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
I have been making this recipe for months now. It is such a relaxing process. I put in my coffee and add it to desserts. I prefer it spoonable straight out of the fridge, so I add extra cream plus take out the step where you boil it at the end. Deeelish
Hi, I followed the recipe and it was delicious. I topped it on my baked cheesecakes, the caramel turned chewy just the way I like em. However I had a lot of leftover caramel sauce, kept it in the fridge. And when I use it again as a cheesecake topping, it turned watery. Would you know why? The freshly made caramel sauce was okay. And I can’t keep making new batches especially if I just need a spoonful for a piece of cupcake topping. Would appreciate your response. Thank you!
Hi Vanss! Did you make any changes to the recipe when you made it? It’s very strange that it would turn watery after refrigerating. Usually the caramel sauce thickens in the fridge and will need to be warmed to use again. Perhaps it could have been cooked just a bit longer to reach a thicker consistency. Thank you so much for giving this recipe a try!
Thanks so much for the reply. No I didn’t change the recipe. Followed every step. It did thicken in the fridge and it tasted great. I just don’t understand why when I topped the leftovers on the cold cheesecake (tried both on room temp caramel and cold thick caramel) and placed it back on the fridge, it did not set on the cheesecake and instead became watery. Not sure if it’s the moist. Also not sure if I remember it right, when I made the sauce and topped it on the cheesecake right after it reaches room temp it sets amd thickens perfectly on the fridge.
Anyway, will try again and update you. Thank you!
Hi, how many grams of caramel does this make approximately?
Wow! This was my first attempt at making caramel and I have to say it was easier than I expected and I am feeling pretty happy and proud with how it turned out! (Especially since the bakers seem to always burn their caramel on Great British Bakijg show ha.) The trick for me was adding butter off the heat and whisking for 30 seconds before putting the pan back on the burner. This is salted caramel, but I think next time I’ll add just 1/2 tsp of salt instead of the full tsp. Thank you Sally I will use this again and again! Oh! And I made this caramel to go with your mini cheesecakes which also turned out great. Thanks to you I’m excited to present dessert tomorrow for dinner guests.
Our grocery store finally has a non-dairy whipping cream alternative, so I was delighted to make this today – finally!! It’s quite yummy. My toddler took to it in no time, too.
The people leaving negative reviews obviously didn’t follow the recipe properly because this was hands down one of the easiest things I’ve ever made. Turned out perfect, will make again. 10/10
Hi! Ive done this once and it turned out Somehow, this time I’ve added a little too much salt. I would like to know how can I balance it out. Thank you!
Hi Sally
Thank you so much for this very clear step-by-step recipe. I have tried multiple caramel recipes lately and several different methods, and this is the only recipe that seems to work for me consistently.
That said, the batch I made today ended up with an ever-so-slightly gritty texture. It’s still delicious and mostly creamy, but there’s some sort of granules. Could this be the salt? I used regular table salt. Is there any way to fix this once the caramel is made? I’m considering throwing it back on the stove to try and melt everything down further but wonder if that would ruin it completely.
Thank you again for this recipe and for your clear instructions!
I have made this well a few times, but this time I think my butter nad cream were too cold.
I got it to mix all back together, but the caramel is gritty, and there are sugar clumps.
Will melting it again help? Which heat? to stir, or not to stir?
Hi Miriam! Happy to help. There is always a fix for that with this recipe. Next time, lower the heat and continue stirring until the sugar caramelizes. It could simply be because the heat is too high (or even the pan is too thin!). We’re unsure if reheating the caramel will help with your current batch, but let us know if you try it!
Fast and easy. The sauce got a little too dark on medium heat, so I’d do medium-low next time, but luckily it’s not burnt enough to go to waste.
I made this today and it was the first time I’ve managed to make caramel yay! Thank you so much for the recipe.
Amazing recipe!! I’ve been trying to make salted caramel from scratch for the longest time now with no success, even buying thermometers just to be precise with everything (I’ve always been intimidated by caramel because of this). Tried this once and it turned out great! Thankful for this, now I can make unlimited caramel for the rest of my life haha!
I was wanting to make salted Carmel ice cream with the Carmel already in the ice cream. Is there a way to have it swirled into the ice cream and then frozen together or will the Carmel set up too hard with this recipe ? Thank you in advance!
Hi Angie, we don’t suggest it — it will turn pretty hard inside frozen ice cream. However, you could use it as a topping — it will solidify when topped on the ice cream, but you can also try thinning it out a bit when cooking. We 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!
This is the best caramel! Don’t alter the recipe! Tried a few others but this one remains at the top every time. Lasts for months in the fridge only because I made so much. Simply delicious!
Hi Sally! Which salt do you recommend using for the recipe?
Hi Trinity, we use regular table salt or kosher salt. See recipe notes for more details.
Made this twice now added roasted chopped nuts in it at the end. This is an amazing easy recipe. Thank you.
I’ve made this recipe twice now and both times it was easy and delicious. I followed the recipe exactly, and the instructions as well, with no problems incorporating the butter or the cream. Start to finish it takes about 15 minutes. The whisk is essential!
I really like this recipe. I accidentally burned it but that’s my fault. I recommend turning the heat lower then medium so it won’t burn.
Followed the recipe ingredients and steps exactly, except for the following: (1) used unsalted instead of salted butter, and (2) I took the pan off the heat for a few seconds before adding the butter, then stirred in the butter off the heat for a few seconds before returning to the stove. (Did the same with the cream.) Used low heat throughout. This successfully resulted in delicious salted caramel in 15 minutes. Great recipe!
This was awful. I’m an experienced baker with good instincts in the kitchen. I tried this three times and got a horribly chunky, oily mess the moment I added the butter. I think there’s way too much butter in this recipe and that it shouldn’t be added to the hot sugar before the cream. I switched to Bobby Flay’s salted caramel sauce recipe and it was perfect on the first try.
Turned out excellent and took about 10 minutes. I always thought caramel would be too finicky to make but this worked great on first attempt. Will definitely make again. Thank you!
Very finicky at best. I have made three batches and the first was the best. And it was good. The other two batches I encountered problems getting the butter to mix in properly. It separated immediately when I added the butter and I took it off the heat to whisk it and it didn’t work – no change after 20min. I poured the excess butter off and proceeded with adding the cream.
The third time I had the same problem with the butter. It would not mix properly. This time I just proceeded with adding the cream and then it mixed in ok. Go figure.
Incidentally – the first attempt (which worked well) the total time from start to finish was 45min. The second time was well over an hour and the third time was 50+ min.
How anyone could make this in 10min is beyond me.
Melting the sugar takes a good 15 -20 min alone.
I was using a gas stove and cast/enamel pot.
Wow, this salted caramel was so beautiful, I served on top of coffee ice cream and fresh sliced banana. The recipe was perfect and so easy to follow. This will definitely be a well utilised caramel recipe in my house.
I love caramel but whenever I make it at home it turns out burnt. How do I prevent this? And this time, the mixture was curdled too. Plz help!!
Hi Ayesha, you’ll want to turn the stove down to cook it lower and slower next time. This will prevent burning. You’ll also want a thick, heavy bottomed pan to help as well. Just keep on whisking it once the heavy cream is added and it should come together. Thanks so much for giving it a try!
The butter seperated. I immediately pulled it from the heat and whisked for 20 minutes and it would not come together. I tried adding the cream anyways like someone here suggested and it did not work at all. Took about 15minutes for the sugar to even melt. 20 minutes for this recipe is incredibly inaccurate
In This recipe it says to stir as the sugar melts but every other place it says not to stir because it causes the sugar to crystallize. I tried to stir and the whole mixture turned in to one big crystal. Any tip on how to not to ruin the sugar/water mix 🙂
Thank you! :))
Hi Alva, it sounds like your stove top burner may be a bit too hot. Feel free to turn it down a bit. Make sure to stir constantly as the sugar melts into the amber-colored liquid. From there, make sure to vigorously whisk the when combining ingredients and feel free to take the pot off the stove while whisking to help bring the ingredients together. Then return to the stove. Hope this helps for next time!
Just gave this a whirl, and drop the mic ,hands down, absolutely amazing!!it was very easy and simple! I’ve been making my own caramel frappe and the store bought is over 4 dollars, I’m not paying that on a regular basis.. now I don’t ever have to buy it! And it’s so much better than anything you can buy!
Can I use brown sugar?
Hi Amy, 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 this post: Brown Sugar Butterscotch Cupcakes.
This recipe is fabulous!! For an extra delicious treat mix a spoonful into your afternoon coffee! I have used it on ice cream, mixed it into cupcake icing, and made salted caramel macarons. In the past I have made it with heavy cream but only have half and half (10%) in the fridge. Would this work?
Hi Tracy, the caramel won’t set up properly with half-and-half because the fat content is too low. We recommend heavy cream for best results.
Hi Sally,
I have just found you and am so happy I did. I made both the Burnt Sugar Syrup and the Caramel. I had no issue with either. I just did not rush it. For the Caramel; I stirred it constantly, added the butter as soon as the sugar melted, and it clumped just as you said it would. I moved it away from the heat, kept stirring, moved it back to the heat when it was all liquid, added the butter, again stirring until it was silky. I did not think it took too long at all. It is beautiful and delicious. It is a little salty for me, but then it is Salted Caramel. I will make the cake and icing today to complete the cake. This cake has a lot of moving parts and I would never attempt it in a hurry. This will be my first attempt at a layer cake and I am anxious to see how it turns out.
Hi Sally,
I love your recipes! I just made your caramel sauce today. It’s so yummy! I have a recipe for homemade caramels that I have been using for a long time that is so good. It adds vanilla after you remove it from heat. I noticed you do this with your caramel apples too. Just curious why the caramel sauce doesn’t have it. Maybe it just doesn’t need it because it’s so good!
Hi Julie! Feel free to stir in 1/2 or 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract when you stir in the salt. It’s delicious with or without the added vanilla. So glad you enjoyed it!