We’re breaking down exactly how to make an easy homemade caramel sauce recipe. This caramel dessert is the best and easiest recipe you’ll find. It’s foolproof and only uses 4 ingredients. It always turns out creamy, amazing, and perfect for desserts. It’s one of our most popular recipes for a good reason.
Our delicious caramel sauce has a creamy, rich buttery flavor and can be used as a topping for desserts like pound cake, apple crumble bars, or just as a dipping sauce for fruit.
Caramels are so versatile, right? From candies to dipping sauces, you can even pour it all over bananas, an ice cream sundae cake, or brownies for an extra gooey kick. It also makes the most perfect topping for an ice cream bar or drizzled all over our gooey monkey bread.
What We Love About Homemade Caramel Sauce
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What we love about this recipe is that it’s incredibly easy to make and pretty much foolproof. Using these 4 ingredients you will get a creamy sauce that’s perfect for dipping and desserts. This recipe is super simple and works every time! It also tastes amazing!
No Candy Thermometer Needed!
Another great thing about this recipe is that you don’t need a candy thermometer to make it. A lot of recipes call for a thermometer, but this recipe is so simple and makes a creamy caramel without it.
History of Caramel
We also love the rich history behind caramel. It’s part of our history with food. Early findings date caramel back to at least the 1650s when American settlers were making hard caramel candies in a kettle. Our updated version has added extras like fat and milk, making the modern caramel we know and love today.
If you have an event, birthday party, or dinner coming up, or just want to play around in the kitchen, try making your own caramel sauce.
Ingredients in This Easy Caramel Sauce Recipe
What are the ingredients to caramel?
You only need 4 simple ingredients to make this easy caramel sauce! There is no heavy cream in this recipe, which makes it even easier.
- Butter – Gives it a buttery, creamy flavor.
- Brown sugar – Creates a sweet flavor and a dark amber color.
- Sweetened condensed milk – The base of the sauce.
- Corn syrup – Helps give it a smooth texture and thickens it.
How to Make Creamy Caramel Sauce
This recipe is as easy as it gets. Here are the steps you’ll take to make a homemade caramel sauce. It’s perfect for anyone making caramel for the first time!
Melt the butter and brown sugar in a medium saucepan on medium-low heat
Then, add in the sweetened condensed milk and corn syrup.
While the sauce thickens, use a whisk to gently mix until it thickens and the sugar melts. Scrape the sides of the pot too. Pay close attention to the texture of the caramel as it’s simmering.
Lastly, remove it from the heat and allow it to cool a bit.
Tips for Making The Best Caramel Sauce Recipe
- Make it ahead of time. Store it in an airtight glass container and leave it in the refrigerator for 3 weeks. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months. If you’re gifting it, it can stay out for 1 day.
- Never leave the sauce unattended. It can quickly burn, so you want to watch it closely as it’s cooking.
- For salted caramel sauce use salted butter or add a little bit of salt over the top. Something like fleur de sel is wonderful sprinkled over the top.
- Use a wooden spoon or heat-proof silicone spatula to stir.
How to Store Caramel Sauce
Once the caramel cools, you’ll add it to a glass container that you can seal with a lid. For example, Weck Jars are perfect for storing caramel sauce. Once it’s cooled any airtight container will work, however, you’ll need to transfer it to a heatproof container to reheat it.
Then, you can store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. However, it will become hard in the refrigerator, so you will need to reheat the sauce before serving. It can be reheated in the microwave in a microwave-safe container or on the stovetop. It will change the texture a little, but will still work as a good dipping sauce.
You can also freeze homemade caramel sauce for up to 3 months. Place it in a freezer-safe container, properly sealed. Just note that when reheated the texture will become a little more liquidity.
Frequently Asked Questions
Admittedly, there is not much difference between sauce and topping. The biggest difference between the two is in the thickness.
Caramel sauce is thicker and usually richer, whereas a topping is thinner and sweeter.
It keeps nicely for up to two weeks. It must be in an air-tight container and stored in the fridge. You can also freeze caramel sauce for up to three months while maintaining its quality.
To use after it’s been in the refrigerator, simply warm the sauce up.
To make that classic, thick caramel sauce, what needs to happen?
First, keep in mind that caramel will thicken as it cools. If it’s still not as thick as you’d like, simmer it on medium heat anywhere from 5-10 minutes. This should thicken it without changing the flavor or color.
This recipe will also thicken as it sits. You won’t have any problem getting a perfect caramel sauce with the easy 4 ingredients we share below.
There’s a common misconception that caramel sauce and dulce de leche are the same, and understandably so. They are often used interchangeably because of how similar they are.
The main difference between the two is in their ingredients. Dulce de leche means “sweet milk,” and the making of it requires heating up condensed milk. The sugar in the milk browns, giving it that caramel color.
Caramel, on the other hand, typically uses ingredients like butter, brown sugar, evaporated milk, salt, and sometimes vanilla extract. Recipes vary, however.
Uses for Caramel Sauce
One fun way to use your homemade caramel sauce is for dipping. Add it to a board with apple slices, pears, and other delicious fruit and dip away! We even added a bowl of flaky sea salt to sprinkle on the caramel, for salted caramel.
Drizzle it over vanilla ice cream, ice cream sundaes or coffee drinks.
It works wonders paired with any of these recipes too:
As you can see, making caramel sauce is as easy as 1-2-3.
It requires minimal ingredients, time, or labor, and the end result is a fantastic treat you can drizzle over your other favorite desserts and snacks!
Now that you know how to make one of our personal favorite recipes, let us know what you think! Leave a comment and review if you make this easy homemade caramel recipe. We’d love to know your thoughts!
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Easy Caramel Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup salted butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk, 14 ounces
- 1/2 cup corn syrup
Instructions
- Over medium-low heat, melt the butter and brown sugar and a medium saucepan.
- Add the sweetened condensed and corn syrup.
- While the sauce thickens over the next 5-7 minutes, continue to gently whisk the mixture until it thickens and the sugar melts.
- Take it off the heat, allow it to cool a bit. It will thicken as it cools too.
Notes
- Make it ahead of time. Store it in an airtight container and leave it in the refrigerator for 1 month. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months. If you’re gifting it, it can stay out for 1 day.
- Never leave the sauce unattended. It can quickly burn, so you want to watch it closely as it’s cooking.
- For salted caramel sauce use salted butter.
April says
Loving this caramel sauce! It’s amazing on so many things!
katerina @ diethood.com says
I love how easy and delicious this caramel sauce is! My kids would love it!
Justine says
Such an easy caramel sauce recipe! It was amazing over our vanilla ice cream.
melissa says
Yum – my kids went crazy for this! Great recipe!
Leighanne says
This recipe is delicious! I used it as a caramel layer for a Frankenstein batch of homemade twix bars after my first recipe for the caramel layer turned out so hard it was inedible! I will definitely make this again!
Eden says
Yum!! Thank you for sharing this! Homemade twix bars sound amazing!
LL says
This recipe is delicious! For the 1/2 cup of corn syrup I used mostly molasses and some dark corn syrup. I also added some coconut oil, vanilla, and a bit of salt and it is absolutely divine. I will totally be making it again!
Kami says
Does sweetened condensed milk come in different size cans? I have a 14oz can. What size do you use?
Heather says
This was so easy to make and absolutely delicious! I love serving it with sliced fruit.
Toni says
I really love how easy this is to make!! Thanks for the recipe!
Trang says
Yum! Anything with condensed milk is seriously so good. I’m going to use the caramel sauce to try to get my son to eat his fruit!
Christie says
So we made this during quarentine for a pumpkin cheesecake topping and with slight modifications it was delicious. I followed all instructions all the way to to cooking 5-7 minutes. We found that at 5 minutes over low to medium heat the sauce still just tasted like sweetened condensed milk so we put it back on a low flame and cooked an additional 8 minutes with constant stirring. We also added salt to taste. We love salty with sweet. We didn’t measure the salt but probably put at least a teaspoon of sea salt and half a teaspoon of kosher salt. Mmmm. Delicious!
Alzcookin says
This sauce is so easy! I’ve made it twice and will make it again. I agree with the reviewer who cooked it an additional 8 minutes and added some salt. I’ll try that next time. It’s very good, but I think extra cooking would add more depth to the flavor. Great recipe…thank you!
Eden says
So happy this worked for you! Good idea on letting it cook even more and salt is always good!
Jake says
Almost did the same thing, but I added 4 tbsp of dark baking cocoa at the butter and brown sugar stage…. pretty much our go-to topping now.
Eden says
Love hearing this!!
Bells says
So easy to make; I’ve been using it in my lattes and its 10x better than the fake tasting sauces from the store.
Eden says
Thank you Bells! We love hearing that!!
TJ says
So good and easy! Thanks for the recipe!
stephanie says
I love caramel sauces, I can’t wait to try this. Thank you! 😉
Jessica says
This was SO GOOD! Thanks so much for sharing!
Matt Taylor says
Yummy! I love caramel sauces, and this is super easy! Love it. 🙂
Kayla says
This is so easy and absolutely delicious!
We’re under COVID-19 stay-at-home order and I didn’t have the ingredients for the carmel glaze I wanted to use on a cake. I found this recipe and used it as a cake topping. It was a hit and there’s more in the fridge. I’ll definitely be making it again.
Eden says
oh yay! thank you Kayla!! stay healthy and safe!!
Kathleen says
Looks yummy. Easy to make sauce for sweet lovers. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Beth says
Really loved making this and not having to use a candy thermometer! So easy!
Krissy Allori says
So easy and so delicious! You can’t go wrong with a great caramel sauce to put on so many things.