This homemade salted caramel sauce recipe is dangerously easy to make! Four simple ingredients, one saucepan, and 15 minutes are all you need to whip up a batch of the most luxuriously smooth and buttery sea salt caramel sauce you'll ever taste.
"This recipe is not only DELICIOUS, but easy to follow! Do not be intimidated by caramel sauce! Allison has crafted a recipe so everyone can make and enjoy delicious homemade caramel!!" - Ryann, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Raise your hand if you've ever felt intimidated by the thought of making homemade caramel sauce.
We're all raising our hand, right? Because before tackling this recipe, I was right there with you!
This salted caramel sauce is one of the most-tested recipes on my site. It's honestly a crime how much sugar and butter were harmed during the testing of this recipe. BUT, I learned a ton during the process (mostly in terms of how not to make caramel), AND now I have a foolproof method and recipe for making perfect caramel sauce every. single. time. So it was totally worth it!
Now that I've overcome my fear and mastered making homemade salted caramel sauce, I can honestly say that - with the right recipe - it's actually really easy to make. My only regret is that I didn't learn this sooner!
Before I landed on the perfect recipe, I tested different ratios of ingredients along with several shortcuts, most of which were total flops. However, a few shortcuts or hacks that I tested proved successful:
- Add a little bit of water to the sugar when caramelizing it. The water cooks off, but it makes it less likely that the sugar will burn while you caramelize it.
- Skip the candy thermometer! In testing this recipe I found that my eyes were the most useful tool for determining when the sugar is caramelized. I included a note in the recipe that will help guide you in determining when the sugar is ready for the cream and butter.
- Many recipes for caramel sauce recommend heating the cream in a separate saucepan before adding it to the sugar. I found this to be unnecessary, so let's skip this step and save ourselves from having to wash a second pan!
Best of all, you'll need just 4 ingredients (5, if you count the water) to make this easy salted caramel sauce. We'll cook all the ingredients in one pan, and since there's no special equipment necessary, the cleanup is minimal.
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Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
See recipe card at the bottom of this post for full ingredient list and measurements.
Granulated Sugar - Sugar is the key ingredient in caramel sauce. The sugar will caramelize, giving the sauce its rich, complex flavor.
Fine Sea Salt - Different types of salt will add different amounts of saltiness to the sauce. I prefer fine sea salt, since it dissolves easily, adding and enhancing the sauce's flavor without impacting the texture.
Heavy Cream - Heavy cream adds creaminess, helping to make the caramel sauce pourable. Do not substitute milk, since it isn't rich enough.
Unsalted Butter - Using unsalted butter allows us to control the amount of salt in the sauce. If you do use salted butter, reduce the amount of added salt to ¼ teaspoon.
Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions
See recipe card at the bottom of this post for detailed recipe instructions.
Step 1: In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, salt, and water. Bring the mixture to a simmer and stir occasionally until the sugar is completely dissolved.
Step 2: Continue to cook the mixture without stirring until the sugar caramelizes and becomes a deep golden color.
Step 3: Remove the pan from the heat and immediately stir in the cream and butter. Allow the caramel to cool and thicken for 10-15 minutes in the pan before enjoying or storing.
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Recipe
Easy Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup (198 grams) granulated sugar
- ¾ teaspoon (4 grams) fine sea salt
- ¼ cup (57 grams) water
- ¼ cup (57 grams) heavy cream
- 4 Tablespoons (57 grams) unsalted butter, cut into cubes
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, salt, and water. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat and stir occasionally until the sugar is completely dissolved, about 5 minutes.1 cup (198 grams) granulated sugar, ¾ teaspoon (4 grams) fine sea salt, ¼ cup (57 grams) water
- Increase the heat to medium-high and continue to cook the mixture without stirring until the sugar caramelizes and becomes a deep golden color (see Recipe Notes below for detailed explanation), about 7 more minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat and immediately stir in the cream and butter. The caramel will bubble up when the cream and butter are added, so be careful.¼ cup (57 grams) heavy cream, 4 Tablespoons (57 grams) unsalted butter,
- Allow the caramel to cool for 10-15 minutes in the pan (it will thicken as it cools) before drizzling over your favorite treats or transferring to a glass jar (making sure to let the caramel cool completely before sealing the jar).
Video
Notes
Allison's Top Tips
Be sure to read the recipe (and the notes at the end) all the way through and prep all of your ingredients before you begin. You need to be prepared to act quickly once the sugar caramelizes.
Watch your caramel carefully while it cooks. Once the sugar begins to caramelize, the process happens quickly, and the sugar is likely to burn if you're not paying attention.
How do you know when the sugar is caramelized? Pay attention to the color of the mixture. The sugar is caramelized when it turns a deep golden, copper color. Read the note at the end of the recipe card for an explanation of exactly what you're looking for.
To remove any last bits of caramel sauce from your pan or bowl, fill them with hot water to melt the caramel, then rinse before washing normally.
Uses for Salted Caramel Sauce
Homemade salted caramel sauce is perfect for drizzling on just about everything from pies to ice cream, cake, brownies, apple pie bars, and more! And blend it into buttercream frosting (and spread it on this spice cake recipe!) for the most velvety smooth caramel frosting. What will you eat it with first?
Storage Instructions
I like glass jars best for storing caramel sauce. Once the caramel has cooled to room temperature, seal the jar and store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Reheat the caramel in a pan on the stove or in the microwave before serving.
Pam says
This recipe is yummy! I too have always been it imitated by making Carmel. I will say it took me twice to make it. Highly recommend reading the notes on the caramelized part at the bottom. It saved me from wasting cream and butter. The second time I used my smallest sauce pan because I used a larger one the first Ike and with the time suggested time and it was dark around the edges and burnt after I removed from heat. So small sauce pan and adjust timing for your own stove top temperatures.
I’m hopi g to use it again bc I love sea salt Carmel. Goi g to use as a ice cream topping for a friends Labor Day party this time. Maybe next time I’ll make prior to the homemade ice cream! Thank you for the recipe, directions and encouragement to preserve thru. 😂😂
Allison Ferraro says
Pam I'm so glad to hear that you love this recipe and found the tips helpful! I love your tip for using a smaller pan. I think you're right that the smaller surface area of the pan on the burner will reduce the risk of burning the caramel. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!
- Allison
Jordan says
I have now made this caramel sauce twice and I can’t get over how easy it is! And my family has been impressed which is always fun. Simple and delicious!
Ryann says
Just to give you some background, when I told my mom I was making caramel she asked me where I get the caramels to melt... needless to say, we did not grow up making caramel sauce!! This recipe is not only DELICIOUS, but easy to follow! Do not be intimidated by caramel sauce! Allison has crafted a recipe so everyone can make and enjoy delicious homemade caramel!!
Allison says
YES! I was intimidated to make my own caramel too, but once I learned how to do it I couldn't believe how easy it really is! Thank you so much for your review, Ryann!
-Allison