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    Home » Recipes » Caramel Desserts

    Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce

    by Jolina | Published: April 11, 2016 | Last Updated: September 13, 2019 | 38 Comments
    This site contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. See Terms of Use for more information.

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    Homemade salted caramel sauce — seriously addicting and so easy to make! Yields less than a cup so it’s perfect for when you don’t need a whole jar. Fill a dozen cupcakes, drizzle on top of ice cream or just satisfy your salted caramel craving in a snap.

    (Love making homemade sauce and syrups? Try this quick and easy raspberry sauce or this reader-favourite homemade whipped cream.)

    Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce
    Jump To hide
    First – salted caramel ice cream
    Next – homemade salted caramel sauce
    How to make
    Ingredients
    Small-batch
    Salted Caramel Sauce

    I was never a big fan of caramel. I just found it too sweet for my taste.

    And having memories of caramel candy getting stuck to my teeth for hours (I had braces!) certainly didn’t help.

    But a recent trip to San Francisco to visit my best friends changed all that.

    I was introduced (read: coerced, as best friends tend to do to each other) to salted caramel and that changed everything.

    First – salted caramel ice cream

    Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce

    One of the things on our to-do list was to go to this famous ice cream shop so I can try their best-selling salted caramel ice cream. I wasn’t a big fan but hey, try everything once, right?

    So off we went to go get ice cream I didn’t really want in the middle of a cold, breezy San Francisco night.

    The result? The salted caramel ice cream was out-of-this-world fantastic. It wasn’t the caramel I knew (and disliked) at all. I was sold. Thank God for best friends, eh?

    Next – homemade salted caramel sauce

    So back home I started putting salted caramel on everything, like:

    • Apple spring rolls
    • Salted caramel cream cheese brownies
    • Apple crumble cheesecake

    You can even add it to your Christmas breakfast charcuterie board!

    And I realized that everything was so good because it started with good salted caramel sauce. It was the key to everything.

    The happy news is salted caramel is quick and easy to make at home!

    (Check this out of you’re a fan of Starbucks Dark Caramel Sauce!)

    How to make

    Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce

    This recipe is a put-everything-in-a-pot kind of recipe. It does involve hot (hot — worth repeating) sugar so be extra careful.

    You start simply by whisking all ingredients together (except the vanilla) in a heavy-bottom saucepan on medium-high heat and bring to a boil.

    Bring the mixture down to a simmer and whisk until it thickens. Once thick enough, whisk in the vanilla then remove from the heat.

    Very carefully pour the caramel into a heatproof container. Allow to cool slightly before using (remember: hot sugar!).

    All this is done in less than 15 minutes. And it is so good!

    Ingredients

    And the ingredients are pantry stapes too:

    • Butter (salted or unsalted, I found it makes no significant difference in taste).
    • Brown sugar
    • Heavy cream
    • Kosher salt
    • Vanilla extract

    Small-batch

    Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce

    Another thing I like about this recipe is it doesn’t yield a whole bucket of sauce.

    It’s just about a third of a cup so it works great if you only need a small amount to fill your cupcakes with, or to drizzle on top of your ice cream, or just simply to satisfy your salted caramel cravings.

    Caramel sauce hardens over time and I can imagine the difficulty of dealing with a jar full of hard, sticky salted caramel sauce when all you need is a teaspoon.

    So whether you’re a lifelong salted caramel fan, a recent convert like me or not into caramel at all — try this recipe. It is remarkably easy to make and seriously addicting (you’ve been warned!).

    Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce

    Salted Caramel Sauce

    Author: Jolina
    This delicious salted caramel sauce recipe is perfect for when you don’t need a whole jar. Fill a dozen cupcakes, drizzle on top of ice cream or just satisfy your salted caramel craving in a snap.
    5 from 4 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 minutes mins
    Cook Time 15 minutes mins
    Total Time 20 minutes mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine North American
    Servings 16 tsp
    Calories 52 kcal

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 2 tbsp butter salted or unsalted
    • ½ cup brown sugar packed
    • ¼ cup heavy cream
    • ¼ tsp kosher salt
    • ¼ tsp vanilla extract

    Instructions
     

    • Whisk together all your ingredients (except the vanilla) in a heavy-bottom saucepan on medium-high heat and bring to a boil.
    • Bring down to a simmer and whisk until it thickens (it takes me about 13 minutes – but make sure not to thicken it too much; it will continue to harden as it cools).
    • Once thick enough, whisk in the ¼ teaspoon vanilla then remove from the heat.
    • Very carefully pour the caramel into a heatproof container. Allow to cool slightly before using (remember: hot sugar!).

    Video

    Notes

    The sauce will harden as it cools. However, you can just pop it into the microwave for a few seconds to soften it up again.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 52kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 1gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 9mgSodium: 52mgPotassium: 12mgSugar: 7gVitamin A: 99IUCalcium: 8mgIron: 1mg

    Nutritional information are estimates only.

    Tried this recipe? Leave a star rating today!Also tag @iamtheunlikelybaker I’d love to see your creations.

    Happy sauce-making!

    Did you make homemade salted caramel sauce? I’d love to hear from you in the comments section below.

    And let’s get social! Find me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram or Twitter.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Gloria

      April 14, 2016 at 8:57 am

      Salted Caramel is so good…and this sauce can be used on so many things. Yummy!!

      Reply
      • Jolina

        April 19, 2016 at 12:48 am

        I agree! It goes really well with so many things 🙂

        Reply
    2. Dannii

      April 14, 2016 at 7:49 am

      I want to put this sauce on everything! I am obsessed with salted caramel, but I have never made it myself.

      Reply
      • Jolina

        April 19, 2016 at 12:50 am

        It really goes well with so many things! I encourage you to try it. It’s a small-batch recipe and very easy to do 🙂

        Reply
    3. Florentina

      April 13, 2016 at 6:47 pm

      5 stars
      I made a batch pronto and drizzled on my iced lattes this morning. So tasty ! yum!

      Reply
      • Jolina

        April 19, 2016 at 12:52 am

        Awesome! Quick and easy and goes really well with iced lattes 🙂

        Reply
    4. Christine

      April 13, 2016 at 11:54 am

      Can’t believe how easy it is to make your own caramel sauce. 🙂

      Reply
      • Jolina

        April 19, 2016 at 12:55 am

        I know! It’s super easy 🙂 No excuse not to make it now 🙂

        Reply
    5. Jennifer

      April 13, 2016 at 10:41 am

      I will definitely give this a try! I’m not the biggest caramel fan either but salted caramel sauce over ice cream or a cheesecake – heaven! Love that you shared a recipe that’s only for a third of a cup. Because who really needs a whole jar, right? Pinned it and will for sure visit your blog again 🙂

      Reply
      • Jolina

        April 19, 2016 at 12:57 am

        That was exactly what I intended – just make what you actually need. I didn’t want to deal with a whole jar of it. And it’s so simple to make that you can just make another batch. Hope you try it!

        Reply
    6. Sarah Harris

      April 13, 2016 at 2:08 am

      Thank you so much for a quick and easy recipe to solve our craving – love sweet / salt combo!

      Reply
      • Jolina

        April 19, 2016 at 12:59 am

        You’re very welcome Sarah! And yes, hard to beat sweet-salty combo 🙂

        Reply
    7. Cynthia

      April 13, 2016 at 12:58 am

      Oh this looks goooooood. And I’m like you, not really a caramel girl. Will give it a whirl cos it looks divine!x

      Reply
      • Jolina

        April 19, 2016 at 1:01 am

        Hope this makes a convert out of you too 🙂 Thanks for passing by Cynthia!

        Reply
    8. Kim

      April 12, 2016 at 9:01 pm

      YUM! This would be good on so many things! Cookies, brownies, strawberries, ice cream….so many ideas!

      Reply
      • Jolina

        April 19, 2016 at 1:02 am

        Cheesecake, cake, fruit, spoon 🙂

        Reply
    9. Oriana

      April 12, 2016 at 11:10 am

      This looks so amazing. Am I allowed to just eat it with a spoon? Bookmarking to try soon.

      Reply
      • Jolina

        April 12, 2016 at 6:44 pm

        Oh absolutely Oriana! Enjoy 🙂

        Reply
    10. Bintu

      April 12, 2016 at 10:52 am

      Oh thank goodness! The only recipe I have makes such a HUGE batch it always goes to waste. Thanks for this small batch recipe 🙂

      Reply
      • Jolina

        April 12, 2016 at 6:50 pm

        I know right? I love that it saves me from doing math while I’m already busy baking lol. Hope you find it useful!

        Reply
    11. Priya

      April 12, 2016 at 9:28 am

      I’m fan of caramel sauce but till now never tried salted version. This looks heavenly ans I guess time for me to try some 🙂

      Reply
      • Jolina

        April 12, 2016 at 6:51 pm

        If you’re already a fan of caramel, I think you will like salted caramel too! Thanks for stopping by Priya!

        Reply
    12. Diana

      April 12, 2016 at 9:14 am

      Salted caramel is like one of my favourite things ever! I don’t know why I never tried making my own!

      Reply
      • Jolina

        April 12, 2016 at 7:00 pm

        It’s my new favourite too 🙂 Try to make some, it’s easy I promise!

        Reply
    13. Nicoletta

      April 12, 2016 at 2:28 am

      I am still cautious on sweets that are too sweet, and that includes caramel. But I want to be like you and trust good friends, so I am going to try your recipes (and possibly put in on ice cream). I have never made a caramel sauce and tried to avoid everything with caramel, but this is going to change 🙂 . Looks beautiful!

      Reply
      • Jolina

        April 12, 2016 at 7:07 pm

        I don’t like traditional caramel too precisely because it’s too sweet. Hope this doesn’t turn out too sweet for you Nicoletta! (I’m feeling the pressure now lol!)

        Reply
    14. Liz

      April 11, 2016 at 2:52 pm

      Isn’t salted caramel just a revelation? I would put it on literally everything if I could. Some recipes are tricky for me – especially if they start out with melting just pure sugar which I always seem to burn – but THIS recipe seems like one I can handle! Can’t wait for the cupcakes!

      Reply
      • Jolina

        April 11, 2016 at 9:44 pm

        Yes! I went from hating caramel to loving salted caramel 🙂 And trust me, this is easy. I think the hardest part for me was deciding when it was thick enough….I’m excited about the cupcakes too!

        Reply
    15. Vivian

      April 11, 2016 at 9:04 am

      Don’t you just love finding out that something you used to dislike can be oh so delicious? This recipe sounds incredible, so easy to have ready to use! I’ll pin it to my pinterest so I can make it whenever I feel like baking 🙂

      Reply
      • Jolina

        April 11, 2016 at 9:32 pm

        Yeah, it was really a complete turnaround. I mean, I don’t even eat Werther’s lol. Thanks for stopping by!

        Reply
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    4.75 from 4 votes (1 rating without comment)

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