Make this simple 4-ingredient sweet salted caramel sauce at home with ease—no candy thermometer required! Ready in just 10 minutes, this rich homemade caramel is perfect for drizzling over cakes, cupcakes, cookies, pound cake, ice cream, cheesecake, scones, salted caramel apple pie, and more!
I originally published this recipe in 2013 and have since added new photos, a video tutorial, and additional success tips. This recipe is such a fan favorite, that it deserved a spot in print! You’ll also find this recipe in my cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
What once intimidated me became the subject of my 2nd cookbook: Sally’s Candy Addiction. As it turns out, homemade candy isn’t all that difficult. And salted caramel sauce is one of the easiest. There’s only 4 ingredients required: sugar, butter, heavy cream, and salt.
This salted caramel is a reader favorite recipe, consistently marking its spot in the top 10 most popular recipes on my website and published in 2 of my cookbooks. It’s sweet, buttery, and tastes phenomenal on anything it touches. (Though you really only need a spoon to enjoy.)
Trust me, after trying this 1 time, you’ll be hooked like the rest of us!
How to Make Salted Caramel
Use the written out instructions below, but here’s the basic process: The first step is to melt sugar, which is called caramelization. This requires 1 small (stainless steel, not nonstick) pot/saucepan and a wooden spoon. Stir until melted and caramelized. Stir in butter, then stir in heavy cream and let it boil for 1 minute. Finally, add the salt.
That’s it, the caramel is done.
As always, use caution when cooking over the stove because the hot liquid, butter, and cream may splatter. If needed, kitchen gloves come in handy.
No Candy Thermometer Required
Unlike most caramel recipes, this salted caramel doesn’t require a candy thermometer. Instead, I encourage you to follow the recipe and use your eyes to determine when to add the next ingredient. If you’d like to be precise and use a candy thermometer, the temperature will rise to about 220°F (104°C), and that’s when the caramel is done on the stove.
The caramel thickens as it cools.
What to Eat With Salted Caramel?
You will love homemade salted caramel with sweets like cinnamon rolls, cheesecake, and apple pie bars. Use it as a dip for apples, spoon over ice cream, or pour into decorated jars and gift it for the holidays.
The possibilities for salted caramel are endless:
- Turtle Brownies
- Burnt Sugar Caramel Cake
- Caramel Apple Cheesecake Pie
- Caramel Coconut Macaroon Thumbprints
- Chocolate Caramel Toffee Icebox Slice & Bake Cookies
- Butterscotch Pudding
- Snickers Caramel Tart
- Apple Cupcakes (pictured above)
- Caramel Dipped Pretzels
- Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake
- Salted Caramel Apple Pie & Apple Cake
- Cheesecake Pie
- Chocolate Bread Pudding
- Apple Turnovers
- Caramel Turtle Cheesecake
- Apple Cider French Toast
- Dutch Baby Pancake
- Cake Mix Chocolate Cupcakes
- Skillet Brownie
- Apple Cobbler
- Apple Cinnamon Scones
- Topping for Homemade Eclairs
- Drizzled on cookies like Shortbread, Brownie Cookies, and Snickerdoodles
- As a filling for your favorite cupcake recipe (see my How to Fill Cupcakes post for all the details)
- Butterscotch Pie & Apple Pie Bars (both pictured below)
What Is the Consistency Like?
The caramel is liquid as it comes off heat. As the caramel cools, it solidifies into a chewy texture. After refrigerating, the caramel is hard and you must heat it up to bring it back to a liquid consistency. Do you need a thinner caramel? Feel free to add 2 more Tablespoons of heavy cream to the recipe.
Can I Skip the Salt to Make Regular Caramel?
If you’re looking for a sweet caramel, rather than a salted caramel, you can still use this recipe. Do not cut out the salt completely because the caramel’s sweetness will be overpowering. Instead, reduce the salt to 1/2 teaspoon.
No. You can’t really turn this sauce into a homemade wrapped candy. Instead, try my soft caramel candies recipe which is a little different.
This caramel is not thick enough to coat apples for caramel apples. Instead, I recommend my homemade caramel apples recipe.
Yes. When the caramel is done, it’s thin and liquid. As the caramel cools, it thickens. After refrigerating, it thickens even more and must be reheated to thin out and use as a topping or dip.
This caramel isn’t ideal to layer between cake layers because it will just spill out the sides under the weight of top layers. However, it’s great as a filling for cupcakes, such as these chocolate caramel coconut cupcakes. See How To Fill Cupcakes for more info!
How to Store Salted Caramel
After the caramel cools down, pour it into a glass jar or container. Refrigerate for up to 1 month. The caramel solidifies as it cools, but you can reheat in the microwave or on the stove so it’s liquid again. You can freeze the salted caramel, too. Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature, then warm up before using.
Print
Homemade Salted Caramel Recipe
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 1 cup (290g)
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Made from only 4 simple ingredients, this homemade caramel is salty, sweet, and irresistibly buttery. No candy thermometer required and the possibilities for serving are endless. (Though just a spoon is acceptable!) Use caution as the cooking caramel may splatter. Stand back and wear kitchen gloves if desired. Review recipe notes prior to beginning. This recipe is also in my cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar (make sure it’s labeled “pure cane”)*
- 6 Tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, at room temperature and cut into 6 pieces
- 1/2 cup (120g/ml) heavy cream, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a medium heavy-duty stainless steel saucepan (do not use nonstick) over medium heat, cook the sugar, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or heat-safe silicone spatula. Sugar will form clumps and eventually melt into a thick brown, amber-colored liquid as you continue to stir. On my stove, this takes about 6 minutes. Stir constantly, especially around the bottom edges, and be careful not to let it burn.
- Once the sugar is completely melted, reduce the heat to low and stir in the butter. Be careful in this step because the caramel will bubble rapidly when the butter is added. (If you’re nervous for splatter, wear kitchen gloves.) Cook and stir constantly until the butter is melted and well combined. If you notice the butter separating or if the sugar clumps up, remove the pan from heat and vigorously whisk to combine it again. Keep whisking until it comes back together, even if it takes 3–4 minutes. It will eventually—just keep whisking. Return to heat when it’s combined again.
- Very slowly and carefully pour in the heavy cream, stirring constantly. Since the heavy cream is colder than the hot caramel, the mixture will rapidly bubble and steam when added. When all of the heavy cream has been added, stop stirring, increase the heat to medium, and let it boil for 1 minute. It will rise in the pan as it boils. If you’d like to be precise and use a candy thermometer, the temperature should reach 220°F (104°C).
- Remove from heat and stir in the salt. The caramel will be a thin liquid at this point. Allow to slightly cool and thicken before using. Caramel thickens considerably as it cools.
- Cover tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month. Caramel solidifies in the refrigerator. Reheat in the microwave or on the stove to desired consistency.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: You can make this caramel in advance. Make sure it is covered tightly and store it for up to 1 month in the refrigerator. Warm the caramel up for a few seconds before using in a recipe. See “What Is the Texture of This Salted Caramel?” in the post above. This caramel is OK at room temperature for a day if you’re traveling or gifting it. You can freeze the salted caramel, too. Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature, then warm up before using.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Medium Heavy-Duty Saucepan (do not use nonstick) | Wooden Spoon | Candy Thermometer (like this one or this one)—optional
- Sugar: This recipe is most successful using granulated sugar that’s labeled “pure cane” on the packaging. I usually use and recommend Domino brand regular granulated sugar which says “pure cane granulated” on the packaging.
- Heavy Cream: Heavy cream (approximately 36% milk fat) may also be sold as whipping cream. Light whipping cream (30% milk fat), or double cream (48% milk fat) may be substituted. Do not use half-and-half or milk. Room-temperature cream is best.
- Salt: Use regular table salt or kosher salt. If using larger flaky salt, add 1 teaspoon, taste, then add more if desired. This recipe works with 1 teaspoon of any variety of salt. You can always add 3/4 teaspoon, taste, then add more if desired.
- Caramel Candies: This caramel is great as a sauce, topping, or filling, but won’t set up properly to make soft caramel candies. Here is my soft caramels recipe.
- Regular Caramel Sauce: If you want to make regular caramel, reduce salt to 1/2 teaspoon. Do not leave it out completely.
- Larger Batches: Avoid doubling or tripling this recipe. The added volume could prevent the sugar from melting evenly and properly. Make multiple batches instead.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Fun quick and easy recipe. Color and taste will vary slightly depending upon heat and cook timeI also added vanilla extract at the end. Experiment and have fun!
This recipe is so easy and comes out perfect every time. This is my second time making it and it’s a fan favorite!
I looked up your caramel recipe to give it another go since I loved it the first time and I noticed a different recipe by broma bakery. In my mind I wondered “Will this be as good as Sally’s?” I looked at the recipe ingredients and measurements and they COPIED YOU!
https://bromabakery.com/how-to-make-homemade-caramel/
I used light brown sugar as it was all I had, with cooking cream philly cheese instead of heavy cream. It came out beautifully! A little darker in colour than the pictures, and it had a slightly bitter note to it, but was delicious – very hard to put down!
A-Freakin-mazing…..that’s all I gotta say.
Can I use brown sugar in this instead of white sugar?
Please let me know
Hi Heather, Brown sugar won’t caramelize properly. Stick with regular white granulated sugar here.
A different recipe using brown sugar with similar ingredients actually makes a butterscotch sauce. If you wish you can see how it’s made in the post Brown Sugar Butterscotch Cupcakes.
I’ve made this recipe many times with great success! I do have a question though. We are planning on using this sauce to drizzle on apples (sort of like caramel apples in a bowl) for a youth group and was wondering how much to make? We will be making 40 servings so how many batches would you suggest?
Hi Gina, It really depends on how big your servings are and how much caramel you wish to drizzle over top. Each recipe makes one cup of caramel so use your best judgement on how many to make (we do recommend only making one batch at a time!).
This sauce reminds me of the caramel my mother used to make. It’s so delicious and simple. I used 2% lactose free milk and it worked for me. Guess I’m just lucky.
Can I substitute half and half for the heavy cream?
Hi Jennifer, We typically use heavy cream which is approximately 36% milk fat, but we have also tested this with light whipping cream which is 30% milk fat and it works well. Any lower fat content the caramel may not set up properly but let us know what you try!
Made this for the first time yesterday and it turned out perfectly. Thanks for the detailed instructions. Drizzled it over an apple streusel pie and ice cream and it really iImpressed my dinner guests!
This recipe is great, only one issue, when it hardened it became glass like, now I can’t get it out of the glass jar! I followed recipe exactly as written. Any tips would be appreciated !
This is exactly my problem… I’m going to try adding more cream or butter next time!
Hi Quinn and Danielle, The caramel will harden in the refrigerator, but will be thick and soft when reheated. If it’s really too hard it was likely overcooked which is is an easy fix if you decide to try this recipe again!
I had to double boil it in the glass container for about 30 minutes to melt it, it lost the sea salt crunch but I added A LOT more heavy cream and it is currently still soft in the refrigerator. I do feel it is overcooked now so Next time I will add more heavy cream in the beginning! Still a great recipe!
I have always been a little nervous about making salted caramel.. Until this recipe! First time following and it turned out perfectly! Made it to go in/on a drip cake I’m making. Husband was impressed too.
My first attempt separated and no amount of whisking would bring it back but I worked faster the second time and it came out perfectly. One teaspoon of kosher salt was just right. Once it cooled a little I gave my husband a taste and he said, “Wow, that is good!”
Hands down the best tasting caramel sauce I’ve ever had. Very easy to make. I would love to have the same flavor in a soft caramel candy but your recipe for them doesn’t have the butter required to get this flavor. Any suggestions on how I could get same flavor in a candy?
Hi Samantha! Heavy cream takes the place of butter in the sea salt caramels recipe. (Heck, butter is made from cream!) That being said, however, feel free to increase the butter in the caramels recipe to 3 Tablespoons.
I used sweet butter instead of salted butter. The caramel was delicious!!!!
Hands down, the best caramel sauce! And this recipe was easy. Follow it and you will not go wrong.
I made this today for one of the toppings for your cheese cake and it was sooooo tasty! I can’t wait to dip some tart apples slices in it. Thanks for the great recipe!
Can I use milk instead of heavy cream?
Hi Mia, We typically use heavy cream which is approximately 36% milk fat, but we have also tested this with light whipping cream which is 30% milk fat and it works well. Any lower fat content the caramel may not set up properly.
Hello, I’m wondering whether I can put this inside macarons as a caramel centre? Or will it go to hard in the fridge?
Love the recipe it tastes amazing and was so easy to follow! 🙂
Hi Robyn, You can see how Sally uses this in her Salted Caramel Cinnamon Macarons.
Easy and delicious! I’m making it again today!
This tasted like butterscotch to me. Which, if that was what i wanted would be fine, wanted caramel though.
Sally this must be my 50th time making the caramel! We use it for so many things and our most recent is on a batch of your apple crumble muffins. Next up: your caramel turtle brownies!
Hi I’ve made your Carmel many times! It’s amazing! I always have a jar in fridge to melt over ice cream! So I’m going to try your French macaron recipe and want to use the salted caramel as a filling- do I just wait to cool a little before adding it to the piping bag? I will do some with butter cream as well but really want to do some salted caramel ones
Could this be used for cheese flan? Or for pineapple upside down cake? Or is this more of a topping / drizzle? Thanks so much!
Hi Elizabeth, this caramel is more of a topping/drizzle, but can also be used as a filling for cupcakes. Here is my pineapple upside down cake if you’re interested in checking it out!
I always use this recipe, today I tried a different one with water in it and it completely crystallised. Tried this one again, instant success. I just want to let others know, sometimes it takes a while to cook; today it took 20 mins – 30 mins, so don’t give up.
Best caramel recipe by far!!! So simple and easy to follow but the flavor is spot on! Thank you so much for sharing, Sally!
Amazing recipe but I have one question… once it solid after I’ve stored in the fridge how do you even remove out the tub/jar
You have to warm it up
Can I use this as a caramel icing on Brownies, it seems a but thin
Hi Gale, You can! You can drizzle it on top, or see how we fully covered brownies with it on these Salted Caramel Turtle Brownies. If you are looking for more of a buttercream consistency you can’t go wrong with using Salted Caramel Frosting on top of your brownies. Let us know what you try!
Easy peasy but thank you MOST for the clear photographs of exactly what you are looking for in terms of color and consistency. It really took the scary factor way down!
Turned out great!