This 15-Minute Easy Salted Caramel Sauce makes it easy to create the most amazingly delicious, rich salted caramel topping in a hurry!
This Easy Salted Caramel Sauce is by far one of the most requested recipes from my husband. I think that he could just stand in front of the fridge and eat it by the spoonful. Actually… I think he has.
The good thing for me (and you) is that it’s amazingly simple to make. There’s no thermometers needed, no fancy ingredients. Plus, it only takes 15 minutes to make. It’ll take that long for the ice cream to soften up from the freezer.
Ingredients needed
- Sugar – Plain white granulated sugar.
- Butter – Unsalted butter is best here so that you can control the salt at the end. If using salted butter, reduce the amount of salt used.
- Heavy Cream – Aka heavy whipping cream.
- Pure Vanilla Extract – I love making homemade sous vide vanilla extract.
- Salt
How to make salted caramel
- Heat a small saucepan over medium heat. Add in the sugar and stir until it’s liquefied and turns an amber color.
- To that, you’ll add in some butter. Be careful, because it will bubble up. Just keep on stirring and things will settle down a bit.
- Then, add in the heavy cream, let it heat through for just a minute longer.
- Finish it off with a sprinkling of sea salt and a splash of vanilla.
That’s it – Super simple! Drizzle that warm sauce over a bowl of ice cream, and you’re guaranteed to enter heaven for at least a brief moment.
But, there are more uses for this homemade caramel sauce than just an ice cream topping. Many, many more uses.
I’ve been striving over the past few years to somehow work this Salted Caramel Sauce into as many recipes as humanly possible…
How to use it
- Salted Caramel Apple Tartlets
- Pumpkin Pie with Salted Caramel Sauce
- Salted Caramel Yogurt Popsicles
- Salted Caramel Almond Thumbprint Butter Cookies
- Salted Caramel Banana Bread
Recipe FAQs
Because there is cream and butter in this salted carmel sauce recipe, it does need to be stored in the refrigerator.
Homemade salted caramel sauce keeps in the fridge for up to two weeks – if you can keep it around that long
You can freeze this salted carmel sauce in an airtight container for up to three months. I like to transfer it to a small ziploc bag and freeze it flat (it defrosts quicker that way). To defrost – place it in your refrigerator overnight.
How would you enjoy this caramel? Simply over a bowl of ice cream, or used in one of the recipes above? Let me know in the comments below!
Did you try this salted caramel recipe?
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Salted Caramel Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter (cut up into 6 pieces)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Heat the sugar in a sauce pan over medium heat and stir with rubber spatula until sugar is liquefied and amber in color.
- Once sugar is completely melted, add butter and stir until dissolved.
- Slowly add in heavy cream and heat for one minute.
- Remove from heat and add vanilla and salt.
- The sauce will keep for up to two weeks in the refrigerator.
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in 2016. It was updated in 2019 to add new content, photographs and an instructional video. The original salted carmel sauce recipe remains the same. Enjoy!
Check out the web story here.
oh yum Erin- I had no idea how easy it is to make caramel! Adding it to my holiday recipe list now.
My salted caramel vote is to top it on nutty brownies!
Yes! Homemade caramel sauce is so delicious and easy. The hard part is not eating it all!!! Ha!
Oh my goodness! I want salted caramel right now. So quick and easy to make at home, and so much better than the store bought varieties. Yum!
I LOVE salted caramel. Can’t wait to try this on my beloved ice cream.
I’m such a caramel fan and love that this is so quick and easy. Caramel sauce is SO much better when it’s homemade!!
Agreed Kathryn – We are totally obsessed with this Salted Caramel Sauce in our house!
Are you able to freeze the sauce? I don’t know we’ll get through it all quick enough!
Hi Katie – Yes. You can freeze the sauce for up to 3 months. Enjoy!
Tried to make this twice now and it has resulted only in a ruined saucepan, the sugar went rock solid after adding the butter- TWICE. I don’t know what happened, but this recipe is not great for me.
I’m sorry Ray. Maybe your heat is too high? Also, you want to be sure that you are constantly stirring when the butter is added. I hope this helps!
Tried this recipe and it turned out AMAZING! Thank you so much for the recipe! Where did you get the cute jars in the pictures?
Tried this recipe and it turned out AMAZING! Thank you so much for the recipe! Where did you get the cute jars in the pictures?
So happy you liked it Lindsey! Here’s a link to purchase the jars.
I’d love to hear your method Ben! I happen to think this recipe is super simple, but am always looking for ways to improve.
can I sub brown sugar or half brown instead of white?
do you use unsalted butter?
Hi Hanna – I tend to use unsalted butter for this recipe.
Delicious rich caramel sauce. I used this recipe to drizzle on banana nut bread.