Make this simple 4-ingredient sweet salted caramel sauce at home with ease—no candy thermometer required! Ready in just 10 minutes, this rich homemade caramel is perfect for drizzling over cakes, cupcakes, cookies, pound cake, ice cream, cheesecake, scones, salted caramel apple pie, and more!
I originally published this recipe in 2013 and have since added new photos, a video tutorial, and additional success tips. This recipe is such a fan favorite, that it deserved a spot in print! You’ll also find this recipe in my cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
What once intimidated me became the subject of my 2nd cookbook: Sally’s Candy Addiction. As it turns out, homemade candy isn’t all that difficult. And salted caramel sauce is one of the easiest. There’s only 4 ingredients required: sugar, butter, heavy cream, and salt.
This salted caramel is a reader favorite recipe, consistently marking its spot in the top 10 most popular recipes on my website and published in 2 of my cookbooks. It’s sweet, buttery, and tastes phenomenal on anything it touches. (Though you really only need a spoon to enjoy.)
Trust me, after trying this 1 time, you’ll be hooked like the rest of us!
How to Make Salted Caramel
Use the written out instructions below, but here’s the basic process: The first step is to melt sugar, which is called caramelization. This requires 1 small (stainless steel, not nonstick) pot/saucepan and a wooden spoon. Stir until melted and caramelized. Stir in butter, then stir in heavy cream and let it boil for 1 minute. Finally, add the salt.
That’s it, the caramel is done.
As always, use caution when cooking over the stove because the hot liquid, butter, and cream may splatter. If needed, kitchen gloves come in handy.
No Candy Thermometer Required
Unlike most caramel recipes, this salted caramel doesn’t require a candy thermometer. Instead, I encourage you to follow the recipe and use your eyes to determine when to add the next ingredient. If you’d like to be precise and use a candy thermometer, the temperature will rise to about 220°F (104°C), and that’s when the caramel is done on the stove.
The caramel thickens as it cools.
What to Eat With Salted Caramel?
You will love homemade salted caramel with sweets like cinnamon rolls, cheesecake, and apple pie bars. Use it as a dip for apples, spoon over ice cream, or pour into decorated jars and gift it for the holidays.
The possibilities for salted caramel are endless:
- Turtle Brownies
- Burnt Sugar Caramel Cake
- Caramel Apple Cheesecake Pie
- Caramel Coconut Macaroon Thumbprints
- Chocolate Caramel Toffee Icebox Slice & Bake Cookies
- Butterscotch Pudding
- Snickers Caramel Tart
- Apple Cupcakes (pictured above)
- Caramel Dipped Pretzels
- Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake
- Salted Caramel Apple Pie & Apple Cake
- Cheesecake Pie
- Chocolate Bread Pudding
- Apple Turnovers
- Caramel Turtle Cheesecake
- Apple Cider French Toast
- Dutch Baby Pancake
- Cake Mix Chocolate Cupcakes
- Skillet Brownie
- Apple Cobbler
- Apple Cinnamon Scones
- Topping for Homemade Eclairs
- Drizzled on cookies like Shortbread, Brownie Cookies, and Snickerdoodles
- As a filling for your favorite cupcake recipe (see my How to Fill Cupcakes post for all the details)
- Butterscotch Pie & Apple Pie Bars (both pictured below)
What Is the Consistency Like?
The caramel is liquid as it comes off heat. As the caramel cools, it solidifies into a chewy texture. After refrigerating, the caramel is hard and you must heat it up to bring it back to a liquid consistency. Do you need a thinner caramel? Feel free to add 2 more Tablespoons of heavy cream to the recipe.
Can I Skip the Salt to Make Regular Caramel?
If you’re looking for a sweet caramel, rather than a salted caramel, you can still use this recipe. Do not cut out the salt completely because the caramel’s sweetness will be overpowering. Instead, reduce the salt to 1/2 teaspoon.
No. You can’t really turn this sauce into a homemade wrapped candy. Instead, try my soft caramel candies recipe which is a little different.
This caramel is not thick enough to coat apples for caramel apples. Instead, I recommend my homemade caramel apples recipe.
Yes. When the caramel is done, it’s thin and liquid. As the caramel cools, it thickens. After refrigerating, it thickens even more and must be reheated to thin out and use as a topping or dip.
This caramel isn’t ideal to layer between cake layers because it will just spill out the sides under the weight of top layers. However, it’s great as a filling for cupcakes, such as these chocolate caramel coconut cupcakes. See How To Fill Cupcakes for more info!
How to Store Salted Caramel
After the caramel cools down, pour it into a glass jar or container. Refrigerate for up to 1 month. The caramel solidifies as it cools, but you can reheat in the microwave or on the stove so it’s liquid again. You can freeze the salted caramel, too. Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature, then warm up before using.
Print
Homemade Salted Caramel Recipe
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 1 cup (290g)
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Made from only 4 simple ingredients, this homemade caramel is salty, sweet, and irresistibly buttery. No candy thermometer required and the possibilities for serving are endless. (Though just a spoon is acceptable!) Use caution as the cooking caramel may splatter. Stand back and wear kitchen gloves if desired. Review recipe notes prior to beginning. This recipe is also in my cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar (make sure it’s labeled “pure cane”)*
- 6 Tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, at room temperature and cut into 6 pieces
- 1/2 cup (120g/ml) heavy cream, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a medium heavy-duty stainless steel saucepan (do not use nonstick) over medium heat, cook the sugar, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or heat-safe silicone spatula. Sugar will form clumps and eventually melt into a thick brown, amber-colored liquid as you continue to stir. On my stove, this takes about 6 minutes. Stir constantly, especially around the bottom edges, and be careful not to let it burn.
- Once the sugar is completely melted, reduce the heat to low and stir in the butter. Be careful in this step because the caramel will bubble rapidly when the butter is added. (If you’re nervous for splatter, wear kitchen gloves.) Cook and stir constantly until the butter is melted and well combined. If you notice the butter separating or if the sugar clumps up, remove the pan from heat and vigorously whisk to combine it again. Keep whisking until it comes back together, even if it takes 3–4 minutes. It will eventually—just keep whisking. Return to heat when it’s combined again.
- Very slowly and carefully pour in the heavy cream, stirring constantly. Since the heavy cream is colder than the hot caramel, the mixture will rapidly bubble and steam when added. When all of the heavy cream has been added, stop stirring, increase the heat to medium, and let it boil for 1 minute. It will rise in the pan as it boils. If you’d like to be precise and use a candy thermometer, the temperature should reach 220°F (104°C).
- Remove from heat and stir in the salt. The caramel will be a thin liquid at this point. Allow to slightly cool and thicken before using. Caramel thickens considerably as it cools.
- Cover tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month. Caramel solidifies in the refrigerator. Reheat in the microwave or on the stove to desired consistency.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: You can make this caramel in advance. Make sure it is covered tightly and store it for up to 1 month in the refrigerator. Warm the caramel up for a few seconds before using in a recipe. See “What Is the Texture of This Salted Caramel?” in the post above. This caramel is OK at room temperature for a day if you’re traveling or gifting it. You can freeze the salted caramel, too. Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature, then warm up before using.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Medium Heavy-Duty Saucepan (do not use nonstick) | Wooden Spoon | Candy Thermometer (like this one or this one)—optional
- Sugar: This recipe is most successful using granulated sugar that’s labeled “pure cane” on the packaging. I usually use and recommend Domino brand regular granulated sugar which says “pure cane granulated” on the packaging.
- Heavy Cream: Heavy cream (approximately 36% milk fat) may also be sold as whipping cream. Light whipping cream (30% milk fat), or double cream (48% milk fat) may be substituted. Do not use half-and-half or milk. Room-temperature cream is best.
- Salt: Use regular table salt or kosher salt. If using larger flaky salt, add 1 teaspoon, taste, then add more if desired. This recipe works with 1 teaspoon of any variety of salt. You can always add 3/4 teaspoon, taste, then add more if desired.
- Caramel Candies: This caramel is great as a sauce, topping, or filling, but won’t set up properly to make soft caramel candies. Here is my soft caramels recipe.
- Regular Caramel Sauce: If you want to make regular caramel, reduce salt to 1/2 teaspoon. Do not leave it out completely.
- Larger Batches: Avoid doubling or tripling this recipe. The added volume could prevent the sugar from melting evenly and properly. Make multiple batches instead.
Reader Comments and Reviews
ps: I had to eat this off the spoon, about 3 times …. !
THIS is THE MOST incredible caramel gold i have eaten! To think as a child I didnt even prefer caramel much at all, well, I seriously recommend this delicious recipe to everyone. I made it (with half the salt) and was blown away – no jokes it tastes like quality toffee… a molten toffee version !! YUM & Thanks for this!
Love! Love! Love! this recipe! I have made this liquid gold many times. So, so good!!
Hi Sally,
This recipe sounds terrific and I would love to try it. I’m currently in a situation where an instant pot is the only cooking method available to me. Do you know if the recipe could be adapted, and if so, how would I do it?
Thanks a bunch,
Lynda
Hi Lynda! I wish I could help, but I don’t have an instant pot and I’ve never tested it. Perhaps someone else has? I wouldn’t recommend it though.
The instant pot has a Saute function. It should get hot enough to melt sugar.
This looks delicious! Has anyone tried it with margarine instead of butter?
Hi Esther! Margarine does not have the same chemical makeup as butter. It’s much more watery. I strongly recommend using butter.
Thanks for answering! Do you have a non-dairy recipe?
Hi Sally, if making the caramel candies will a silicone pastry brush work? Or do you need a bristle brush.
Yes, a silicone pastry brush works for the soft caramel candies recipe.
WOW!! You are correct this wonderful taste with so little work. Try it you’ll like it.
This is the easiest and BEST caramel sauce ever!! It’s good poured over apple pie or ice cream, AND is also yummy eaten by the spoonful!
Sally’s salted caramel is the best recipe I’ve ever used! Having made it several times already, I can assure you that this recipe is so simple and easy to make, while yielding fabulously creamy and flavorful caramel sauce! I’ve used this in salted caramel apple pie, in little caramel and peach trifles, in caramel tarts, drizzled over hot milk cake and ice cream, even dunking Sally’s chewy chocolate chunk cookies into it! And, of course, eating it with a spoon 🙂 Best caramel ever!
Would it be okay to add a little bit of water to the sugar to help it to Carmelize faster? I have done this when making sugary pecans, but didn’t know if it would affect this recipe.
Hi Nancy! The sugar caramelizes in only a few minutes, so I don’t find adding water necessary. It could throw off the final taste and texture.
Easy, delicious and addictive!
If you’ve never made this, you need to ASAP. Very easy and incredibly good.
We are big salted caramel fans and I have been making a similar recipe for years. I also add a tablespoon of bourbon when you add the salt, for a yummy twist. We dip sliced apples in it, sometime rolling them in chopped pecans after the caramel dip. Our apple consumption goes up significantly when this is in the refrigerator.
I have made this several times, and it is outstanding! I have tried previous recipes but they always tasted burnt to me (pilot error I’m sure) but this recipe is almost fail proof, really appreciated the step by step pictures, helped a lot! Best. Ever.
Would I be able to use coconut milk instead of heavy cream and vegan butter?
Hi Heather! I haven’t tried nondairy alternatives, but you can certainly test it. The canned coconut milk wouldn’t be a problem, but I’m nervous about the vegan butter. Let me know how it goes!
So I’ve never gotten into the salted caramel craze, but I do love caramel. If I just wanted to make caramel (not salted) sauce, would I just decrease the salt to say, an 1/8th of a tsp?
See my recipe note! 1/2 teaspoon is my recommendation for regular caramel.
Best. Caramel. EVER! This recipe deserves it’s own post. It’s so easy to make and oh so delicious. I promise you can’t go wrong with this…it’s fantastic in recipes or right out of the jar with a spoon (my personal favorite way of eating it). As a matter of fact, I think I’ll go make a jar right now! 😉
I love this recipe! But, there is always a hardened ring of sugar around the bottom of the pan once I’m done making it. Any tips on how to prevent that from happening?
Be sure that you are constantly stirring it and that you are reaching the bottom of the pan as you stir. This should help!
Sally’s is by far the best and easiest caramel I have made – and I’ve tried lots! I love this recipe!!!
This is so easy and fun to make. How does it taste? Like happiness, sunshine, flowers, laughing children, cute puppies transformed into a beautiful jar of wonderful. The only thing that keeps it from being instantly eaten with the big spoon you stir with is that it’s HOT! Once it cools down, all bets are off. I made three batches last night: one to drizzle on my bundt cake, one to jar up for a hostess gift for Saturday, and one for my boys to pour on vanilla ice cream while it’s still warm. Enough said.
This recipe is INCREDIBLE! It’s so easy to make and can be used with literally any type of baked good. Highly recommend
This is so easy to make and it tastes delicious! You can’t go wrong with Sally’s step-by-step instructions!
Best salted caramel recipe I’ve ever made!! The only difficult part is not eating it all with a spoon afterwards.
This is the best caramel! Super easy to make and it’s always delicious. We have eat it on pies including pumpkin, cookies, ice cream and bars. So yummy!
I absolutely LOVE this recipe! It’s super easy to make and can be used on so many goodies. So far I’ve used it to make Samoa brownies, Sally’s Salted Caramel Apple Pie, and as an ice cream topping. I’ve even eaten it by the spoonful on it’s own (don’t judge ;))! I love that you can make it regular caramel too for those that aren’t into the salted version! Thanks for another awesome recipe 🙂
This is the easiest and tastiest caramel sauce I’ve ever made, and you can put it on so many things! This will be my go to recipe for caramel from now on!
This is the BEST salted caramel! I’ve tried several caramel recipes with some failures, but never experienced it with this one! The recipe is 100% bulletproof, easy and sooo good. Can easily be eaten right out of the jar!
My favorite caramel recipe! It’s so easy to make and delicious! I made this throughout the holiday season for family and friends alike and got a lot of compliments! Thank you Sally for such a fabulous recipe! I will be using it for years to come…
I made this for your salted caramel apple pie for Thanksgiving – so delicious and easy to make! We had a hard time saving it for the pie, just wanted to eat it by the spoonful!
This is SO easy to make and so versital. I used it to coat pretzel rods that I then covered in chocolate. I also used it when making caramel apple slab pie. This is SO yummy, you will want to make this and you can give it away as gifts in cute mason jars. My son loves dipping apples in it, so you could put an apple on top of the mason jar lid and wrap it all in cellophane. The possibilities are endless.
I have tried a few salted caramel recipes and Sally’s is by far the most straightforward! It always comes out perfect and is a huge hit with friends and family! It is one of.my favourites!
Sally’s Salted Caramel is absolutely the best caramel recipe I have ever tried. Having made this caramel seven times, I am impressed with how consistently good the flavor and color of this creamy caramel is.
I have been known to eat it directly out of the jar as well as (more appropriately) on pies. ice cream, apple cookie bars, and cupcakes. It never disappoints.
hi sally, if i remember correctly this recipe was used with a jack daniels cake about a week ago and i can’t find it anymore?
Hi Carolina, we don’t have a recipe like that, could it have been from a different website? But here’s our Favorite Ways to Use Salted Caramel!
miss sally the only reason i jumped into this recipe was because i came across a recipe for a scotch cake that uses salted caramel buttercream , found on pinterest i was directed to your page
Hi Carolina, here is our salted caramel buttercream recipe, but as Trina mentioned we don’t have a scotch cake on our site. There are lots of suggestions in the salted caramel buttercream post for cakes on which it goes well, if you’re interested in giving it a try. Hope this helps!
Thanks for sharing the recipe, Sally
One question please: What is the shelf life of the salted caramel when kept in a fridge?