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Homemade Caramel Sauce

This rich, creamy Homemade Caramel Sauce is perfect for all of your Fall baking! With only 5 ingredients and no candy thermometer needed, you can have Caramel Sauce for apples, ice cream topping or drizzle over dessert, in under 10 minutes. 

How to Make Caramel Sauce

Caramel Sauce is my favorite topping, whether I’m adding on top of Ice Cream, or adding it to recipes like Caramel Apple Cream Cheese Dip and Caramel Pecan Cheesecake Trifles.

Homemade Caramel

Often times when you are making sauce which involves sugar, you need a candy thermometer. It’s always a good thing to have, and I use it when I make my Homemade Candy Corn and a few other recipes, but this Easy Caramel Sauce Recipe is easy enough, there is no special equipment needed.

How to Make Caramel Sauce

Ingredients to make Caramel Sauce for Apples

With only 5 ingredients you can make this Homemade Caramel Sauce. You will need – Heavy Whipping Cream, Brown Sugar, Butter, Salt (pinch) and Vanilla.

Homemade Caramel Sauce ingredients in pan

Begin making the Homemade Caramel by adding the heavy whipping cream, brown sugar, butter and salt to a heavy saucepan.

Homemade Caramel Sauce cooking

Heat caramel sauce over medium-high heat, stirring to completely combine the ingredients.

Caramel Sauce boiling

Bring the caramel sauce to boil, and continue to boil 5-7 minutes until mixture thickens.

Add vanilla to caramel sauce

Then remove the pan from the heat and add the vanilla. Stir well.

Homemade Caramel

Tips for Easy Caramel Sauce Recipe

  1. The single recipe listed below makes 1 cup, I doubled the recipe so that we had plenty for the Caramel Apple Fondue and Ice Cream.
  2. Storing the caramel sauce in a mason jar works really well.
  3. Store caramel sauce in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
  4. Reheat caramel before serving
  5. This recipe has a pinch of regular salt, but you can easily make this recipe into Salted Caramel Sauce by adding sea salt flakes.
  6. This Homemade Caramel also makes great gifts!

Caramel Sauce for Apples

Here are a few recipes that you can use this Easy Caramel Sauce Recipe on –

Caramel Apple Fondue

Caramel Apple Fondue

CARAMEL APPLE CREAM CHEESE DIP -- This Fall Treat is easy to put together and makes a GREAT gift too! FREE Printable Tags included with Recipe!

Caramel Apple Cream Cheese Dip

Caramel Pecan Cheesecake Trifles

Caramel Pecan Cheesecake Trifles

Follow along as we share Fall Inspiration 

 

How to Make Caramel Sauce

Homemade Caramel Sauce

Yield: about 1 cup
Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 7 minutes

Easy Caramel Sauce Recipe with only 5 ingredients and ready in under 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Brown Sugar
  • 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla

Instructions

  1. In a small saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar, salt and heavy whipping cream
  2. Bring to a boil and cook for 5-7 minutes or until thickened
  3. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla
  4. Serve warm or store in container in fridge
  5. Reheat, stir until smooth

Notes

Caramel Sauce will keep in refrigerator up to 2 weeks in sealed container.

Be sure to reheat before serving.

 

 

 

53 Comments

  1. Loved the quick recipe! I just made this with vegan butter and vegan cream. Turned out perfect! We just put it on pumpkin pie cheese cake. Thank you, and Happy Thanksgiving! 🙂

  2. This came out amazing! I use it to drizzle over the top of my homemade white chocolate raspberry frapachino! From one Hosier to another…great job! 👍

    1. Welcome Hoosier Deb! I’m so glad you liked the caramel sauce!
      Thanks for letting us know!
      -Liz

      1. Dyan Colacurcio says:

        It was so easy and turned out perfect,
        I did a few batches, some with bourbon for gifts .

        1. Hi Dyan, so glad you liked the Caramel Sauce! Adding Bourbon is a great idea!
          -Liz

  3. The sauce was nice and smooth but, never thickened. cooked it on a rapid boil for 7 minutes medium – medium high. Ughhh!

    1. Hi Donni, sorry you had trouble. It does take a little time for the caramel sauce to thicken.
      -Liz

  4. Hi Liz, thank you for this simple and great recipe, I will try it next week !

  5. Mine came out kind of grainy, and I saw the comments about it getting too hot. I had mine on medium-high, so maybe that was my problem? What heat do you recommend?
    Thanks!
    Jen

    1. Hi Jen, I do cook mine over medium-high, however every stove is different. You could try medium-low.
      -Liz

  6. Do you stir it while it’s boiling?

    1. Great question Kate! I usually stir it occasionally, just to keep it moving around.
      -Liz

  7. Cathy Johnson says:

    It’s great in a cup of coffee with a little cream!

    1. That’s a great idea Cathy! Love it!
      -Liz

  8. This was great on cheesecake!

    1. Thrilled you liked it Danielle! Thanks for letting me know!
      -Liz

      1. Carol williams says:

        Mine did not turn out three times first cook for 7 minutes 2nd time cooked for 4 minutes it was like fudge when it cooled wherevdid I go wrong third no better !

        1. Sorry you had trouble Carol. The only thing I can think of is that the heat was too high. Or maybe the specific ingredients you used, the type of butter perhaps.
          When you say – it was like fudge – was that immediately after cooking it, or after it cooled?
          -Liz

    2. Aaaamazing! Needed a quick Carmel sauce and this fit the bill! Thanks!

      1. Thrilled you liked it Debbie! Thanks so much for letting me know!
        -Liz

        1. Hi Juli, I have not made the caramel sauce with half and half before, you can give it a try and see if it works.
          -Liz

    3. How do you prevent it becoming grainy?

      1. Be sure your heat isn’t too high, and you aren’t cooking it too fast.
        -Liz

    4. That’s what I’m using it for!

  9. Aimee Shugarman says:

    This is perfect on ice cream!

      1. Sounds delicious Frankie! Thanks for stopping by!
        -Liz

    1. Thanks Michael! I’m obsessed too!
      -Liz

    1. This was very gritty. I followed the instructions so I don’t know what went wrong. It is not smooth.

      1. Hi Barb, sorry you had trouble. It sounds like you got the sauce too hot.
        -Liz

    2. Salted or unsalted butter?

      1. Hi Millie, I always use unsalted butter.
        -Liz

  10. This makes me so excited for fall and all the yummy food it brings! Can’t wait to make this!

  11. An absolute STAPLE recipe! I adore this sauce from everything to putting on pancakes to dipping apples in it.

    1. Oh yum! Pancakes! I hadn’t thought of that!
      -Liz

  12. Hello, was just wondering how long this stays good in fridge and can your freeze it?

    Thank you,
    Jessica
    PS Looks soooo good!

    1. Hi Jessica, as long as the container is well sealed, it should keep in the fridge at least 2 weeks. The recipe doesn’t make a ton, so it does go fast. I don’t think it would freeze well though.
      Thanks for stopping by!
      ~Liz

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