Salted Caramel Sauce
Updated September 16, 2024
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Quick Summary
You only need 4 ingredients to make this easy homemade salted caramel sauce recipe. It is the BEST and good on just about everything. Make in 10 minutes and take your desserts from wow… to WHOA!
Pin this now to find it later
Pin ItI love caramel everything and this Salted Caramel Sauce is DREAMY! It is easy to make at home. You only need 4 ingredients.
It is great with ice cream, drizzled over cheesecake, or a galette, swirled into brownies, served with apples, or eaten with a spoon right out of the jar.
I also love using my homemade caramel sauce to make pumpkin pie, apple crumb bars, or Biscoff caramel cookie bars.
I love having a jar in the fridge at all times and it also makes a fantastic homemade gift!
Table of Contents
Ingredients
You only need 4 ingredients!
- Granulated sugar
- Unsalted butter– at room temperature and cut into pieces
- Heavy cream– at room temperature
- Flaky Sea Salt
How to Make Salted Caramel Sauce
If you haven’t made caramel sauce before, don’t be scared. It really is easy, you just have to pay close attention to the caramel. With a little tender love and care, you can create the most amazing homemade caramel sauce.
- First, make sure you have all of the ingredients ready. Once you start the caramel sauce you have to pay close attention so you don’t burn it.
- To begin, heat the sugar over medium high-heat in the bottom of a heavy 2-3 quart saucepan. When the sugar starts to melt, start whisking the sugar. The sugar will clump up, but keep whisking. It will continue to melt. When the sugar is melted, stop whisking. You can swirl the pan to move the sugar around.
- Continue cooking the sugar until it reaches a deep amber color. Make sure you watch the pan very closely. This is where it is easy to burn the caramel.
- As soon as the sugar reaches the dark amber color, carefully add the butter. Stir until butter is melted.
- Remove the pan from the heat and slowly pour in the heavy cream. Whisk until cream is incorporated and caramel is smooth. Whisk in the flaky sea salt.
- Let the caramel sauce cool for about 10 minutes in the pan. Pour the caramel into a large jar and cool to room temperature.
Recipe Tips
- Make sure you have all of your ingredients ready to go before you start making the caramel sauce.
- You don’t have to use a candy thermometer with this recipe, but you do have to watch the caramel sauce VERY closely! You don’t want to burn it and it can start turning dark in color quickly. The caramel sauce should be a dark amber color.
- Add the butter and stir until it melts into the sauce.
- Carefully pour in the heavy cream. The caramel sauce will be hot and you don’t want it to splash.
- Use flaky sea salt and not regular salt. The salt crystals are fine, delicate, and have a high concentration of minerals, making them the perfect finishing salt. They dissolve instantly when sprinkled into the caramel, adding the perfect touch of salt without interfering with the smooth caramel texture. And if for some reason you don’t like salt in your caramel, you can omit it and make regular caramel sauce.
How to Store
- When the caramel sauce is cool, place the lid on the jar and store in the refrigerator for up to one month.
- The sauce will be very thick when it is cold, right out of the fridge. Heat it up for 15 to 30 seconds in the microwave and give it a good stir.
- You can freeze caramel sauce. Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature, then heat up before using.
Using Salted Caramel Topping
This recipe makes about two cups of Salted Caramel Sauce and can be used for SO many things!
- It is great drizzled over ice cream, brownies, bars, cake, pie, cheesecake, a skillet cookie, and more. I think I would eat anything that had this salted caramel sauce drizzled all over it. We also use it to make frosting.
- For a sweet afternoon snack, I like to dip my apple, peach or pear slices into a little bit of creamy caramel. SO good!
- Add a little to a cup of hot chocolate or coffee.
- I also love to give the sauce as a nice homemade gift. Tie the jar with a little ribbon, add a card, and you have the perfect gift for anyone!
More Salted Caramel Recipes
- Brown Butter Salted Caramel Snickerdoodles
- Salted Caramel Apple Crumb Bars
- Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Salted Caramel Pretzel Brownies
- Salted Caramel Pretzel Fudge
- Salted Caramel Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookies
Salted Caramel Sauce
The BEST salted caramel sauce! It's easy to make and is great drizzled over ice cream, cake, cookies, cupcakes, cheesecake…and anything else you can think of!
Ingredients
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into pieces
- 1 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
- 1 to 2 teaspoons fleur de sel or Maldon sea salt flakes* see note
Instructions
- First, make sure you have all of the ingredients ready. Once you start the caramel sauce you have to pay close attention so you don’t burn it. To begin, heat the sugar over medium high-heat in the bottom of a heavy 2-3 quart saucepan. When the sugar starts to melt, start whisking the sugar. The sugar will clump up, but keep whisking. It will continue to melt. When the sugar is melted, stop whisking. You can swirl the pan to move the sugar around.
- Continue cooking the sugar until it reaches a deep amber color. Make sure you watch the pan very closely. This is where it is easy to burn the caramel.
- As soon as the sugar reaches the dark amber color, carefully add the butter. Stir until butter is melted.
- Remove the pan from the heat and slowly pour in the heavy cream. Whisk until cream is incorporated and caramel is smooth. Whisk in the fleur de sel or Maldon sea salt flakes.
- Let the caramel sauce cool for about 10 minutes in the pan. Pour the caramel into a large jar and cool to room temperature. Put the salted caramel sauce in the refrigerator. Store the salted caramel sauce in the refrigerator for about a month.
Notes
Make sure you use fleur de sel or Maldon flaky sea salt! Don’t use regular salt. Add salt to taste. Start with 1 teaspoon and add more. It is salted caramel sauce and should be a little salty. I usually add about 1 tablespoon or Maldon sea salt flakes but I like a salty kick. Start small and add more if you want!
Nutrition
Calories: 223kcal, Carbohydrates: 25g, Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Cholesterol: 42mg, Sodium: 7mg, Potassium: 13mg, Sugar: 24g, Vitamin A: 480IU, Vitamin C: 0.1mg, Calcium: 12mg
Have you tried this recipe?
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Oh goodness, I could go for a swim in that sauce!
Homemade caramel sauce is like nothing else. Sooooo so good. Glad you gave it it’s own post. Pinning!
Such a beautiful color. I love caramel sauce on good vanilla ice cream.
Oh man, I can see putting this sauce on everything!!!!!!!!!!
This sauce would be the star of the show by putting it on anything! I’m thinking even a slice of just plain cheesecake! I always have heavy whipping cream in my fridge…for emergencies like this!
Homemade caramel sauce is always the best! Great shots!
WOW!! I want this by the spoonful and drizzled all over everything!
Love these photos!! Of course Weck jars are the cutest.
This recipe is so going on the fridge to make asap. Now I can’t stop thinking about drizzling it over cheese cake…
omg, i love that cute little whisk of yours!! i would drizzle this on every nook and crannie of everything i possibly could. sweet & salty, salty and salty? haha 🙂 yum!
Love Love Love slated caramel! Dangerous to keep around 🙂
This will be great for when it is time to start making our homemade ice cream!
Love these photos Maria- some of your best!
This is very similar to my salted caramel recipe and I can verify that it’s to die for!
what a great recipe, everyone should know how to make this! thanks you for sharing it!
This recipe and photo looks great!
This looks delicious, and I need to make it!
can’t wait to make this, we’ll have it on apples for an after school snack and then I see it dressing up some ice cream with friends on Friday. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
I can’t wait to make this! We’ll have it with apples for an after school snack today and then I see it dressing up ice cream with friends on Friday. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Yum! I love salted caramel sauce. I’ve made salted caramel candies before, so why not the sauce rather than buying jars of it? Thanks for the recipe!
By the way, did you know that your salted caramel Easter popcorn was posted on the Tiny Prints blog yesterday? http://blog.tinyprints.com/inspiration-2/inspiration-boards-2/easter-party-inspiration-board-2/
I recognized it immediately, because when I first saw it on your site, I went ahead and made it myself! http://redpoppypinkpeony.blogspot.com/2012/04/easter-festivities.html
I have not had salted caramel sauce. I will have to fix that!
yum… i love salted caramel… i could drink the stuff!
I love this sauce warmed up and stirred into my coffee:D
Whoa! I want to drizzle this on everything (and just eat it off a spoon…).
Mmmm! It looks so delicious and your photographs look amazing!
I’ve been looking for a good caramel sauce recipe. This sounds fantastic! Thanks, Maria!
ummm I dont even have words for this. I need an IV of this hooked up to my arm immediately!
YUM !!! I love multi purpose recipes- this is a winner. What a great holday gift idea – who wouldn’t love to recieve a jar full of that golden lusciousness.
Nothing compares to homemade caramel sauce! This looks great, Maria.
Love salted caramel sauce! And I have those Weck jars and they’re my absolute favorite! Can’t get enough 🙂 And I’m totally going to have to make a jar of this for my mother, she’d love it!
Do you add the butter all at once?
I could just eat this stuff with a spoon! No really, I mean it – salted caramel is one of my biggest weaknesses. ESP when it’s falling off of that whisk. Kill me dead!
Definitely deserving of it’s own post! Endless possibilities….
There’s nothing better than the salty-sweet balance of salted caramel! Love the photos.
Mmm… I’ve been waiting for this recipe for a while. Definitely bookmarking!
Wow, this looks great! Can’t wait to make this recipe – I would love to have a jar of it in my fridge at all times!
This looks amazing and sooooooo simple, can’t wait to try !
I once got salted caramel in a jar as a teachers gift. I ate it with a spoon! Now I can make my own, thanks!
I need to have this in my life in a big way!
So I have never made my own caramel sauce. I know, wtf?! This looks amazing and it doesn’t seem too difficult!
What is it about caramel that just makes you want to hum a tune. Gorgeous darlin’!
Phew! This does look good! Stunning photos! I agree – its not that hard to make – I have made your version before and it worked out PERFECTLY! I would recommend it to ANYONE!
I am definitely saving this recipe, looks fabulous!
Pass me a jar of this and a spoon and I’m a happy girl. Everything’s better with a little caramel sauce!
Salted caramel is both the love and the bane of my existence…love because it’s so delicious and bane because I keep going back to the fridge to sneak tastes! I’ll have to try your version…looks luscious.
Hiya! This is the second time visiting now and I just wanted to say I truley enjoy reading your weblog.
I have decided to bookmark it at digg.com with your title:
Salted Caramel Sauce Recipe | Salted Caramel | Caramel Sauce | Two Peas & Their
Pod and your Web address: http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.
com/salted-caramel-sauce/. I hope this is fine with you, I’m making an attempt to give your good blog a bit more coverage. Be back soon.
Love this, Maria!
Gorgeous and so delicious!
I want to bathe in it.
I usually CAN’T stop myself from drinking it straight from the jar, ha! Homemade salted caramel sauce is incredible. Yours looks awesome!
thanks so much for the SOLO post on this!! i also really appreciate you answering my question in a previous post (in february) about salted caramel sauce & my stress with it one time!! i’m excited to try it again…
we LOVE LOVE LOVE your blog & regularly make several of your recipes, both originals & others, and i am so very happy to refer everyone i know to your site!
p.s. trying the pb filled pretzels SOON – we’ve made the plain ones twice in the past couple weeks, always to RAVE reviews!!!
Yum, this looks so good, I’m totally addicted to salted caramel sauce!
I need this caramel sauce in my life! Love the drizzle!!!!!
I think there may be some problems with your recipe instructions… melt sugar and then add sugar? I’m assuming that should be melt butter, then add sugar and cream? It looks delicious, I’m going to try it today.
I just read the recipe and I don’t see melt sugar and then add sugar. It looks fine to me. What am I missing?
This sounds great! Quick question: I only have regular sea salt available to me, does the equivalent change? Or do I still use 1 tbsp?
Wow this was delicious!! It was my first time making caramel so I was really nervous bit it came out great even though I don’t have a candy thermometer. Only thing I would change is less salt. I used kosher salt, not thinking that yours were bigger so I should’ve cut the amount. Still awesome though.
I made Martha Stewart’s toasted coconut chocolate pie and added a thin layer of this caramel between the coconut and chocolate and drizzled some on the crust… Hoping it tastes like Samoa pie!!
This stuff is amazing I could drink it out of a glass!
Just made this– it is incredibly simple, quick, and delicious!! I made it to put over cheesecake (for a dinner party), but had to try some over vanilla ice cream. This recipe is fantastic!
I had salted caramel pretzel ice cream. How could I use this in that?
I just made this and followed everything except that I cut the recipe in half and I used Murray River sea salt. This is the BEST caramel sauce recipe! Granted, it’s only the second time I have made a caramel sauce.
Your directions were perfect. I would have panicked if I didn’t know what to expect.
Please note that you should not touch the sugar on your whisk while cooking. Ouch!
I got it too dark. I was using my candy thermometer and took it off at 340 it tastes over done…I guess should have gone by sight,but wanted it to be just right
I had some trouble with this the sugar never really melted, it just kind of clumped. When I have made caramel before I have added water to the sugar before heating. Is that what you do? Or do you put the sugar in there dry?
I couldn’t find heavy cream locally and I’m wondering what I can use as a substitute? I only see all-purpose cream and whipped cream here.
I have only used heavy cream, but you can try whipping cream. I have never seen all-purpose cream. That might work too, I am just not familiar with it.
Your recipe is by far the best one I’ve found for salted caramel sauce!! Thanks so much for posting it. Just had a bit of trouble at the end when I added the cream, I got a few clumps in the sauce as soon as I poured in the cream and I stirred for a while but they just would not dissolve. So finally I just strained out the sugar clumps. But the end result (minus the strained out clumps) was amazing!!!
This may be one of the best things I have ever had! It is so good!! Thanks for sharing.
I got the sugar temp up to 350 degrees using a candy thermometer, and my caramel has a dark color and burned taste. Do you think I had too high of a flame?
Probably. You don’t want the caramel to have a dark color, a light caramel color.
I made this on Monday, along with your Brown Butter Pumpkin Cupcake recipe, and the caramel sauce was soo good. I didn’t realize the recipe included with the cupcake recipe would make so much extra, but boy was I glad it did. It’s the perfect consistency, and so delish. I had to restrain myself from eating it by the spoonfuls. The cupcakes were amazing also, one of my new favorites. 🙂
I must do this! Can I do it and keep it in the freezer?
I just whipped up a batch of this sauce and it is amazing! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe.
After failing three times making salted caramel from a different recipe, I came across this one and made it perfectly the first time! So simple to make (even without thermometer). Thank you for much for the great recipe! You saved my cheesecake 🙂
This is soooooo the keeper! I just made a batch along with my Cremery Hot Fudge Sauce to take to an ice cream party tonight and it turned out brilliantly. Once the sugar really started to melt I was amazed at how quickly it came to 350 deg – which by the way, is just the right temp for me as far as the toastiness of the caramel. I have to admit that some of the caramel we had in France was just too burnt for me and my husband’s taste. The only change I made was that I added some good quality vanilla but other than that, the recipe stands as is. Thank you!
That recipe is AMAZING. Thank you so much for sharing! I think I’ll stop getting caramel macchiatos at Starbucks now. 😉
I love salted caramel in my coffee (I make a pseudo latte) and this will be perfect! I don’t like using the bottled stuff.
Wow, so easy! First time I tried it turned out perfect! I used French organic sea salt and put in a little more than the recipe, great!
I think you mean for the temp to be 220-250, not 350.
OMGoodness …. I am soooo pleased to know you’ve featured this Salted Caramel Sauce recipe. The top shelf of my fridge will never be without a jar of this sauce. Merci beaucoups!
FANTASTIC! just some notes to those who may be tempted to try this:
It is true…the sugar will go from light to dark syrup VERY fast. I found that removing from the heat while breaking down the last of the sugar helped, placing it back on the burner frequently to keep it molten and smooth.
When you add the butter, add the first several chunks gradually. It foams and sizzles. Keep it on the heat or the mix will get too cold too fast. In my attempt I whisked vigorously while adding, but for a moment I had a scare when all the butter was a liquid lake on top of the caramel…didn’t want to emulsify with syrup. Rather than continuing to try to get it to go in…and risk scorching the butter, I started adding the cream….it went in no problem to form a smooth mix.
Add the first 1/2 cup cream in portions and be prepared for a foam up. Once the worst if the foaming has died down, the rest can be added carefully. Use fast whisking when adding cream.
Lastly, I held the mix warm with constant whisking for a few minutes to ensure all was in, then poured it through a sieve to get any remaining chunks of sugar that had stuck to the sides out.
Delish….wish immediately sent me to store to get vanilla ice dream!
I haven’t made candy or anything even close to candy in the last 45 plus years and was a bit concerned about trying this…. piece of candy…. so easy. I just stuck really close to the stove and was very patient with each process. It turned out beautifully and will not hesitate to try it again. Thank you !! I didn’t even have a candy thermometer !
I forgot to add that I entered this recipe as a side topping in the Marion County Women’s Dairy Cheesecake contest and won first place.
I can’t wait to try this!
Alton Brown’s Chocolate Lava Muffins and vanilla bean ice cream topped with this salted caramel sauce…absolutely to die for! I made this today as a lunchtime dessert for a group of girlfriends. The caramel sauce alone could have been dessert. I followed your instructions to the letter, and the sauce turned out perfectly! Thanks for a great recipe that will get a lot of use at my house!
Wow! Thank you so much! I have made 5 batches in the last month and a half! ( 2 out of 5 I burnt 🙂
I just made this sauce and it is AMAZING! My eyes literally popped when I tried the first spoonful!
This is the BEST caramel sauce and so easy to make…. I always cut the recipe in half as it makes and ample amount. I used it along with my cheesecake entry in our local county fair and won first place !! I gave a 4 oz canning jar to friends and they loved it. They returned the jar with a request for a refill. THANK YOU .
Tried this twice without success. The first time I had my stovetop on medium (5/10) and the temperature shot right past 350 to over 400 and boiled over (yay for 2nd degree burns). The sugar took way longer than the prep and cook time listed so I figured the temp was going to be ok, but apparently not. The second time I had my stovetop on 3.5/10. The candy thermometer was just under 350 when held up off the bottom of the pan, but got up to 375 or so when touching the bottom of the pan. This one burned, too, but not as badly. Took 40 minutes to melt the sugar, so I can’t figure out why it’s still burning. What am I doing wrong?
Oh my Goodness. This is the best sauce I have ever tasted. And so easy to make. I have to keep busy when I am at home to avoid reaching for it and stealing a few spoonfuls… It is delicious drizzled on fresh sliced peaches with vanilla yogurt or ice cream… The fruit makes it healthy 🙂
So good! Made it for the second time tonight- we add it to our lattes in the morning making a very yummy morning. Even easier the 2nd time around. THANKS
Hello,
I attempted to make this tonight and it did not turn out like yours at all..The caramel was really dark, not amber.Plus it was runny and not thick. 🙁 🙁
Two things:
One, I bought the heavy cream a month ago, froze it, then defrosted it to use tonight. Could that have impacted it?
Two: Was I supposed to let the butter and sugar cook for a while or quickly add in each peace as soon as the last one melted?
Now I have two pints worth of icky tasting caramel and I dont know what to do with it. Any suggestions?
I made this today and it was wonderful. Very easy and straightforward. I used it on a panna cotta with toasted pecans and strawberries. perfect.
I just made this sauce, and it turned out a little burnt. It’s still pretty tasty, but much darker than it should be. I found that the sugar got caught in my whisk in the melting stage, and a lot of sugar stuck to the sides of the pan. Next time, I’d use a wooden spoon until I got to the cream addition. I’ve had better luck in the past with recipes that called for adding a bit of water to the sugar to start. Thanks for the variation, I’ll keep trying!
Hi guys, I’m going to try it, sounds amazing, can I substitute to brown sugar?, thanks.
This was so delicious and so easy, thank you. The only issue I had was once I started to pour the cream – which was not at room temperature which was my fault – the caramel started to harden quickly but I just brought it back to the stove and heated it up until it all came together and then it was perfect. So flavorful. I let it cool and put it into a glass jar. Just topped off my apple cider with it and it was Devine. Thanks again
So would this sauce harden if I put it on top of something and put it in the fridge?
It will get cold and firm up, but it won’t harden.
O.M.G. So, so good. Thank you!
What an enormous disaster. I tried three times to make this recipe this afternoon, for a dinner party that starts in one hour, to no success at all. I want my six cups of sugar and two hours of my life back! What a mistake! Don’t try this recipe, it is way too difficult, and I have 35 years of cooking experience. I ended up with sugar rocks. I really resent the time and ingredients I wasted.
Oh my goodness is this recipe FABULOUS! I was very nervous to try it and I am so glad I mustered up the courage. I am currently eating a spoonful of this yummy goodness as it cools. Super easy and quick. Carol H- try it again! I will never buy store bought caramel sauce again. Thank you for the recipe!
I agree with carol.h! I spent HOURS and I do mean literally HOURS trying to get this recipe to work. An entire bag of sugar wasted. I have made Carmel before and dearly with I could find THAT recipe again because it worked. I am SO disappointed.
How long does the caramel sauce last in the refrigerator? Thinking this would be awesome as Christmas presents for neighbors
It may look divine and scrumptious, but I shudder to think what it would taste like with 1 TABLESPOON of salt! (Has anyone noticed this?) I suggest switching that up with 1 TEASPOON.
Is it possible to have the ingredients in grams? How much is 12 tablespoons of butter? (on the internet I found answers that varied from 160 to 212 gr). thank you
Hi. Found this through pinterest and just couldn’t get my eyes off the salted caramel pic! Haha 🙂 hoping to try doibg it myself. But what can i substitute the fleur de sel or maldon sea salt flakes with? I dont think we have it here. Can i use table salt/iodized salt instead? Thanks 🙂
You can use regular table salt if that is all you have. Enjoy!
Hi,
This recipe seems so easy—–I have made many caramel recipes before but most had a little water to get the sugar melting. It took a very long time for the sugar to melt due to low temp so the sugar would not burn. Then getting the lumps stirred out took quite some time. Then get it to 350 and not stirring, made for another issue for me. Finally 350 and it looked a little darker than I would have liked although it was dark amber as the recipe stated. Added the butter and it took quite some time to incorporate it into the sugar–it just wanted to float on top of the melted sugar. I then added the heavy cream and whisked a while and it did get creamy. Added the salt although I only added 2 teaspoons.
The pictures are great, lovely color. Mine came out a bit darker but okay.
I applaud the creator of this recipe but there are much easier caramel recipes out there. If you make this make sure you dedicate, without interruptions, quite a bit of time.
It’s me again. I read through all of the reviews and noticed that those who did not use a candy thermometer did the best. I think 350 is just too high a temp because that brings it past the amber color. It still took quite some time to complete the recipe.
hi, am wanted to add this to a hot chocolate truffle recipe (http://www.yourcupofcake.com/2011/12/hot-chocolate-truffles.html) and wondered what would happen if I didn’t add the cream at the end? any ideas? would it just be really thick, like candy, or is it just plain a bad idea… figured I would add it while everything is hot still (chocolate and caramel) then stir them together and let it cool. Thanks!
I haven’t tried making it that way. If you try it, let me know! They sound good:)
What’s the shelf life for this? That’s providing it isn’t eaten very quickly!
After a botched attempt with a different recipe (it never turned color and crystalized before carmelizing), I found this recipe on your blog and gave it a go. It turned out perfectly – the photos were a help, as was the advice of using the thermometer. It’s fabulous! Thank you.
I have now made this caramel twice with exceptional results. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Two pieces of advise: 1) You melt the sugar until it is “deep amber”. But I read elsewhere the way to get your caramel perfect is to swirl the molten liquid until you see the first hint of smoke in the sauce pan. That is exactly how I determine when it is ready for the other ingredients. 2) I have never been able to find the “fleur de sel or Maldon sea salt flakes” so I use standard sea salt. DO NOT USE the quantity shown because sea salt in aggregate form is NOT the same as sea salt flakes. I recommend the smallest pinch of sea salt you can manage. You will feel as though there is no where near enough salt to even taste it, but trust me you can and any more will ruin it. This stuff is amazing on pies, in hot chocolate, ice cream….you name it. Worth putting this in your recipe book!
Doesn’t work
Hi, I made this sauce it was really gross at first but then I whisked it on low heat for about 5 minutes. It thickened but I hated the taste. My mom loved it but I didn’t. It tasted like burned sugar. I’m so confused on how to make this taste right. HELP!!
350*???? That seems way too hot?? I tried twice and both tasted burnt.
I made this caramel sauce as Christmas presents to my entire list of family and friends. I ended up with a total of 24 small ball jars which means I made this recipe 6 times! It gets easier and better each time you make it and the Molton salt is a MUST! Thanks for this recipe EVERYONE really enjoyed it and I linked them to your blog for the recipe! I feel like you deserve it! THANKS
I am so glad you liked the caramel sauce!
BTW…I took my time on medium heat, did not stop whisking/stirring until the sugar was completely melted and was an amazing amber color. You have to be patient with this recipe, if you invest the time you will be rewarded. I removed it from heat and added the butter( it will bubble and splash if not careful) returned to heat on low, stir stir until melted, then remove from heat again add cream until the caramel sets up. It becomes kinda taffy like but keep stirring, them add salt, then rest and pour and ENJOY!
Saw this recipe. Tried this recipe. Fell in love with this recipe! It is everything I expected and more. This is such good stuff!
The instructions are perfect, down to the part about switching to a wooden spoon. This is so easy, but it tastes like something from a restaurant that has won the James Beard Award!
Bravo!!!
I made this recipe twice already. Delicious. I have several mason jars in my fridge waiting for this weekend’s party. My only problem/question however, is how do I serve it? Am I supposed to warm it up or serve it out of the jar? I put some caramel sauce on my ice cream and it hardened up. Am I supposed to do something differently? Please advise ASAP. Thank you so much for this recipe. I could literally lick the bowl clean.
Man this is so good! It was a little work after some of the sugar crystallized around the edges, but I whisked through and it came out great.
And like you said, it’s great right out of the jar all on it’s own 😉
Great photographs as usual here, thanks!
Hi Peas, I LOVE this sauce, however, I always end up with a chewy chunk of salt in mine. Where am I going wrong?
What kind of salt are you using?
thaaaank you for sharing this recipe! <3
My wife and I made this recipe. It turned out absolutely perfect!!! Unfortunately it doesn’t last a month. It only lasts about 3 days because I keep spooning it right out of the jar and into my mouth every time I pass the fridge. I think I’m now addicted to the stuff and will soon have to admit myself into some sort of Salted Caramel treatment facility. I’m sure because of this recipe, they DO exist!!!! Ha, ha, ha, ha!! It’s to die for and sooooooooo good!!!! Thanks for posting it! 🙂
I’ve bought similar sauces (Stonewall Kitchen comes to mind) and they are in sealed jars. Do you know of a way to can this? I think it could make great gifts if it could be canned.
I haven’t canned the caramel because I am not a canner. I am sure it would work though!
Did anyone find out whether it could successfully and safely be canned, preferably in a hot water bath not a pressure canner? I want to make a bunch and give it to relatives for Christmas, but I just don’t have room in the fridge to store 20 jars!
I loved this recipe! I used it for my chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwiches. It will be on my blog soon, and I will give you credit and a shout out. Thanks again!
-Liz
HELP FAST… I am making this now. I have everything ready but salt. Can I use kosher salt?
Hi, I am going to make some salted caramel cupcakes and would really love to try this recipe. I am struggling to find the right salt and wondered if fine sea salt would work and if I would use the same amounts? Thank you very much!
Awesome salted caramel recipe!!! Thanks :DDD
I’ve nads this sauce three times and it never works for me! Always ends up in a clump of caramel. Any ideas? 🙁
Help! I made this last night (twice, actually, because the first time I tried before my husband was here to watch the kids and with all the distractions I burned the first one lol) but I found the initial sauce was very runny, and almost too sweet. I figured once it cooled down it would be thicker and work right, but I just pulled it out of the fridge to check and found that it has turned into a grainy, crystallized mess. It separated, so there’s some ‘fat’ on top from the butter, center is just soft crystallized sugar gel, and there’s a clear liquid on the bottom. What would cause that? I waited to put it in the fridge until it was completely cool, and it wasn’t grainy when I first made it. 🙁
This may be a silly question, but I am packing a crate to ship across the country with baked goods and tummy yummies for a week in a mountain ski cabin with 50 cousins. (We breed like gnomes.) If I made the sauce, poured it in a sterile jar, and water processed it, do you think it would be fine a week later when I get to Washington? It will be stored in a cool place until I get there…
I think so as long as it is kept in a cool place!
Is the sugar really supposed to reach 350 degrees? That seems very high.
I’ve made this too without using a thermometer but it hardens on ice cream. Any ideas?
What can I use besides sea salt flakes. What’s the equivalent using regular sea salt.
I think I burned mine…
Just cook the caramel to 300 degrees and decrease the salt a bit and it will turn out perfect. That’s what I did and it turned out primo!
This is going to be sublime in my coffee.
Just a quick check – does the 350 degrees take altitude into account?
Thanks.
I don’t adjust for high altitude.
Thanks.
how long can i keep this ? do i have to store it in the fridge ?
I keep mine in the fridge. It will keep for 2-3 weeks.
I just made a 1/2 recipe of this sauce. I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out great. I did have to put the final product through a strainer on its way to the jar as some sugar particles did not dissolve well enough. Small, easy step. Was wonderful on ice cream and can’t imagine anything it would not be great on. Thank you for the recipe. The photos made it a must-make.
I stirred in 4oz. Of chopped chocolate at the end… Heaven!
Oh my! I made homemade salted caramel ice cream and decided this salted caramel sauce would be the perfect topping. Was I ever right! We loved, loved it. I’m already thinking about making it again and taking it to work. It is amazing…..
Glad you liked it!
This was an easy recipe to follow. And it will be delicious especially on vanilla ice cream with bananas. My only question is: Is the 1 tablespoon salt a correct amount? I made this and was second guessing and I should have listened to my instinct. It was way, way too salty. I had to make a second batch without salt to help mellow it out and it’s still overly salty. I would suggest 1 teaspoon in my opinion because you can always add more Otherwise, it’s the better of the caramels I have made…probably because I mostly wreck them 😉 Thanks for sharing.
This was so easy and SO good it practically brought tears to my eyes! First attempt at making caramel sauce and I’ll never buy store bought caramel again!
I think you made a boo boo with that temperature of 350 F – if you boiled it that far you would have toffee like rock. I think you should change to about 200. Just and observation and not wishing to be a smart Alek.
Regards,
Mike
I am wondering if you could use this recipe for caramel apples, or is the kind with condensed milk better to use?
We love dipping apples into this sauce. If you want coated apples, I would use a different recipe
This caramel sauce is so delicious! I have made it many, many times and it always turns out perfectly! I’ve always followed the recipe exactly, but I was wondering about making a large batch of this (I want to put it in jars and give as gifts). Have you ever multiplied the recipe to make a larger batch? Does it effect how it turns out? Any tips? Thanks in advance!
Are you certain you mean 350 degrees (F)?
I just was wondering that. Cause I made 2 batches and it didn’t really seem that the sugar was burned, but when I added the other things in, it seemed those burnt really fast and it tasted of burnt butter.
Love the sauce! Currently drinking dark chocolate, salted caramel hot cocoa.
I did want to point out the (I think) typo regarding the temperature. I got the sugar to 250 (firm/hard ball stage) NOT 350 because the sugar is alone, not in a syrup. My sauce turned out perfect so I don’t know if the temperature in the recipe is truly a typo or if I just got lucky.
But I cannot stress enough how decadent this sauce is!
I tried to make two batches yesterday and both times I didn’t burn the sugar, that I used a candy thermometer to 350, but it tasted like the butter burnt… Do you know why this is? And the cream seemed to make it a really dark color, not the beautiful color you have in the pictures. Any thought? Consistency and texture are all correct just the taste is awful.
You need to fix your recipe directions. 350 degrees on a candy thermometer is hard crack stage and I just made a hard candy mess in my kitchen.
Wow, really good. I substituted an equal amount of Palm sugar for the white and added less than a teaspoon of water. Turned out great. Putting this in coffee. Thanks.
i have been looking for a good caramel sauce recipe to dip preztel rods in . Is this sauce thick enough and does it get hard enough to do this. I f not if you just cooked it awhile longer do you think that would work?? thank you and cant wait to try it!!
It is more of a sauce. I think if you cook it longer, it will just burn. For soft caramel you will want a different recipe.
So, if you don’t have unsalted butter on hand, could you just use salted butter and maybe reduce the amount of salt in the recipe?
What is a cup of sugar in ounces?
Also, what is a cup of cream in fluid ounces?
Thanks
Ilove all your recipes keep up the good work, and thank you for them with all of us!1
Can we use just the regular iodized salt on this?
Oh my goodness!!!!! It’s beyoooond amazing!! But be super careful not to splash any on you as u add the butter!!!!! Holy! Instant blister!!! But as I sit here with my thumb on ice I’m licking the deliciousness off the spoon!!
Deceiving recipe. There are SO many hard chunks of sugar that do NOT Melt! I’ve whisked and whisked then added cream and tons of big sugar chunks! I will have to go with a jar caramel sauce now. This recipe just isn’t reliable.
Please help! My caramel starts to burn before all of the sugar is melted, tried it twice, with a lower temp the 2nd time. What am I doing wrong!? Thank you!
How much caramel does this make?
What percent is the heavy cream? 35% is what is common where I am.
I just made this, and it turned out amazing…. But..it takes way longer than 10 minutes….more like 45 to 60 minutes. It took half an hour just to melt the sugar. You should adjust your recipe.
Thank you so much for this! Ever since the first time I saw it (last summer) it’s become a regular treat around here. I made some for my kids’ teachers at Christmas too! Thank you for the clear instructions — it made it easy even for a non-expert to follow!
So glad you like our caramel sauce recipe. It’s the best:)
This is DEVINE!! Thank you for a great recipe!
This sauce is amazing! It is our go to sauce for lattes, ice cream, and so much more. It also turns out well using high fat coconut milk instead of cream.
Looks and sounds delicious. Vegan options?
This is the best salted caramel recipe! It’s super easy and can be added to many different recipes or just enjoy the caramel by itself. Love it!
How much of the salt would need to be adjusted if using regular salted butter?
You can do a little less than a tablespoon if you are using salted butter. A pinch less:)
Thank you. I made this and it’s really good but so salty. Is one tablespoon correct? Thanks for another awesome recipe.
What salt did you use? You can always use less to fit your taste
I didn’t have fleur de sel, I used Himalayan salt- used barely a half tablespoon and it was super salty. I think if I make it next time, I’ll use maybe an 1/8 tablespoon.
I just made it and it’s awful this time, it must be burnt! So frustrating because sometimes I make it and it’s delicious. I don’t know what I am doing wrong.
I just had the same issue with mine – it was my first time making caramel but I’ve watched a lot of people in real life and on tv do it. It reached a colour that looked amber/the colour most people take it to, but not “deep amber” so I second guessed myself and let it go that extra couple seconds to get to a deep amber but that colour is too dark for proper caramel and it’s ended up juuuuuuuust burnt by about a second. Going to try to salvage it since it’s so close, but next time I’ll trust my instincts and go for just an amber colour instead (which for me was about 10 or so seconds after the last couple clumps of sugar melted).
Hi, I have made caramel sauce many times. Most of the time it tastes great @ first, but then after a day or so in the fridge it becomes grainy. I made a caramel sauce recipe from a recent episode of Cooks Illustrated. It was easy and (drum roll) did not get grainy! They explain in the article why caramel sauce gets grainy, or crystallized (something to do with the sugar molecules: I won’t bore you with the details). BUT, by adding some corn syrup to the sugar and water in the recipe, the crystals are prevented from forming. The CI recipe does not have any butter in it. I was skeptical about this, but the sauce is rich and wonderful, and I do not miss the butter. This will be my go-to recipe from now on.
I followed the recipe and was wondering why my caramel looked much darker than yours (taste is great, consistency is the same) when I realized I only added 8 tbsp of butter, oops!! Will this prevent it from staying smooth and cause it to harden or will it be ok? Should I attempt warming the caramel back up and adding in the butter I missed?
If I wanted to use a candy thermometer for accuracy, what temp would I need to cook it until?
This is only the second time I have made caramel and it tastes good! I used a Le Creuset small saucepan for this and found that the heat got a bit out of hand midway through the whisking. There was a liquid component of sugar that was browning while there were still some clumps of sugar present. I turned down the heat and that seemed to help. I used this caramel for your salted caramel rice krispies treats and still have a Mason jar full of caramel in the fridge. Thanks for the recipe!
I rarely rate recipes, but this one is a keeper. I was looking for a caramel sauce to go with the Banana brown butter tart from Herbsaint restaurant in New Orleans. This is perfect and great on a lot of other things!
Do you think this recipe would be ok used as a filling in homemade chocolates?
My batch came out perfect for filling as long as the chocolates are completely covered.
This was the best caramel sauce, was- because it’s all gone! Go to recipe from now on! Thanks!
Glad you like the sauce, it is our favorite too!
I have made this a few times & love it! BUT twice the sugar has hardened into lumps when I add the butter. What am I doing wrong?
Can you use regular sea salt instead of the flaked kind?
Where are your cute little Haritage glass jars from?
What would i need to do to transform this into caramel candy?
I’ve tried this recipe twice, followed all the instructions just so, and both times the caramel sauce was ruined.
The butter and sugar would not combine. I feel like a step has been left out, or I’m missing something.
This happened to me, too. Did you ever figure it out?
I just made this. Simply direction and the video was useful. Like T-mc and Theresa, I had a moment of fear when I added the butter. I kept whisking and it eventually came together. I had only a little bit of fat along the edge of the pan when I decided to go ahead with the addition of the cream. It’s cooling in a jar on the counter right now but I believe it will work great for a cake I’m making.
Hi. Intend to make this soon but I live in India and i don’t think I will get the salt brand required for the salted caramel here so what do you suggest i could use.
Thanks
OH MY!!!!
This is heavenly! I used this in a salted caramel chocolate cake recipe. Soooooo good.
Thank you for the recipe.
You are welcome!
This is truly heavenly. It felt kind of insecure as I was letting the sugar melt. But it was so worth it.
It was for a Chocolate Salted Caramel cake. I used the leftover on some amazing salty popcorn.
Thank you for this recipe.
Perfection. This is my go to recipe for salted caramel that I use in macarons, ganache and buttercream. Can’t thank you enough!
So rich, yummy & tempting!
Love your recipies! I tried three so far and “perfection ” love them, so thank you. Just made the one bowl brownies for our study group tonight and I want to serve with tillamook vanilla bean icecream and your salted caramel sauce. I was wondering what type of heavy cream you use? I made the Butternut Squash, Sausage and Kale with Gnocchi last night and we loved it! The smell in the house while it was cooking was delishsiouly wonderful! Cannot wait to make all of your recipies (already ordered the cookbook) and taste all of the wonderful flavors.
Amazing!! It turned out perfectly, and I could eat it with a spoon. Unfortunately, I have to save some to make for my mom’s birthday cake! Thank you for the best salted caramel recipe!
So glad you loved it!
I tried this recipe 2 times. Each time the sugar melted, turned the amber color, but hardened when I added the butter. What am I doing wrong?
Is your butter at room temperature? If it’s too cold that could be causing the issue by cooling/shocking the mixture 🙂
Could I use brown sugar?
My second time making this for a holiday party. Too fabulous❤️
Did I do something wrong or is it really supposed to be 1 tablespoon of salt? I followed the recipe and even used fluer de sel and mine came out SO SO salty it was inedible. Anyone else have this problem? I’m thinking it might have been a typo, and should only be 1 teaspoon salt. I was so disappointed because the caramel part of the recipe would have been perfection, it was the overpowering saltiness that made it gross. I might have to try it again with only 1 teaspoon.
What can I use if I don’t have heavy cream
I only use heavy cream to make caramel.
Mine turned out great but got very hard to swirl into the ice cream. Can I warm it up a bit to drizzle into the ice cream?
Yes! It’s so good over ice cream!
This sounds so good & I appreciate your giving nutritional info – my one problem is though you do give the amount of servings your recipes make – in this particular case (& others – dips, etc.) it would be helpful to know exactly how much constitues a serving – 2 Tb., 3 Tb. ? I would sure appreciate it!
I Love this recipe and am thinking of making a big batch to give away as gifts for the holidays….do you know if this can be jarred for long term storage?
If I make this recipe and decide to drizzle it on hot chocolate bombs, would it be okay to leave it out because the hot chocolate bombs would not be refrigerated?
Amazing! So so good!
Delicious recipe!!
However, do NOT substitute normal sea salt in the same quantity as the recipe’s recommended fleur de sel or Maldon sea salt flakes. Way too salty with 1 Tbs of normal sea salt. Just adjust to taste or use the called-for ingredients. Enjoy!
I made this recipe for the first time last month and it was amazing!! I burned it the first time, but that was my fault. The warning was in the recipe!!
Tried this – fantastic. Tried this a second time – epic fail. Tried a third time fantastic again. The variable – my sugar! I’m not usually an ingredient snob, but the higher-end sugar won this time.
I made this caramel sauce and I thought I wrecked it because the butter didn’t incorporate well and same with the heavy cream. I heated everything after and it totally saved it! I’m planning to use the sauce for drizzle on a cake. If I reheat the sauce to get it back to a thinner consistency, will it reharden on the cake like it does in the fridge?
Can you can it so it will last longer?
This was easy to do I did not have sea salt flakes and used regular sea salt oh my it was very very salty. So before second batch will order the flakes and only use about half the amount of salt called for I’m not a salt person so this was very salty tasting to me. Seems as though in the comments it was very salty to everyone think a 1/8-1/4 teaspoon would be enough your not getting much of a batch when done I had a quart mason jar full. So for that size I would really cut the salt down a lot. I would rather have it under salted than over salted and have to throw away the ingredients. But will try again .
Good day.
Can I ask you about the recipe in grams ???
Well thank you
I made this last Thanksgiving for your salted Pumpkin Pie. It was delicious and got rave reviews. Tonight I tried twice to make the salted caramel and just got terrible lumps that stuck to the pan. I want to make that pie so badly, I will try for a third time in the morning.
I’ve always used corn syrup or water when making caramel and was skeptical about this recipe but went ahead and tried it anyways…first batch burnt! I know many prefer the “dry method” but I think that was such a stressful process! With that much stirring and nothing to aid the sugar in breaking down, I ended up with chunks of sugar still trying to dissolve by the time the rest of it was the amber color. Even with turning the heat down I couldn’t get all the chunks gone plus add in the butter before I was setting off the smoke alarms!
Tried it again and same thing was happening with the sugar so I said forget it and I decided to add the butter sooner. That’s when I ran into the next problem, the butter separated. Took off heat and added heavy cream and kept stirring but had to put back on heat because everything solidified and was grainy. Finally made it work after a crap ton of stirring (though still not the greatest texture) and it tastes okay, but not a recipe I’ll go for next time.
This is delicious but once I put it in the fridge it was no longer “sauce”. I assume I can warm it in the microwave and it will soften back up but did I do something wrong?
When you put it in the fridge it will thicken up. Heat it up in the microwave and stir!
For one like myself where mom over salted everything she cooked. I learned to hate that taste. So for me caramel is perfect as is. But now it is hard to get any caramel without salt. It is a shame.
Why the heck would I use fancy salt for this? They taste the same as table salt, and the only thing different about them (the texture) is getting dissolved away! I used about half the amount of salt called for, since I used table salt, which is saltier than flaky salt, and it was perfect.
Thank you.
Hi I’m Abigail I love salted carmal tis is amazing but is there water i did not see it in in the 4 ingretins
No water in this recipe. Just the 4 ingredients she listed. It does not need water. Just make sure you follow her cooking instructions. 🙂
I wasn’t sure about trying to make this.. and I actually thought I had burnt and ruined it, but I didn’t. And it was the absolute MOST DELICIOUS topping for the brownies I made! You MUST make this if you’ve stumbled across the recipe!!
I have some Peter’s Caramel. Do you think it would work to melt that and just add the amount of salt called for?
I have made this recipe several times. It is delicious and easy to follow. It is also a pretty good arm workout with the constant stirring, but completely worth it!
Glad you love the recipe.
This looks great! My question, would this be similar to ghirardelli sea salt caramel sauce? I use it in my coffee and am trying to start making my own. Thank you!
I’ve never had their caramel sauce so I am not sure.
Once I added the butter, the sauce hardened, and would not mix with the butter or melt back down. Tips on avoiding this?
I made it today and mine did the same thing. I got a good amount of caramel sauce out of the recipe but I still had a big clump that would not meltsbd I ended up throwing the clump away. The sauce is yummy though.
Made it tonight. So delicious. Made a deconstructed strawberry rhubarb crisp…ice cream, stewed fruit, granola, caramel sauce. Our guests could make whatever combo they desired. The salted caramel was the favorite!!!
YUM!
Amazing caramel sauce!! Maria, I have a question for you. Can I bake with this caramel? I want to swirl it into some brownie batter before baking, but want to make sure it won’t burn if it’s “cooked again”. Thanks 🙂
Yes! You can use it in other recipes.
I tried this with half a can of coconut cream to try to dodge the lactose. It is very runny. I am wondering if I reheat it to the soft-ball stage will it thicken up?
I’ve never tried it with coconut cream.
Can you tell me how much this recipe makes (cup wise)? I want to use this for your pumpkin pie, but that needs 1/2 cup. Will this be that amount or more?
My sugar took forever to melt (12 mins, stirring constantly over medium heat), but it finally all came together! Great recipe, very happy with the sauce. Thank you!
Glad you loved the caramel sauce.
Please address this: my caramel sauce got hard lumps in it. Do you have any idea why this happened? What did I do wrong? Should I melt these lumps?
Maybe it didn’t get combined well enough. Whisk well! You can take them out.
I would love to make this, was wondering if I would be able to keep this in a crockpot on warm without it burning. I would like to have a caramel apple dip station.
You can keep it on warm!