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 just made a 8X batch of this THEN I read the comments to not double the recipe LOL it worked, it took much longer and was making me sweat from all the stirring but we made it and it’s delicious!!
I only have a nonstick pan for this, any tips on how to make it work still? I want to make this for the apple pie bars!
Hi Mea! Sometimes nonstick works, but we have much better and more consistent luck (and others do as well) when using a stainless steel pot.
I would love to use this to top a cookie i have either a drizzle or fill the middle. Would this caramel set up to use in this way? Thank you
Hi Jennifer, yes! We use this caramel recipe in our Caramel Apple Spice Thumbprint Cookies and drizzled on our Chocolate Turtle Cookies.
I ruined a non-stick pan making this and had it did not come together well. Ever since switching to heavier bottomed stainless steel pan, it comes out great every time. I had to through out my non-stick pan as the coating was coming off after making the sauce.
I make this every year to top my cheesecake that I make and for the first time I used Dominos bakers sugar. It’s ultrafine cane sugar and it seemed like I was done in half the time it usually takes. My thought is that since it’s so fine it melts muck quicker. A great surprise!!!
Would this be good to drizzle on a salted caramel cake?
Yes absolutely!
First off, can barely access your website thanks to your Amazon pop up ads. Just in the time I’ve typed my comment, 3 versions of the same ad have popped up, plus one playing in the bottom right corner of the screen.
I trusted this recipe to make for my daughter’s birthday cake. Followed every instruction and measured in grams, cooked to the temperature specified… 20 mins after cooling, the butter is splitting from the mixture. Reheating did not help, it would become liquid again and then split/become too thick after cooling. Wasted an hour of my time and didn’t have enough ingredients to remake it. Thanks!
Hi Robin, I’m so sorry for the trouble. That pop-up ad was not supposed to appear on the site (we do not allow ads to block content). We’ve flagged it with our ad team several times this morning already, and it should already be blocked. If you’re still seeing it, a quick refresh or trying a different browser usually clears it. Again, I’m really really sorry about the glitch.
If the caramel split as it cooled, that usually means the mixture wasn’t fully emulsified when the butter was incorporated. Bringing it back to a gentle simmer and whisking in a splash of warm heavy cream can often help pull it back together, though I understand you didn’t have ingredients to try again. If you’re willing to share, did you use salted or unsalted butter, and what brand of cream? I’d love to help troubleshoot so this doesn’t happen again.
I have made this a few times and I will say if I did not use a stainless steel I had similar issues! But if I did the steel instead of ceramic and made sure to read and follow the directions it came out so well!
I find adding 1/2 of water to sugar and letting the water cook off give a less bitter flavor. It takes longer but saves you from all that stirring.
If you add water only stir once and just let the sugar melt to desired color. Then follow the rest of the recipe.
I think it makes less of a mess too. Plus, if you use a wet pastry brush once in a while while you’re cooking it to wipe down the sides of the pan you don’t get all that stuck on sugar in your pan.
I followed the instructions & it turned out beautifully. I read a lot of comments about the caramel tasting burnt: you really do need to use a thermometer for the last step & stop boiling the caramel at 220 degrees, rather than timing it for a minute, because everyone’s cookware is a bit different. I made this at a friend’s house using the same equipment she uses for this recipe. She’s always timed out the 1 minute boil & says hers tastes almost burnt; I used a thermometer and the caramel reached 220 degrees within 10 seconds of adding the cream. We were much happier with the flavor of this batch.
Excellent recipe, thank you Sally! I drizzled this over a pear coffee cake while the caramel was still quite warm so it could soak into the cake… incredible.
I had no problems making this caramel sauce, however it tastes like browned butter to me. I don’t know if it’s supposed to taste like that. Maybe I should’ve let the temperature of the sugar to come down before adding the butter?
Wonderful carmel sauce recipe! Made jars of it for Xmas gifts-perfect! Thank you!
Excited to make this! Would I be able to use this with your caramel apple upside down cake?
Hi Melissa, we wouldn’t use this salted caramel sauce with that recipe—best to follow the sauce in the caramel apple upside down cake for best results!
I want to make this (with the pumpkin cheesecake bundt cake) for Thanksgiving, but I don’t have a stainless steel pan. Mine are Magnalite (aluminum) and are not nonstick. They are heavy and transfer heat well. Will those work?
Hi Deb, as long as they are heavy-bottomed and not non-stick, they should work well here. Hope you enjoy the caramel!
Hi Sally!
I absolutely love this recipe — I’ve been making it for years! I usually drizzle it over your pumpkin swirl cheesecake (which is also amazing), but I had a quick question. Do you think it’s possible to turn the caramel into a full layer on top of the cheesecake instead of just a drizzle? I’m wondering how it would set once refrigerated, or if it might melt the cheesecake a bit even if I let the caramel cool slightly before pouring.
Hi Alexa, I fear a caramel layer would be too hard on top of the cheesecake. We recommend sticking with a drizzle for this recipe, but let us know if you try!
OMG GIRL!!!! I have made carmel sauce for years but not this easy and it’s incredibly delicious, thank you!!
This was so easy to make and SOOOOO delicious! I’m wondering if there is any way to keep it softer/more like a sauce? We put it on ice cream and it instantly hardened up. We had to cut little chunks with our spoon and eat a little chunk with each bite of ice cream. Would adding a bit more cream help?
Hi Kirsten, 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, although it will still solidify as it cools (especially if drizzled on cold ice cream!).
This recipe was very easy. I could see where it might be hard to know what temperature to put your stove on. It worked perfectly for me. It’s delicious. I am putting it between layers of a carrot cake. Your recipes are always wonderful.
Ive found several gems on this site but unfortunately this was a huge flop. Took AGES to melt down the sugar, then when I added the butter it just clumped/hardened and no amount of whisking would help. Dissapointed at the mess and waste of butter 🙁
Yes! Followed the directions exactly, made this for the Salted Caramel Apple Pie Bars which were a huge hit with the family! Easy, Delicious, Heavenly, Decadent, what else can I say? I made extra and now put just a small teaspoon of it in my morning coffee. Thank you for this recipe.
Can I use this caramel recipe to make chocolate pecan turtles?
Hi Amber, this caramel won’t set up for candies, but you may love these soft caramel candies instead!
So good!
At one point after adding the butter I thought I’d ruined it, but removed from heat and whisked – that worked. THEN I thought I ruined it again after adding the cream too quickly but kept stirring, removed from heat when I felt needed, and it came together in the end. And it is DELICIOUS!! Don’t be afraid to adjust heat and remember all of our stove temps are a little different!
What would cause the caramel to taste bitter? I followed the instructions closely, but I do not know if the temperature was too high even though it shouldn’t have been. That’s the only thing that makes sense to me.
Hi Lisa, if it tastes bitter and looks darker than the photos, it’s likely been cooked for too long – an easy fix for next time! Try turning your heat down a bit.
I had a salted caramel recipe that I’ve made for years and its always good and always comes out perfect. But I decided to make this salted caramel recipe. I thought it not only took SO much more effort, but it burned slightly just at the end and I had to throw away the entire batch. I’m sure its probably me and not the recipe since everyone has good things to say about it, but I’m an excellent baker and couldn’t get this to work.
I was nervous making this but it came out perfect! The pot was easy to clean too!
Sorry but this was a big fail for us. We could not find the right temperature on the stove to melt the sugar without burning it, then the butter did not combine at all. Total mess, splatter, and a pot that was incredibly hard to clean. We switched to the simpler caramel sauce from her apple upside down cake.
Too salty! Need to add less salt
I used my painted cast iron pot for this and it works great. I use this for my Christmas toffee as well.
I’d never made caramel before but this recipe was super easy to follow. The caramel came out perfectly! It was absolutely delicious, I will be making this again.
Mine tasted very very burnt. I did everything as the recipe stated. Any idea what I might’ve done wrong?
Hi Marie, The burnt flavor is likely from the first step.
Mine got hard as soon as i added butter. I made a batch before that was great. Don’t know what i did this time. ugh!
Hi Vicki, it sounds like your heat may have been a bit too high. For next time, you can try turning down your burner just a bit. And be sure to continuously whisk until the butter is fully melted and combined. Hope this helps!
All I did was create a mess.
I’d take it off the heat and try and whisk it. I’d put it back on the heat and try and whisk it and everything that touch the bowl is now a very hard caramel. Not sure what I did wrong. I truly followed the recipe to a T. I’m now going to the store to just buy premade caramel. Typically love your recipes Sally!
Hi Becky, we’re so sorry you had troubles with this recipe! It sounds like you stovetop may have been a bit too hot. If you wish to try again, try turning down the heat a bit if it starts hardening. Are you using a non-stick pot by chance? We recommend and have much better success using a stainless steel pot here.
This stuff is amazing! The recipe worked wonderfully and I am known to not follow recipes well. I added salted butter and then more salt from the recipe…still delicious and usable but it is something to remember for next time!
If I leave the caramel in a tight jar at a room temperature location, will it stay a sauce? If so, how long can I leave it out of the fridge in a sealed jar before it goes bad?
Hi Carrie! Caramel should be stored in the fridge. 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.
It was very good. I needed 2 recipes. I set everything out, inc the candy thermometer, 3 diff types of stirring tools. The whisk was a non-starter. A wooden spoon that hit the inside was the best. I didn’t try to scrape down the caramel sugar on the edges. Kinda thought that’d take longer to melt. Highlighted the action verbs (pour, timing, etc). I missed one point in the first batch. It didn’t seem to matter in the second. The cream darkened the sugar. Ugh.
This recipe is amazing!! I also started with adding 1/4 cup of water to the sugar because I was unfamiliar with this recipe.. it was perfect at the end! Thank you!