If you’re after a foolproof salted caramel sauce recipe… this is it.

This caramel sauce is made with six ingredients you most likely have in your house right now and doesn’t require a candy thermometer to make! Not to mention, the flavors are incredibly rich and taste so much better than what you’ll purchase in a store.

Ingredients

• Sugar
• Water
• Butter
• Heavy whipping cream
• Vanilla bean paste (vanilla extract also works)
• Flaky sea salt

If you want to make a regular caramel sauce, feel free to omit the flaky sea salt altogether! You can always melt the caramel sauce at a later date and top it with some flaky sea salt.

How to make this foolproof salted caramel sauce

One of my favorite things about this recipe is that is is so freaking easy. You don’t need a candy thermometer or any fancy kitchen gadgets. Not to mention, the ingredients in this recipe are pretty much kitchen staples, so… you could most likely make this whenever the heck you wanted.

For this recipe you’ll want to invest in a good, medium-sized tall saucepan. Something like this work work great – as long as you have a medium-sized saucepan with tall sides, you’ll be good to go!

Add the sugar and water to the saucepan and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until the sugar has dissolved completely. Then, add in the butter and bring the mixture to a boil.

Pro tip – During this step, you’re going to want to stir the mixture. Try to resist that urge to the best of your ability. If you stir the butter/sugar/water mixture, you run the risk of forming sugar crystals (which you don’t want in a silky smooth caramel sauce). Instead, you can tilt the pan every few minutes to ensure that the mixture cook evenly.

After about 8-10 minutes you should get a deep golden copper color. Immediately remove the caramel from the stovetop and add the heavy whipping cream. Be so, so, so careful when you do this! The heavy whipping cream will cause the caramel to hiss and bubble up the sides of the saucepan (which is why you want a tall saucepan).

Whisk the heavy whipping cream into the caramel mixture, then add the vanilla bean paste (or extract) and the sea salt.

I like to remove the mixture from the saucepan altogether at this point – I’ll pour it into a mason jar and let it cool at room temperature. Once cool, I place a lid on it and pop it in the fridge! It’ll thicken as it cools and it lasts for about 2 weeks in the fridge.

Tips & how to use your caramel sauce

So, we’ve already talked about needing a tall, medium-sized saucepan. However, you can’t just use any saucepan. You may notice that when you use cheap cookware, your food tends to heat unevenly and sometimes your pans are burnt beyond repair. Non-stick pans are also a no-go when it comes to this salted caramel sauce, as the high heat required to make this caramel will damage them.

If you see that your caramel has burnt… there is no saving it. You will have to start from scratch.

I highly recommend prepping all of your ingredients so that they’re ready to go when needed for this recipe. For example, make sure you set the heavy cream on the counter while your caramel sauce is bubbling – otherwise you run the risk of getting clumps in the caramel sauce (this typically only happens when you pour heavy cream in directly from the fridge).

This caramel sauce pairs so freaking well with so many things! Apple slices, ice cream, my Starbucks copycat Caramel Brûlée Latte, these brownie cookies… and so much more. I mean, look at how gorgeous this caramel sauce is on cookies!!

Regardless of how you use your caramel sauce, I know you’ll absolutely love it! I can’t wait to hear what you think in the comments below 🙂

How to Make Salted Caramel Sauce

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This homemade salted caramel sauce is made with just six ingredients and doesn’t require a candy thermometer! It’s perfect for desserts, lattes, and more!

• Author: Kayla
• Prep Time: 5 Minutes
• Cooling Time: 1 hour
• Cook Time: 10 Minutes
• Total Time: 1 Hour & 15 Minutes
• Yield: 1 Cup 1x

Ingredients

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• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 stick butter, unsalted
• 1 TSP vanilla bean paste
• 1 TSP flaky sea salt

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Instructions

1. Add the sugar and water to the saucepan and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until the sugar has dissolved completely. Then, add in the butter and bring the mixture to a boil.
2. During this step, do not stir the butter/sugar/water mixture or you run the risk of forming sugar crystals (which you don’t want in a silky smooth caramel sauce). Instead, you can tilt the pan every few minutes to ensure that the mixture cook evenly.
3. After about 8-10 minutes you should get a deep golden copper color. Immediately remove the caramel from the stovetop and add the heavy whipping cream. The heavy whipping cream will cause the caramel to hiss and bubble up the sides of the saucepan (which is why you want a tall saucepan).
4. Whisk the heavy whipping cream into the caramel mixture, then add the vanilla bean paste (or extract) and the sea salt.
5. Pour the caramel sauce into a mason jar and let it cool at room temperature for about an hour. Once cool, place a lid on it and pop it in the fridge for up to two weeks.

Notes

Leave the heavy whipping cream out on the counter as you wait for your caramel to come together. If you add super cold heavy whipping cream to the caramel, you run the risk of getting clumps in the caramel sauce.