Homemade Caramel Sauce Recipe (2024)

Published: Sep 11, 2018 · Modified: Jan 10, 2020 by Shadi HasanzadeNemati · This post may contain affiliate links .

Jump to Recipe

Ready in 15 minutes, this caramel sauce recipe calls for only 4 ingredients. It's easy to make and you can use it to top your desserts or add to your drinks.

I love making caramel treats at home, chewy caramel, caramel latte and caramel milkshakes are some of our favorites. Today I'm going to show you how to make caramel sauce without corn syrup, it's easy to make and you can use it in many different recipes.

Table Of Contents:

About this recipe
Ingredients and substitutions
Instructions
Variations
Usage
Frequently Asked Questions
More caramel recipes
Step-by-Step Recipe

About this recipe

It's pretty convenient to step into a grocery store and grab a jar of caramel sauce, sure, but we all know homemade is better. It's fresh, it doesn't have any preservatives or weird ingredients and honestly, it's fun and feels awesome to make a staple at home!

I'm going to show you how to make caramel sauce with only four ingredients and in less than fifteen minutes. You'll want to have a jar of this homemade caramel sauce at hand all the time.

Ingredients and substitutions

Sugar: I used regular granulated sugar for this recipe. You can also use brown sugar, more on that below.
Butter: Use unsalted butter. Substitutions such as margarine or plant based butters won't work as well.
Heavy cream: Use the real stuff and not lite or fat free. Coconut milk could be used instead of heavy cream.

Even though traditional caramel candies call for corn syrup, caramel sauce usually doesn't include corn syrup because it's not going to be solid like the candy.

Instructions

Place sugar and water in a large saucepan over medium heat.Do notstir the mixture at all. Bring to boil and simmer until it turns amber.
Add butter to the mixture and wait for thirty seconds.
Turn the heat off, add heavy cream, stir and then turn the heat on again and cook for about one minute or until it reaches the desired thickness.

This is a thick caramel sauce and if you would like to have it runnier, you don't need to cook it over heat after adding the cream. But trust me on this one, however you decide to make it, this is going to be the best caramel sauce you've ever tasted!

Variations

Salted caramel sauce: Just add 1 teaspoon Himalayan pink salt to the caramel sauce after you add the cream.

Caramel sauce with brown sugar:Brown sugar has molasses in it so it will alter the flavor from classic caramel but it's going to be good. The process will be the same.

Usage

Here are a few ways to use homemade caramel sauce:

Drizzle on ice cream
Serve with apples
Use in apple pie and cobbler
Drizzle caramel sauce on pancakes and waffles
Use caramel sauce to top cheesecakes and brownies
Add caramel sauce to your coffee

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it difficult to make caramel sauce at home?

Not at all. Just make sure you have all the ingredients ready before you start. Timing is crucial when making caramel, you need to make sure the sugar doesn't burn.

Can I increase the heat when caramelizing the sugar?

It only takes 15 minutes to make this recipe therefore it's best to keep the heat at medium to medium low to avoid burning.

How can I make thick caramel sauce?

After adding the heavy cream, simmer the sauce for a couple of minutes to make it thicker.

How should I store it?

Store caramel sauce in a jar and refrigerate for up to ten days. Reheat the sauce in the microwave or over water bath for drizzling.

Can I freeze caramel sauce?

I don't recommend freezing it because the sugar might crystalize.

More caramel recipes

Caramel Apple Cobbler Recipe From Scratch
Caramel Brownies Recipe (From Scratch)
Easy Caramel Pecan Cheesecake
Chewy Caramel Recipe - All Tips and Tricks

Step-by-Step Recipe