Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce and How to Fix Grainy Caramel

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Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce | If you're looking to level up your desserts, homemade salted caramel sauce is the way to go. This rich and velvety sauce adds a special balance of sweet and salty to your favorite treats. Made from scratch, this recipe is surprisingly simple and I’ll even show you how to fix a grainy caramel sauce.

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What is the difference between caramel and butterscotch?
Ingredients
Substitutions
Instructions
Tips for making Homemade Caramel Sauce
How to Thicken Caramel Sauce
How to Fix Grainy Caramel Sauce
What to serve Caramel Sauce With
How to Store Homemade Caramel Sauce
FAQs
Recipe

This easy caramel sauce recipe is made with simple ingredients - just sugar, butter, and cream. A delicious caramel sauce is easy to make at home.

Follow my tips and instructions for how to make the perfect caramel sauce and then spread it over my easy sheet pan apple cake or super fudgy brownies for a decadent dessert.

What is the difference between caramel and butterscotch?

The main difference between butterscotch and caramel is the type of sugar used. Butterscotch is made with brown sugar while caramel sauce is made with white sugar.

Ingredients

See the recipe card for exact amounts.

granulated sugar: adds sweetness and gives caramel flavor through the caramelization of the sugar. Cooking sugar also gives a thick consistency.
unsalted butter: gives richness and creamy consistency to the sauce.
heavy cream: adds a creamy richness and helps control consistency. Keep the cream at room temperature so it minimizes the caramel spitting at you.
vanilla extract: enhances flavor.
salt: enhances the flavor and gives a satisfying sweet and salty combo.

Substitutions

sugar: use brown sugar instead for a butterscotch sauce.
butter: If you use salted butter instead of unsalted butter, you'll need to add less salt.
cream: use half and half instead of heavy cream for a lighter, thinner sauce.

Instructions

Prep Tips

Cook this caramel sauce over medium to medium-low heat.
Have all ingredients measured and all cooking tools needed ready to use before turning the heat on.

There are two ways to make caramel sauce: the dry method and the wet method. The wet method involves using water to help melt the sugar.

This is the dry method where the sugar melts on its own.

Sugar is poured into a light colored skillet to make caramel sauce.

Pour the sugar into a medium saucepan. I like a light-colored pan so I can see what's happening with the color.

Sugar crumbles are whisked in a pan as caramel sauce is made.

Heat the sugar over medium to medium-low heat. The sugar will go through various stages.

The sugar will turn from grainy powder to clumps.

The sugar will clump before the sugar melts.

I whisk my caramel while cooking and always get a smooth caramel.

To help minimize sugar crystallization, don't stir the sugar while it cooks. This can cause sugar to cling to the sides of the pan and then be reintroduced to the caramel, causing a grainy texture. Once you have a bit of crystallized sugar in the mix it starts a chain reaction.

To minimize sugar crystals forming while you cook the sugar, you can use a pastry brush dipped in a little water and brush the sides of the saucepan to keep it clean. The wet pastry brush will keep crystals from forming on the edges.

Cook the sugar until it turns a light amber brown color.

Butter is whisked into cooked sugar for a caramel sauce recipe.

Next, add the cubed butter to the melted sugar. Do this carefully because the hot caramel will bubble up and spit. Stir as the butter melts.

Then add the cream. Again the hot caramel can bubble and splatter so be careful.

Boil the caramel for about a minute and them remove it from the heat.

Salt is added to caramel sauce in a pan.

Let the caramel cool for a few minutes, and then stir in the vanilla extract and the salt, if using.

You can use the caramel immediately or let it cool and use it later. The caramel sauce will thicken as it cools, and will thicken considerably in fridge.

If you're using the caramel on my apple sheet cake or another cake, let it cool for about 10 minutes so it doesn't just sink into the cake.

Tips for making Homemade Caramel Sauce

be prepared: have everything measured before you even begin the recipe. Caramel sauce cooks quickly. It's best to have your tools and ingredients ready. Stopping to pour cream or measure butter can cause the caramel to overcook, ruining the recipe.
use a heavy bottomed pan: a heavy bottomed pan as opposed to one with a thin bottom will cook the caramel more evenly, eliminating hot spots where the sugar can burn.
be careful: be careful when adding the butter and cream, the hot caramel can bubble up. Cooking sugar should be done carefully, hot sugar can cause severe burns.
cool it: let the caramel cool for a few minutes before adding the salt to prevent it from crystallizing.
to stir or not to stir: many recipes recommend swirling the pan instead of stirring, to eliminate sugar from crystallizing on the side of the pan. I usually stir mine and it turns out fine, but you can swirl instead to help prevent graininess.

How to Thicken Caramel Sauce

To make a thick caramel sauce, use heavy cream and boil the sauce for one minute. The caramel sauce thickens as it cools.

How to Fix Grainy Caramel Sauce

Here are some possible reasons that you've ended up with a grainy caramel sauce.

Did you stir the caramel while cooking?

If yes, follow these tips next time:

don't stir, just swirl

Did the sugar all dissolve before adding the butter and cream?

If not, make sure it does. You can adjust the heat as needed to make sure the sugar fully dissolves without burning before adding the butter and cream.

If you've followed the instructions and tips and still ended up with a gritty caramel sauce, here is how to fix it.

Simply reheat it. Add a few tablespoons of water or cream and heat while whisking the caramel to fully dissolve the sugar in the added liquid.

What to serve Caramel Sauce With

I originally created this sauce to pour on top of my apple sheet cake recipe and the flavor combo is excellent!

Try this caramel sauce on top or for dipping my fudgy brownies into. This sauce is also perfect on top of ice cream or in my Iced Caramel Latte recipe.

How to Store Homemade Caramel Sauce

Store homemade caramel sauce in a container with a lid in the fridge for about 2 weeks.

Refrigerated caramel sauce thickens a lot. Reheat a portion in the microwave to make it easy to pour.

Freeze caramel sauce in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Allow the caramel to thaw in the fridge and then reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.

FAQs

How long does homemade salted caramel sauce last?

Homemade salted caramel sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months.

Can I make this recipe without salt?

Yes, you can omit the salt from this recipe if you prefer unsalted caramel sauce.

Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Easy Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce

Author : Jacqueline Piper

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 15

Total Time: 20

Servings:

This easy homemade caramel sauce is great on my apple sheet cake, my fudgy brownies, or on top of ice cream.

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Ingredients

▢ 1 cup granulated white sugar
▢ 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
▢ ½ cup heavy cream
▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
▢ ½ teaspoon kosher salt or Fleur de sel to garnish

Instructions

Heat the sugar in a medium pan over medium to medium-low heat. It will begin to melt, then clump, and then melt again.
You can stir it gently or just swirl instead to minimize sugar crystals from forming on the sides of the pan and causing a grainy sauce.
Cook the sugar until amber in color, making sure not to burn it.
Add the butter, stirring to combine, being careful as it will bubble up and splatter. (The sugar is hot and can cause serious burns, so be extra careful!)
Do the same with the cream. (If the caramel seems like it separated at this point, just keep heating and stirring and it will come back together.)
Boil for one minute, then remove from heat and let it cool for a few minutes.
Add the vanilla extract and ½ - 1 teaspoon of kosher salt.
Optionally, use can use Fleur de Sel as garnish on your dessert instead of stirring salt in or omit all salt completely.

Equipment

Small Light Colored Non-Stick Skillet

Video

Notes

Tips

be prepared: have everything measured before you even begin the recipe. Caramel sauce cooks quickly.
use a heavy bottomed pan: a heavy bottomed pan as opposed to one with a thin bottom will cook the caramel more evenly, eliminating hot spots where the sugar can burn.
be careful: be careful when adding the butter and cream, the hot caramel can bubble up. Cooking sugar should be done carefully, hot sugar can cause severe burns.
cool it: let the caramel cool for a few minutes before adding the salt to prevent it from crystallizing.
to stir or not to stir: many recipes recommend swirling the pan instead of stirring, to eliminate sugar from crystallizing on the side of the pan. I usually stir mine and it turns out fine.

If you've followed the instructions and tips and still ended up with a gritty caramel sauce, here is how to fix it.

Simply reheat it. Add a few tablespoons of water or cream and heat while whisking the caramel to fully dissolve the sugar in the added liquid.

Storage

Store homemade caramel sauce in a container with a lid in the fridge for about 2 weeks.

Refrigerated caramel sauce thickens a lot. Reheat a portion in the microwave to make it easy to pour.

Freeze caramel sauce in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Allow the caramel to thaw in the fridge and then reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.