This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
A thick, easy Salted Caramel Sauce recipe that you can make in under 15 minutes! Just 5 ingredients for the best caramel sauce you’ve ever tried! Use in bars, tarts, and cakes, or use it as a topping!
A Quick Look At The Recipe
This is a brief summary of the recipe. Jump to the recipe to get the full details.
Jump to RecipePrep Time
2 minutes
Cook Time
13 minutes
Total Time
15 minutes
Servings
18 people
Difficulty
Moderate
Calories *
121 kcal per serving
Technique
Dry caramel: caramelize sugar, add cream and butter, cool and store.
Flavor Profile
Rich salted vanilla caramel sauce.
* Based on nutrition panel
Your caramel is the first one I ever made. (Years ago, before you went to culinary school!)I used the “wet” method. Was it scary at first..sure a lot of things worth doing are.
Nikky P
Anyway well worth the time making your own caramel. And just in time for the holidays. It makes a great gift as well. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
A versatile salted caramel sauce recipe made using the dry caramel method. It makes a thicker sauce, which is ideal for using in baked goods like these caramel chocolate chip blondies, buttercreams like this caramel swiss meringue buttercream, or custards like crème caramel, as well as topping desserts!
I give you all my professional tips and tricks to help you get the perfect caramel every time, and to teach you how to fix it the next time, because bad caramel days happen to everyone.
Table of Contents
- Why This is the Best Salted Caramel Recipe
- Professional Tips for Making Caramel Sauce
- Ingredients Needed
- Possible Variations
- How to use Homemade Caramel Sauce
- How to Make Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce
- How to Make a Wet Caramel
- Chef Lindsey’s Recipe Tip
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Salted Caramel Sauce Recipe
- Before You Go
Why This is the Best Salted Caramel Recipe
- It is thick and pourable. This makes a thicker caramel sauce, which makes it ideal not only for topping ice cream, cakes or other desserts, but also perfect for baking into recipes!
- Developed in a professional kitchen. This is the recipe that Chef Lindsey used in the restaurants. It is adaptable and can be made in very large batches.
- Perfectly balanced flavors. This sauce is rich but does not rely on too much butter or heavy cream for the flavor. The salt, caramel and cream flavors are in balance.
Professional Tips for Making Caramel Sauce
- The #1 Rule of Caramel is remembering that you are in control. You control the heat of the stove, and therefore you control how fast the caramel is cooking.
- Sugar caramelizes at different rates in the same pot. Don’t freak out when you see that parts are already a dark amber and you have a bunch of unmelted sugar. This happens every time. Embrace it. Stir or swirl the sugar crystals into those pockets. This will melt the granules and also lower the temperature of those pockets.
- Bring the butter, cream, vanilla and salt to a boil in the beginning. This way it’s already hot when you add it to the hot caramel and it won’t seize.
- Don’t fear the caramel. Take precautions but don’t have fear. Fear makes people do dumb stuff or act erratically. Never act erratically around 340°F sugar. The worst thing that can happen is your sugar gets too dark and you have to start over.
- Use a whisk to add your wet ingredients at the end and don’t stop whisking. Add them slowly to control the ferocity of the caramel but also don’t stop whisking! The whisking calms the caramel down. Choose the longest handled whisk you own. This is no time for a mini-whisk.
- After incorporating your cream/butter mixture pour the caramel into a heat proof glass, ceramic or metal bowl. This will stop the cooking process or your caramel will continue to get darker especially in a larger batch.
- Practice makes perfect. Sometimes you don’t know what “too dark” is until you take it there. Then you know and next time you can add your cream/butter mixture earlier. When training new cooks, this is the best way for them to learn. I’m like Goldie Locks: too light, too dark, waaaay too dark, just right.
Ingredients Needed
- Butter: This recipe calls for unsalted butter because of the additional salt that is added. You could roll the dice with salted butter and omit the salt.
- Heavy Cream: The heavy cream is here for flavor, texture and also to loosen the caramel into a sauce consistency.
- Vanilla Extract: I love the added vanilla extract in the sauce, but you could certainly omit it for a pure salted caramel version.
- Kosher Salt: A lot of recipes call for fleur de sel, and while flaky sea salt is delightful, I find it harder to ensure it dissolves in the final caramel sauce. I also find the “sea salt” flavor to be overpowering unlike kosher salt or even regular table salt, but these are just my opinions.
- Granulated Sugar
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Possible Variations
- Change the consistency: For a looser sauce, add more heavy cream to the recipe as written. I don’t suggest adding more than an additional ¼ cup.
- Change the flavor: While technically a gastrique, you can use lemon juice, orange juice or apple cider in place of the heavy cream. This will make a bright caramel sauce that will temper some of the sweetness. I usually finish the gastrique with a touch of butter just for the added silkiness and to round out the flavor. Be sure to reduce the salt if changing out the dairy.
- Infuse the caramel sauce: This is ideal for adding flavors like whole cinnamon sticks, vanilla bean pods (spent), or other unexpected spices. I usually make the sauce, add the spice or vanilla bean, reheat both together, and then remove from the heat and cover to infuse. Taste as you go because some spices can be more overpowering than others.
How to use Homemade Caramel Sauce
- Baked into cookies, cakes & more! The thickness of this sauce makes it ideal for baking into desserts like these chocolate caramel cupcakes, caramelitas, caramel butter bars, caramel apple tart or these caramel chocolate chip blondies! It won’t loosen the batter too much or change the texture.
- Uses it as a topping for cakes, tarts, & ice cream. Pour this salted caramel sauce over just about anything like I did with this caramel molasses pound cake. Drizzle it on chocolate cheesecake, buttermilk panna cotta or to add extra pizzazz to vanilla cake.
- Mix it in to change the flavor of buttercreams or custards. Use it to flavor buttercream like this caramel Swiss meringue buttercream or the easy caramel buttercream from these caramel apple cupcakes. Then move beyond buttercream and try it in this caramel pastry cream or caramel pudding.
- It makes a delicious filling or swirl. Use it to fill cupcakes or add to cream puffs like these caramel cupcakes, or swirl into ice cream like the chocolate caramel ice cream! Make an easy dessert by making salted caramel tartlets.
How to Make Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce
Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below.
Step 1: In a small saucepan combine cream, butter, vanilla and salt. Bring just to a boil over medium heat and set aside.
Step 2: Heat a heavy bottomed pot with high sides over medium high heat. Begin by sprinkling the granulated sugar over the bottom in a thin layer, when that begins to melt, sprinkle some more. Keep sprinkling until all the sugar is in the pot. As parts begin to melt, gently stir with a wooden spoon and break up any clumps that form.
If, despite your best efforts, you still have undissolved sugar pieces when your caramel reaches dark amber, don’t fret, just strain them out with a sieve. Worse things have happened in pastry.
Step 3: Continue to stir to distribute the sugar into any hot spots and use the already melted sugar to melt the rest. Once the sugar has melted stop stirring and swirl until a dark amber color is achieved.
If you have a hard time telling the color of the caramel, tilt the pot towards you so that there is only a thin layer. I find it easier to see that way. A medium amber is a perfectly acceptable color but I like to take mine to deep amber color, which is right when it starts to smoke but before it smells burnt.
Step 4: Remove from the heat and place on a trivet or folded towel. Slowly pour in your cream/butter mixture while constantly whisking. You don’t want to add the cream too fast or it will bubble up aggressively and could burn you. Don’t fear, just keep whisking.
Step 5: Once all the liquid is incorporated, pour into a heat safe bowl (glass, ceramic, pyrex, metal are all fine). Allow to cool to room temperature then pour into the storage container of your choice.
How to Make a Wet Caramel
You can make this recipe using the wet caramel method by adding ¼ water and ¼ cup light corn syrup. The corn syrup is optional but really helps avoid crystallization.
- Step 1: In a small pot combine cream, butter, vanilla and salt. Bring just to a boil and set aside.
- Step 2: Pour the sugar into a heavy bottomed pot with high sides. Shake to distribute sugar in an even layer over the bottom. Pour the water around the edges and stir to hydrate the sugar. Stir carefully so that no sugar gets on the sides of the pot. If you did get sugar on the sides, don’t worry. Dip a clean pastry brush (or folded paper towel) in water and wash the sugar off. Don’t be concerned with the amount of water because it will all evaporate anyways.
- Step 3: Pour the corn syrup into the sugar water mixture and turn on the burner to medium high. Allow the sugar to come to a boil before you disturb it. Gently swirl the pot but do not stir! This will allow you to redistribute the caramel around the pot and control the hot spots.
- Step 4: Continue to cook and occasionally swirl until a dark amber color is achieved.
- Step 5: Remove from the heat and place on a trivet or folded towel. Slowly pour in your cream/butter mixture while constantly whisking.
Step 6: Once all the liquid is incorporated, pour into a heat safe bowl.
Chef Lindsey’s Recipe Tip
There is a sliding scale of acceptable caramel flavor. From the very light in color and light on taste to the almost burnt, dark, sultry caramel that I prefer. I add the butter when the sugar turns a deeper, rich amber color and there is just the slightest hint of burning scent when you waft the vapors (just like they taught in middle school chemistry).
Frequently Asked Questions
Cool completely then store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a month, refrigerated for up to 2 months or frozen forever. It will gradually lose its fresh taste, so try to use it within a few months.
If storing frozen, simply thaw at room temperature or in the fridge. You can also microwave at 50% power in 30 second intervals, stirring between with a silicone spatula.
Yes, you can absolutely make a larger batch. You are limited by the size of your pot. Be sure to account for the caramel bubbling up when the cream and butter are added. I don’t need to tell you what happens if you don’t. That being said, I prefer to make large batches of caramel with the wet caramel method because it is more consistent.
Lastly, you must account for carryover cooking when making large batches of caramel. It will continue to caramelize as it cools. I suggest pouring it into a long, flatter container like a baking dish that will increase the surface area and thus allow it to cool faster.
The only critical difference between the wet and dry caramel method is the addition of water and sometimes light corn syrup or glucose to the sugar before caramelization in the wet method. It is imperative to swirl, never stir, a wet caramel.
Using the wet caramel method allows you to make large batches with more control, and it allows you to do other things while the sugar syrup cooks. This is critical in a professional kitchen!
There are 3 reasons to put butter in caramel sauce: it makes the sauce looser, adds flavor and creates a silky mouthfeel.
Caramel sauce can be grainy if the sugar mixture seized while caramelizing, if the sugar wasn’t cooked long enough (it was too light), or if the butter/cream mixture was added to cooled sugar syrup.
You do not need a candy thermometer for caramel sauce. A thermometer will tell you when you’ve reached the caramel stage but it is better to make caramel sauce by sight. The color of the cooking sugar will tell you everything you need to know.
If you tried this recipe and loved it please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments below. I love hearing from you; your comments make my day!
Salted Caramel Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into pieces
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
Instructions
Dry Caramel Method
- In a small pot combine cream, butter, vanilla and salt. Bring just to a boil and set aside.
- Heat a heavy bottomed pot with high sides over medium high heat. Begin by sprinkling the granulated sugar over the bottom in a thin layer, when that begins to melt, sprinkle some more. Keep sprinkling until all the sugar is in the pot. As parts begin to melt, gently stir with a wooden spoon and break up any clumps that form.
- Continue to stir to distribute the sugar into any hot spots and use the already melted sugar to melt the rest. Once the sugar has melted stop stirring and swirl until a dark amber color is achieved.
- If you have a hard time telling the color of the caramel, tilt the pot towards you so that there is only a thin layer. I find it easier to see that way. A medium amber is a perfectly acceptable color but I like to take mine to dark amber which is right when it starts to smoke but before it smells burnt.
- Remove from the heat and place on a trivet or folded towel. Slowly pour in your cream/butter mixture while constantly whisking. You don’t want to add the cream too fast or it will bubble up aggressively and could burn you. Don’t fear, just keep whisking.
- Once all the liquid is incorporated, pour into a heat safe bowl (glass, ceramic, pyrex, metal are all fine). Allow to cool to room temperature then pour into the storage container of your choice.
Wet Caramel Method
- You can make this recipe using the wet caramel method by adding ¼ water and ¼ cup light corn syrup. The corn syrup is optional but really helps avoid crystallization.
- In a small pot combine cream, butter, vanilla and salt. Bring just to a boil and set aside.
- Pour the sugar into a heavy bottomed pot with high sides. Shake to distribute sugar in an even layer over the bottom. Pour the water around the edges and stir to hydrate the sugar. Stir carefully so that no sugar gets on the sides of the pot. If you did get sugar on the sides, don’t worry. Dip a clean pastry brush (or folded paper towel) in water and wash the sugar off. Don’t be concerned with the amount of water because it will all evaporate anyways.
- Pour the corn syrup into the sugar water mixture and turn on the burner to medium high. Allow the sugar to come to a boil before you disturb it. Gently swirl the pot but do not stir! This will allow you to redistribute the caramel around the pot and control the hot spots.
- Continue to cook and occasionally swirl until a dark amber color is achieved.
- Remove from the heat and place on a trivet or folded towel. Slowly pour in your cream/butter mixture while constantly whisking. You don’t want to add the cream too fast or it will bubble up aggressively and could burn you. Don’t fear, just keep whisking.
- Once all the liquid is incorporated, pour into a heat safe bowl. Allow to cool to room temperature then pour into the storage container of your choice.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Before You Go
I hope you enjoyed this professional chef tested recipe. Check out our other delicious, chef-developed dessert topping and sauce recipes!
I am drooling over here, seriously! To me this caramel sauce looks absolutely perfect. I could think of so many things to have it on. 🙂
Lol! That’s the problem!! My site’s been a little caramel heavy since I first made it! Aaaaannnnddd I may have some still in the fridge…..here comes trouble!
This looks amazing. I was trying to melt the sugar in the sauce pan but it was already turning brown on the bottom before it all melted. I made the mistake of stirring it and then had fun cleaning out the “harder than granite” sugar rocks. Can you melt the sugar by itself without burning the bottom or should I be using a double burner or should I be melting it WITH the butter?
Hi Matt! I’m so sorry that happened. That has definitely happened to me…sometimes the temptation to stir is irresistible. When you make caramel using the dry method (aka without water) parts of the sugar will melt faster especially if you are using an induction stove. Gas heats more evenly, so it will melt more constantly. You are definitely supposed to melt the sugar by itself. I’m not sure it would get hot enough to melt in a double boiler. I vigorously swirl my pot to try and distribute the melting sugar and help it melt more evenly. I’ve ruined many a pot of caramel (mostly by cooking it too long) and the good news is that you can let it soak for 15 minutes and the sugar will dissolve. No scrubbing needed! Good luck!
So Matt, I had the exact same problem the first time. I tried it for the second time today and WOW! No matter how much I wanted to stir that sugar (I did cook on a gas stove) I held back and just swirled. Made the entire difference! Take 2, turned out PERFECT!
Haha! I am terribly jealous of your gas stove! Way to impose that self-restraint! I know it is so difficult to resist the urge to stir! I’m so glad it turned out perfectly this time and I hope you enjoy it whether you are eating with a spoon or baking with it!
Brilliant better than the Irish verson so good and easy to make
That’s so funny. As I am reading your comment I am eating the deliciousness with a spoon 🙂
Lol! A girl after my own heart! All is as it should be 🙂 Except that I have no caramel to eat with a spoon!
Hi, i think that i saw you visited my blog so i came to “return the favor”.I
am attempting to find things to enhance my site!I suppose its
ok to use some of your ideas!!
I tried your sauce and I got hard bits of sugar mixed in with my sauce. Luckily I have a nice size container without bits, but what was left in the pot was the consistence of slush. I tried reheating it and that melted a little of it, but most of it went down the drain. What do you think I did wrong? My butter wasn’t exactly room temp and it took a lot of stirring to incorporate, so I am blaming it on that. Today I am going to make the cupcakes. BTW, the sauce is delicious, thanks for the recipe.
Hi LJ – I’m so sorry you are having trouble! Caramel can be tricky! If I am understanding your situation correctly, it sounds like you had no problems melting down the sugar and caramelizing it. The problems happened when you added the butter and the cream. That is exactly what kept happening to me when I added cold butter and cream to the sugar – it seizes up and, once re-crystalized, there is no way to fix it. I tried. Once I used room-temperature (i.e- really warm) butter and cream it stopped seizing up. The only other time that I ended up with sugar crystals in my finalized caramel was when I stirred the sugar while it was melting on my induction stovetop. I could not get the the crystals to reincorporate before I burned the sugar. I hope that helps!
Have fun with the cupcakes!
Glad I saw this reply. I just tried this recipe, and I guess that’s what I get for stirring the sugar as it was melting….I didn’t have a saucepan and was using a large skillet, so I got nervous. DANG IT. BUT – the flavor is out of this world (what I salvaged without sugar bits)
Brave! Trying it in a skillet! I would be afraid it would bubble up and burn me. Glad you tried it and were able to salvage some!
Well, in all fairness, it was one of those giant Emeril skillets…using your sauce for triple vanilla, salted caramel filled cupcakes with browned butter buttercream (with caramel drizzled on top of course!
Those cupcakes sound delicious!!! The extra caramel drizzle was totally understood! I’m going to have to try browned butter buttercream. Do you brown the butter and then refrigerate it solid again?
the best way to caramelize the sugar that I have found is using the microwave: add a tablespoon of water and cook for about 5 minutes – it depends on the strength of your microwave, so the first time you have to watch it very carefully…. but after that it is totally problem free, consistent results and magically easy!
wonderful recipe …
This looks like the most deliciously, thick caramel sauce ever! Love your tips. Pinning 🙂
Thanks for the Pin!! It’s so beyond amazing!!!
I just love caramel, especially when it’s warm. I’ve done my share of screwing up caramel. It is so easy to make, but at the same time also so easy to mess up. And OMG speaking of caramel burns…OUCH! Something at that temperature burning you is just beyond painful. There was a girl in my class that had hot caramel spill all over her hand. It was when we were making caramel cages, she thought it would be clever if she used plastic to pipe the caramel, but she paid the price for it. Hot sticky caramel sticking to your hands…yikes!
And I am drinking iced caramel macchiato right now as I type this. I’ve cut back on the caffeine, but I never said I was going to quit cold turkey haha.
I am not generally an advocate of quitting anything cold turkey especially caffeine…can lead to headaches!
Hmmm plastic and caramel…bad plan. The big question though is when you do get hot caramel on your hand while in the middle of cooking, do you stop and run it under cold water and burn your caramel, or do you suffer through the pain to save the caramel? I say anything to save the caramel!!
Salted caramel sauce – I love it! And it looks so appetizing, dripping on the sides of that glass jar. YUM! I would put it all over everything: pancakes, crepes, sweet quick breads, muffins, etc.!
Leave it to you, the Crepe Master, to think of putting it in a crepe! That would be so yummy! I think I remember you having a banana bread that was dripping in caramel. Good thing I have some left or I would have to make some more to spice up my usual banana bread recipe!
OH MY GAWWWWD THOSE PICTURES!! drooooling.
I have the same feelings about caramel sauce as you! (I’ve only made it once and it turned out perfectly, thank goodness!)
Thank you!!
Mmmm all this talk of caramel is making want some! Maybe I’ll just take a quick trip to the fridge….
This does look wickedly good. Are you using it for ice cream or something else?
It is an excellent topper for ice cream! I have been eating it off the spoon, baking it into brownies and blondes, and filling cupcakes! It will be making several cameo appearances soon!
I am thinking of serving it drizzled over plain cheesecake
Hi Darleen! That will be fantastic!
I used on Cheesecake and mixed in pecan bits. It was amazing!!
Yaaaas! That sounds awesome, Jason!
Hi, Since you have said that you have had horrible carmel days. Can you tell me what I did wrong? On the stove the carmel sauce was perfect
I was jumping with joy
After it cooled, BAM! IT TURNED UGLY ON ME. My beautiful sauce turned into the grainy, not smooth and delightfully velvet sauce like on the stove. It had a delightful taste, but tasted course, and grainy. If you could help me, I would much appreciate it and many Thanks
How could it go from perfect to nasty while cooling?
Awww I understand! These things happen to the best of us. It sounds like your sauce crystalized at some point. It wouldn’t be immediately obvious when its hot. This can happen if granules of sugar fall into the already melted caramel (like from the sides of the pot) and then are agitated (stirred, swirled, whisked). The sugar crystal will encourage other melted sugar around it to crystalize too. It can also happen if your pot is dirty (even just a little) or if you stirred a wet caramel. I hope that helps!