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
Yummy goodness that will be the death of me.
Just made caramel for the 1st time. So easy and delicious. Thank you for sharing.
I loved this recipe so much! It worked perfectly, and when the butter separated, the instructions were clear and very helpful!
Is the salt optional, or is it a necessary ingredient?
Hi Sally! The salt is needed for balance, but can be reduced to 3/4 tsp for a more lightly salted flavor.
Can I use salted butter?
Hi Jackie, you can use salted butter with no other changes. Hope you enjoy it!
Hey what if I use beet sugar?
Hi Brandi! We’d love to help but we are not trained in baking with sugar substitutes. For best taste and texture (and so you don’t waste your time trying to adapt this recipe since it may not work properly), it may be more useful to find a recipe that is specifically formulated for sugar substitutes. Thank you!
Idk what I did wrong but my sugar didn’t melt like a liquid it got hard and chunky. Then I added the butter and the sugar and butter separated. I took it off the heat and tried to whisk it as fast as possible. No luck. I then refused to give us and pulled out my bullet blender and mixed it on high. Then once it was all finely all mixed I added the heavy cream and reblended it on high. It came out perfect. This is how you save it if it starts to get chunky.
Worked perfectly! Couldn’t believe it.
OMG, finally I can make salted caramel sauce without burning and no crunchy sugar crystals! Thank you so much for this recipe!! (Can you see my big smile!! :))
So glad this recipe was successful for you, Andrea!
I loved this recipe? But I just wanted to know if you can be double?
Hi Hawwah, we recommend you make more than one batch instead of doubling this recipe. The added volume could prevent the sugar from melting evenly and properly.
Hi Sally! I’ve been using so many of your recipes for Christmas gift giving. Would these caramels work for mixing into fudge, or would I be better off using your salted caramel sauce?
Hi Kim, I think the soft caramels may work nicely as an add-in in fudge, though I have not tried it before.
This is so delicious!! I did add the extra heavy cream and cooked it a bit slower (bc my stovetop must run hot and I burned the first batch!) It was so worth doing it a second time! Yummy! I used kosher salt the second time around, perfecto!
I’ve been wanting to make a caramel sauce for so long, but I’ve never tried it because I’ve not been able to make caramel to begin with!
This recipe was absolutely stunning, the sauce came out perfectly the first time, and I can’t stop eating it by the spoonful! Thank you Sally!
After years of struggling with caramel using Bobby Flays recipe, i tried yours and got it first time… and it was QUICK!!! no rinsing down the sides of the pan yay! Maybe you need to have a dessert showdown with Mr Flay lol
Hi, this looks like my type of caramel recipe. Would it be an issue if I used salted butter in place of the unsalted butter?
Hi Mary, you can use salted butter with no other changes. Hope you enjoy it!
So easy and so tasty! I’m making this to share with coworkers as a Christmas present. I will definitely be keeping some to have a home for me, too! Thanks so much for sharing!
I have used this recipe a few times now. It never fails and makes me look like I might have some talent! Thank you for the helpful instructions, as they are thorough but very easy to follow. This caramel is THE BEST.
Tasty, but I couldn’t get the sugar to melt without adding some water (other recipes I found used a small bit of water). I stirred for 5-6 minutes with no sign of browning until I added water. What did I do wrong?
Hi Sheryl! We would try turning up the heat a little more next time.
I have made many batches of this the past two Christmases yet this year o can’t do it!! The sugar is melting slowly, the cream separated from rest and lots of clumping- suggestions??
Hi Marie, it can take a few minutes of whisking to bring it back together! And make sure you’re using full fat heavy cream at room temperature.
How would I use this as a filling for your macaron recipe? Will it set up inside the cookie enough? Thank you!
Hi Jen, it will somewhat set, but it will still spill out the sides. It’s just too thin. You can try my salted caramel frosting instead if you’d like.
I made this & the color & consistency was perfect, but it almost has a bitter taste. Does that mean I burnt the sugar?
Hi Beth, If it tastes bitter, it’s likely been cooked for too long – an easy fix for next time! Try turning your heat down a bit.
Can you put this Carmel sauce on the top of a cheesecake? Will it harden or not?
Hi Paula, This works well for a cheesecake topping. Enjoy!
The directions and ingredients are perfect and yield a delicious caramel we use on all sorts of things, but mostly to make caramel whipped cream. For me, this recipe makes 1 1/2 cups of caramel, not one. I just took 2/3 of all ingredients to get a 1 cup yield (my whipped cream is 1 cup caramel and 2 cups cream). Thank you Sally and staff…again!!!
This recipe is easy, but I had to make modifications to get it to work. After 15 minutes of constant stirring my sugar was *not* melting. I found that if I stirred, let sit for 30 seconds to a minute, then stirred again, the sugar actually started melting. My Carmel separated when I added butter. I took off the heat to whisk as recommended and it quickly became too stiff to stir and got stuck inside the whisk. I put back on the heat, added the cream even though it hadn’t all come together quite yet, and prayed i hadn’t ruined it. It worked! I think if I’d just stirred vigorously over low heat it would have been fine.
This was a fantastic recipe to use to teach my 12 yr old daughter how to make caramel sauce. Easy, straight forward, and only a very few ingredients. We made a half batch in a small sauce pan and it was almost completely gone within 30 min! (We served it with cut up Granny Smith Apples…if there had been 2 more apples to cut up, it would have been completely gone!!!). Thanks for the fantastic recipe!
Clearly I could test this myself…but since you seem to already have a strong opinion on it…why not nonstick for this recipe?
You can use nonstick, but you’ll just have to really whisk in the butter during that step. You may even need to remove the pan from heat as you whisk. If you can, a NOT non-stick pan is ideal—but again, nonstick will work in a pinch. Let us know if you give the salted caramel a try!
Dear Sally,
Thank you for this caramel sauce recipe. Absolutely love this sauce, the flavor is awesome.
The first time I made this sauce it didn’t turn out. the end result was a gritty taste. That said I probably didn’t get the sugar completely melted, not sure what happened.
However, this time around it was a perfect ending. I used superfine sugar by Domino and it made a big difference for me.
My family loves this sauce and as Thanksgiving is approaching fast, I will use this sauce in your Salted Caramel Apple Pie recipe.
Thank you so much and a Happy thanksgiving to you and your family.
Could I substitute coconut cream for the heavy cream?
Hi Erin, we haven’t tested this ourselves, but some readers have had success using unsweetened canned coconut cream in place of the heavy cream. Let us know if you give it a try!
This recipe is genius! I’ve messed up caramel in the past, but this recipe worked flawlessly and produced a beautiful smooth amber caramel with a depth of flavor. Thanks for all you and your team do, Sally!
So, I tried this in my enameled cast iron Dutch oven and I failed… it took awhile to get the sugar to melt then it really wanted to stick to the sides of the pan. Once I added the butter its like there wasn’t enough sugar in the bottom of the pan. It started separating so I removed it from the heat and it just wouldn’t come back together and started to seize . So was it the Dutch oven? I know my butter wasn’t too cold. Now I’m worried about ruining my Dutch oven. So I won’t try it again till I have a different pot.
Hi Kayla! Is it a large dutch oven? A medium sized sauce pan would be best here.
I have a question. I would like to dip shortbread cookies in the salted caramel sauce. Does it dry so I can pack them in boxes for gifts?
Hi Bev! No, this caramel does not set completely.