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Home » Tutorial » Homemade Caramel Sauce

Homemade Caramel Sauce

By Olivia, 40 Comments

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Make your own caramel at home with this easy tutorial! This easy Caramel Sauce recipe takes only four simple ingredients and 15 minutes to make.

Homemade caramel sauce in a jar

It’s been a while since my last post. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and are back in the swing of things now that we’re halfway through January.

I’m going to be sharing some tutorials for the first part of the year covering common cake components. Focussing on things that people may struggle with, get intimidated by, or just want to learn how to make.

Today,  I’m kicking it all off with this Caramel Sauce Recipe & Tutorial!

There are a variety of different ways that you can make caramel sauce, but I’m going to tell you about my favorite way to do it. It requires very few ingredients that you probably already have in your fridge/pantry, and just a bit of patience.

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Caramel in a jar with a spoon of caramel beside and a blue cloth in the background

What is Caramel?

Caramel is an amber-colored syrup made by caramelizing sugar and then adding cream and butter to it. It can be used in cakes and frostings, or as a topping for a variety of desserts.

These are the ingredients I use to make my caramel. There are other caramel sauce recipes out there that use slightly different ingredients, but this one is my favorite.

  • granulated sugar
  • water
  • heavy cream (room temperature)
  • butter (room temperature)
  • flavorings (optional – vanilla, sea salt, bourbon, maple, etc.)

It’s critical that your cream and butter are at room temperature — or even warmed a bit. Caramel does not react well to drastic changes in temperature, and can seize or separate.

Leave your butter out overnight if you can, and if your cream is cold then warm it slightly in the microwave.

Ingredients -- cream, sugar, butter, on a blue cloth.

How to Make Caramel Sauce

I’m going to take you through how to make this caramel sauce recipe step by step, covering everything you need to know so that you can feel confident making it at home.

It really is easy to do, it just requires a bit of focused time. It’s not something you can really step away from while you’re making it, but it only takes about 15mins start to finish.

Here are some basic tools you’ll need to make this recipe:

  • med-large pot
  • pastry brush
  • whisk
  • glass jar or container

Side by side of sugar and water in a pot and brushing the sides down.

#1.  Place Sugar & Water in a Pot – Place the granulated sugar and water into a pot and stir to combine, but do not stir from this point forward. Stirring will cause the sugar to crystallize which will ruin your caramel.

It’s best to use a light-colored or white pot so you can easily see the color of the sugar as it’s cooking.

#2. Brush Sugar from the Sides of the Pot – Dip a pastry brush into water and brush down the sugar crystals from the sides of the pot (this also prevents crystallization).

Side by side photos -- sugar brought to a boil, brushing the sides down.

#3. Bring the Sugar to a Boil – Place the pot over med-high heat and bring the sugar mixture to a boil.

#4. Brush Down the Sides – Occasionally brush down the sides of the pot with water to prevent crystals from forming.  Be careful not to dip the pastry brush into the boiling sugar.

Side by side photos - caramel starting to turn color and rich amber caramel in a pot

#5. Cook Sugar Until it Starts to Caramelize – Continue cooking the sugar until it starts to change color. This can take anywhere from 5-10mins depending on the amount of sugar, size of the pot, temperature, etc.

Again, it’s best to use a light-colored pot, as it will be harder to see the sugar changing color in a dark pot and harder to tell when it’s ready.

I recommend watching the sugar the entire time — once it starts to color it can burn very quickly. I never take my eyes off the pot while it’s cooking. Okay, maybe I do for the first couple minutes or so, but I watch it like a hawk after that.

When the sugar starts to caramelize and turn a bit yellow, you can swirl the pot a bit to mix it around.

#6. Cook Until a Deep Amber Color – Continue cooking until the sugar is a nice amber color. It will start to smell AMAZING. Don’t let it get too dark, as it will burn and taste bitter.

Side by side photos -- Pouring in the heavy cream and whisking while it bubbles up.

#7. Whisk in the Heavy Cream – Once the sugar is a nice amber color, immediately remove the pot from the heat and carefully whisk in the (room temperature) heavy cream (pour slowly, whisk quickly).

#8. It will bubble up a LOT, so be prepared.

Side by side photos - adding the butter and the caramel simmering.

#9. Add the Butter & Flavourings (optional) – Once all the cream is whisked in, add the (room temperature) butter and whisk until incorporated.

If you’re making salted caramel, or vanilla, or adding bourbon or other flavorings, this is when you’d do it. Add the flavor and whisk it in.

#10. Return to Heat and Simmer – Return to heat and simmer the caramel sauce on low for a minute or two. Don’t boil it too furiously or cook it for too long, as it will thicken too much. 

At this point, remove the pot from the heat and set it aside to cool. The caramel sauce will thicken as it cools.

Finished caramel in a pot.

Once it has cooled you can transfer it to a glass or plastic container. You can leave it at room temperature overnight or place it in the fridge if storing for longer.

If you store it in the fridge, you may need to warm it up a bit in the microwave before using it.

Caramel sauce in a jar with a spoon next to it.

Flavour Variations

There are a couple of ways you can flavor your caramel depending on what you’re using. Something like sea salt, vanilla, bourbon, etc. can be added at the end with the butter before you bring it back to a simmer.

If you wanted to make a lavender or earl grey flavored caramel (for example), I recommend infusing the cream first by doing the following:

  • Place the cream into a small pot with the lavender or tea
  • Cook over low-medium heat until just before it starts to simmer (you can see bubbles along the edges of the pot)
  • Remove from heat and steep for 15-30mins
  • Strain through a fine mesh sieve

Salted caramel in a mason jar with a blue cloth behind it

Storage & Perishability

If you’re like me and like to spread out your baking, you’ll be happy to know you can make the caramel well in advance. I pour mine into a glass container once it’s cooled. The one I used here is a small glass jar, or I like this one for larger amounts. You can use any glass or plastic storage container though.

Store as follows:

  • Room temperature – a day or two
  • Fridge – up to two weeks
  • Freezer – up to 3 months

I like to warm my caramel in the microwave a bit before use. This helps thin it out if it’s a little on the thicker side too.

Half empty jar of caramel with a spoon inside it.

Do’s and Don’ts of Making Caramel

A few key things for success when making homemade caramel:

  1. Do use a larger pot than you think you’ll need. The caramel bubbles a LOT when the cream is added. At least 4-5x the volume.
  2. Do brush down the sides of the pot. This helps prevent your sugar from crystallizing and ruining the caramel.
  3. Don’t take your eyes off the sugar. Once it starts to turn color it can burn very quickly. Watch the sugar like a hawk once it’s cooking.
  4. Do not attempt to make the caramel with cold cream or butter. They must be at room temperature. Caramel does not react well to drastic changes in temperature, so it’s important that the cream and butter are added slowly and are room temperature or warmer.
  5. Don’t boil the caramel furiously once the cream and butter are added. This can cause the caramel to separate and/or make it too thick.
  6. Do handle with care. The caramel will be HOT, so please be careful. If you’re making salted caramel or flavored caramel, be sure to let it cool before tasting it! Dip a spoon into the hot caramel, let it cool, taste, add more flavor as needed.

I hope all that didn’t scare you away from making your own caramel sauce at home. It’s really very easy, it just requires a bit of focus and attention for 15mins or so. And carefully following directions.

Angled shot of the caramel filled jar

This caramel sauce is seriously SO good and so versatile. You could use it as a topping for other desserts or ice cream or pancakes… the list goes on!

You’ll never look to get store-bought caramel again after you try this!

Recipes that use Homemade Caramel Sauce

  • Caramel Cake (Salted Caramel Cake)
  • Caramel Apple Cake
  • Caramel Cookie Cups
  • Caramel Gingerbread Cake
  • Dark Chocolate Ganache Tart

 

A jar of caramel.
Print Pin Rate
5 from 10 votes

Caramel Sauce

Make your own caramel (or salted caramel) at home with this easy tutorial! This easy Caramel Sauce recipe takes only four simple ingredients and 15 minutes to make.
Course Dessert
Cuisine Desserts
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 16 (makes a little over 2 cups)
Calories 197kcal
Author Olivia

Ingredients

Caramel Sauce:

  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 225 ml heavy cream room temperature
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter room temperature
  • flavoring optional, to taste
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Caramel Sauce:

  • Place sugar and water into a medium pot, stir to combine, but do not stir from this point forward. Cook over high heat, washing down the sides of the pot with a pastry brush dipped in water as needed to prevent crystals.
  • Cook until desired color of caramel is reached (amber) and immediately remove from heat. Very slowly pour in (room temperature) heavy cream while whisking quickly. The mixture will bubble up (a lot) and boil. Add (room temperature) butter and whisk in.
  • If you want to make this a flavored caramel, add your flavoring at this point. Whisk it in (start with less than you think you'll need), dip a spoon into the caramel, let it cool, taste it, add more as needed.
  • Return to heat and simmer gently for 1-2 minutes while whisking constantly.
  • Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature (about 2 hours). Transfer to a container and allow to thicken.
  • Store at room temperature for a day or two, in the fridge for 2 weeks, or the freezer for 3 months.

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Calories: 197kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 1gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 42mgSodium: 7mgPotassium: 13mgSugar: 19gVitamin A: 473IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 12mg
The nutritional information and metric conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this data. If this important to you, please verify with your favourite nutrition calculator and/or metric conversion tool.

Caramel sauce image collage

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June 17, 2020

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Brityn says

    December 21, 2020 at 11:00 AM

    My caramel keeps crystallizing! I won’t even touch it and it crystalizes. Help!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      December 21, 2020 at 2:46 PM

      Hi Brityn! I’ve never had that happen myself. Is the pot you’re using completely clean? Free of any residue?

      Reply
  2. Mary says

    December 2, 2020 at 3:49 AM

    Hi Liv! If I wanted a bourbon caramel, how much should I add and when?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      December 3, 2020 at 4:21 PM

      Hi Mary! I would add 2-3 Tbsp right at the end. Make sure it’s at room temperature.

      Reply
  3. Grace says

    November 25, 2020 at 6:17 PM

    5 stars
    Hey Liv, thank you for this recipe it’s great and I’ll defo be using it regularly! I think however I may have taken the pot off the heat a bit too late at the start and although the final product tasted good there’s a slight bitter after taste 🙁 is there anything that can be done to change this? Thanks again

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      November 26, 2020 at 9:17 AM

      Hi Grace! I’m so happy you loved it. Was the caramel quite dark? If it’s a bit burnt that can make it taste bitter :\ I’m not sure if there’s a way to fix it after the fact. You might not really tell though once the caramel is in/on something 🙂

      Reply
  4. Leah says

    November 21, 2020 at 8:29 PM

    5 stars
    Thank you so much! 👍 Num num num 😋

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      November 22, 2020 at 3:33 PM

      Glad you loved it Leah!

      Reply
  5. Ellen says

    November 19, 2020 at 11:43 AM

    5 stars
    I tried making this today and had to leave a comment. It worked so well!! Last time I tried making caramel (with a different but similar recipe), it turned into one giant sugar crystal. But I recently found this recipe and decided to try it out today for fun. I may have burnt the sugar just a little, but otherwise it turned out splendidly! The sauce looks so smooth and smells delicious! I can’t wait to give it a taste once it’s properly cooled. Thanks for this recipe!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      November 19, 2020 at 5:29 PM

      Hi Ellen! I am so happy to hear that!! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment 🙂

      Reply
  6. Njeri says

    November 17, 2020 at 6:15 AM

    5 stars
    Love it!
    Need to make a double batch, would you recommend doubling the ingredients or just making 2 batches?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      November 17, 2020 at 9:30 AM

      Hi Njeri! I’ve never tried doubling it myself, but I don’t think it should be a problem 🙂

      Reply
  7. Sarah says

    November 10, 2020 at 10:54 AM

    Hi! I’d love to adapt this to make an orange caramel to mix into your Swiss meringue buttercream, as you did with your Caramel Apple Cake. What do you think would be the best way to do this? Infuse cream with orange zest? Add orange oil at the end? If you have any suggestions on technique and amounts, I’d love some advice! Thanks!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      November 11, 2020 at 4:20 PM

      Hi Sarah! I think both are great options. You could infuse the cream first and then add a bit more oil at the end if you want to intensify the flavour?

      Reply
  8. Emily M says

    October 8, 2020 at 5:16 PM

    Great recipe! Though I was paranoid about burning the sugar so as a result my caramal is a bit pallid-looking. Any tips of how to rectify this?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      October 9, 2020 at 10:34 AM

      Hi Emily! So glad you liked it 🙂 Unfortunately, there isn’t an easy way to darken the caramel at this point. You could cook the finished caramel for longer to attempt to deepen the color, but that would also cause the caramel to get quite thick/not pourable anymore.

      Reply
  9. Susie says

    August 21, 2020 at 6:27 PM

    Hello. An you give me the conversion for the 225 ml of heavy cream to ounces. I’m so excited to try this recipe

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      August 24, 2020 at 10:30 AM

      Hi Susie! It’s about 7.6 fl oz.

      Reply
  10. Sana says

    July 30, 2020 at 4:16 PM

    Hi
    Can I use salted butter in this recipe? And in place of heavy cream, can I use the regular cream used in soups etc?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      July 30, 2020 at 5:10 PM

      Hi Sana! Salted butter is fine but it will give you a salted caramel taste. As long as the cream has a high fat content 33% or so, it should be fine!

      Reply
  11. Lauren says

    July 21, 2020 at 9:35 AM

    5 stars
    Wow this is incredible! I am an eager baker at the age of 12 and even though I have no experience of working with caramel or hot sugar (same thing?!) I could complete this recipe on the first try, and more importantly, it tasted delicious! I am addicted to livforcake and thank you so much for sharing incredible and achievable recipes with us!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      July 21, 2020 at 3:44 PM

      Hi Lauren! I am so happy to hear you totally nailed this one on your first try! No small feat for an adult, nevermind a 12 year old, so great job!! I’m so happy you loved it 🙂

      Reply
  12. Eva says

    June 20, 2020 at 2:29 AM

    5 stars
    Amazing recipe. Tastes, looks and smells delicious. I will freeze most of it for next time I make a cake. Very easy, just follow instructions to the letter. I made my batch very salty with 8g of salt. I think it will be nice on a cake, but too salty to eat in large quantities 😀

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      June 20, 2020 at 8:08 PM

      Hi Eva! So happy you love it 🙂 Thanks for the feedback!

      Reply
  13. Candace says

    June 13, 2020 at 9:44 PM

    5 stars
    Another great recipe and instructions!! This was my second time making caramel the first time was another recipe and i think it was overcooked so the caramel was hard. Anyways this was great! I also made the caramel apple cake recipe also deelish!!!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      June 15, 2020 at 9:48 AM

      Hi Candace! So glad this worked well for you. Thanks for the feedback! 🙂

      Reply
  14. Shelisah Piggee says

    May 9, 2020 at 9:46 PM

    5 stars
    Made this today so we can drizzle on french toast and pancakes for our mothers day brunch tomorrow. This is the most amazing recipe! Super easy! It’s also fool proofed. I didnt pour the cream in slowly and the sugar kind of clumped up. I just turned the heat back on med. and the sugar melted and combined with the cream, then I added the butter. It’s so so tasty! I added a little salt and vanilla. I couldnt stop tasting it as it cooled lol

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      May 11, 2020 at 10:29 AM

      Hi Shelisah! I am so glad you found this recipe easy. Glad you were able to save it when it clumped 🙂

      Reply
  15. Lisa MacDonald says

    May 1, 2020 at 7:39 PM

    5 stars
    Seemed super easy, I didn’t think I let the first batch go to far but it definitely tastes burnt. Any chance there’s a way to fix that? Ha second round I did SO much better. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      May 4, 2020 at 9:44 AM

      Hi Lisa! So happy your second batch turned out 😀 I don’t think there’s a way to really save a burnt one, but maybe it won’t be so bad with something else? Try to drizzle it over ice cream and see how it tastes 🙂

      Reply
  16. Rebecca says

    February 17, 2020 at 8:23 AM

    5 stars
    Hi Olivia! I was wondering if it’s possible to keep the caramel smooth once it goes into the refrigerator? It’s smooth and perfect when I make it but once it chills it seems to get a little crystallized. Any tips?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      February 18, 2020 at 9:14 PM

      Hi Rebecca! It shouldn’t crystallize — do you cool it to room temp first before refrigerating? Caramel does not do well with drastic changes in temp, which is why it’s important to use room temp butter and cream and also to not boil it too much.

      Reply
  17. Maryanne says

    January 31, 2020 at 12:22 AM

    Am so glad that i finally found this great recipe…I muat give it a try…
    Thank you Liv!!😊

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      January 31, 2020 at 9:04 AM

      Hi Maryanne! I hope you love it 🙂

      Reply
  18. Grace says

    January 17, 2020 at 5:04 PM

    How much salt would you be likely to need for salted caramel sauce? It sounds wonderful!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      January 17, 2020 at 5:50 PM

      Hi Grace! I would start with 1 tsp of flakey sea salt and add more to taste 🙂

      Reply
  19. Kim says

    January 17, 2020 at 2:55 PM

    Hey Liv.

    I was so happy to get this recipe in my email. This looks scrumptious! Salted caramel is my favorite flavor of all time. I just love it. One scoop of ice cream with 1 cup of caramel sounds just right. lol. I’m looking forward to reading your blog and trying out the wonderful recipes for 2020. I know it’s going to be a delicious year!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      January 17, 2020 at 5:48 PM

      Hi Kim! Thanks so much for the sweet comment. LOL to your ice cream to caramel ratio — sounds about right to me too! 😉

      Reply
  20. WilliamsLoreleiA says

    January 17, 2020 at 9:06 AM

    I love it

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      January 17, 2020 at 5:47 PM

      Thank you! I hope you try it 🙂

      Reply
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