Salted Caramel Sauce
Salted Caramel Sauce is a sweet, creamy and slightly salty dessert that requires a little time and patience to make. This homemade caramel sauce recipe has been tested multiple times to ensure it can be recreated in your kitchen. Learn how to make salted caramel sauce with all my tips and tricks!
The running joke in my family is that I am terrible at making caramel. (Unrelated: another running joke is that I’m bad with numbers. This is not untrue, but since this job of mine deals with numbers on the daily, I’m OK with them… just don’t ask me to do calculus.)
Both my children know this and their colorful commentary as I’ve been at the stovetop working on this homemade caramel sauce recipe has been brutal.
Child 1: “Mom, what are you making?”
Me: “Caramel.”
Child 1: “Oh, you’re not good at that.”
Child 2, walking through the kitchen: “You’ve burned it a lot.”
Me: “Thanks, ladies.”
Well, let me go on the record to state that I have mastered making caramel sauce, and I am here to help you do the same thing!
I’ve made all the mistakes so you don’t have to. You are WELCOME, internet.
Why I love this recipe:
It’s hard not to love a Salted Caramel Sauce.
This dessert sauce is wonderfully sweet and creamy with a touch of saltiness, and it’s delicious on anything you might drizzle it on top of.
My recipe is for a delicious caramel sauce made without heavy cream, so if you’re looking for that, welcome! We use half-and-half for it, which provides the perfect balance in my opinion.
This is a relatively easy recipe to make, and we’re going to do it without a candy thermometer.
I love it on bread pudding and with ice cream, but anything is fair game when it comes to caramel sauce. Feel free to dip apple slices in it.
This goodness also works in drinks. (Looking at you, Salted Caramel Appletini and Spiked Caramel Apple Cider.)
It’s an excellent flavor addition for various fall flavors, like apple and pumpkin. But let’s be clear: you can enjoy this salted caramel sauce recipe year-round. Promise.
Other dessert sauces to try: Homemade Strawberry Syrup | Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce | Fresh Blueberry Sauce
What you need to make this recipe
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- Heavy-bottomed medium saucepan (2 quarts or larger)
- Silicone pastry brush
- Liquid measuring cup
- Whisk or rubber spatula
Let’s talk ingredients!
In addition to the tools above, you’re going to need some ingredients to make this recipe, too! Chances are, you might already have some of them in your fridge or pantry. Scroll down to the recipe card for the full measurements and instructions.
Here are the simple ingredients that you need to grab at the grocery store:
- Granulated sugar — also known as white sugar, this is our sweetener for the custard. It’s also the base of the caramel sauce. (Please note that if you use brown sugar in the caramel, that makes it into a butterscotch sauce.)
- Water — we add just a little of this to the sugar to make our caramel sauce in the wet method. The water burns off and the sugar caramelizes beautifully.
- Half and Half — this is rich and creamy. It is a combination of heavy whipping cream and whole milk. I think it is the perfect combination of the two for both flavor and texture of our sauce. Please note that it needs to be warmed or at room temperature so that the caramel sauce does not seize up when this is added.
- Unsalted butter — this adds more creaminess and fat to our sauce, and there is not a substitute. We use unsalted butter so we can salt the sauce with kosher salt.
- Vanilla extract — the pure kind adds the most perfect vanilla flavor. It’s worth splurging for.
- Kosher salt — medium grain kosher salt is my go-to for all my recipes these days. A medium grain sea salt would also work.
Here are some of our favorite uses to drizzle this homemade Salted Caramel Sauce on top of:
- Classic bread pudding
- Vanilla ice cream or ice cream sundaes
- Coffee drinks, like homemade caramel macchiatos or caramel lattes
- Apple desserts, like Bugga’s Apple Pie, Apple Crisp, Apple Crumble or Apple Pie Bars
- Cakes and cupcakes
- Apple slices and other fall fruits
How to make creamy caramel sauce from scratch
For this recipe, we use the wet method, which involves adding water to our sugar. The dry method is simply melting the sugar in a pan until it turns golden brown. That method has been difficult for me, which is why I am sharing the wet method for this recipe.
DID YOU KNOW?
You want your saucepan to be at least 2 quarts, if not larger.
Why? This caramel sauce bubbles up and doubles or triples in size when we add the liquid.
How do I know this? Because my 1 ½ quart saucepan overflowed when I was recipe testing.
First, measure the sugar into a sauce pan. Pour the water on top of it. Stir these ingredients together as you turn on the heat to medium-low.
When the water has dissolved, turn up the heat to medium heat or medium-high heat.
Bring the mixture to a boil — and do not stir or touch it. THIS IS IMPORTANT!
If you sugar crystals are stuck to the sides of the pan, use a wet pastry brush to wipe them down. Pay close attention and be very careful, as this boiling sugar is hot.
Cook until the sugar melts. This should take about 5-8 minutes, or until the sugar starts to turn a light amber color.
Please note that the sugar’s color will change quickly when it does begin to appear. Do not walk away from the stovetop.
When the sugar has turned a deep amber color, turn off the heat. The sugar will continue cooking after the stovetop is turned off. (This is especially true if you’re using a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Learn from my mistakes!)
Pro tip!
Make sure the half-and-half is not cold! Otherwise, your sauce will seize up. I like to heat mine in the microwave for 30-45 seconds to warm it up from the fridge.
Right after you turn off the heat, slowly pour in the warmed half and half, stirring vigorously. The caramel will bubble and expand, so be careful!
When the bubbling slows down, stir in the butter, vanilla and salt and there you have it: homemade caramel!
Pour the easy salted caramel sauce — which should be quite thin — into a jar to cool. It will thicken to the perfect consistency when the caramel cools.
Then serve and enjoy!
How to store:
Store in an airtight container or a glass jar, like a mason jar. Store the easy caramel sauce in the fridge. It will last for up to a month.
Reheat in the microwave in 15-20 second bursts until warmed through and runny again.
Erin’s Easy Entertaining Tips
Can we entertain with Salted Caramel Sauce? You KNOW we can!
This goodness is great to have on hand for a variety of gatherings, including brunch at home. (Salted Caramel Lattes, anyone?)
This is a lovely addition to so many desserts and breakfast items. So if you’re hosting friends or family and want to serve caramel sauce with something, here are some things I suggest:
- Double the recipe for a crowd. Just make sure you use a bigger pot so that it does not overflow! It is really difficult to clean off the cooktop.
- Make it in advance. Since this keeps well in the fridge, make it a day or two in advance so all you have to do is reheat it before serving with whatever you’re serving it alongside.
Frequently Asked Questions
I ran into a lot of troubles using the dry caramel method, where you simply put sugar in a pan, heat it, and let it caramelize. For whatever reason, mine would not caramelize evenly, and I’d end up with some granules that hadn’t melted and other ones that were burned.
The wet method, which I detail here, has you add a little water along with the sugar. This way, the sugar dissolves into the water, but the water evaporates as the sugar begins boiling. To me, this was more manageable.
Stand by the stovetop, watch and when the sugar is a light amber color, pour in the half-and-half, butter, vanilla and salt and stir, stir, stir!
First, let me say: I see you, and I feel you. I burned the caramel sauce (or botched it) more than enough times for this recipe to make me feel hesitant when I finally did get it right.
If you’re intimidated by making caramel sauce, I suggest taking it slowly. Keep the heat on a low (instead of cranking it up), and keep a close eye on the sugar as it melts and begins changing color.
There’s no award in making the fastest caramel sauce. In my opinion, going slowly is perfectly fine so you get a delicious end result.
The caramel sauce will be runny when it’s hot, and it will thicken as it cools. Please do not add heat to it or cook it for longer, for fear of overcooking or burning it.
This happened because you cooked it for too long. There’s not a way to revive this, so you need to remake the sauce.
Quick tips and tricks for the best Salted Caramel Sauce
- Give yourself time to make it. The recipe itself seems really simple, but it’s easy to mess up. Go slowly and make that beautiful, decadent caramel sauce!
- Use warmed half-and-half. The caramel sauce will seize up if you add cold liquid to it!
- If you see sugar crystals sticking to the sides of your saucepan when the sugar is boiling, use a silicone pastry brush dipped in water to brush them away. These crystals could lead to a grainier caramel sauce.
- The sugar will continue to cook after you remove the pan from the heat, so don’t wait too long to add the half-and-half.
- The caramel is runny when hot. It’ll thicken up as it cools! You will need to reheat it in the microwave or on the stovetop to warm it through after it’s been in the fridge because it will be solid.
Here’s how you can make this goodness…
Salted Caramel Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar 200g
- ¼ cup water
- ½ cup half-and-half warmed
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter cold and cut into ½” cubes
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
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Instructions
- In a deep saucepan (at least 2 qt. — my 1.5 qt. one overflowed when testing this recipe), add the sugar and the water. Heat over medium-low until the water dissolves, stirring occasionally with a rubber spatula.
- When the sugar has dissolved, turn up the heat to medium-high. Bring the mixture to a boil — and do not stir or touch it. If you see sugar crystals stuck to the sides of your pan, use a wet pastry brush to wipe down the sides. Be very careful, as this boiling sugar is hot.
- Boil for 5-8 minutes, until the sugar turns a light amber color. Please note that when the sugar begins to change color, it happens quickly. Do not walk away from the stovetop. Also, be aware that the sugar will continue to cook after the heat is turned off, so working quickly with the additional ingredients is important.
- Turn off the heat, and immediately pour in the warmed half-and-half slowly, stirring it constantly. It will bubble vigorously, so please be careful!
- Next, stir in the butter, vanilla and salt.
- Pour the mixture into a jar to cool. It will thicken as it cools, so don’t fret it if seems thin, and then serve with whatever you’d like!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
About the Author:
Erin Parker is a Southern gal living in Texas with her husband and two daughters. She started The Speckled Palate to share what she was cooking as a newlywed… and over the years, it’s evolved to capture her love for hosting. Specifically, the EASIEST, lowest key entertaining because everyone deserves to see their people and connect over good food. Learn more about her…
Really really beautiful stuff, so easy. I especially love that you don’t need a candy thermometer!
Sweet, salty, delicious, easy, can’t ask for much more!
I am so happy to hear that you loved this recipe, Leslie, and that it was easy for you! I totally agree with you on the candy thermometer thing. 😉 ENJOY!