How To Make Homemade Caramel Sauce

Learn how to make quick and easy homemade caramel sauce recipe from scratch, with simple ingredients. No candy thermometer needed. It's creamy and thick.

The recipe for this homemade sauce comes from my Mom and almost all my other family members have been making it for years too. It is that good! It is sweet, smooth, creamy, and the best topping for everything from ice cream, to cupcakes, to pies. There are just so many ways to enjoy caramel so make sure to try this Caramel Frosting {3 Ingredients}, these Caramel Brownies (With Brownie Mix), or this Homemade Caramel Corn {Caramel Popcorn}.

How to make easy homemade caramel sauce recipe from scratch?

1. Heat sugar and water- Until the mixture becomes golden brown.
2. Add warm heavy cream- Mix thoroughly and simmer. 
3. Remove from heat- Add the butter, vanilla extract, salt and mix.
4. Serve warm- Enjoy!

What is the difference between caramel and caramel sauce?

Caramel is a soft chewy treat and can be eaten on its own as a candy. However, the sauce stays thinner allowing it to be drizzled, or poured over other things.

Is caramel sauce and butterscotch the same?

There is a slight difference between the two, and that is the type of sugar used to make them. Caramel uses granulated sugar, whereas butterscotch requires brown sugar in its recipe.

How to thicken sauce? How to make it thinner? 

Thicken the sauce by continuing to cook it on the stovetop until it reaches the desired consistency. Note that as it cools down, it will thicken further. To thin out the sauce, stir in more heavy cream until it reaches the consistency you are looking for.

Why is my sauce grainy?

This means the sugar is crystallizing so it is becoming grainy.

Why did my sauce crystallize and harden?

As the sugar loses its moisture while being heated it can crystalize when it touches the "cold" sides of the saucepan causing it to become hard.

Why did my sauce separate?

This can be caused by the caramel going through a temperature change too quickly and is one of the reasons I suggest using warm heavy cream before adding it to the saucepan. When this quick temperature change occurs, the fat can separate from the sugar.

How to enjoy leftover salted caramel sauce?

Enjoy it as a topping, filling or drizzle over these desserts.

• Cakes- Such as this Old Fashioned Applesauce Cake, Chai Tea Spice Cake, or Easy Crumb Cake {With Cake Mix}
• Cupcakes- Like this Best Chocolate Cupcake Recipe, Mocha Cupcakes (Coffee Cupcakes), or Carrot Cupcakes {Carrot Cake Cupcakes}.
• Breads- Such as Sweet Potato Bread, Easy Pumpkin Bread {With Cake Mix}, or Chocolate Banana Bread {With Cake Mix}.
• Cookies- Like these Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies, Small Batch Peanut Butter Cookies, or these Butter Pecan Cookies.
• Pancakes- Such as Pumpkin Pancakes, Chocolate Chip Pancakes {With Chocolate Syrup}, or Fluffy Cinnamon Pancakes.
• Waffles- Like these Chocolate Waffles {Cake Mix Waffles}.
• Cheesecakes- Pumpkin Cheesecake {With Gingersnap Crust}, New York Cheesecake Recipe {No Water Bath}, or No Bake Peach Cheesecake.
• Bars- Such as these Peanut Butter Cheesecake Bars and these Snickerdoodle Bars Recipe

Variations for best caramel drizzle for cakes and cupcakes

Make caramel syrup- Thin out the recipe by adding extra heavy cream and mixing it together until you have a runny syrup-like consistency.

Add rum- For more depth of flavor.

Add bourbon- For a boozy version.

Add other extracts- Such as maple, bourbon, or almond extract.

Add other spices- Such as apple or pumpkin pie spice.

Salted sauce- Add a pinch of sea salt. Don't add a lot.

Make it spicy- add crushed red pepper flakes for a bit of heat. Please note a little goes a long way.

Add coffee- Add ½ teaspoon of instant coffee to make this sauce even more exciting and decadent.

Add chocolate- Melt in some quality chocolate at the end of making the sauce.

Tips and techniques for thick caramel filling

Don’t stir the mixture too much- Because as it splashes to the sides of the saucepan, the water evaporates leading to sugar crystal formation.

Does this need to be refrigerated? Yes, it needs to be refrigerated or else it will go bad.

What can I use in place of heavy cream? I have seen various recipes that use milk, evaporated milk, half and half, condensed milk, vegan milk (such as almond milk, coconut milk, soy milk), and buttermilk.

Work fast!- Have your ingredients ready to prevent the sugar mixture from burning.

Use a non-stick saucepan- Because this prevents the sauce from burning and sticking to the pan.

Don't replace granulated sugar with brown sugar- Because the flavor will be different and brown sugar is typically used to make butterscotch sauce.

Use unsalted butter- Because salted butter can make the caramel very salty.

Salt and vanilla extract are optional- Just note that they do enhance the flavor.

Storage 

Refrigerate- Store it in a sealed container or sealed jar for up to 1 week.

Freeze- You cannot freeze this because it will separate when thawed.

More caramel desserts

• Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Chocolate Caramel Apples
• Easy Caramel Apple Pie
• Chocolate Caramel Cookies {Stuffed}
• Chocolate Caramel Cake

Recipe