Description

This foolproof homemade salted caramel sauce recipe delivers a rich, luscious, and perfectly balanced caramel flavor with a hint of sea salt. Made with simple ingredients like sugar, butter, heavy cream, vanilla, and salt, this sauce is silky smooth and ideal for drizzling over desserts, ice cream, or coffee.

Ingredients

Scale

Caramel Base

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar (300g)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened at room temperature (113g)
3/4 cup heavy cream, warmed (180g)

Flavoring

2 tsp vanilla extract
1 to 1 1/2 tsp salt (start with 1 tsp and adjust to taste)

Instructions

Heat the Sugar: Add the granulated sugar to a wide-bottomed, light-colored pan over the lowest flame. Allow the sugar to start melting at the bottom. Use a dry utensil to slowly stir and encourage even melting. The sugar will appear grainy and lumpy at first; continue stirring gently and heating until fully melted and a deep golden caramel color develops, which may take 15 or more minutes.
Add Butter: Remove the pan from heat and whisk in the softened butter until fully melted. The mixture may look separated at this stage, which is normal and temporary.
Incorporate Warm Cream: Slowly add the warm heavy cream (heated for 20-30 seconds in the microwave) while whisking continuously. The sauce will become bubbly and frothy but will settle into a smooth caramel. If it thickens too much or seizes, return to low heat and gently stir until desired consistency is reached, then turn off the heat.
Season with Vanilla and Salt: Add vanilla extract and start with 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir and taste; add up to an additional 1/2 teaspoon salt if preferred for a well-balanced salted caramel flavor.
Cool the Sauce: Pour the sauce into a heat-safe glass bowl or jar. Let it cool at room temperature for about 1 hour. As it cools, it will thicken to a silky, smooth consistency.
Serve and Store: Use immediately or store the caramel sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat gently in 10-20 second increments in the microwave when ready to use.

Notes

Use a light-colored pan so you can easily monitor the sugar as it caramelizes.
Heating the cream before adding prevents the caramel from seizing.
Do not use high heat to avoid burning the sugar.
Store the sauce in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Reheat gently to preserve silky texture; avoid boiling the sauce after adding cream.
Adjust salt amount according to preference; fleur de sel or sea salt flakes add a gourmet touch.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Category: Sauce
Method: Stovetop Caramelization
Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Serving Size: 2 tablespoons (30g)
Calories: 150
Sugar: 26g
Sodium: 130mg
Fat: 7g
Saturated Fat: 4.5g
Unsaturated Fat: 2.5g
Trans Fat: 0g
Carbohydrates: 22g
Fiber: 0g
Protein: 0.5g
Cholesterol: 25mg

Keywords: salted caramel sauce, homemade caramel sauce, easy caramel recipe, dessert sauce, caramel drizzle, foolproof caramel