Creamy, smooth, and golden brown homemade caramel sauce is one of those treats that’s simply better when made from scratch. This recipe comes together in just 10 minutes, and you can control exactly how thick or thin it turns out.
Very few recipes are as impeccable as caramel sauce. Once you have this recipe under your belt, the gates of dessert are open and you can conquer anything from cookies and cakes to ice cream and pastries. Great recipes likes Caramel Pear Pie, and Pistachio Caramel, all started with this classic liquid gold.
To be honest, it took me a few rounds of trial and error to master this recipe. In this post, I’m sharing every tip, trick, hack, and bit of know-how I picked up through testing and scientific tinkering. Drama aside, it’s actually pretty simple.
The Ingredients
To make smooth caramel all you need are two ingredients: sugar and cream. But, adding two extra simple ingredients will take the process from simple to foolproof.
- Sugar. White granulate sure is best, there are no other ingredients (like molasses in the brown sugar) to effect the texture, or flavor.
- Heavy Cream. In this recipe, heavy cream works like a three-in-one ingredient: the fat smooths the caramel and helps prevent recrystallization, the water thins the sauce, and the milk solids brown to add depth and a rich, complex flavor (similar to brown butter).
- Cream of Tartar. My trick to prevent a grainy caramel. It is an acidic powder, and when present, it comes between the sugar crystals and prevents them from bonding, or what we know as grains in the caramel.
- Unsalted Butter. Adding butter to caramel sauce feels intuitive, but the truth is you don’t actually need it. What it does do is help ease the hot caramel into new ingredients without “shocking” it and causing it to seize. It’s a gentle buffer that keeps the mixture smooth. It is also a great way to thicken the sauce into a spreadable consistency.
Vegan Caramel: For a vegan version, use vegan cream and vegan butter. Keep in mind that the milk solids in dairy cream and butter add depth and complexity, so without them the flavor will come mostly from the caramelized sugar. If you want extra richness, use canned coconut milk, it contains natural coconut solids that add body and flavor.
Make It
Below are step by step images for visual cues, and some more clarifications
- The first step is basically caramelizing the sugar. Measure the sugar (mix in the cream of tartar if using), in a medium sauce pan then place over medium heat and stir it to distribute the heat as it melt.
- The sugar will clump as it changes it color, and it is important to keep stirring. It may take about 1-2 minutes for the sugar to start melting, but stay put and pay attention to the color. You want to reach a slightly deep golden brown, because the darker it gets, the more bitter the caramel will be. If you need, move the pan from the heat as needed.
- Keep stirring until you no longer see any unmelted sugar crystallize. Even the tiniest crystal will attract more and you’ll end up with a grainy sauce.
- Warm the heavy cream before adding it to the caramel. This will minimize the temperature gap, and prevent the caramel from seizing.
- Start with adding the butter, then pour in the cream (do not drizzle) and stir vigorously until smooth. Be careful here the mixture is super hot and will steam.
Troubleshooting
Here are the most common issues I came across when making caramel and how I fixed them.
- The caramel seize when adding the cream. This means that the temperature gap between the caramel (melted sugar) and the cream was too wide. Make sure to warm the cream, and use room temperature butter. But if it happens, cook the caramel on low while stirring until the lumps dissolve. Run the caramel though a sieve.
- Grainy caramel. When there are some unmelted sugar crystals, as the caramel cools, the bond with each other, and we see it as a grainy texture. Take your time with the first step.
- Bitter caramel. Over cooking the sugar will result in a bitter caramel, stay put and pay attention. Remove the pan from the stove and let the sugar dissolve from heat residue as many times as you need, or reduce the heat.
Yield, Storing And Reheating
This recipe yields one cup of caramel. Not that you can increase the cream amount up to 1 cup for a thinner caramel.
Refrigerate for up to two week in an airtight container.
To reheat: place the glass container in a bowl full of boiling water and let it sit for about 10 minute stirring every few minutes.
Flavoring
Make sure to flavor the caramel by adding the flavor to the cream and not the sugar. Or add it at the end for example: add 1/2- teaspoon of salt flakes for salted caramel.
Recipes to Smoother With Caramel Sauce
- Apple Muffins With Streusel.
- Fill some Light and Chubby Sufganiyot.
- Fill and top this Classic Vanilla Bean Cake.
- Dip these Zepoole Donuts in the warm sauce.
- Snickers Pound Cake,
Silky Smooth Homemade Caramel Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 Cup (200g) Granulated sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon Cream of tartar (optional)
- 2 Tablespoons (25g) Unsalted butter at room temperature cut into 1/4-inch piece
- 1/2 Cup (120 ml) Lukewarm (85-90°F) Heavy cream
Instructions
- Measure the sugar into a medium saucepan. If you’re using cream of tartar, mix it into the sugar.
- Place the saucepan over medium heat and stir every 10–15 seconds with a wooden spoon.
- After about 90 seconds, the sugar will start to melt and begin to change its color to light golden.
- Keep stirring as it clumps and changes from white to light golden, then to a deeper golden brown. The darker it gets, the fewer sugar crystals you should see.If the sugar starts to smoke or darken too quickly, remove the pan from the heat for a few seconds.
- Once the sugar has fully dissolved, take it off the heat and stir for another 10–15 seconds.
- Add the butter while stirring, then slowly pour in the heavy cream and continue stirring until smooth and golden.
- Transfer the caramel to a glass container, or use.
Notes
- Make sure you use heavy cream and not light cream. Use heavy whipping cream, if you are not sure.
- Increase the cream amount to 3/4 cup (180ml) for a thinner caramel.
- Increase the butter amount by up to 6 Tablespoons (85g) for a thicker, more stable caramel.
- Sugar melts at 366°F so avoid touching or tasting it.
- When adding the butter and cream the mixture will steam a lot, so use a spoon with a long handle and pay attention.
- Store refrigerated for up to two weeks.
- To warm the caramel, place the container with the cold caramel in a deep bowl and pour boiling water (to reach half the height of the container). Let it sit for 10 minutes, then use a spoon to stir.
