Homemade Divine Caramel Sauce
Sweet and a little salty, buttery and deliciously caramel, this homemade caramel sauce is heavenly on just about everything from ice cream to apples!
Homemade caramel sauce is one of those things that everyone needs to conquer.
First of all, YOU JUST NEVER KNOW WHEN YOU’RE GOING TO NEED A HEALTHY DOSE OF CARAMEL SAUCE.
And second of all, it’s one of those rock star recipes. As in, you’ll feel like a rock star when you make it. There’s nothing quite like it.
No easy caramel sauce recipe will ever come close to the real deal. It can be argued there is a time and a place for both (and there is), but today, we’re diving into the land of buttery, silky, cooked sugar caramel sauce. And it’s not hard, I promise.
This ridiculously amazing homemade caramel sauce is perfect for everything from ice cream to cheesecake to apples.
And, you know, just digging in with a spoon.
It is irresistible.
Caramel Sauce Guaranteed
It’s pretty much a guarantee that I will always have a jar of this caramel sauce in the refrigerator. It keeps forever.
Which is actually a non-issue, because we eat it up long before forever gets here.
I haven’t tried freezing it. I pour the warm caramel sauce into jars, add a lid, and store in the fridge that way.
Making Homemade Caramel Sauce
A lot of homemade caramel sauce recipes start with just sugar…but melting and caramelizing sugar on its own can be tricky, and it can burn easily.
This caramel sauce starts with a simple mixture of sugar and water. And we’re going to cook that until it darkens a little bit.
Cover with a lid and cook for a couple of minutes.
After the lid comes off, continue cooking until the color starts darken.
While it cooks, if you notice any hardened sugar crystals on the sides of the pan, wash them down with a wet pastry brush.
That really is the only risk to this recipe – if those sugar crystals make their way back down into the caramel sauce, it can turn the whole batch grainy and crystallized.
It’s not really anything to worry about as long as you brush down the sides of the pan as needed.
Keep the heat moderated at a medium level; you’ll notice the color start to change from a light golden brown to a deeper honey color.
Continue cooking until the color is a deep amber.
Fair warning: it can go from deep amber to too dark (and burned) pretty quickly, so keep an eye on it. It’s better to pull it off too early than to cook it too long.
Add the butter and stir until melted. Then add the cream.
Last additions: vanilla and salt.
The sauce will bubbly to a frenzy after the vanilla is added. Stir until combined.
Let the sauce cool in the pan, stirring every once in a while, until it is warm room temperature.
Pour into a jar or container and pop in the refrigerator. If you’re planning on using/serving the sauce within the next 4-6 hours, it can hang out on the counter.
This homemade caramel sauce is divine. It’s our go-to for build-your-own ice cream sundae nights. Or to toss into a milkshake.
It’s wonderful drizzled on these caramel apple cheesecake bars or any variety of dessert or treat.
I mean, really, there’s no wrong way to enjoy this stuff.
If homemade caramel sauce has intimidated you in the past, I encourage you to try it!
Following the steps in this recipe, it’s not hard at all…and it comes together really fast. Much faster than your holiday batch of caramels, for sure.
One year, I made batch after batch of this homemade caramel sauce, poured it into smaller jars, and gave it to friends and neighbors in place of the traditional Christmas cookie plate.
It was wildly accepted, and to this day, I still get asked if there’s any chance I’ll be making caramel sauce in December again. 🙂
One Year Ago: Kitchen Tip: Menu Planning 101
Two Years Ago: Peanut Butter Crunch Snack Balls
Three Years Ago: Chiang Mai Noodles
Recipe Source: from Joy of Cooking
Recipe originally published Jan 2011; updated May 2020 with new photos, recipe notes, etc.
Another quick look at a step-by-step tutorial for the caramel sauce:
Homemade Caramel Sauce
Ingredients
- ¼ cup water
- 1 cup (212 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (113 g) salted butter, cut into 8 pieces
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- In a small, heavy saucepan, slowly combine the sugar and water, taking care not to let any of the mixture splash up onto the sides of the pan.
- Cook the mixture over low heat until the sugar is mostly dissolved, stirring slowly (so sugar crystals don’t splash up the sides of the pan).
- Increase the heat to medium and bring the syrup to a boil. Cover the saucepan and let the syrup boil for 2 minutes.
- Uncover, reduce the heat to medium, and continue to boil, without stirring, until the edges start to turn golden brown. If there are hardened sugar crystals on the sides of the pan above the sugar mixture, wash them down with a wet pastry brush.
- Continue cooking until the syrup turns a deep amber brown (see the pictures in the post), about 5-7 minutes. It will take more or less time depending on the heat of the stove, so watch closely.
- Remove from the heat and add the butter. Gently stir until the butter is fully melted. Stir in the cream. If the sauce becomes lumpy and isn’t whisking together, set the pan over low heat and stir until smooth. Stir in the vanilla and salt. It will bubble when the vanilla is added.
- Let the sauce cool until warm before transferring to a jar or other container to store in the refrigerator. Reheat on low on the stove or in the microwave as needed.
It turned out great! The color is not as dark as yours (in the pictures), and it tastes a little burned, but the texture is silky smooth and it pairs great with your hot fudge over vanilla bean ice cream! In the end I am glad I was patient, but I’ll definitely dig out my non-non-stick pot for the next time I make it. Thanks for the great recipe!
Hi Mel,
I just finished making this and am wondering if the kind of pan you use makes a difference. I noticed in your pictures you used a metal pot. I used a non-stick pot and everything seemed to take 3-4 times longer than you mentioned in the recipe. It’s still too hot to try, so I hope it turned out 🙂
Hi Laurie – yes, a nonstick pan will definitely make a difference both in cooking time and the end result. Did it end up working out (the finished product)?
Hi Mel! I’m attempting to make caramel apples for the first time. Have you ever used this caramel recipe for apples? Or do you have any other caramel apple recipe?
Hi Erica – I think this sauce will be too thin for caramel apples (it’s meant as more of a drizzle). I haven’t found a great homemade caramel recipe for apples. It might be worth a good google search. Sorry I’m not more help!
I just made a double batch of this to put on pumpkin ice cream, and lots of other yummy fall treats. I think the reason some are having trouble with the sauce is that they are rushing it, or they are using the wrong kind of pan. I make lots of candies during the holidays and my non-stick pans do not work well for many of the recipes. Just a thought. Thanks Mel for the great caramel sauce!! (and my hips thank you too)
Thank you for this recipe. I am just starting to make everything homemade. This recipe was easy, and turned out perfectly the first time. My family gave it two thumbs-up!
Ok, I attempted to make this twice. The first time, it took me over an hour before my sugar dissolved. I had to increase the water and the heat but it eventually worked. I boiled it covered, then stirred it uncovered with a silicone spatula. I had to throw the whole thing out because the silicone spatula melted. Who knew that silicone could melt like that in a pot?!
I woke up today determined to make this sauce…and it went perfect! I did have to add a little bit more water and increase the heat (I used a regular spoon too!). Also, I would agree that it takes more like butterscotch than caramel but it’s sugar, butter, and heavy cream….you cannot go wrong with that!
Delicious! I will definitely make it again. Thank you!
Does it need to be refrigerated?
Heather – yes, it should be refrigerated if not using up right away.
I was nervous making this because of all the warnings in the recipe and all the comments about crystallization, but it turned out wonderfully! I did have some crystallization along the sides of the pan even with careful stirring but in the end, they blended in the caramel and dissolved away. What a delicious final result, will not buy caramel sauce again.
I’m doing something wrong?! My sugar just never dissolves?? I’ve done it 3 times now. I’m cooking on a gas stove…. Maybe that is it? Not stirring it fast enough?
Cass – do you continue on with the recipe? How long do you cook it in the dissolving phase?
I was a little hesitant to make this because of the mixed reviews, but I decided to give it a go. It was going well until I added the butter. The caramel seized up almost immediately. I went ahead and added the cream and managed to smooth it out a bit, but I still had a bunch of hard sugar crystals swimming in my caramel. So, I ended up pouring the caramel through a strainer to remover the crystals, and what was left was the best caramel I have ever tasted! Very rich and buttery. Well worth the effort it takes to make it. Next time I will try harder to not let the caramel seize up.
This was the first time I had ever tried making caramel sauce… and it was fantastic!! I even made a substitution, because I didn’t want to run to the store. I used half & half in place of the heavy cream, and it still worked! I followed your directions to a T. It’s delicious!!!
I’m going to try this again today. Yesterday I got a big lump of crystallized sugar. I think it might not have dissolved all the way when I started the boil. I was in a hurry and rushing it. I keep reading about a “heavy bottom pan”. I have calphalon contemporary stainless steel – is that heavy enough? I was using the 1.5 quart size, but have 3.5 quart too. I don’t have any copper bottom ones like in your pictures. Ready to try it again!!!
Katie – yes, calphalon is definitely heavy enough. You don’t necessarily need copper bottoms (mine aren’t, they just look like it; in fact, they are fairly cheap pans so yours should definitely work). Good luck! Take it slow and steady. 🙂
Folks with the sugar clumping issues – try not stirring it at all. I make caramel all the time with some slight variations to ingredient ratios to Melanie’s recipe here. Try adding about 1/2 cup cold water to your HEAVY BOTTOMED sauce pan, then pour the sugar (I usually use about 1 1/2 cups) in a tight pile in the middle, do not stir at all. Bring to a boil on high and let it keep boiling at high until the caramel starts to turn colour, then gently swirl the pan until it reaches the colour you’re looking for. Remove from heat, whisk in the butter (I usually use 1 Tbsp., tastes more like caramel, less like butterscotch), very slowly whisk in the cream (1/2 cup thick sauce, 3/4 cup thinner) and you should be good to go. Well, don’t forget the vanilla. The issues could be coming from using a pot with a thin bottom, or from too much stirring. I love a spoonful of caramel in my morning coffee, there is always a jar on the go in my fridge!
Hi Mel….. Just want to thank you for this wonderful caramel! I had a lot of problems making caramel but I could make it easily following your step-by-step methods! I made this several times and everyone love it.
Hi Mel…I just tried this recipe. I was nervous that it wouldn’t turn out, but it is INCREDIBLY DELICIOUS! Thanks for the great photos and step by step directions, which made it so easy… it came out perfectly on the first try! I so appreciate all of the many recipes I have added to my collection, thanks to you. Happy New Year to you and your family!
Mel from California
How do you reduce the splashing of the mixture on the edges? I tried stirring it gently and slowly but there is still splashing. Thus, too much washing of the those sugar crystals and getting them incorporated into the mixture thereby making my caramel a little grainy. Might that be a result of the pan I use or is it in the cooking process?
Hi Randal – the butter is necessary in the recipe. It helps create the perfect consistency.
I want it to come out like yours Mel.
Are you supposed to put butter to make it light and buttery/syrupy or is it alright to not add butter in your recipe?
Kadar – if it is too thick, you might be cooking it too long.
Syrupy I mean?
How do you make yours light and buttery? When I make it it comes out thick, how come?
Hi Jennifer – I use salted butter.
Hi there, this looks wonderful! I’m wondering though, should I use salted or unsalted butter?
I made your caramel sauce for the first time last week to top an apple pie, with ice cream, for a pie competition at work. I won first place, and one of the judges said it was the caramel sauce that put my pie over the top. Thanks, Mel! I love your blog. I’m making your sauce again tonight to go with the apple pie for Thanksgiving tomorrow. Can’t wait!
I am the WORST cook I know! Even following recipe’s I just never get it! It NEVER turns out! I swear I have the WORST luck in the kitchen! But I keep trying anyways! So I tried this for a fruit dipfor Thanksgiving tomorrow(Because fruit platters is all they ‘ll let me provide now! :D) . I JUST finished it and it is AMAZING! I can’t wait to take it to my family! If I don’t eat it all first!
Ellen – hmmm, I’ve never had this particular caramel recipe separate like that. If it were me, I’d reheat over low and whisk to combine and see if it emulsifies and doesn’t separate again.
Hi there!
Just tried the recipe this afternoon and I encountered some problems with separating after I transferred the caramel to a jar. There appears to be about an inch of (butter? water? something!) at the bottom of the jar. The caramel on top hardened after I put it in the fridge which I was happy about since it seemed pretty liquidy when it was still hot. I’m just wondering if I can reheat it and try and mix it together again or if separating in general is normal. I’ve never made caramel sauce before so I’m confused! It would be great to get some feedback!
*Other than that the caramel tasted delicious right after I took it off the heat. 🙂
Mel, thank you SO SO much for your incredibly helpful instructions and pictures in this recipe. Last night I (foolishly) tried a caramel sauce recipe from another website, and it was a total disaster! I had never made it before, so I didn’t know about the whole don’t-stir-too-much thing. And the recipe said nothing about how to properly handle the water and sugar mixture. So I stirred the crap out of it and it was a complete failure. So I of course abandoned the recipe and ran to your website for help. Thank you for having this recipe because I did not want to run to the store and buy jarred caramel sauce. This recipe was no-fail with your photos and instructions.
I mixed some of this sauce into your magical frosting for some caramel apple cupcakes. And after piping them, I drizzled more sauce on the top. It was amazing. You should try it! Thanks again!
Hi Mel! I made this caramel tonight and it was wonderful! Your directions and pictures were nice and clear – very easy to follow. It was my first time ever making caramel and it worked great. I will definitely be making this again!
For those of you that are having troubles with crystalizing sugar. Make sure you aren’t scraping the pan at the end. I had crystals form around the edges – they didn’t get incorporated at all, just make sure you don’t stir them in at the end. As Mel says, only stir along the bottom. Hope that helps someone.
I finally got it right this time. The consistency was smooth and syrupy. I was doing it wrong yesterday even though it was the perfect color and tasted a bit grainy. Now I don’t taste the grains of sugar and it looks better this time. I know how to make it perfect now. Thanks 0:-)
Thank you for the updated steps!!!! A year ago I made this and every time-crystallized. With the new instructions, turned out perfect. Thanks so much!
How come my caramel is a little darker than that recipe’s color? I did everything right and my caramel is thick except I don’t put butter on mine. I wanna know how I can make caramel the perfect color like that or lighter even.
The best! We have been using it in our coffee for the last 3 months. It is so much cheaper than the bottled coffee syrups. Okay, we also eat it by the spoonful on really bad days. I will admit to doubling and tripling the recipe.
needed caramel sauce for apple dumplings being served at my son’s wedding (which were served in place of cake). I was really apprehensive about trying to make this sauce. I thought I was gonna screw it up, but I must say, following your instructions, mine turned out perfect (& delicious, I might add!) I even doubled the recipe, and it came out great! Thanks for such detailed instructions. I’m sure you saved me a few ruined batches! One thing I did differently was to mix the sugar and water in a separate container, then carefully pour it into my saucepan. That way, I was sure not to splash any on the sides. Thanks for your great recipe and instructions.
Hi Karly – sorry you are having trouble getting the caramel to work out. It really needs to turn dark golden before adding the butter otherwise it won’t work as caramel sauce – as you probably saw happened to your batch today. What kind of pan are you using? Sometimes if a pan doesn’t have a heavy-bottom or has a nonstick coating it can make it so the syrup takes a long time to turn amber colored (or thin bottom pans can cause the syrup to burn before it turns the right color). How long (total) did you cook the syrup for? This recipe can take a lot of patience, my guess is that you need to continue to cook the dissolved sugar syrup at medium heat (don’t turn it up too high) for even longer. It might take several minutes longer than mine based on your stovetop, temperature, pan type, etc. But eventually, the syrup should change color.
Attempt #2 i added 1/3 cup of water instead and all of the sugar melted got to the point of boiling and my caramel never turned brown. I started it out on medium… then went up a little… and then went up a little. So i decided just to take it off the heat after about 10 minutes and add the butter. It turned into a big glob of really chewy sugar ball. Any suggestions this time ? =)
Karly – You might need to cook the water/sugar mixture for longer at a lower heat. The sugar will eventually dissolve, it just might take a while.
So i just tried to make it and i could never even get the sugar to dissolve in the first step, what happened?
Just found this drool worthy sauce on Pinterest. Of course I repinned. I just want to lick the spoon. Can’t wait to give this a go, I’ve already thought of 5 different ways I can eat this!
Tina- I wouldn’t recommend it because I don’t know the specifics of food safety when canning caramel sauce.
If I pour the caramel sauce in a jar when still hot and let it seal, can i store it in my pantry and for how long.
Thanks Tina
awesome stuff! easy to make. love it!A++++
Thank you for this! Your step by step process made my first try with caramel a success! Love your blog!!
Jordan – ack, how frustrating! I’m sorry! What kind of pot are you using? Is it heavy-bottomed or fairly thin on the bottom? It’s surprising to me that some commenters have issues with the sugar crystallizing in the first step – I wish I could be in the kitchen with you to see exactly what is going wrong because I’ve never had that happen. I’m sorry you spent so much time on it! I’m wondering if it has something to do with type of pan??
I spent half the day attempting to make this and it was a disaster 🙁 I sadly never got past the first step. I had the heat on the lowest setting and kept the sides clean as clean and stirred it ever so carefully. I waited patiently for it to dissolve , but every time my sugar would crystallize. By the fourth failed attempt, I almost chucked it across the room 🙂 Wish I knew what I was doing wrong. I’m sure it’s delicious, I’ll take your word for it! 🙂
P.s. everything else I make of yours turns out great, so I’ll get over it!
Stephanie – sorry this didn’t work out for you but actually, there isn’t a flaw in the recipe. I made it tonight after reading your comment and again, it worked beautifully and I’ve made it dozens of times. A few extra notes about the caramel process may help (I’ll add these to the recipe for others):
-the reason sugar crystallizes is if there is any lurking sugar up on the sides of the pan…as the sugar and water dissolve in the first step the sugar can crystallize if any of the hard spots of sugar on the sides of the pan get incorporated into the syrup which is why in that first step of dissolving the sugar, the mixture should be stirred very slowly and gently to minimize the syrup splashing up the sides of the pan and bringing down any of the sugar that hasn’t dissolved. If you see that there are sugar crystals sticking to the sides of the pan, you can gently brush them back into the water with a clean wet pastry brush.
-It is critical not to stir the caramel during the first boiling stage where it turns a light golden color because this is where it is most likely to crystallize if it is going to do so. Again, the crystallization happens due to undissolved sugar grains and other possible substances that have fallen into the syrup while it is boiling. By not stirring, the amount of moving around is reduced which reduces the chances of any of the sugar crystals on the sides of the pan will make it into the mixture.
-When the recipe states to begin stirring (while the mixture turns a deep amber), stir extremely gently and don’t scrape the sides of the pan, simply scrape the bottom of the pot very slowly back and forth so it doesn’t scorch. If need be, turn the heat down during this step.
I hope that helps! This caramel sauce really is divine – I wish it worked out perfectly for everyone but it may take a time or two to really perfect the process.
I made this last night. The sugar crystallized and I was too stubborn to throw it out and start over, so I added a bit of water and melted the sugar again. It never turned color and never thickened, but it does taste really good. I put it in a jar and refrigerated it overnight and it’s nice and thick now. I think there is some kind of flaw in the recipe, so I won’t make it again, but at least I didn’t waste all of the expensive ingredients!
I love this recipe! My first try was a disaster – a complete and utter fail. I used a coarser organic cane sugar and it just hardened into lumps. Then I switched to a white sugar that was lurking in my cupboard, it is a much finer sugar, and it worked like a charm. Now whenever I make it, I use white instead of cane sugar – that was the only thing I did differently the second time around and it worked. *sigh* oh well … I love having homemade caramel sauce in the house 🙂
Mel – I’m not familiar with the consistency of Starbucks’ caramel so I’m afraid I’m not much help if this will work or not. I’d say it is worth a try, though! Thanks for the sweet comment!