Follow these easy instructions to create sweet salted caramel sauce at home. This salted caramel recipe requires only 4 easy ingredients. It’s perfect for cakes, cupcakes, cookies, pound cake, ice cream, cheesecake, scones, salted caramel apple pie, and more!
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 is one of the easiest recipes. This truly the best salted caramel I’ve ever had and there’s only 4 ingredients required: sugar, butter, heavy cream, and salt.
This salted caramel is a reader favorite recipe, marking its spot in the top 10 most popular recipes on my website. It’s sweet, sticky, 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 pot and a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula. Stir until melted. 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.
Remember to use caution when cooking over the stove as the hot liquid, butter, and cream may splatter. If needed, kitchen gloves come in handy.
No Candy Thermometer Salted Caramel
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. The caramel thickens as it cools.
What to Eat with Salted Caramel?
You will love homemade salted caramel with recipes like cinnamon rolls, cheesecake, and apple pie bars. Use it as a caramel 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
- Butterscotch Pudding
- Snickers Caramel Tart
- Apple Cupcakes
- Caramel Dipped Pretzels
- Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake
- Salted Caramel Apple Pie & Apple Cake
- Cheesecake Pie
- Chocolate Bread Pudding
- Dessert Nachos
- Caramel Turtle Cheesecake
- Apple Cider French Toast
- Dutch Baby Pancake
- Drizzled on cookies like Shortbread, Brownie Cookies, and Snickerdoodles
50 Ways to Eat Salted Caramel
I have plenty more ideas too: here are 50 Ways to Eat Salted Caramel.
What is the Texture of This Salted Caramel?
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.
You can’t really turn this sauce into a homemade wrapped candy. Instead, try my soft caramel candies recipe which is a little different.
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.
What About Caramel Apples?
This caramel is not thick enough to coat apples for caramel apples. Instead, I recommend my homemade caramel apples recipe.
Quick Salted Caramel Video
PrintHomemade Salted Caramel Recipe
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 1 cup
- 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.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar (make sure it’s labeled “pure cane”)*
- 6 Tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, at room temperature and sliced into 6 pieces
- 1/2 cup (120ml) heavy cream, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Heat granulated sugar in a medium heavy-duty saucepan (avoid using nonstick) over medium heat, stirring constantly with a high heat-resistant silicone spatula or wooden spoon. 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. Be careful not to burn it.
- Once sugar is completely melted, immediately stir in the butter until melted and combined. Be careful in this step because the caramel will bubble rapidly when the butter is added. If you notice the butter separating or if the sugar clumps up, remove from heat and vigorously whisk to combine it again. (If you’re nervous for splatter, wear kitchen gloves. 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.)
- After the butter has melted and combined with the caramelized sugar, stir constantly as you very slowly pour in the heavy cream. Since the heavy cream is colder than the hot caramel, the mixture will rapidly bubble when added. After all the heavy cream has been added, stop stirring and allow to 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 will rise to about 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 down before using. Caramel thickens as it cools.
- Cover tightly and store for up to 1 month in the refrigerator. 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 (avoid using nonstick) | Wooden Spoon or Silicone Spatula | Candy Thermometer (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 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 a couple of batches instead.
Keywords: caramel, salted caramel
The sugar will be clumpy as it begins to melt:
It will begin to turn amber in color:
Once sugar is completely melted (takes about 6 minutes or so on my stove), stir in the butter:
Very slowly, drizzle in the heavy cream. Since the heavy cream is colder than the caramel, the mixture will rapidly bubble and/or splatter when added. Boil for 1 minute.
Remove from heat and stir in the salt.
I have a question. I would like to dip shortbread cookies in the salted caramel sauce. Does it dry so I can pack them in boxes for gifts?
Hi Bev! No, this caramel does not set completely.
I’d like to use this as a cheesecake topping. Should it be drizzled over the cold cheesecake hot when still runny? Or, is it better to pour over the cheesecake once cooled on rack but before refrigerating?
Hi Melinda, we’d recommend drizzling on the cold cheesecake right before serving. Hope you enjoy it!
First time making a caramel sauce, and it worked perfectly. Huge hit – used it to drizzle on cheesecake.
★★★★★
I loved how this turned out, even though I think I almost burned the sugar. But we loved the flavour it produced and I think it’s something I would do on purpose again. A question for you though. At the end of the mixing in of the butter, it started going quite hard, so I quickly began mixing in the cream. The result was quite a few crunchy chunks, which again, was accidentally nice because it was like skor bits. But do you know why it would’ve suddenly turned so thick and hard? It was actually making my whisk bend out of shape.
★★★★★
Hi Lydia, the heat may have been too high (all stoves are different). Try slightly lowering the temperature next time, during the whole process. That will help.
Hi! I love the recipe and have made it a few times with no issues, but how it’s been setting hard rather than soft. Any idea why?
Hi Joan! Try turning the heat on your stove down just a bit.
This recipe didn’t work for me at all. First, it took at least 30mins on medium heat for the sugar to completely melt. Then after adding the butter, it clumped, hardened and separated, all at the same time. I whisked off heat for at least ten minutes and it never came together. This was a waste of time and ingredients. I need the caramel sauce for your caramel turtle cheesecake and am going with store-bought caramel sauce instead.
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Can this recipe be used in making caramel turtles?
Hi Patty, this caramel won’t set up for candies, but you may love these sea salt vanilla caramels instead!
Would a splash of bourbon mess with the overall consistency?
★★★★★
A splash would be just fine, after you remove it from heat and when you stir in the salt.
Can I use half and half?
Hi Karen, the caramel won’t set up properly with half-and-half because the fat content is too low. We recommend heavy cream for best results.
Straightforward, easy to follow and comes out perfect every time!
★★★★★
Total pun on words. Can this recipe be canned?
Hi Lorie, we haven’t tried canning this salted caramel before so we’re unsure of how it will work/preserve. Let us know if you do give it a try.
Easy to make and delicious.
★★★★★
Can I use this as a caramel drizzle for a coffee station…or will it be the wrong consistency? I love homemade and I can’t justify over $5 for a bottle of Torani caramel sauce!!
Hi Lindsay, the hot/warm caramel is delicious in coffee! It will, however, solidify as it cools, so you will need to keep the caramel warm and/or have a way to warm it up before use.
This recipe is a keeper!! It was so good. I made the sauce and used it in top of my popcorn and left it to cool completely after coating them. They tasted phenomenal, I couldn’t stop eating them! The only thing that was missing was the crunchiness that you would have with caramel popcorn. Is there anything that I can do to make it crunchie?
Hi Naaz, we’re so glad you enjoyed it! This is not ideal for caramel corn, as it doesn’t set into the same candy consistency needed for caramel corn. It’s solid when it cools, but it’s more chewy than hard. For caramel corn, it’s best to use a caramel with baking soda in it, such as this caramel corn recipe.
Just great! I need a caramel sauce, salt-less, so I only added 1/4 the salt to compensate for the lack of salt in the butter. It’s great, just hard to break old habits. I was always told “DON’T TOUCH THE SUGAR” when it was caramelizing sugar. And a dish of water with a pastry brush was to be on hand to remove any sugar on the wall of the pot. This was so much easier and it didn’t suffer at all for the lack of “process worshipping” I was taught. LOL
★★★★★
I love the taste of this recipe! I want to find a way to use it in my Millionaire’s Shortbread but can’t get it to stay set once the dish comes up to room temperature (it eventually starts oozing out the sides of each bar). I don’t like the flavor of other recipes I have used with sweetened condensed milk that will stay set in Millionaire’s Shortbread. Any advice?
★★★★★
Hi Tim, I’ve tried using this caramel in that manner many times, and it’s just not stable enough. You really need some corn syrup in there to help achieve the correct consistency for layering in the dessert. You’ll also have to cook it for a little longer. This requires testing, and it’s something I have not attempted in some time. Let me know if you try anything though!
This caramel recipe looks amazing. I read at the beginning of this post. That it can be used on cookies, etc. My question is. Once it’s drizzled on. Will it harden somewhat or stay sticky and soft. Because I would like to make baking goods with caramel drizzled on that I can package and give away without it sticking to the packaging. Thanks for your help. I do hope I get a response. I was reading over the comments and there were quite a few questions that never got an answer. TIA.
★★★★★
Hi LuAnn, the caramel stays a little sticky after drizzling on cookies. Not too sticky, but it will most likely stick if the top is directly on the caramel/cookie.
I think this looks like it may be a great recipe, I’m anxious to try it, but was wondering if you had ever canned it?
Hi Vennita, we haven’t tested it yet, but many readers have and reported back with good reviews. Let us know if you try it!
Hi there! I have made this recipe before as directed, but I am hoping to make it for my wife who is allergic to dairy. Is there a way to make this dairy free? Can I use Crisco instead of butter? Can I use full-fat canned coconut milk instead of heavy cream? If so, do I just use the cream on the top of the can or shake it up so that it is combined? I’m afraid that shaking the can so that it is combined would add too much water and therefore affect the end result. I greatly appreciate your baking expertise and wisdom! Thank you!
Hi Jim, We haven’t tested a dairy-free version of this recipe. While full fat coconut cream should work in place of the heavy cream, we aren’t sure how a vegan butter will hold up (and we don’t recommend margarine). It may be best to search for a recipe that is specifically formulated to be dairy-free. Let us know if you try anything here!
Hey Sally, I was wondering if this caramel recipe would be good to hold together cream puffs for a croquembouche?
Hi Brendon, we haven’t tested it but imagine that should work well. We’d let the salted caramel sit to slightly thicken a bit before dipping and adhering. Let us know how it goes!
This is the greatest caramel recipe ever!!! It basically ruins any other caramel you’ll ever eat!
★★★★★
Is there a way to get the sugar off the sides of the pan while melting?
Hi Patti, you can use your whisk or even a spatula if needed to help remove the sugar from the sides.
I have made this numerous times now, it is so easy and taste amazing!! Thank you for sharing, highly recommended from me
★★★★★
I’ve never made caramel from scratch, but thus is soo easy a 10 year old could do it, well w/mom’s supervision. Though it did take a bit longer than 6 minutes for sugar to melt & get started, I just kept raising the heat a little bit @ a time… Perfect! YUM!
★★★★★
I’m using this recipe since my son was little. Keep coming back to it as he requests for me to make it regularly over the years. It’s so easy and very delicious!!
★★★★★
This recipe was perfection!!!! I doubled it and am so glad I did! It’s delicious, it took next to no time and I love that the risk of crystallization was minimal! Will definitely use this recipe going forward.
★★★★★
hey Sally! two questions:
first, I want to make this later and was wondering if I could drizzle this over popcorn and make caramel popcorn without any other alterations to the recipe? secondly, is heavy whipping cream fine for this recipe? thanks!
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!
hi! i tried this recipe with light whipping cream with 30% milk fat and it tasted amazing, the only difference was it was more runny, still the best salted caramel i’ve ever made!
You didn’t answer the question about drizzling over popcorn. I’m wondering the same thing.
Hi Lucy, We don’t recommend it. This caramel won’t harden into the CRUNCH you need for caramel corn. Instead, try this caramel corn recipe.
Added butter, instantly set rock hard. You should be whisking from the moment it’s added and let the sugar cool a little first
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The caramel sauce smelled great. Both my husband and I were very excited to try it but it has a bit of a metallic taste rather than sweet. We went over the directions to see what we did wrong. We think maybe the sugar burnt somehow in the process even though we were very careful to avoid that.
I think I burned mine a little, too. I had my electric stove set to 5.5, but when I put the candy thermometer in to get the mixture to 220f, the thermometer zoomed up and may have gone further if I hadn’t taken it off the heat so quickly. It wasn’t a disaster, though. I have a toffee sauce!
2nd time making this recipe. Best recipe for salted caramel I’ve ever tried!
★★★★★