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Home » Recipes » Easy Salted Caramel Sauce Recipe: 10 Minutes Start to Finish!

Easy Salted Caramel Sauce Recipe: 10 Minutes Start to Finish!

September 16, 2019 by Diane Hoffmaster 4 Comments

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Last Updated on September 17, 2019 by Diane Hoffmaster

This easy salted caramel sauce recipe is absolutely delicious. It is made from scratch on the stove-top in less than ten minutes, with no candy thermometer required! Use it as a topping for sliced apples, drizzle it on your ice cream, or just lick it right from the spoon!

Easy Salted Caramel Recipe

Table of Contents

  • What is salted caramel?
  • What Can You Use This Sauce For?
  • How long does homemade caramel sauce last?
    • Like this caramel recipe?  Try these dessert recipes, too!
  • Tips for making homemade caramel:
  • How do you heat up caramel sauce?
  • Use Only the Best Ingredients!
  • Easy Salted Caramel Sauce Recipe
    •  

What is salted caramel?

Salted caramel is made by sprinkling fleur de sel, or any other flaked sea salt on top of caramel or caramel sauce. Why does caramel taste good with salt on it? Basically, chefs call this combination “flavour layering”.  Salt acts as a flavor enhancer and makes caramel taste even better. Why?  It's a bit of a mystery but they certainly go great together!

What Can You Use This Sauce For?

What do you do when you have a huge fruit bowl full of apples but are craving something sweet?  You make this easy salted caramel sauce recipe, of course!  Seriously.  Some people might love all things pumpkin spice during the fall but for me, caramel is my favorite fall flavor.  I make homemade caramels every year but they require quite a bit more work than this salted caramel sauce does.

For this easy caramel you don't need a candy thermometer or any fancy kitchen tools.  Just a few simple ingredients, a heavy sauce pan and a wooden spoon.  I ate two apples covered in this stuff before I even finished the photos! Need more ways to use caramel sauce?  Drizzle it over fluffy waffles; crepes and even homemade oatmeal. Fibrous fruits are great for dipping.  For example things like pears, apples, bananas, etc.  

Caramel in a glass bowl

How long does homemade caramel sauce last?

When you first take this caramel off the stove, you are going to have to let it cool for a bit.  It will thicken as it cools and will be the perfect dipping consistency.  How do you fix caramel sauce that is too hard? Just heat it a little on the stove with a few tablespoons of heavy cream.  If it is too thin, cook it a bit longer.  

Like this caramel recipe?  Try these dessert recipes, too!

  • Chocolate Fondue Recipe and Tutorial for Dessert Lovers!
  • Healthy Halloween Dessert: Candy Corn Fruit Parfait
  • Chewy Butterscotch Oatmeal Cookie Recipe

In my house, this salted caramel doesn't last long because we eat it quickly.  However, if you have more restraint than I do, you might want to know how long it lasts.  Homemade caramel sauce stays good for about 2 weeks in an airtight container stored in the refrigerator. I recommend a glass container with tight fitting lid or even a mason jar.  Warm the caramel for a few seconds before use in the microwave. 

Easy Salted Caramel Sauce Recipe: 10 Minutes Start to Finish!

Tips for making homemade caramel:

If you aren't careful, you can end up with quite a mess as you try your hand at making your own caramel sauce.  Follow these caramel making tips for a perfect sauce every time:

  • Make sure your pan is larger than you think you need.  The caramel will bubble up a bit and you risk overflowing if it is too small.
  • Make sure you have plenty of light (or a light colored pan) since you need to watch the caramel sauce turn colors. 
  • Measure out ingredients ahead of time so you don't have to multitask. 

How do you heat up caramel sauce?

The sugar in this easy salted caramel sauce recipe will crystallize out a bit when the sauce starts to cool.  Of course, this stuff doesn't really last that long because it is so darn delicious you eat in all in about 10 minutes!  But, you can keep it warm in a small fondue pot or just microwave it for a few seconds if it starts to cool off too much. 

How to make an Easy Salted Caramel Sauce

If it is cold right from the fridge, microwave it on high power for a minute or two. Stir it about every 30 seconds.  If you don't have a microwave or you are very patient, place it in a bowl in a pan of simmering water. Let it sit , stirring occasionally, until the sauce is warm, about 7 minutes.  Serve this easy salted caramel sauce with a plate of apples and your kids (and YOU) will happily eat all the apples in the house!

close up of a whisk mixing fresh home made caramel in a sauce pan

Use Only the Best Ingredients!

This easy caramel sauce recipe has such a simple ingredient list.  Butter, brown sugar, heavy cream, a pinch of salt and some vanilla.  That's it.  I kept looking for homemade caramel recipes online but they all seemed to start with a can of sweetened condensed milk which I rarely have on hand.  And really, a good caramel recipe needs to start with butter and cream.  It just DOES!  So, if you are in the mood for a rich and delicious caramel sauce for apples, I definitely think you should give this one a try!

Easy salted caramel sauce recipe

 

Easy Salted Caramel Sauce Recipe

This simple recipe is just the thing you need to celebrate the flavors of fall.  Now that you know how to make homemade caramel sauce, how will you serve it?

Yield: 2 cups

Easy Salted Caramel Sauce Recipe: 10 Minutes Start to Finish!

Easy Salted Caramel Recipe

This easy salted caramel sauce takes only 10 minutes to make. No candy thermometer or fancy ingredients. Just an easy caramel sauce for apple dipping!

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Total Time 13 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 stick butter (8 TBSP)
  • 2 cups light brown sugar, lightly packed
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 TBSP vanilla

Instructions

  1. Place the cream, butter, brown sugar and salt in a medium sized sauce pan
  2. Heat over medium high until mixture comes to a boil, stirring frequently
  3. Boil 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
  4. Remove from heat and let cool 2 to 3 minutes.
  5. Add vanilla and stir gently.
  6. Let cool slightly before using

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 254Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 43mgSodium: 171mgCarbohydrates: 31gFiber: 0gSugar: 30gProtein: 1g

NOTE: Nutrition information not always accurate

© Diane Hoffmaster
Cuisine: American / Category: dessert

 

 

 

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Diane Hoffmaster

Diane is a professional blogger and nationally certified pharmacy technician at Good Pill Pharmacy.  She has two college aged kids, one husband and more pets than she will admit to. She earned her BS in Microbiology at the University of New Hampshire  but left her career in science to become a stay at home mom. Years of playing with LEGO and coloring with crayons had her craving a more grown up purpose to her life and she began blogging and freelance writing full time.  You can learn more about her HERE.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Augusto

    October 13, 2016 at 12:01 am

    Thank you very much! I did it with cream 35% fat and it became wonderful. After cooled, incorporated shredded coconut and used as filling for a tart, Lovely!

    Reply
    • Diane

      October 13, 2016 at 9:09 am

      so glad you liked it! It is always a huge hit in my house!

      Reply
  2. Poppy

    July 20, 2020 at 7:11 pm

    I made this today and it's delicious! I only had a cup of light brown sugar, so I also used a cup of dark brown sugar. It tastes like magic...

    Reply
    • Diane Hoffmaster

      July 27, 2020 at 3:49 pm

      I am so glad you enjoyed it!

      Reply

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Hi, I'm Diane! I'm a busy Atlanta area mom of two college kids trying to stay sane in the chaos of suburban life. I love cooking, gardening, reading and motorcycle rides with my husband.

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