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
I tried making caramel sauce using this recipe for the first time today, and it turned out as well as could possibly be expected. I tried replacing half the white sugar with brown sugar, which still worked perfectly, only I accidentally burned it a little. It still tasted amazing, though. I will definitely make this again!
Excellent Recipe! I decided to add 2-3T of brown sugar, it adds a little depth in flavor & color.
Also Maldons Salt Flakes adds a nice dimension to the texture. It was just the right amount,
Moving on to a Salted Caramel Apple Pie!
Thanks!
Thanks so much for this recipe! I make it ALL THE TIME. We do a big breakfast in my house every weekend, and my daughter and I drizzle this sauce over our waffles or pancakes. And okay, she then proceeds to eat it by the spoonful afterwards. I fill two small mason jars with the sauce when I make it and one is labeled with her name and the other is for anyone else who wants jt. I wind up making more about every 3 weeks.
Could coconut oil be substituted for butter?
Hi Deondray, We don’t recommend it. It’s best to stick to butter here.
Loved the recipe, but even at room temp, wasn’t anywhere near pourable, pliable certainly, but not pourable. Wondering if I did something wrong, or of I want to add more cream/butter to make it a bit thinner?
Hi Rob, this caramel solidifies into a chewy, thicker caramel at room temperature– that is expected. To thin out, reheat or you can try adding more cream when you make it to keep it thinner.
Texture was PERFECT! But more so, I greatly appreciate the thorough instructions. I’ve tried to make caramel in the past, but for a novice baker like myself, I don’t know how the sugar will start clumping all funky like and often think “oh well, I’ve screwed it up!” So I am thankful you walk through these various steps in detail so I know I am still on track. It was delicious!! Thank you!
I loved this recipe so much. I need to make a vegan version for a friend who doesn’t eat dairy. Would it work if I substitute the butter for margerine and the cream for non-dairy cream or should I use a different recipe altogether?
Hi Amy, canned coconut milk can work in the place of the heavy cream but we don’t recommend margarine as it does not have the same chemical makeup as butter. It’s much more watery. We recommend searching for a vegan recipe to use instead!
Try plant based butter instead!
So I thought that the first time I made this, it might be a fluke that it turned out so perfectly. I am happy to be proved wrong. Just made it a second time and it may even be better than the first batch. If that’s possible.
I’ve made caramel pies from scratch for years (my 90 yr old mom’s favorite from her childhood) so caramelizing sugar is not new to me. I needed a salted -less thick version for the inside drizzle of a poke cake for my son’s birthday. This is perfect! Thanks! For those struggling with clumps, make sure your sugar doesn’t have lumps to begin with, heat it slowly and avoid the urge to stir! That’s what is making the hard clumps in the beginning. Cut the butter into small pieces to add then stir or whisk like crazy.
I’ve made this recipe several times and my husband loves it. Just follow directions carefully, especially when adding cold to very hot!
I love this site but this recipe is ridiculous, a hot messy waste of ingredients and time.
This sauce is awesome!! My first ever attempt at caramel sauce and I did it!!! Easy instructions! A little more ‘elbow grease’ that I thought but we’ll worth the effort!
Awesome recipe! It will be my go-to for caramel sauce. Thanks for sharing. I find that if you add a tsp. of vinegar the sauce will not turn sugary.
Is it possible to substitute brown sugar for white sugar in a 1-1 ratio? I feel like it’ll give the caramel more flavor
Hi Gina, brown sugar has too much moisture to cook and caramelize properly in this recipe. We recommend sticking with white granulated sugar.
This recipe is by far my favorite for flavor on caramel, and the ease of it is nice too! I definitely do recommend busting out the cooking gloves though because that steam is no joke hahaha
Loved this recipe I used it for the salted caramel apple pie. Delish! Question though, how long would this caramel last at room temperature (average temp of 65F with no humidity)? I’m just trying to see if it’s worth having outside rather than in the fridge and having to heat every time I use it
Perfect. Directions were clear, and exact. I only had: a non stick pan, unsalted butter, and an electric stovetop to work with, and it came out perfectly. I used a slightly heaping teaspoon of kosher salt. Served over super dark chocolate mousse tart, and vanilla gelato. It balanced the bittersweet chocolate exactly as I imagined it would. Thank you!
I found that there was way too much butter. I ended up having to drain the butter. I can slightly taste butter but other than that it worked well. Thanks
Hey Sally, can I use this caramel to layer between my chocolate chip cookie bars? Where I live (on an island) I’m not able to source other caramel, so I’ll have to make my own.
Hi Ashley, that should work!
I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong but I have tried this recipe 3 times and have not had one successful attempt. Once I add the butter it separates qlmost immediately and no matter what I do, it will not come together. If I take it off the heat to try to whisk, it judt becomes harder and harder as it cools, and I’ve done this for 10 minutes. Help!
Hi Donovan, When you make this caramel make sure you are not using a nonstick pan. If you decide to try it again try lowering your heat even more and when you whisk it you can keep it on the lowest heat setting instead of completely removing it from the heat so that it stays a bit warm. This should help it all come together!
Will this caramel work well as a swirl inside a cheesecake? Store bought caramel sauces just melt and blend right into the cheesecake, giving the flavor, but not the visual effect.
Hi Steve, we recommend beating in slightly cooled salted caramel (still soft, but not scalding hot). You could even sub some brown sugar for white sugar in our cheesecake recipe (use 1/2 cup each) to really intensify that caramel-like flavor.
End result was too thick. Almost like soft caramel. I added another half cup of heated heavy cream. Made a big difference. Taste was great. It was the consistency that was the problem.
Had never made caramel before today. Tried another recipe before this one but was more butterscotch (brown sugar) than caramel. This one is tedious in that you have to really stay on it, stirring consistently and sometimes vigorously. (My arm was starting to tire!). But end result was exactly what I was looking for. Also be sure to keep your heat low and BE PATIENT. Super yummy! Will be lucky to have any left for my original purpose after all the sampling.
I love this recipe!! We can’t stop eating it! This morning we had French Toast with cooked apples and caramel sauce! I always have a few hard sugar clumps when I am all done baking. What can I do to avoid that from happening?
Hi Debbie, So glad you love this! Make sure you don’t add the butter until the sugar is completely melted and caramelized. This may mean turning down the stove heat so it cooks slower and more evenly. Make sure you use a nice high quality saucepan. Hope these tips help!
This is the second recipe of the blog I’ve followed to a t, step by step, and it turns out all wrong. This had huge chunks of sugar left in it, just like the coconut cream pie recipe had huge chunks of egg. Frustrating. Giving 2 stars because the flavor is there, I just think the directions or measurements are not super accurate.
I doubled this…oops. I had all the ingredients together and could not separate-unsalted butter with added salt is what did it. So I used a bigger pan. The caramel had not cooled yet but it has a great flavor. Will see what I get when it cools, but for right now this recipe is a keeper. I did get nervous because when melting the sugar down I did get a burning smell.
Oh this tasted delicious, but mine didn’t turn out runny to use as a topping for the butterscotch pudding from your previous post. As soon as it hit the cold temp of the butterscotch, it was chewy and stiff. Tasted great, but definitely fighting to cut into pieces while scooping the butterscotch. Am I suppose to add the extra 2T of heavy whipping cream to salvage the prepared caramel or add the 2T HWC at the beginning of the recipe? Did I leave the sugar in the heat too long causing the candy like consistency rather than a pourable liquid? Definitely will try again with more salt since I halved the amount fearing it would be too salty. The sweetness of the butterscotch and saltiness of the caramel should balance it out more.
Hi Sandy, We are happy you enjoyed the taste and can help you troubleshoot! It sounds like your caramel may be cooking for too long/ at too high of a temperature. 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. If you try it again you can also try thinning it out a bit when cooking. We recommend adding 2-3 extra Tablespoons of heavy cream to the recipe when you stir in the heavy cream. This will thin out the caramel so it’s softer!
I left a 4-star review awhile back, with a small deduction because I thought this recipe was difficult. Well, I tried three other recipes for caramel sauce, all of which were easier, but not nearly as good. Look no further, folks. This is the best.
best comment ever. I love this. Very helpful.
Okay so second attempt worked. I got it done in 14 minutes and 7 seconds with the help of my husband and a lighter pan. He thinks my crappy stove that turns off the element and it turns it back on was affecting it. Can’t wait to try it. I can’t find my original help comment to comment again.
If you use this as a cake filling, will it soften up once the cake is at room temperature?
Hi Michelle, This caramel isn’t ideal to layer between cake layers – it will just spill out the sides under the weight of top layers. It’s great as a filling for cupcakes, though. Or you may wish to use this salted caramel frosting between your layers.