Easy Caramel Sauce (or Salted Caramel)

Caramel is sugar that is cooked until it melts and changes color from clear to amber or darker. To make a caramel sauce, you add butter and cream, turning the caramel into a deep brown and delicious sauce that thickens as it cools.

If you avoid making homemade caramel because you think it’s difficult, it really isn’t! Caramel is just a matter of mixing sugar and water together and cooking it until it is golden brown. Adding butter and cream transforms the mixture into a fabulous thick and gooey caramel sauce you can drizzle over ice cream, pound cake, and desserts.

The main thing that stands in the way of a successful caramel is sugar crystallization, and you can easily prevent that by avoiding stirring and washing down the sides with water from time to time. A heavy pan is important—I find that a saucier with rounded sides is ideal. Swirling the pan helps to keep the caramel heating evenly.

This caramel is a “wet” version because it includes a small amount of water. “Dry” caramel is a little trickier because it relies on the sugar melting evenly without water. This caramel is the perfect ice cream sauce. In this “wet” version, I add some brown sugar and boil it for an additional 1 1/2 minutes to make the rich, dark caramel sauce.

Watch the caramel carefully as it begins to change color—you want it dark but not burnt. The butter will foam up, but settle down in seconds as it melts. Carefully and gradually add the cream to the caramel. It helps if your cream is room temperature or lightly warmed, but it isn’t necessary. Just be aware it will bubble up when the cream hits the caramel.

Caramel sauce is stored in the refrigerator—it becomes very thick when chilled, but you can quickly soften it in the microwave in about 4 to 7 seconds. Add an extra 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt for salted caramel, or serve it with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt.

Related:

You might also enjoy this strawberry sauce, or a sugar free chocolate sauce. Or try this basic chocolate sauce.

Tips and Variations

• For more intense vanilla flavor, add an extra 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste.

How to Store Caramel Sauce

• Store caramel sauce in a covered jar or container in the refrigerator for up to 2 to 3 weeks.
• You can also freeze homemade caramel sauce. Put it in a labeled, dated freezer container and freeze it for up to 3 months. It’s best to avoid a glass jar when freezing, but if that is all you have or what your prefer, make sure to leave at least 1 1/2 inches of headspace to allow for expansion.

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