnovers
- Add it to your yogurt parfaits or oatmeal
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Salted Caramel Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup water
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon – 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Combine the sugar and water in a medium sized saucepan over low heat, whisking until the sugar has dissolved. This takes about 3-5 minutes.
- Add the butter to the sugar water and whisk while it melts.
- When the butter has melted, bring the mixture to a low boil.
- Stop whisking! Allow the mixture to boil for 10-15 minutes, until it develops a deep copper color. Don’t walk away from the stove, you want to watch it so it doesn’t burn. The color will change quickly.
- Remove the pan from the heat.
- Carefully and quickly whisk in the cream. Be careful, as the mixture will splatter a little as you add the cream into the pan.
- Add in the vanilla extract and the salt and whisk to combine.
- Transfer to a glass jar (I like using a mason jar), and allow to cool to room temperature.
- Place the lid on and store in the fridge.
