This Salted Caramel Recipe is thick and buttery and will make any dessert pop! Salted caramel is just like any other recipe it takes practice. It took me a couple of times to get it right. The great thing is that it has just four ingredients: butter, heavy cream, sea salt, and sugar! Who doesn’t love a thick and rich salted caramel sauce recipe!
The first step to a successful caramel is to have your ingredients prepped and ready before you start. Timing is important in this recipe and preparation can reduce the stress of making caramel in the beginning. You will need to watch the changing color of the caramel closely to avoid burning.
Melting 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. 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. 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.
Adding the butter and cream to the salted caramel recipe
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.
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.
This recipe can be used with my Chocolate Cinnamon Buns Recipe, or try my peanut butter caramel recipe for a vegan caramel sauce.
Try some of my other dessert recipes!
Ingredients
- 1 cup of granulated sugar
- 5 tablespoons of butter
- ½ cup of heavy whipping cream
- ½ teaspoon of fine or flakey sea salt
Instructions
- 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.
