This rich, buttery, creamy homemade caramel sauce is one of my all-time favorite small-batch recipes, and it comes together with just a few simple ingredients in about 15 minutes. Whether you drizzle it over ice cream, swirl it into buttercream, use it as a filling for chocolate caramel candies, or spoon it over a warm cookie sheet of brownies, this easy caramel sauce is the kind of foolproof recipe you’ll want to keep in your fridge at all times.
Once you taste the depth of real caramelized sugar, you will never go back to store-bought again. The flavor is unreal — smooth, rich, and glossy — and you’d never guess it comes from nothing more than white sugar, a cup of butter, heavy cream, and a pinch of salt. The entire process is just a beautiful chemical reaction, and when you let the sugar dissolve and cook to a deep amber on medium heat, something magical happens.
The best part? This caramel sauce stores beautifully in a mason jar or any airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 30 days. It also freezes well if you want to make a few small batches ahead for gifting.
What's In This Blog Post
Caramel Sauce Ingredients
You might be surprised to learn that this decadent recipe is simply a combination of hot sugar, cream, unsalted butter, and salt. That's it. Whether you’re making a wet caramel (with water and corn syrup) or a dry caramel (just sugar), the process is the same — letting the sugar syrup reach a deep golden brown before adding the other ingredients.
White sugar – This is the base of every homemade caramel sauce. It melts into caramelized sugar and gives you that classic deep amber flavor. You can replace it with brown sugar for a richer, molasses-style caramel, but the texture will be slightly thicker.
Water – Helps the sugar dissolve evenly and prevents hot spots as it boils.
Corn syrup – Keeps the sugar syrup smooth and helps prevent crystallization. Replace with glucose syrup or omit entirely if you're making a dry caramel.
Heavy cream – Gives the caramel its creamy, silky consistency. You can replace it with half-and-half in a pinch, but the sauce won’t be quite as thick.
Unsalted butter – Adds richness, shine, and body. Salted butter works too—just reduce the added salt.
Pinch of salt – Balances the sweetness and enhances the caramel flavor. You can replace it with flaky sea salt for a salted caramel finish.
Vanilla extract – Adds warmth and depth. Replace with vanilla bean paste or the seeds from one vanilla pod for a stronger vanilla flavor.
Most people undercook their caramel, which leads to pale sugar, so keep a close eye on the inside of the pan and don’t walk away once the color starts to change.
How to Make Caramel Sauce Step-by-Step
If this is your first time making caramel, don’t worry — you don't need a candy thermometer, but it is helpful if you’re unsure about temperature. The fastest way to get comfortable with caramel is simply watching how it changes color.
- Add the water, white sugar, and corn syrup to a heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Brush the sides of the pot with a pastry brush dipped in hot water to dissolve any sugar crystals on the sides of the pan.
- Cover the pot for 5 minutes to allow steam to wash down the sides and ensure every grain of sugar dissolves.
- Uncover and continue boiling the sugar syrup until it begins to deepen in color. This takes about 10 minutes — no stirring needed.
- Once the mixture reaches a deep amber color (or 350ºF), remove from the heat immediately.
- Add a small amount of heavy cream to the hot caramel while whisking slowly. It will bubble up — this is normal.
- Add the remaining cream in a slow stream, followed by the unsalted butter, pinch of salt, and vanilla.
- Whisk until the sauce becomes smooth and shiny.
- Allow the caramel to cool to room temperature. It will thicken as it cools.
This entire process moves quickly, so prep everything ahead of time. Caramel goes from perfect to burned in seconds due to hot spots, so don’t walk away.
How to Get a Richer Caramel Flavor
The key to the richest caramel flavor is to make sure you push the caramel color to a deep golden brown without burning it. Darker color equals more caramel flavor!
You can also add extras like crushed candy canes for a peppermint variation, bourbon for warmth, or vanilla bean for a more aromatic finish. These additions go in after the butter is fully incorporated.
Storing Caramel Sauce
Once the caramel cools, pour it carefully into a microwave-safe mason jar, an airtight container, or any heat-safe vessel. Remember: caramel hardens as it cools, so choose something you can easily reheat.
To warm it, microwave in 5–7 second bursts and stir between each — overheating can cause separation.
Store in the refrigerator for up to 30 days or in the freezer for up to 90 days. Always follow normal safety precautions when working with boiling water or hot caramel, because it sticks and can cause burns.
Tips to Avoid Crystallization
Crystallization happens when sugar molecules group too tightly. Here’s how to avoid it:
- Use a clean, oil-free pan and utensils.
- Dissolve all sugar with the brush method.
- Don’t stir once the sugar begins boiling.
- Keep the lid on for 5 minutes so steam can dissolve stray crystals.
- Use corn syrup, which helps prevent sugar from reforming crystals.
A candy thermometer can help ensure you’re not overheating your sugar.
Extra Tips for Perfect Caramel
- Prep all ingredients so you can work quickly.
- Don’t add ingredients too soon — wait for a deep brown color.
- Remove from heat the moment it hits amber to avoid burning.
- If you're using brown sugar, note that it produces a different caramel flavor and texture than classic white sugar.
- Avoid pouring caramel onto parchment paper — it sticks. Always use heat-proof containers.
I’ve been making this caramel sauce for years, and it’s still one of the most versatile recipes in my kitchen. A spoonful goes a long way, and the extra depth from homemade caramel is absolutely unbeatable.
FAQ
Start with your finished caramel sauce and add 2 to 4 oz of chopped chocolate (semi-sweet or dark works best) to the warm sauce and stir together.
The key to a thicker caramel sauce is adding more butter.
Stirring caramel while it cooks is not necessary. In fact, you really should NOT stir caramel while it's cooking at all.
If you stir and agitate the caramel too much while it's wet, this will result in clumpy caramel that starts to recrystallize (which will give you those pesky jagged edges and become more solid than liquid).
Although similar, caramel sauce and caramel candy are prepared differently. Caramel candy used inside candy bars or on caramel apples is typically cooked by combining the sugar, cream, corn syrup, butter, and salt all together and once and letting it cook until it's thick and golden brown.
While both caramel and dulce de leche are cooked sugar and milk, the main difference between the two is that true caramel sauce is made by cooking sugar until it's a deep brown and then mixing it with cream and butter.
Dulce de leche is made by boiling sweet milk until the water evaporates and the mixture browns and thickens. Dulce de leche stays in a soft, sauce-like state at room temperature, but the caramel sauce will get thicker and firmer as it cools down.
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Recipe
Equipment
- Medium saucepan with a lid
- candy thermometer (optional)
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 14 ounces granulated sugar
- 2 ounces water
- 4 ounces corn syrup
- 6 ounces unsalted butter
- 8 ounces heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Instructions
- Combine the sugar, corn syrup, water, and salt in a medium to large sized saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. No need to stir.
- Brush the sides of the pot down with a clean and oil-free pastry brush (preferably one only used for water or sugar) to make sure all the grains of sugar are dissolved.
- Cover the pot with the lid for 5 minutes and allow the condensation to continue to dissolve all the grains of sugar on the sides of the pot that might cause your caramel to crystalize.
- Remove the lid and attach a candy thermometer if you are using one.
- Continue cooking the sugar until it's a deep golden amber color or the candy thermometer reads 350º (hard crack stage) This can take from 5-10 minutes so keep an eye on it to avoid burning.
- Remove the sugar from the heat from heat and slowly whisk in a couple Tablespoons of the cream (it will bubble and steam) then continue whisking in the rest of the cream in a slow stream.
- Add in your butter, salt, and your vanilla. Stir until creamy and smooth.
- The sauce will thicken as it cools down. Store leftover sauce in the refrigerator for up to a month or freeze for 6 months or more.
Denise Clark says
Love this caramel recipe! So delicious...
The Sugar Geek Show says
Thanks denise!
Kerime Pere says
Hi. Thankyou for your recipe. I just want to ask how can i store it. In +4 or in deepfreze. And can i refreeze it again when i use it? Thankyou
The Sugar Geek Show says
You don't need to freeze it, you can keep it in the fridge pretty much indefinitely.
Brenda Jarmusz says
I'm not sure why anyone had problems with the recipe. This recipe turned out exactly the way yours came out in your video. I also had my heat on medium high heat and never had an issue. I absolutely love this recipe and I'm in love with caramel sauce. Thank you again for all of your amazing recipes, tutorials and all the help you give us all the the time Lizzo. You rock my friend.
The Sugar Geek Show says
So glad you liked it!
Ashley says
Great recipe! I didn't watch the video and missed the part about putting the lid on the pan for the first 5 minutes. I don't know if that will make a difference but so far so good!
The Sugar Geek Show says
The lid just insures that all the grains of sugar are dissolved so that your caramel does not crystalize. I hope yours turned out 🙂
Summayya says
One reason people may have had issues with sugar not desolving is from using utensils or pans that may have oil or grease on them. Make sure that all utensils and pans are oil free to start the carmilization process.
sigal says
Thanks for the exact recipes and the professional explanation I have tried a number of caramel recipes that are accurate and successful and thanks again
Erica says
It taste delicious but my caramel never got thick it was to runny I put on top of a cake with some frosting decoration and they slided down it never got hard enough. I follow the directions to a t I even used a candy thermometer so not sured what happened.
The Sugar Geek Show says
did you let it cool?
Sachi says
Can I mix this caramel sauce with your easy buttercream to make “caramel buttercream “ ?
The Sugar Geek Show says
Yes! And it's so tasty!
Sachi says
Thank you so much For sharing these wonderful recipes ! I’ll try it !
Terri Combs says
Thank you so much for this recipe ands tutorial. I've tried several times to make caramel and always failed. This time, with your help, it came out perfect and delicious!
Becky says
Could you fill cupcakes with this or would that be too runny?
The Sugar Geek Show says
It would be pretty runny, I would add more butter to thicken it up
Tonya says
Can you add more butter later? If you have a batch in the refrigerator and decide you want to fill a cake with it can you reheat it enough to melt more butter into it and allow it to cool again and then use it to fill your cake?
The Sugar Geek Show says
Absolutely, just warm in the microwave then add in your butter and let it cool to room temperature again
Tashreeqa says
I just loooove this caramel recipe! It comes out perfectly every time.
Would I be able to add chocolate at the end to get a chocolate caramel sauce? If so, would 100g be ok? And should I add it straight after the butter or substitute the butter with the chocolate?
Thank you!
Elizabeth Marek says
For every 1 cup of caramel sauce, add: 2 to 4 oz of chopped chocolate (semi-sweet or dark works best) while the caramel is still warm and stir it in
Kristin Bell says
Was scared to try do to the hot sugar but glad I did as it turned out wonderfully and was pretty quick and easy in my opinion. The video helped as I was doing it. Thanks Liz!
Mary says
This tastes SO yummy!!!! How much of this would you add to your easy buttercream to be able to still pipe on cupcakes without the buttercream getting to runny?
Thanks Liz! You’re the best!
Elizabeth Marek says
I just add it in until I like the taste. About 1/4 cup
Toni Wyatt Oreilly says
The first batch was a disaster 😢 a awlful lumpy mess, I stirred it my fault I didn’t watch the video! The second batch was totally yummy as this time I watched the video and discovered no stirring!!! Can the sauce be jarred up for future use? If so would I have to heat it right up and put it into sterilised jars hot or cooled? If not can it be frozen?
Thanks Toni 👍
Elizabeth Marek says
Yes you can absolutely store it in a jar to use later. I keep it in the fridge. you can freeze it in freezer jars