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Caramel Sauce

[heart_this] · Dec 13, 2015 · 91 Comments

Caramel Sauce

Velvety smooth, melt in your mouth homemade caramel sauce that is so easy to make!

Thick and creamy homemade caramel sauce is one of the most amazingly divine treats and it’s super easy to make! You simply melt some sugar in a pan and simmer it until it starts to turn a nice amber colour before adding some cream and butter and optionally some flavours like vanilla or salt. After letting it cool a bit you are ready to go to use the caramel sauce on whatever you like from simply with apples to on melting vanilla ice cream to apple pies, etc. (Take a look below the recipe to find some ideas about what you can use it on!) The caramel sauce will keep in the fridge for months and it makes for a great present for the holidays! That is if you can bring yourself to part with it! My precious!

Caramel Sauce
Caramel Sauce
Caramel Sauce
Caramel Sauce
The recipe easily doubles, triples, etc; so make a lot of it! 🙂

Caramel Sauce

Caramel Sauce
Caramel Sauce
Caramel Sauce

Caramel Sauce

Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 20 minutes Servings: 16(~1 cup or 16 1 tablespoon servings)

Velvety smooth, melt in your mouth homemade caramel sauce that is so easy to make!

ingredients
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream, room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt (optional)
directions
  1. Mix the sugar and water in a large sauce pan, bring to a boil over medium heat and let simmer until it turns an amber colour.
  2. Carefully pour in the heavy cream, stir the mixture until it is smooth and simmering until any lumps have melted.
  3. Stir in the butter and salt, remove from heat, allow to cool for a few minutes and stir in the vanilla extract.
Tip: If the sugar seizes and turns into solid lumps after melting, carefully add 1/4 cup water and let the sugar sizzle and melt before continuing to simmer until it starts to turn amber.
Nutrition Facts: Calories 73, Fat 2.8g (Saturated 2g, Trans 0), Cholesterol 9mg, Sodium 12mg, Carbs 12g (Fiber 0, Sugars 12g), Protein 0.1g

Nutrition by: Nutritional facts powered by Edamam
Use in:
Rolo Cheesecake Bars
Apple Crisp Pizza with Caramel Sauce
Vanilla Apple Crisp with Caramel Sauce
Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars
Apple, Cheddar and Bacon Fritters in Caramel Sauce
Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake
Pumpkin Cinnamon Role Pancakes with Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting
Pumpkin Greek Yogurt Banana Bread
Pumpkin Pie Pancakes
Slow Cooker Pumpkin Pie Steel Cut Oatmeal
Pumpkin Pie Quinoa Parfait with Gingersnap Pecan Streusel
Apple Crumble Quinoa Parfait
Slow Cooker Apple Pie Steel Cut Oatmeal
Pumpkin Pie Cinnamon Buns with Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting
Caramel Apple Grilled Cheese Sandwich (with Bacon)
Pumpkin Caramel Cheesecake Turtle Bread
Chocolate Turtle Cookies
Caramel Pumpkin Cheesecake Dip
Apple Cinnamon Spiral Bread with Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting
Caramel Apple Crumble Cheesecake Dip
Grilled Pineapple and Banana Sundays with Caramel Sauce and Cashews
Carrot Cake with Dulce de Leche Cream Cheese Frosting
Caramel Soaked Almond Cake
Caramel Banana Bread

Similar Recipes:
Vanilla Bourbon Caramel Sauce
Blueberry Caramel Sauce
Dulce de Leche
Vietnamese Caramel Sauce
Lemon Curd

Condiment, Food, Gluten-free, Recipe, Vegetarian

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Heather says

    November 5, 2008 at 1:30 am

    oh my gosh! i disappeared for a few days and you posted like 100 amazing recipes! they all look so good! do you do delivery?! 😉 I want every single one of those pizzas!! this caramel sauce looks really, really good, too. i love apples with caramel – and the pictures are gorgeous!

    Reply
  2. Mrs Ergül says

    November 5, 2008 at 2:21 am

    this is awesome Kevin! Seriously, I haven’t tried the apple-caramel combination before… I so have to!

    Reply
  3. Maris says

    November 5, 2008 at 2:23 am

    Thanks for stopping by my blog! This looks so delicious and rich. I like caramel but I’m on SUCH an apple kick this year.

    Reply
  4. Allie says

    November 5, 2008 at 2:41 am

    It looks delicious, Kevin!

    Alton Brown also has a really appetising-looking recipe for caramel sauce I’ve been wanting to try. It says it lasts a week.

    http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/banana-splitsville-recipe2/index.html

    Of course, as another standby, you can always dip the apples in honey. I was addicted to that treat for a while.

    Reply
  5. Bridgett says

    November 5, 2008 at 3:01 am

    I love making caramel. This is one of my favorite indulgent snacks.

    Reply
  6. Pearlsofeast says

    November 5, 2008 at 3:15 am

    Awesome and nice click.

    Reply
  7. Amber says

    November 5, 2008 at 3:21 am

    Love caramel sauce, love it. And the short canning jars are way cute and I love the autumn plate for this. Interiors is my first love, can you tell, hence the table setting luncheon every year. Honey crisp apples are sooo good but really expensive, $2.99 per pound. But everything is high this year. Do you think you could create a sandwich with caramel? That is a good challenge. I’ll be watching.

    Reply
    • Jeanne says

      December 1, 2018 at 5:56 pm

      For a sandwich—try peanut or almond butter bananas and a drizzle or more of the caramel sauce (i would put the caramel between so the bread dies not soak it up. Also try an open face toast caramel sauce and marshmellow cream—use the chocolate peanutbutter—just sayin

      Reply
  8. Mindy says

    November 5, 2008 at 3:54 am

    Wonderful! I was looking for a recipe for caramel sauce just yesterday. I look forward to trying this.

    Reply
  9. MaryBeth says

    November 5, 2008 at 4:03 am

    Wonderful pictures. I love honey crisp apples and we only get them in Oregon for a very short period of time. They go great with caramel sauce.

    Reply
  10. Bridget says

    November 5, 2008 at 4:07 am

    Oh, awesome. I have some extra caramel in the fridge right now, and I didn’t know what to do with it. Apples! Of course!

    Reply
  11. Natashya says

    November 5, 2008 at 4:07 am

    Not too many men making their own caramel sauce. You are a catch!
    I made some this year for the first time, a recipe similar to yours.
    Love honey crisp too, we are near Algoma and pick them up there.
    Beautiful photo, lovely lighting.

    Reply
  12. ttfn300 says

    November 5, 2008 at 4:11 am

    my heart’s a flutter! but i doubt i would be able to control myself around this 🙂

    Reply
  13. Anonymous says

    November 5, 2008 at 4:50 am

    This looks sinfully delicious. I love caramel and apples.

    Reply
  14. Manggy says

    November 5, 2008 at 5:09 am

    Wow! Do try it with salt– it’s fantastic 🙂

    Reply
  15. Elra says

    November 5, 2008 at 5:30 am

    Kevin, this is such a sweet treat, apples and caramel are so perfect combination. Hmmm, delicious!

    Reply
  16. cindy* says

    November 5, 2008 at 5:40 am

    salt only makes caramel better. do try it. this looks so yummy and perfect for fall.

    Reply
  17. Pam says

    November 5, 2008 at 6:40 am

    Beautiful. My sister is a huge fan of caramel sauce with apples – it looks so good. Great photo.

    Reply
  18. Cakebrain says

    November 5, 2008 at 6:41 am

    Lovely looking caramel sauce! I love it on vanilla bean ice cream! The drips look very appealing…

    Reply
  19. Mochachocolata Rita says

    November 5, 2008 at 6:59 am

    wow with this caramel sauce, i will probably start loving apples ^_^

    Reply
  20. Marie says

    November 5, 2008 at 7:39 am

    Seriously delicious looking Kevin. I wish you lived closer. You cook the best food, and I’d be angling for a dinner invite!

    Reply
  21. redforever says

    November 5, 2008 at 7:55 am

    If you want to experiment adding other ingredients, chopped toasted pecans carries this to a whole different level. Then you have a praline sauce.

    Reply
  22. Beachlover says

    November 5, 2008 at 8:39 am

    thanks for sharing your wonderful caramel sc recipe:)0

    Reply
  23. aforkfulofspaghetti says

    November 5, 2008 at 9:22 am

    I like the fact that the only problem with this sauce is that it doesn’t last long! That’s a GOOD THING, ‘cos then you just have to make some more…

    Reply
  24. Rosa's Yummy Yums says

    November 5, 2008 at 9:35 am

    Really awesome! Caramel sauce, now that’s scrumptious! A delightful combo, wow!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

    Reply
  25. Clumbsy Cookie says

    November 5, 2008 at 9:50 am

    Caramel porn at its best I would say, lol! That’s more or less my recipe for caramel sauce and it’s delicious! I must dip apples in it too!

    Reply
  26. Happy cook says

    November 5, 2008 at 10:45 am

    This is the best caramel sauce i have ever seen in my whole life. Really they looks so delicious. I am sure going to make them. The will be excelent with ice cream too.
    And i woudn”t get a chance to lick to pot or the spoon as my daughter will be waiting there like a hawk to do it 🙂

    Reply
  27. mikky says

    November 5, 2008 at 11:09 am

    i just love your sauce… so deliciously sinful… thanks for sharing, kevin… 🙂

    Reply
  28. Jo. says

    November 5, 2008 at 11:30 am

    OMG, This is so very goood. So simple but soooo goood.

    Reply
  29. OhioMom says

    November 5, 2008 at 11:57 am

    Oh thank you for finding this easy recipe, I love caramel sauce. When we were children Mom would make a pot and we would dip apples and then roll in nuts.

    Thanks for the memory 🙂

    Reply
  30. Dana McCauley says

    November 5, 2008 at 12:08 pm

    I love caramel sauce on apples, ice cream, my finger, a spoon – it’s a little bit too good!

    Reply
  31. Debbie says

    November 5, 2008 at 12:21 pm

    I have tons of apples around here again so this is perfect right now. I’m sure my son will love this!

    Reply
  32. VeggieGirl says

    November 5, 2008 at 12:22 pm

    EPITOME of lusciousness. Oh my.

    Reply
  33. HoneyB says

    November 5, 2008 at 12:23 pm

    Absolutely gorgeous. It makes me want caramel now!

    Reply
  34. Darius T. Williams says

    November 5, 2008 at 1:19 pm

    This sauce looks great – nice color and I’m loving the texture of it!

    -DTW
    http://www.everydaycookin.blogspot.com

    Reply
  35. Mike of Mike's Table says

    November 5, 2008 at 1:42 pm

    Always a fun thing to have handy, whether it be for dipping, topping off ice cream, or whatever. Great photo

    Reply
  36. tigerfish says

    November 5, 2008 at 2:08 pm

    It is quite an indulgence huh ? ;P

    Reply
  37. emily says

    November 5, 2008 at 2:11 pm

    THANK YOU! This is perfect. I am making a spice cake today and was wanting to make a caramel sauce to top it off.

    Reply
  38. Lisa says

    November 5, 2008 at 2:25 pm

    I love homemade caramel sauce.

    Reply
  39. Lisa magicsprinkles says

    November 5, 2008 at 2:54 pm

    You had me at “eat it by the spoonful”

    Reply
  40. Maria says

    November 5, 2008 at 2:57 pm

    That dripping caramel is making me mad!! I want to lick it up now!! What a yummy fall treat!

    Reply
  41. CECIL says

    November 5, 2008 at 3:05 pm

    I love your photos and presentation, Kevin! It’s so like magazine shots. Before I came to N.America, I did not even know there is such thing ‘ apples dip in caramel’ Pretty sad, huh? 🙂 Then my host sister got me hooked.

    Reply
  42. Katie says

    November 5, 2008 at 3:06 pm

    That picture is making me want to lick my screen.

    Reply
  43. Lori says

    November 5, 2008 at 3:06 pm

    Love that last picture. It is so provocative.

    Reply
  44. s says

    November 5, 2008 at 3:25 pm

    the picture is fantastic; no exlusion of any of caramel’s messy, sticky, syrupy sweet goodness!

    Reply
  45. Proud Italian Cook says

    November 5, 2008 at 3:32 pm

    I would enjoy dipping this carmel just the way you did with a honey crisp apple! Love those thick drips!

    Reply
  46. Dee says

    November 5, 2008 at 3:34 pm

    I saw your photo on tastespotting and it looked fabulous! I just made some salted butter caramel and it was brilliant on everything (the SBC popcorn was delish!). Must keep this recipe in mind for when I run out.

    Reply
  47. Sandie says

    November 5, 2008 at 3:44 pm

    Caramel, in any form, is fantastic. Love the photos with this post!

    Reply
  48. Marysol says

    November 5, 2008 at 3:50 pm

    Kevin, apples and caramel are always on my mind, particularly this time of year. And your pictures are teasing my taste buds.

    Reply
  49. Deborah says

    November 5, 2008 at 3:58 pm

    Caramel and apples are a perfect combo!

    Reply
  50. bird's eye view says

    November 5, 2008 at 4:09 pm

    I love your blog, and I seriously want you to come and be my best friend and invite me over for dinner every night! It always looks great!

    Reply
  51. Cheryl says

    November 5, 2008 at 4:36 pm

    That looks amazing, the photos blow me away!

    Reply
  52. Jacque says

    November 5, 2008 at 5:17 pm

    Hurray for you! Making perfect caramel is (I think) no small feat.

    Looks like you’ve done just that!

    Reply
  53. Karen says

    November 5, 2008 at 6:14 pm

    Looks delicious – your photographs are amazing!

    Reply
  54. Holler says

    November 5, 2008 at 6:28 pm

    This is a great Guy Fawkes night dish!

    Reply
  55. Katrina says

    November 5, 2008 at 6:35 pm

    The caramel looks drippingly delicious. Love caramel with apples!

    Reply
  56. Kristen says

    November 5, 2008 at 6:37 pm

    love your photos and ideas!

    Reply
  57. Paula says

    November 5, 2008 at 7:08 pm

    Oh this is lovely! I laughed when you mentioned cleaning out the pan with your fingers! We’re seeing more and more of your personality in your posts! This sauce would be a great addition to the Thanksgiving menus that your blog fans from the U.S. will be preparing for soon! YUM!

    Reply
  58. Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) says

    November 5, 2008 at 8:24 pm

    My husband, who has a wicked sweet tooth, loves any kind of caramel (yes, crunchy salt would be a great addition); I’m passing this recipe on to him.

    Reply
  59. Jeanine says

    November 5, 2008 at 8:39 pm

    Oops, I nearly licked my screen. That caramel sauce looks awesome, Kevin! Wow!

    Reply
  60. Dawn says

    November 5, 2008 at 10:32 pm

    I saw your fabulous pic on Tastespotting!
    If you ever see McCoun apples, try them! Sooooo good.

    Reply
  61. Passionate About Baking says

    November 6, 2008 at 12:27 am

    Finger-licking good Kevin…I love this sugar overdose! Gorgoeus pictures too!

    Reply
  62. TBC says

    November 6, 2008 at 2:09 am

    I’ve not yet had a chance to try out the caramel-apple combination but it sounds wonderful.
    I *love* the 2nd pic, Kevin.

    Reply
  63. Helene says

    November 6, 2008 at 5:47 pm

    Beautiful! It’s so hard to make the perfect caramel sauce. You’re doing so good with your recipes.

    Reply
  64. Rosie says

    November 6, 2008 at 8:07 pm

    Oh my goodness Kevin this is awesome!

    Rosie x

    Reply
  65. Gretchen Noelle says

    November 7, 2008 at 3:06 am

    Great pics!

    Reply
  66. EAT! says

    November 9, 2008 at 1:28 pm

    I made caramel sauce for the first time last week – I will never go back to anything else. It was so easy and so much more delicious!!

    Reply
  67. meeso says

    November 9, 2008 at 3:01 pm

    That’s a great recipe! Looks so good with the apples!

    Reply
  68. Pat says

    November 10, 2008 at 12:33 am

    I just made your sauce. It is amazingly easy, rich, and delicious. I used whipping cream instead of heavy cream because I had it. No problem with that. I also used a whisk instead of a wooden spoon, which worked fine.
    Can’t wait to try more of your recipes!

    Reply
  69. Lisa says

    November 10, 2008 at 11:45 pm

    I’ve been at the computer less this past week and so missed this stunning recipe. I could easily eat this by the spoonful!

    Reply
  70. Jeanne says

    November 12, 2008 at 12:49 pm

    Holy guacamole, look at that. I haven’t made caramel sauce in years but now I think I will have to! I had my first honeycrisp apple in Chicago last month and now I think I’m in love…

    Reply
  71. Jaime says

    November 17, 2008 at 6:51 am

    one of my favorite things in the world is caramel!!! this looks wonderful, esp w/the sliced apples

    Reply
  72. Arfi Binsted says

    December 18, 2008 at 7:14 pm

    caramel!! although it is too sweet for my taste, i just love caramel bars hehehe…

    Reply
  73. MelBell says

    November 7, 2009 at 8:30 pm

    Just made this to serve with your vanilla apple crisp tonight. The sauce is fantastic. And so easy. No reason to spend the money on ready-made stuff when this is superior in every way.

    Reply
  74. Anonymous says

    April 7, 2010 at 5:32 am

    What a very delectable caramel sauce for my apples tonight!!! Thank you so much for your delectable recipe!!!

    Reply
  75. Anonymous says

    November 3, 2010 at 7:03 pm

    What would be the difference between caramel sauce and dulce de leche?

    I know the differences in how they're prepared, but when would you use caramel sauce and when would you use dulce de leche?

    Reply
  76. Kevin says

    November 9, 2010 at 12:17 am

    Anonymous: I would say that in a lot of cases dulce de leche and caramel sauce are interchangeable. I have only just started getting into dulce de leche and I have a lot more experimentation to do with it! 🙂

    Reply
  77. Anonymous says

    December 2, 2011 at 10:43 pm

    So what is the wet method? I want to be able, to dip something into the caramel. Can this be done with the dry method? I hope.

    Reply
  78. Mr. Piemaker says

    December 2, 2011 at 10:46 pm

    How do I make caramel? I want to be able to dip something into it, or even pour it on something.

    Reply
  79. Kevin says

    December 2, 2011 at 11:35 pm

    Anonymous & Mr. Piemaker: This recipe is for the wet method and for the dry method, simply omit the water and syrup. Both methods will yield caramel sauce that you can dip or pour. When it comes out of the fridge it will be fairly solid but at room temperature it will be dip-able and at a slightly warmer temperature you can easily pour it.

    Reply
  80. Jesmyn Hibbard says

    January 15, 2012 at 6:56 pm

    I have tried this recipe twice and have never achieved the color in the picture. What could I be doing wrong? I have waited two different amount of times to have the sugar mixture turn into this amber color. Neither times have I achieved it. This last time my mixture got pretty thick from the wait with no change in color at all. The first time I made it I used light corn syrup so I thought that could have been the problem…this time I used the dark one and the color changed by only a couple of shades. Please help or I might give up on this one. 😀

    Reply
  81. Kevin says

    January 19, 2012 at 11:08 am

    Jesmyn Hibbard: All of the colour is going to come from simmering the sugar before adding the cream. You want to keep simmering it until it turns a mid to dark amber and then add the cream. What colour are you getting when you make it?

    Reply
  82. Jesmyn Hibbard says

    January 22, 2012 at 5:11 am

    http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i49/Jesmyn/caramelsauce.jpg

    I think if you copy and paste, or maybe just click on the above link it will show you a picture of mine.
    Thank you for your help.

    Reply
  83. Kevin says

    January 22, 2012 at 2:55 pm

    Jesmyn Hibbard: Let it simmer in the pan longer and get darker before adding the cream.

    Reply
  84. Sarah Aberman says

    November 23, 2012 at 11:06 am

    How many cups of caramel sauce does this recipe yield? I'm planning on making it with your vanilla apple crisp recipe (which calls for 3 cups of this bad boy) and you say this recipe doesn't make much. Should I double the recipe? Triple it ? Thanx!

    Reply
  85. Kevin says

    November 26, 2012 at 11:04 am

    Sarah Aberman: This recipe makes 1 cup caramel sauce which should be enough for the vanilla apple crisp. Enjoy!

    Reply
  86. NoRecipes says

    December 14, 2015 at 1:41 am

    Looks good Kevin! Have you ever tried making brownies with leftover caramel sauce? It's one of my favorites:-)

    Reply
  87. Simone says

    December 14, 2015 at 10:26 am

    Åh altså! Jeg elsker karamel! Jeg må næsten prøve at lave den her karamelsovs Ö

    Simone
    Microcut.dk

    Reply
  88. Unknown says

    December 7, 2016 at 3:33 am

    How long does this keep?

    Reply
  89. kevin says

    December 9, 2016 at 6:11 pm

    Unknown: This keeps for months in the fridge!

    Reply
  90. Gus says

    October 11, 2018 at 12:04 pm

    Okay I guess I’m the only other person that this didn’t work for. I simmered this for over an hour I had to add water twice to it and I still got no color. I didn’t think there was a way I could screw this recipe up but it sure looks like I did. I am by no means a good cook but this seems to be easy enough. Unfortunately no luck for me.

    Reply

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