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
It did separate and clump. I tried mixing it but the sugar was forming into bigger rocks. Then I tried warming it so the sugar would melt, and taking it off the heat all while mixing. It did not work at all. I mixed for over 30 mins for a sticky pan and oven top. I do not recommend this method at all
Would it be possible to use water instead of cream so that I could have a nice clear sauce to put on my Christmas pudding?
No, we recommend sticking with heavy cream for this recipe.
Why wouldn’t it work?
Well I made this caramel sauce today. I haven’t baked or made candy in many years. So the first batch I burned. Yuk I started over again immediately. This time I didn’t melt the sugar at quite so high and I made sure it kept moving and watched the color closely. What I learned. Have your butter and cream ready to go. Any delay and it burns really fast. Especially the butter step. I wound up lifting it off the burner to prevent scorching. Same with the cream. However, it IS yummy. Just keep an eye on it.
Hi Sally,
I made the Salted caramel yesterday and came out real good. Absolutely lip-smacking and your recipe is super easy to follow.
Thank you
Meenakshi
I love this recipe but after it cools it’s difficult to take out just a small amount of Carmel to heat. Can the Carmel be placed in silicone can’t trays to create small ice cube size pieces to be stored in jars?
Hi Celi, We haven’t tried it but you may be able to just store it tightly covered in a silicone tray in smaller servings. If you tried to remove them from the ice cube trays and place them all in one jar together, they would likely just melt back down and stick all together again.
This recipe is a godsend! I made some lemon cookies and dipped them in this salted caramel. My mom and my friends were so impressed.<3
First time I made carmel. It is awesome, and will never buy it again , bought carmel just is not good. Thanks so much for all the many recipes of yours, have never had a failure. Love your kind of baking.
Hello Sally hope ur well! i absolutely love this caramel recipe, however the last couple of times i used it to drizzle on a cake, it entirely slid off! any help would be appreciated. thank u!
Hi Mohammad, We are go glad you love this recipe! Were you useing a different type of frosting under it? It’s weird that it would side right off! I wonder if the caramel was very thick – next time try using it when it’s just a bit warmer and thinner to stick to the cake better.
I’ve never made caramel sauce before, and I’m a little worried about getting it right. Would a 5.5 Qt Le Creuset Dutch Oven or a non-stick Calphalon pan be heavy enough to make the caramel sauce?
Hi Beth! We recommend avoiding non-stick pans for this recipe – your dutch oven should be great!
I just wanted to say thank you so much for this caramel recipe! This is the first time I’ve attempted a caramel since I ruined the pans at my parents as a teenager- And it turned out perfectly! I think it’s the only one I’ll ever need now, as I have reduced and increased the cream dependent on how thick I need it and done salted/not salted and it’s exactly as I want it! Thank you so much again 🙂
We’re so glad to hear you’ve had success with this recipe, Ella!
This salted caramel recipe is incredible!!! It is SO easy and I love that I don’t have to use a candy thermometer! BUT I did learn the hard way not to double it – I didn’t read the part where you said not to double or triple, learned the hard way! But I just made another single batch and it’s perfect!
I have made this multiple times and it turned out great. Now I’ve tried to make it twice this week and everything just seizes up when I add the butter and turns solid. Any suggestions?
Hi Jessica! The caramelized sugar may simply have been too hot. Turn down the heat to low, which will melt the sugar slower but you won’t run the risk of the butter seizing. Now, it WILL sizzle when you add it. (That’s expected!) You can even turn off the stove heat completely and whisk the butter in until it’s incorporated. We often do this if the butter isn’t mixing into the melted sugar.
Was delicious! Now I want to make 20 cups total for all my neighbours! 🙂 Do I have to make 1 cup at a time? how do I multiply the recipe?
Hi Sharon, we recommend to avoid doubling or tripling this recipe. The added volume could prevent the sugar from melting evenly and properly. Make a couple batches instead. Hope your neighbors enjoy it!
i did love so much
This was SO delicious and worked really well. I do have a question though – we tried to whip the little bit into the whipped cream for the salted caramel apple cupcake recipe and could not get the caramel sauce to incorporate before the whipped cream was whipped. Should I have streamed it in in a thin stream? or? Can’t quite figure out how the thickness of the caramel melds with the whipped cream.
Hi Siri! Are you referring to this recipe? We include a separate salted caramel frosting recipe in that post that uses a different method to ensure the frosting comes together. We recommend sticking with that recipe for best results!
Can I used unsalted butter and add more salt as I don’t usually buy salted butter thank you, Vivian
Hi Vivian, you can use unsalted butter with no other changes to the recipe needed.
I wanted to see if I could make this vegan for my friend’s birthday. Just made the caramel and happy to report it worked well! I used Miyoko’s vegan butter and this vegan milk recipe which is very thick and fatty: https://minimalistbaker.com/cashew-coconut-oat-milk-oil-free/
This caramel sauce is simply divine. I made it to put on chocolate swirl cheesecake I made for our 28 year wedding anniversary and it was perfect. Thank you so much for posting this recipe. You are an angel!! Yummy
Hello! Would I be able to substitute heavy whipping cream for half & half?
Hi Amber, We typically use heavy cream which is approximately 36% milk fat, but we have also tested this with light whipping cream which is 30% milk fat and it works well. Any lower fat content the caramel may not set up properly but let us know what you try!
Turned out perfect!
This ended up tasting amazing but I definitely need some practice! The butter did not want to combine with the caramelized sugar. I had to do some SERIOUS whisking. All worked out great in the end but is there a tip to lessen the chance of that happening in the future?
Hi! Could I use this recipe for caramel candies? My family DIES over this recipe!!
Hi Kari, this caramel won’t set up for candies but you may love these sea salt vanilla caramels instead!
Thank you so much for this recipe, the detailed instructions, pictures, videos, extra tips, etc. After watching contestants on baking shows making caramel I’ve wanted to try but felt so intimidated. I made this fully expecting it to fail (do to my own faults, not the recipe). However, it worked and my family was delighted to have homemade caramel! Mine turned out less dark than the pictures as I was really scared to burn the sugar. I think next time I’ll try and make it a bit darker.
Perfect!
Wow!!! this is fantastic! I don’t know why I waited so long to make…I was a little scared. But your instructions made it so simple!!! Thanks for another great recipe!
I’ve made this three times and this keeps happening; it gets stuck to the pan everywhere and won’t melt down. It’s on the lowest heat and just won’t turn to liquid. What am I doing wrong?
Hi Ashley! What kind of pan are you using? Something as simple as that can make a big difference in this recipe. You want a thick, heavy bottomed pan so prevent it from burning the caramel.
I have used this recipe many times. The flavor is fantastic, but it has been hit or miss if I get the right consistency for a sauce. Do you happen to know the temperatures you cook it to after you add the butter and then again after you add the heavy cream?
looking to make a salted caramel tartlet and wondering if this would set enough to hold the chocolate ganache or if I should be using a different recipe ? Thanks !
Hi Beani! This caramel may not be quite thick enough for a tart – we do something similar with these Salted Caramel Pretzel Crunch Bars (using this caramel recipe) if you want to check out those photos for a visual of how this caramel will set. Let us know if you give it a try!
My caramel turned out delicious! Thank you for this yummy recipe! I can’t wait to make your caramel apple pie recipe. I’ve made it 5 years in a row and it is still a family favorite and crowd pleaser.
Thank you so much for this caramel recipe! It was detailed but easy to follow the instructions! This is the first time I’ve made caramel successfully without the burnt taste. Well worth it…tastes so much better than store bought caramel!
Will this recipe get hard enough to make payday candy bars?
I made caramel many times but just can’t find a recipe that will get stiff and hard enough to hold nuts.
Hi David, for more of a candy caramel, we’d recommend using our sea salt vanilla caramel candies recipe. Let us know how it goes!