This sweet salted Caramel Sauce is scrumptious, smooth, and easy to make at home! Make it in minutes with just a few ingredients for a rich caramel sauce recipe that’s amazing on desserts, coffee drinks, and ciders! Tips to make it perfectly every time!
A family favorite, we love this caramel sauce drizzled on desserts like bread pudding, cheesecake, apple crisp, and pumpkin pie. Dress up your morning coffee or use a spoonful in your overnight oatmeal or waffles. Use the tips in my recipe to make the easiest, most delicious caramel sauce anytime. It’s tasty, smooth, creamy, and perfect every single time!
Desserts, apple slices, popcorn, and tasty drinks taste a little more elevated with a drizzle or dunk of caramel sauce. Especially THIS caramel sauce. So good on everything – even a tablespoon – it’s smooth, sweet, a little salty, a lot scrumptious! And so easy – you can make this delicious homemade Salted Caramel Sauce at home in 10 minutes with four ingredients plus a little water.
This is by far the easiest Caramel Sauce I’ve ever made, the best I’ve ever tasted, and so much better than any you can buy at the store or coffee house. I’ve included tips I’ve learned over years of making this caramel sauce that will help you make it perfectly every time.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full listing of ingredients, instructions, notes, and estimated nutritional information.
- Sugar – Use granulated or raw cane sugar for this recipe.
- Butter – Use salted butter that you’ve cut into pieces.
- Heavy Cream – Adds a creamy, rich consistency to the finished caramel sauce.
- Coarse Sea Salt – Adds the signature saltiness to the salted caramel sauce. If you prefer it unsalted, omit since you are also using salted butter.
- Water – Used to help melt the sugar.
Tips for the Best Caramel Sauce
- Clean tools. To prevent crystallization in your caramel, make sure that your pot and spoon are extremely clean. Any debris can cause crystallization.
- Wood or silicone. Mix the sugar and water using only a wooden or silicone spoon.
- Swirl gently with a clean wooden or silicone spoon to prevent grainy caramel.
- Thermometer. Use an instant-read or candy thermometer.
- Optional ingredient. As an option, you may add 1 teaspoon of corn syrup with the sugar and water to prevent any crystallization if you wish.
How to Make Caramel Sauce
Combine sugar and water. In a 3-quart saucepan set over medium heat, add the sugar and water to the saucepan and stir with a wooden spoon or silicone spoon until well combined. (It is important to use either of these types of spoons at this stage). The water helps the sugar to melt, which is called caramelization.
Swirl gently. Once the sugar is melted, gently swirl the pan over the heat if needed.
Use a thermometer. I use an instant-read or candy thermometer when making my recipe. When the thermometer registers 350º F, and the mixture is light amber, the caramel sauce is ready for the next stage.
Add butter. Add all of your butter pieces to the saucepan and whisk until the butter is fully incorporated. Mix carefully as the caramel will bubble up, but continue to whisk to make sure all of the butter has melted.
Remove from heat, add cream. Then, remove the saucepan from the heat and slowly pour in the cream, whisking continuously.
Add salt. Whisk in the sea salt.
Cool and serve. Allow the caramel sauce to cool completely. After it has cooled, pour the caramel sauce into a container for serving. Serve caramel sauce as desired, and enjoy!
Storage Tips
To refrigerate. After the caramel sauce has completely cooled, pour the sauce into a glass jar with a lid or another airtight glass container. Store in the refrigerator for up to one month.
The caramel sauce will become thicker after refrigerating, so you can heat it gently in the microwave or on the stovetop to serve. (I think it is also delicious when cold, but it will be thicker.)
More Uses for Caramel Sauce
Swirl into salted caramel blondies and fudge brownies.
Pour over vanilla ice cream.
Mix into a salted caramel mocha or hot apple cider.
Dip apples, pears, and other fruit.
Use on a dessert board.
Use for gifts! Pour it into sterilized jars and give it to family and friends throughout the holidays or anytime, with a note for favorite ways to use it!
Frequently Asked Questions
Use a wooden spoon to stir the sugar and water to combine. Once it has melted, DO NOT STIR again. SWIRL the pan very gently. Be sure not to let it go high up the sides of the pan, as grains can form. As the sugar and water are heated, if you continue to stir, you’ll cause grains to form in the caramel sauce, and it will not be smooth and creamy.
Properly stored, homemade caramel sauce lasts up to a month. See my Storage Tips for more information.
If you tried this Easy Caramel Sauce Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Easy Caramel Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup (198 g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (57 g) water
- 6 tablespoons (85 g) salted butter, cut into pieces
- 1/2 cup (114 g) heavy cream, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon (4 g) sea salt
Instructions
- Add the sugar and water to a 3-quart saucepan set over medium heat. Stir until combined. Do Not Stir Again! Simply swirl the saucepan until the sugar has melted and turns a light amber color. If you use a candy or instant read thermometer, the mixture should register 350º at this point.
- Carefully add your butter and whisk until all the butter has melted.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and slowly pour in the cream, whisking constantly until all of the cream has been incorporated. Whisk in the sea salt and set aside to cool.
- Allow to cool about 5 minutes and then pour into an airtight container for storing in the refrigerator.
Notes
Storage Tips
To refrigerate. After the caramel sauce has completely cooled, pour the sauce into a glass jar with a lid or another airtight glass container. Store in the refrigerator for up to one month. The caramel sauce will become thicker after refrigerating, so you can heat it gently in the microwave or on the stovetop to serve. (I think it is also delicious when it’s cold, but it will be thicker.)Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
From the Add a Pinch recipe archives. Originally published 2014. Updated to include step by step photographs.
Important – use the 3 quart saucepan. I used a 1 1/2 quart saucepan the first time I tried the recipe and burned the sugar. It came out divine the second time using the right sized saucepan.
Hi Candy,
Thanks for sharing that tip. I’m so happy you enjoy this! Thanks! xo
Wow – you are right – thanks very much for posting this – my pot was too small and although I didn’t burn it without stirring it solidified like rock – thankfully I saved it by adding water and stirring – but could not get it over 200 degrees – turned out smooth and very tasty but I think it will stay somewhat runny – will definitely try again with the correct size pot
Hi Janet,
I’m glad you are giving it another try in the correct size pan and really hope you enjoy it!
The recipe should work best in a 3 quart saucepan like in the recipe. I am glad you enjoyed the taste! Thanks so much! xo
Great recipe and very easy to follow. However, I think it had way too much salt. I used 3/4 teaspoon corse natural sea salt and the sauce turned to be very salty. Any solution to fix it now after it has already cooked?
Made this to go with a banana bread cheesecake for my husband’s coworker. It truly was simple. This was the first time I’ve ever made caramel and it came out perfect. Being the first time I was concerned I did something wrong when it was taking a while for the water and sugar to turn that amber color. As instructed though I resisted the urge and let it be. Eventually it did and everything came together perfectly. Will definitely use this again! So YUMMY!!
That is wonderful that you like it so well, Jennifer! Thanks so much! xo
How long does it keep for in the fridge
I followed this recipe and thought I had done everything right (even checked with a thermometer that the sugar/water mixture had reached 350°F) then put the butter in and whisked it til it melted in..then took it off the heat and added cream. All of the amounts were measured correctly, yet for some reason the final product came out kind of gritty.. although it tasted great, i could taste the crystallised sugar. It wasn’t smooth. Any idea what i may have done wrong?
Thanks
Zyra, there could be a couple of reasons your sauce was grainy. As I state in the post with this recipe, as the sugar and water are heated, if you stir them, you’ll cause grains to form in your caramel sauce and it will not be smooth and creamy. You just need to swirl the pan as these are being heated. Also make sure you use either a wooden or silicone spoon.
I tasted too much of heavy cream for me and the consistency is not right, maybe i did something wrong!
Best caramel sauce we’ve ever made!
I’m so glad, Vicki! Thanks so much! xo
How much corn syrup should I add to water and sugar?
Where does it say corn syrup?
Thanks J –
It is in the notes as an option if desired. Thanks!
I just made this. It seems very pale, not at all like the nice brown colour in the pictures. I swirled this for at least 10 minutes or more I got worried when it started to turn colour and maybe didn’t let it boil long enough!
Mine did this too! Very strange
Most likely didn’t let it boil enough! Mine was very pale as it was boiling and suddenly gained color in a little over a minute, and when I checked the temperature, it was up to 350°.
I love caramel sauce and I don’t condsider myself skilful in the kitchen, but I decided to give this recipe a try. It turned out perfectly and is the best caramel sauce I have ever tasted.
Thank you!
I’m so glad you love it, Lawrence! xo
When do you add the corn syrup to prevent crystallization?
Hi Alyssa, If you are using corn syrup, add it with the sugar and water. Thanks!