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
Hi Sally,
Love, love, love, your caramel apples recipe. Is this one good for milkshakes? I used the apple caramel one for that and I find that the caramel hardens right away when it comes in contact with the cold milkshake. Looking for a recipe that will stay soft. Thank you!!
Hi Leah! Happy to help. 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. You’ll likely need a thinner caramel for milkshakes. I recommend adding 2 more Tablespoons of heavy cream to the recipe.
My caramel turned extremely thick, definitely not pourable, within about 5 minutes of pouring in jar. Any suggestions? I believe I followed the recipe exactly.. I made it to mix with my fluffy buttercream for a filling in whoopie pies but it is so thick it wont stir in. The taste is great though and it is the only approved recipe for Cottage sales in my state. Please help Sally!
Hi Patti! Sounds like the caramel cooked too long or too hot and therefore got a too hard. Try cooking lower and slower next time. And make sure to use a thick bottomed pan. Hope you’ll give it another try!
Mine has turned out like thick chewy caramel instead of a sauce. Gutted as it too me ages to make aswell. Any idea what went wrong?
Hi Louise, it sounds like your salted caramel may be slightly over-cooked. Which is an easy fix for next time — lower the heat and / or remove from the stove a bit sooner. Note that the caramel will begin to thicken after some time. Simply reheat in the microwave as needed. Thank you for giving this recipe a try!
Hello! Do you have any tips for making this with a vegan sugar (organic cane or beet sugar)? Organic cane sugar is great but the natural color makes it hard to determine readiness in recipes relying on color appearance for next steps.
Hi Jennifer, we haven’t tested this recipe with any vegan sugars, so it’s hard to say. Keep an extra close eye on it to make sure it doesn’t burn. If you give it a try, we’d love to know how it goes!
Would you have a reco’d temp range at the point of adding the butter? 🙂
Thank you!
Hi Sally! I’m excited to make this tomorrow, paired with your salted caramel icing for some cupcakes. If I drizzle this ontop of the icing a day before they will be eaten, do you think it will be ok or will it harden too much?
That should be just fine, Elaina! This salted caramel is a great for drizzling on cupcakes.
This caramel sauce is delicous. It is best served with ice cream and cream or simply dip your apples in them. I would certainly reccomend!
Tastes good, not sauce.
While it is a delicious caramel, I wouldn’t call it a sauce, it solidifies into a soft caramel candy. Next time I may add more butter and cream but not what I needed this time.
This is the best caramel sauce ever! Thank you so much for this recipe!
Thank you for this delicious recipe! I made it and loved it, but I would like to make it ever so slightly thicker/firmer but still runny. Would adding a teaspoon of corn syrup to the sugar at the start achieve this?
Hi Jess! You can make this recipe a bit thicker by reducing the heavy cream (try 1/3 cup instead of 1/2 cup).
It turned out great!! I used it to make a caramel macchiato. Question- can I reheat the refrigerated caramel more than once without it affecting the quality or date of expiration?
Hi Hannah, absolutely — you can reheat as many times as needed for up to a month when storing in the fridge. Glad it was a hit!
These are the best scones and so easy to make!! I made them for the first time for a Christmas brunch and everyone raved! I have made them 3 times since. I love this website and have never been disappointed.
This recipe tasted amazing although hardened a bit too much in the refrigerator, and was slightly darker than in the picture.
Hi Leona! Thank you so much for giving this caramel a try. Sounds like it simply cooked for too long. Try cooking it a bit lower and slower next time.
Sally, how do you think browned butter would work with this recipe? I’m wondering if it would add flavor, and if it might minimize the separation when the butter is added to the sugar.
I made the classic cheesecake with chocolate ganache and salted caramel using Sally’s recipes and things turned out perfectly. I didn’t manage to create a perfect water bath for the baking of the cheesecake but put a pan of hot water underneath. I mixed the ingredients for the cheesecake all by hand. I used digestive cookies and butter for the crust. Everything turned out great. Thank you.
The texture is great but the taste has kind of a burnt sugar taste. What did I do wrong ?
Hi Jo! You’ll want to turn the stove down to cook it lower and slower next time. This will prevent burning.
Made this tonight but didn’t have cream and just want to confirm that whole milk substitutes fine (I know, cream is always used in caramel) and turned out delicious and with the proper viscosity after cooling.
I swear, most recipes I tried on Sally’s worked! I’m an amateur cook, and it saddens me every time things don’t work out but whenever I use Sally’s recipes, I feel like I’m rewarded for my efforts. I had a lot of anxiety going in because I had some experiences with burnt sugar, so I watched the video at least 3 times and kept re-reading the instructions. And my salted caramel turned out perfect! I had it with cafe latte and it tasted just the way I wanted it to. Now I’m thinking of making a dessert to go with it soon. Thank you, Sally!
We’re so glad this caramel turned out for you, Izzati!
Everyone loves this caramel! It comes out perfectly every time. Your directions are so easy to follow. Tonight, I made dark chocolate bon bons filled with the caramel, and they were heavenly. Thank you so much for all of your recipes. Now, if I can only figure out how to stop burning myself when I make the caramel . . .
Hi, found your salted caramel recipe & gave it a go… 1st time ever! Am so pleased with the result (albeit I did splash myself with the butter as I was mixing it in the melted sugar). I know your recipe said granulated sugar but I only had caster in my cupboard so I took a chance… am glad I did! It did take a long time stirring sugar to melt (my arm felt like it was going to fall off) but oh my! The end result is absolutely gorgeous! So creamy & salty. Thank you for such a fab & easy recipe!
girl i- *frantically googles how to get burnt sugar off pot*
i followed the directions exactly and it got burnt 🙁 oh well, i’ll try again but definitely on low heat next time and with a LOT more research
Can I stir this into a cheesecake batter and if so does it need to cool first?
Hi Anthony, we recommend beating in slightly cooled salted caramel (still soft, but not scalding hot). You could even sub some brown sugar for white sugar in our cheesecake recipe (use 1/2 cup each) to really intensify that caramel-like flavor.
Super easy to make and absolutely delicious. Make sure to not only read the recipe, but look at the pictures. It separated when I added the butter, and like Sally said, I took it off the stove and whisked away. The end result is amazing!! So delicious!! Thank you, Sally!
I also made your mini cheesecakes (which turned out amazing as well)- is it best to heat the caramel before topping the cheesecake? Thank you
Hi Laura! So happy you love this caramel recipe. Yes, we would heat the caramel so it’s pourable to top the cheesecake.
Morning!
I’m looking to make Carmel > then chocolate covered pretzel rods… looking at your temperatures… could this recipe work if boiled to the 275 temp (soft candies) then dipped…? I’m assuming the sauce itself will be too runny. Any suggestions? Or if you can direct me to a better recipe for pretzels. Thank you!
I’ll be back to the the sauce and those apple pie Carmel bars… YUM!
Hi Erika, Here is exactly how we make Caramel Dipped Pretzels!
Made this twice now! I even tried with 18 % cream and it worked but was a little thinner. My most recent batch was so dark in colour. Beautiful.
Hi is this caramel suitable for caramel cornflake cakes. All the recipes online seems to be chocolate or have marshmellow in them. I used to buy caramel crispy squares from a uk bakerys. Just sticky and chewie. Fairly dark in colour. Yum. I see this recipe is used for the dipped pretzel sticks so guessing mixed with conflakes and set should be what I’m looking for ? Or do you suggest one of your other caramel recipes? Many thanks.
Hi Gem! We’re unfamiliar with caramel cornflake cakes so can’t say for sure. We fear this caramel may be a bit thick, the caramel recipe from this caramel corn may be closer to what you’re looking for. Let us know if you try anything!
This sauce is amazing!! I made it for a pumpkin cheecake and it was to die for. I found my new salted caramel recipe!! Thanks so much
I wish I had read the reviews before trying this recipe… I’ve made so many other easy homemade caramel sauces without issues & just decided to give this one a shot because of the high reviews. Like others have commented, it didn’t work. I read everything & followed everything to a tee.
Waste of time, ingredients, & effort.
Love this!!
First timer and it turned out perfect!
Question though…when I pour it over ice cream it hardens quickly.
Is there something I can do to keep it soft on top of ice cream?
Thanks!
Hi Teri, The cold ice cream will solidify the caramel, but it shouldn’t turn rock hard. If it’s very hard the caramel may have been overcooked, which is an easy fix for next time. You can also try thinning it out a bit when cooking. I recommend adding 2-3 extra Tablespoons of heavy cream to the recipe when you stir in the heavy cream. This will thin out the caramel so it’s softer!
Well what can I say
I’ve always burnt sugar in the past But this time I was determined to do it, I needed a recipe for my chocolate pots and didn’t want to buy an already made one And I succeeded there’s only 2 issues I had 1) it’s extremely hard not to eat it all before you use it 2) my pan, I hope I can clean It as there’s some sugar up the side that obviously didn’t want to become Part of my sauce thank you for a great recipe
Simple, easy to follow recipe that turned out great. I always find great recipes at Sally’s Baking Addiction!
I used flaky sea salt and used a full 2 tsp! Maybe this is obvious, but because the caramel requires so much attention, read all the steps through before you start and prep/pre-measure all your ingredients.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I followed the steps meticulously and the final product turned out perfect and so yummy. Also a big thank you for providing the measurements in the metric system also 🙂 Usually, that’s where I struggle with US recipes. Keep it up!