Salted Caramel Sauce From Scratch

Once you make homemade salted caramel sauce, you’ll never go back to the jarred stuff. This sauce is rich, buttery, perfectly salty-sweet, and so smooth it pours like liquid gold. You can drizzle it on everything — ice cream, brownies, apple pie, pancakes, or just eat it with a spoon. No judgment here.

Making caramel from scratch sounds scary, but it’s really just melted sugar. The key is patience and not touching it while it melts. Just let the sugar do its thing, swirl the pan occasionally, and watch it transform from white crystals into deep amber liquid. Then add butter, cream, and salt — it bubbles up dramatically (don’t panic, that’s normal) — and you’ve got the most luxurious caramel sauce in under 15 minutes.

Sarah Mitchell

Salted Caramel Sauce From Scratch

Once you make homemade salted caramel sauce, you'll never go back to the jarred stuff. This sauce is rich, buttery, perfectly salty-sweet, and so smooth it pours like liquid gold.

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Servings: 16 servings

Course: Condiment

Cuisine: American

Calories: 120

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1/2 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt (or 1/2 teaspoon fine salt)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method

 

1. Place the sugar in a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan over medium heat.
2. Let the sugar melt without stirring, swirling the pan occasionally when the edges start to turn amber. This takes about 6-8 minutes.
3. Once all the sugar is melted and a deep amber color (like dark honey), immediately add the butter pieces.
4. Whisk vigorously — the mixture will bubble up aggressively. This is normal.
5. Once the butter is fully melted and incorporated, slowly pour in the heavy cream while whisking constantly. It will bubble up again.
6. Let the sauce boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
7. Remove from heat and stir in the salt and vanilla extract.
8. Let cool for 10 minutes, then pour into a glass jar. The sauce will thicken as it cools.

Notes

Have everything measured and ready before you start — caramel moves fast once the sugar melts. The cream and butter must be at room temperature or the temperature shock can cause the caramel to seize. If you see the sugar crystallizing, add a tablespoon of water and swirl. This sauce keeps in the fridge for up to 3 weeks — just warm it gently before using.