Homemade Caramel Sauce!
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Easy and delicious homemade caramel sauce made with six ingredients, and better than any shop bought!
Homemade caramel sauce
So after posing endless amounts of caramel recipes on my blog, I thought it was high time to post a homemade caramel recipe that you could use in all of them. Yes, its still going to be easier to buy some, but you know… homemade is best! No additives, and you know exactly whats in it. Also, its much easier to make compared to what you might think!
I tried several before settling on this being my favourite recipe. It wields about 375ml of caramel, which I put into two 125ml clip top kilner jars, and a ramekin as I miiiiiight have broken one of my kilner jars. Its basically enough to use in a few recipes, or to drizzle on ice creams and such. Or, as much as I hate to admit it… dip a chunk of apple in to and devour.
Caramel
There are various different types of caramel in the world, and I just love it. I am more in love with salted caramel in comparison to regular caramel, but thats just a personal thing. I love to add sea salt chunks to my caramel, as they taste much better than fine table salt you tend to have at home. Maldon Sea Salt is my favourite, but thats also personal choice.
If you don’t want your caramel to be salty, then you can leave out the salt entirely. Or, you can just add in a smidge of it to take away the over powering sweetness of the caramel in general. However, this caramel isn’t the sweetest already, which is partly why I adore it so much! I could devour it with a spoon to be honest.
Method
Making caramel can be a bit of battle for some people, but its worth the try. Luckily, you don’t waste all the ingredients if it goes wrong, only the sugar part. If its your very first time of making caramel, don’t be too disheartened if its too runny because you under did it, or if you burn it. I would definitely say burning is worse, and you’ll know it when it happens
You add the sugar and water to a pan and heat on a low heat to dissolve the sugar, and once this has happened you turn up the heat to a rolling boil, where you DO NOT STIR. I know it seems aline to not stir it, but you really don’t want to.
The caramel will take what feels like an age to turn to the amber colour you want, to be able to add the cream and the other ingredients. It will just be a clear bubbly liquid for god knows how long, and then suddenly start turning into a golden delicious amber caramel. Keep an eye on it, and don’t walk away… its kinda magical to watch it to be honest. Also, it smells utterly delicious.
Mixing
After the caramel turns into the delicious amber colour, you have to add in the cream, and watch it bubble up whilst you whisk. Add in the butter, the vanilla, and then the salt, whisking in-between each one.
You can add the butter first, and then add the cream as well, but either way both my butter and cream are more towards room temperature at this stage as fridge cold ingredients could cause the ingredients to seize and create a lumpy caramel.
When following this recipe, you end up with a gorgeous, silky smooth caramel that you can use in all sorts of treats. You can see the vanilla speckles in mine, amongst the gorgeous golden colour, and now you’re salivating? Right?
Tips and Tricks
- This caramel will last for 2+ weeks in your refrigerator, if stored in a clean and sterile container.
- The sea salt is optional, and so is the vanilla
- You can use this caramel in soooo many recipes in my blog and I really recommend it! My favourite recipe to use it with it my salted caramel pretzel cupcakes – YUM!
Homemade Caramel Sauce!
Ingredients
- 250 g white granulated sugar
- 75 ml water
- 200 ml double cream
- 60 g unsalted butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- In a large heavy based saucepan, add the water and sugar.
- Heat on a low-medium heat, and stir constantly until the sugar has dissolved into the water. The water will still look a touch cloudy when dissolved, but there will be no sugar granules any more.
- Once the mixture has dissolved together, and it starts to bubble slightly, turn the heat up higher and STOP STIRING.
- Leave the mixture alone, and do not touch it. Wait for the mixture to boil away to an amber colour. This often takes between 5-10 minutes, depending on your pan, and hob etc.
- Once the mixture has turned to the correct colour, take it off the heat and pour in the cream and whisk in, and add the butter and whisk again (Or, add the butter and then the cream). The mixture will bubble quite a lot but whisk well.
- Add in the vanilla, and again whisk. Finally, add in the salt and whisk again.
- Once all combined, pour into some clean, and appropriate containers such as jars, and leave to cool on the side. Once completely cool, refrigerate.
Notes
- You really need to keep an eye on the caramel when its turning to the amber colour. There are seconds between it turning from a delicious amber colour, to burnt.
- It can take ages for it to turn to a different colour, but thats just the process it takes. It's basically heating up, and once it reaches a certain point, it'll turn to the caramel.
- The caramel should be kept in the fridge, but it will get harder in the fridge.Microwave to soften what you need.
- It'll last in the fridge for up to two weeks as long as the container its put into is spotlessly clean.
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J x
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I was so disappointed with my first attempt at making this sauce. The sugar curdled into a ball when I put the double cream in ( off the heat) maybe i didn’t leave the sugar to caramelise enough so I will try again. I made your vanilla cheesecake which looks the biz and thought this sauce would compliment it. Practise makes perfect.
Hey Jane,
I made this caramel today and third time was the charm! Will this be okay for your banoffee recipe? Also, silly question- when you leave it to cool at room temperature before popping it in the fridge, do you wait till it’s cooled before popping on the lid or do you put in on straight away and leave to cool with lid on?
I think the quantity of water is too low. I tried three times and it failed. I then increased water and it worked
That’s fair enough – I have never required the extra water. Sometimes the pan can cause a problem or even the heat that you put the mixture on as it will change how it boils!
Thanks Jane. I have made this before and I am sure it was this recipe. It was definitely one of yours as I made the caramel cupcakes! Used the same pan so not sure what went wrong! Must be the temperature I think?
Yes it definitely can be then – if the heat is too high it can cause a problem because it won’t dissolve in the same way! xx
Hi Jane,
Is this caramel suitable for salted caramel brownies? I want to sandwich it between brownie batter and drizzle some on top too. Is this best or is the caramel from something like your millionaire brownies better (with the addition of salt) ?
Thanks 🙂
It should work perfectly for that! The millionaires caramel is designed to set whereas this is designed to be used like a sauce so I’d use this one x
Hi Jane!
Would this caramel work to mix through with cornflakes to make cornflake squares? (A bit like your Rice Krispie treats). Would I need to add some marshmallows?
Ooh in all honesty I am not sure! I would say marshmallows would help as that would bind it more!
Thanks for the recipe. Would I be able to use this caramel in buttercream to make it caramel buttercream?
Yes you can!!
Hi Jane!
Firstly – I aboslutely love all of your recipes, I have made so many! And my mum always makes my birthday cake, homemade obvs!, and i always ask for a specific cake of one of your amazing recipes. My birthday is in 2 weeks, and its my 16th and I asked for my mum to make the chocolate orange cake! Can’t wait!
This caramal recipe, looks really good, would it work in substition of Dulce de Leche or carnations caramal, as I want to make the salted caramal chocoalte tart as part of my GCSE NEA Exam cook, but wanted to make my own caraml (as its more complex and is a higher skill) – do you think that it would work?
Thanks Maisie 🙂
Hey! Yes this would work in place of – you just need to make sure you follow the steps carefully and it’s the perfect caramel sauce! x
Hi would this work using dairy free butter and the elmlea plant double cream?
I’m honestly not too sure – I would imagine it would work, but the properties of the cream in particular are very different so I am unsure! x
This is the 2nd recipe I have tried for caramel after the 1st tasted too sickly and grainy. This is absolutely perfect!! I love caramel so I was disappointed on my first try but this is sooo good 🙂
I’m using it in your white choc and caramel blondies!
Thank you!
Ahh yay! I’m so glad you loved it!!
Hi! Currently making this caramel now, I tried it yesterday but I burnt it🙄 hopefully this time I wont😂 can this caramel be used in your recipes when it says carnation caramel as a substitute? Was hoping to make the mars bar brownie but add a little caramel aswell, would this also work or would it just turn into a gooey mess? Thanks! X
Hey! So yes it can be used in place of carnation caramel such as my Rolo Cheesecake for example – it can be slightly different and can firm up in the fridge so keep it at room temp (but fully cooled) before using in a cold dessert, but something like brownies it should be okay, if you don’t add too much! x
Hi there! Will this work as a thin layer in an icecream cake without being difficult to cut through?
Hi Jane!
Planning to make a banoffee pie this weekend. Would this caramel be a suitable sauce to put inside of the pie? Also, can caster sugar be used instead of white granulated sugar? Thank you! X
So the caster sugar changes the timings of making the sauce – such as the sugar dissolves quicker and therefore can burn quicker, but otherwise it can work! x
Hi Jane,. Would this caramel be suitable as a cake filling? Thanjs xx
It could be!!