Making homemade Salted Caramel Sauce could not be easier with this 4-ingredient recipe! Sugar, butter, cream and salt is all it takes to prepare Salted Caramel. This recipe is foolproof and can be used to top a variety of desserts such as Salted Caramel Cookie Skillet, Banana Cake with Salted Caramel Buttercream, and Applesauce Cake. Or dig in with a spoon!
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Tips for Making This Recipe
This recipe cooks quickly and involves very hot sugar, which can burn quickly as well as splatter while adding in the other ingredients.
I would highly recommend you stay close by your stovetop while this caramel sauce is cooking. It can go from not quite ready to burned very quickly, starting from the very first step.
I also recommend using a heatproof spatula to make this recipe. Boiling hot sugar will surely melt your standard spatula.
Prepare all your ingredients ahead of time and have them ready next to the stove. This will keep you from scrambling around the kitchen to gather ingredients. It will also prevent the caramel from burning while you prep your ingredients.
Also try making my Homemade Dulce De Leche - it's made using just one ingredient and is slow-baked in the oven.
Ingredients needed to make salted caramel
- Granulated sugar
- Butter: Use unsalted butter at room temperature. Cut the butter into cubes
- Heavy cream
- Salt
How to Make Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce
Step 1
To make this salted caramel, start with a medium saucepan. Add the granulated sugar and turn the heat to medium. Please note: No water is required for this homemade caramel.
There are many recipes out there for making wet caramel. This is what is referred to as dry caramel. No water required!
Allow the sugar to melt. It may look clumpy at first - that's ok. You'll see the sugar start to turn to an amber-colored liquid around the edges. Stir it around while it's melting, keeping a careful eye on it to be sure it does not burn.
Step 2
Once the sugar is completely melted with no visible clumps, very carefully add in the butter, a piece at a time. The mixture may splatter, so stand back a bit. Whisk the butter until melted.
Step 3
Slowly stream in the heavy cream. The caramel will bubble up once the cold cream hits the hot melted sugar. This is normal - keep stirring until it's fully incorporated.
Allow the mixture to boil for one minute without stirring. Then remove from the heat and add in the salt, stirring well.
Step 4
Carefully pour the salted caramel into a heatproof jar such as a Pyrex or mason jar. The caramel will thicken as it cools. Once completely cool, cover and store in the fridge.
Salted Caramel Sauce Recipes
Salted Caramel Sauce is the perfect dessert topping for so many recipes! Give it a try in (or on) one of these delicious treats, including One Bite No Bake Mini Cheesecakes. Simply warm the caramel in the microwave on 50% power in 30 second increments, stirring between, or in a small saucepan over low heat until caramel is runny and pourable.
Like this recipe? Follow me on Pinterest for lots more recipes just like this one! And don’t forget to pin this recipe for later by clicking on one of the images below the recipe. Or, click on any of the images in this post to save to Pinterest.
1
Old Fashioned Applesauce Cake Recipe
2
Apple Cider Bundt Cake
3
Brown Butter Blondies with Salted Caramel Buttercream
4
Brown Butter Banana Snack Cake with Sour Cream
5
Salted Caramel Brownies
6
Salted Caramel Cookie Skillet
7
Quick Thick & Fluffy Salted Caramel Frosting
FOR ALL MY FAVORITE BAKING TOOLS INCLUDING THOSE USED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE, CHECK OUT MY BAKING RESOURCES PAGE!
Ingredients
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoon unsalted butter room temperature, cubed
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, heat sugar over medium heat, stirring constantly. Don't worry when you see the sugar becoming clumpy. It will begin to melt into an amber colored liquid as you continue to heat and stir it. Keep an eye on it, as you don't want it to burn.½ cup granulated sugar
- Once sugar is completely melted, add in butter (be careful, it may splatter!) and whisk until fully incorporated.3 tablespoon unsalted butter
- Slowly drizzle in the heavy cream while stirring the mixture. Boil for one minute then remove from the heat and stir in the salt.¼ cup heavy cream, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Pour into a heatproof jar and allow to cool slightly before using.
Notes
- To store, allow to cool completely then cover with a tight fitting lid and store in the fridge for up to one month. When ready to use, remove lid and microwave at 50% power in 20-30 second increments until desired consistency is reached
Nutrition
