Create a rich, luscious salted caramel sauce at home with just four simple ingredients. This straightforward recipe takes about 25 minutes from start to finish and guides you through every step, ensuring you get a smooth, flavorful sauce. It’s a wonderful addition to ice cream, brownies, coffee, and so much more.
Ways to Use Your Caramel Sauce:
- Use it to make my Whipped Salted Caramel Frosting.
- As a topping for my Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe
- A topping for my Pumpkin Cake
- Use it on top of your favorite coffee drink
- Use it to make a sundae
- To top my Nutella Brownies
- As a coating for my Apple Pear Crumble
Ingredients for Salted Caramel Sauce:
- 1 cup of granulated sugar
- 5 tablespoons of butter
- 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream warmed to room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon of flakey sea salt
Step 1: Melt the Sugar
Do not taste the sugar or dip your finger in the sugar while cooking. The sugar gets very very hot and will burn you when it is melted. Using a heavy-bottomed, light-colored saucepan is ideal. The heavy bottom helps distribute heat evenly, preventing scorching, and the light color allows you to accurately see the sugar change to a deep amber color. At first, the sugar seems to take forever to start melting. However, when the sugar starts melting things start to move pretty quickly. The sugar will start showing some light brown liquid areas. I personally start stirring frequently at this point.
Next you will see small chunks of sugar that don’t seem to melt. Do not worry, they will melt. Crystallization can happen if sugar crystals splash onto the sides of the pan. To help prevent this, you can use a clean pastry brush dipped in water to wipe down the inside of the saucepan as the sugar melts.
The chunks will go away and the sugar will start turning darker. Be careful not to burn the sugar. Once the sugar reaches a dark amber color turn the fire off and take the caramel off of the burner.
Step 2: Stir in the Butter and Cream
Next, add all of the butter you have ready to go into the melted sugar. Stir the butter and melted sugar until combined. The pan that you use and the melted sugar will both retain enough heat to melt the butter. When the butter is combined add the cream and stir until combined. The cream may bubble up a bit but keep stirring. If you think the cream is not combining, put the pan back on low heat for a minute or two until combined.
Step 3: Finish with Salt
As the caramel starts to cool it is time to add the salt if you want salted caramel. While stirring, add the salt and keep stirring until dissolved and combined. You do not need to add the salt if you would like to make a regular caramel sauce.
You can store the salted caramel sauce in an airtight container, like a glass jar, in the refrigerator. It should stay fresh for up to two weeks.
Use my salted caramel recipe to make whipped salted caramel frosting!
FAQ’s:
You only need four ingredients: butter, heavy cream, sea salt, and sugar.
iming is crucial when making caramel. Having all your ingredients ready beforehand reduces stress and allows you to react quickly to the sugar’s changes, helping to prevent burning.
The sugar is ready when it has completely melted and reached a dark amber color. At this point, you should turn off the heat before stirring in the butter and then the cream.
Don’t worry—keep stirring gently; the chunks will eventually melt as the sugar continues to cook.
Yes, sugar can burn very quickly once it starts to caramelize, so it’s important to watch it closely.
The caramel will bubble up when you add the cream—this is normal. Keep stirring to combine it fully. Watch out for the steam, it may be hot.
Absolutely! If you prefer a classic caramel sauce, just skip the salt at the end.
While the caramel is still warm, pour the caramel through a fine mesh strainer into a clean bowl. The strainer will catch any big crystals of sugar or lumps.
Try some of my other dessert recipes!
How to Make Easy Salted Caramel Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup of granulated sugar
- 5 tablespoons of butter
- ½ cup of heavy whipping cream warmed to room temperature
- ½ teaspoon of fine or flakey sea salt
Method
- Have all ingredients measured and ready to go before you start melting the sugar.
- Add sugar to a heavy duty saucepan. Try not to use a non-stick pan.
- Heat sugar over medium heat, stirring occasionally until sugar starts to melt.
- As sugar starts to form small chunks, stir frequently until chunks are melted. See video for a better idea of what this looks like.
- Be careful not to burn the sugar. Once the sugar reaches a dark amber color turn off the heat and take the pan off of the burner.
- Next add all of the butter you have ready to go to the melted sugar. Stir the butter and melted sugar until combined.
- When butter is combined add the cream and stir until combined. The cream may bubble up a bit but keep stirring.
- As the caramel starts to cool it is time to add the salt if you want salted caramel. While stirring, add the salt and keep stirring until dissolved and combined. You do not need to add the salt if you would like to make a regular caramel sauce.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.