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–+ servings
An overhead view of salted caramel sauce in a jar. A spoon is being lifted from the jar.

Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce

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This Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce is easy to make and perfect for topping on ice cream or almost any dessert!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword homemade salted caramel sauce
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 12 servings
Author Danielle Rye

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup water (60 ml)
  • 1 cup granulated sugar (200 grams)
  • ⅔ cup heavy whipping cream (160 ml) at room temperature
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (45 grams) cut into tablespoon-sized pieces
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon salt or to taste

Instructions

  • In a heavy bottomed saucepan, heat the water and sugar over medium heat. Make sure to use a saucepan that's a little bigger than what you think you will need. Stir constantly until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture starts to bubble just a little.
  • Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil, stop stirring completely. Let the mixture continue boiling until it turns an amber color, this could take anywhere from 4 to 12 minutes.
  • Remove from the heat and slowly whisk in the heavy cream. The mixture will bubble up quite a bit, so make sure to do this very carefully. Then, mix in the butter, vanilla, and salt one at a time.
  • Pour the caramel sauce into a dish and allow to cool completely, then cover tightly and store in the refrigerator. The caramel sauce will thicken up more once it's cooled and refrigerated.

Video

Notes

Storage Instructions: Store any leftover salted caramel sauce in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. Reheat in the microwave before using.
For a regular caramel sauce, just use a pinch of salt or about 1/8 teaspoon.
This recipe will yield about 1 and 1/2 cups of caramel sauce.