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Homemade caramel sauce dripping from spoon into glass jar
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Homemade Caramel Sauce

A rich, buttery homemade caramel sauce made with simple ingredients. Perfect for drizzling over desserts, ice cream, or adding to your morning coffee.
Prep Time5 minutes
Active Time10 minutes
Total Time15 minutes
Course: Dessert, sauce
Cuisine: American
Keyword: caramel drizzle, caramel topping, homemade caramel sauce, salted caramel
Yield: 10
Calories: 163kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 30 g butter unsalted
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • ½ cup milk optional, for thinner consistency
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Instructions

Melt the Sugar

  • Add sugar to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Let it melt slowly without stirring at first. Once it starts liquefying, stir gently until it becomes smooth and turns golden amber.
    Sugar melting into golden caramel in saucepan

Add Butter:

  • Add butter carefully to the melted sugar. Stir continuously as the mixture bubbles up, and keep stirring until the butter is fully melted and the caramel is smooth.
    Butter mixing into melted sugar for caramel sauce

Add the Cream and Finish

  • Slowly pour in the heavy cream while stirring. It will bubble intensely keep stirring until everything blends into a silky sauce. Remove from heat, stir in salt, and let it cool before serving.
    Cream being poured into caramel for creamy sauce

Notes

Add a pinch of flaky sea salt for an easy salted caramel twist.
To reheat, microwave in short bursts or warm on the stove with a splash of milk.
For dairy-free caramel, substitute butter and cream with coconut oil and coconut milk.