This easy yet impressive 15-minute Caramel Sauce made with 5 simple ingredients is perfect for ice cream, dessert, or drinks!
Do you want to learn how to make delicious caramel sauce from scratch at home?! You are in the right place. While making real caramel might seem a little intimidating, I promise it really is so simple! Follow my helpful step-by-step instructions including photos in this post to help you achieve caramel success.
I love to serve this caramel sauce hot over vanilla ice cream or on desserts like my Mini New York Cheesecakes! It is also so good for dipping slices of fresh apple in or for making a homemade caramel latte. My no-bake Caramel Cheesecakes in a Jar are made with a slightly thicker version of this yummy sauce.
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⭐️ Why You Need to Make This Recipe
- Texture - This caramel sauce has a silky smooth and irresistible texture!
- Flavor - Nothing beats the depth of flavor that comes from caramelizing white sugar into a golden caramel sauce. Butter, cream, vanilla, and salt add richness and dimension to the flavors.
- Method - Don't feel too intimidated to make this recipe, it really is so simple!
🧈 Ingredients
Here are the ingredients needed to make this simple caramel sauce at home.
Ingredient Notes
- Sugar - You will need to use regular granulated white sugar for this recipe.
- Butter - Cut the butter into small cubes and allow it to come to room temperature before slowly adding to the caramel. This helps prevent the caramel from seizing. Cold butter would shock the extremely hot melted sugar and cause it to seize and harden into clumps.
- Cream - Heavy whipping cream that is at least 33% milk fat is what this recipe requires for the proper consistency. Warm the cream slightly until it is at least 100℉ before very slowly streaming it into the caramel to prevent seizing.
- Salt - Add ½ teaspoon of salt for salted caramel sauce or ¼ teaspoon for regular caramel sauce.
- Vanilla - I use vanilla extract but you could use a fresh vanilla bean scraped out or vanilla bean paste for a vanilla bean caramel sauce.
See the recipe card for the full list of ingredients with measurements.
📃 Instructions
Step 1: Add the sugar to a heavy saucepan over low heat without stirring.
Step 2: All the sugar crystals should dissolve and the mixture should be amber in color.
Step 3: Gradually add the cubes of softened butter, mixing briskly between each addition to prevent the mixture from seizing. The butter will bubble and sputter but keep whisking until it is incorporated.
Step 4: Then, slowly pour the warm heavy cream into the pot while whisking constantly to prevent seizing. Boil for 30 seconds while whisking briskly. Remove from the heat.
Step 5: Lastly, whisk in the salt and vanilla until incorporated.
Step 6: Immediately pour the caramel sauce into a heat-safe container to stop the cooking process. Let cool slightly before serving warm or cool fully.
❓ Recipe FAQs
Make sure your butter is softened to room temperature and heavy cream is warmed slightly before very slowly adding them to the very hot melted sugar to prevent a significant shock that will seize the caramel.
Stirring causes the sugar to form clumps which take longer to melt. You will need to cook the mixture for longer to get the clumps out thus risking burning the caramel in the process.
🧡 More Caramel Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
If you tried these Easy Homemade Caramel Sauce or any other recipe on my website, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and write a little note telling me how it went in the comments below. Thank you!!
📖 Recipe
15-Minute Caramel Sauce
Equipment
- heavy saucepan
- measuring cups & spoons
- silicone spatula
- whisk
Ingredients
- ¾ cup granulated white sugar
- ¼ cup salted butter * (room temperature, cubed)
- ½ cup heavy cream * (warmed to 100℉)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Add the sugar to a heavy saucepan over low heat without stirring. All the sugar crystals should dissolve and the mixture should be amber in color.¾ cup granulated white sugar
- Gradually add the cubes of softened butter, mixing briskly between each addition to prevent the mixture from seizing. The butter will bubble and sputter but keep whisking until it is incorporated. Then, slowly pour the warm heavy cream into the pot while whisking constantly to prevent seizing. Boil for 30 seconds while whisking briskly.¼ cup salted butter, ½ cup heavy cream
- Remove from the heat and whisk in the salt and vanilla until incorporated. Immediately pour the caramel sauce into a heat-safe container to stop the cooking process. Use in recipes that call for caramel sauce or to top ice cream or lattes. Enjoy!1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon salt
Notes
- Cut the butter for the caramel sauce into small cubes and allow it to come to room temperature before slowly adding to the caramel. This helps prevent the caramel from seizing. Cold butter would shock the extremely hot melted sugar and cause it to seize and harden into clumps.
- Warm the cream for the sauce slightly until it is at least 100℉ before very slowly streaming it into the caramel to prevent seizing.
- Increase the salt amount to ½ teaspoon or to taste for a salted caramel sauce.
Elizabeth C.
A simple and delicious caramel recipe! I made her cinnamon buns recipe and used this caramel sauce for it. The caramel is excellent by itself but the rolls are even better.
Learn from my mistakes, though, and be sure to use a whisk that can reach every bit of your pan - otherwise, you'll end up with chunky or burnt caramel along the sides of the pan.
Naomi Andres
Thank you for reviewing this recipe, Elizabeth! Great tip!
Naomi
Leah
Very yummy
Naomi
Thank you, Leah!!
Naomi