Salted caramel is dangerously addictive. It is perfect for storing in the refrigerator as a topping for ice cream, cakes (like Apple Cake or Vanilla Sponge Cake), drizzling on cupcakes, as a dipping sauce (try it with these Baked Apple Pie Fries!), for churros, or simple eating with a spoon (erm yes, am guilty of that)…..the possibilities are endless! It is also perfect for making ahead and gifting as it keeps in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks and in the freezer for up to 2 months.
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Salted Caramel Sauce
Prep: 3 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 13 minutes
Servings4 – 6
Tap or hover to scale
A very easy recipe for salted caramel. My “go to” that I make all the time for drizzling on ice cream, pancakes, bars and more!
Ingredients
- 1 cup caster sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Combine sugar and water in saucepan over medium heat.
- Bring to rolling boil, stirring to help dissolve the sugar.
- Boil for 5 to 8 minutes, until it turns a golden brown.
- Pour in the cream, whisking constantly. Be careful, as the caramel is hot and it will foam.
- Once the cream is combined, remove from heat and whisk in the salt and vanilla.
- The caramel will seem thin. It thickens alot as it cools.
Recipe Notes:
Store in an air tight container for up to 3 weeks in the refrigerator or up to 2 months in the freezer.
Had the same problem as others, had it on the stove for over 10 minutes and it didn’t brown over medium heat? What are we doing wrong? I have tried in both normal and non stick pans and not stirring but can’t seem to get this right.
I can’t get this right and I’m an experienced baker. Gaahhhh!
I’m sorry you are having problems with it Lisa – what exactly is going wrong for you? N x
This is great! But before you put the cream in, make sure to wipe the edges with a damp pastry brush 🙂
Can this be used with brownie? I mean like a salted caramel brownie fudge?
Just made this today with pure cream. Absolutely delicious
can you use pure cream
Yes you can! N x
Excellent sauce. Love how easy it is. Am eagerly awaiting your cookbook . I wonder if I could preorder it?
Not yet Sylvia but hopefully in the New Year! N x
Can I see some things to make in the microwave please as my oven is out for now. Love you stuff.
Hi Nagi, already doubting myself after reading the reviews. What is heavy whipping cream? Is that thickened cream in Aus? 🙂
Yes that’s the one Bree! N x
I maybe this,it was great but i chickened out and made it too light.
Hi Nagi, just made this and faced similar problems as many others who’ve posted before me. The sauce didn’t turn brown. We just kept it on the stove on low heat and stirred until our arms nearly fell off while adding a bit of water here and there. It eventually did turn to a light brown colour. On hind sight, I realised that I missed out on the bit where you said to cook the sugar solution until it turned golden brown before adding the cream. Maybe that’s where many of us went wrong? Lol.
Anyway, does it matter whether we add the vanilla extract after the caramel has cooled off a little or not? Will the extreme heat change the flavour profile of the vanilla extract? Thx for the recipe and your wonderful site!
Hi Jen – yes that’s where you’ve gone wrong, the sauce needs to be golden BEFORE you add the cream. You can add the vanilla once it’s cool if you like it should make a difference. N x
Just made this and it worked out perfectly. I didn’t stir it but swirled the pan a few times. I love your recipes Nagi- they always turn out fabulous! Thank you!
Hi, I have a jam thermometer, could I use this for boiling the sugar and water ?
Is there a video on this by any chance 🙂
Oh a wee video would be great Nagi, I made this tonight to go with your apple crumble (which was sensational!) but it was really pale!! Still tasted nice not sure if I maybe didn’t cook the sugar and water long enough hmmm
Not just yet Mim – one to add to the list. N x
Hi Nagi,
I’m making your carrot cake (double recipe) for a 60th so it will be 3 or 4 tiers, do you think I could use this salted caramel sauce would be suitable as drips down the cake?
Hi Janet – I assume so! Please send me pictures as I’d love to see what you have planned! N x
It worked amazingly, can’t work out how to send you photo, your carrot cake, your salted caramel sauce ❤️Winner winner thankyou 😘
I’m in the same boat as a few other commenters…made 2 batches, neither worked. First attempt, cooked it til it turned brown, added creamer cold and basically got rock candy. Second attempt, doubled the recipe, stood there and watched it the entire time, heated the creamer up in the microwave prior to adding, and waited and waited for it to turn brown…it never did…but it did however turn rock hard before I could even get the cream added. Clearly, my temperature was too high on the second attempt…but I’m nervous to even try it again. I’m not able to find a video on this either!! TIA!!
Hi Shannon, sorry you are having issues here – if it’s turning hard, the caramel has gone too far, try taking it off the heat a little earlier before putting the cream in 🙂 N x
Hi Nagi:
Thank you for the reply. 3rd time was a charm…and after some google searching I determined my root cause…stirring it!! Almost every other recipe I found made it abundantly clear that once the sugar is dissolved in the very beginning, you should NEVER stir the mixture again. I did not stir the mixture at all on my 3rd try once the sugar dissolved and the result was perfection. I also cooked it on a much lower temperature and it took 3x longer, but it worked. In hindsight, I don’t believe it had so much to do with the temperature as it did with me stirring it through the process on my first 2 tries. It was absolutely delicious once I got it to work! I also made the apple crumble, the fudgy brownies and the artisan bread…and everything was incredible!
Looove all of your recipes, I’ve made so many for my family! ❤️🙌🏼
Awesome, I’m so happy you’re enjoying them Brenda! N x
Thanks a lot for this recipe, Nigi!
Delicious !
You’re so welcome Louise!
Could I please quadruple this recipe for Xmas gifts without affecting the sugar/water turning to caramel. I’ve tried googling but couldn’t find an answer. We’ve eaten the first batch this week already 😝🎄🎉
You sure can Mel!
First attempt seems perfect! I was happy to have read the other comments and heated the cream slightly. (Also happy to have got the other half to mix as it was super hot!) having this with apple crumble bars 🙂 love every recipe of yours that I’ve tried (lots!)
Sounds divine Simone!