This is the butteriest, smoothest, and easiest three ingredient homemade caramel sauce. It cooks in about ten minutes, and it’s made with three simple ingredients you most likely already have on hand: granulated sugar, butter, and heavy cream.
I bought pre-made caramel from the grocery store for years. I was admittedly intimidated to make homemade caramel sauce from scratch, but once I gave it a shot, there was no going back. Caramel sauce is one of the most versatile and tasty treats that you can dip, dunk, or drizzle on practically any goodie. My favorite users are cakes, cheesecakes, sweet breads, and French toast. This three ingredient homemade caramel sauce is always in my fridge, and I’m betting when you try it, it will always be in yours too. Let’s make it.
What you’ll need to make this three ingredient homemade caramel sauce:
Granulated Sugar
Heavy Cream
Salted Butter
The Caramel Making Process
Begin by placing your sugar in a medium sauce pan on the stovetop on medium heat. You want to watch your sugar closely so that it does not burn. As you with the sugar, it will begin to clump up and turn tan in color. As it melts and begins to heat up even more, it will turn an deep amber color. The sugar is done when it is completely liquefied, and a dark, rich color, but don’t worry if you have a few lumps remaining. Remove the pan from the heat and continue to whisk, as the residual heat will allow the remainder of the sugar crystals to melt. Leaving the sugar on the stove could result in burning the sugar.
Once the sugar has completely melted in his liquefied, add the heavy cream. This will bubble up, so be very cautious. I usually use a long handled whisk and an oven mitt. Once the sugar has completely melted, and is liquefied, add the butter. This will bubble up, so be very cautious. I usually use a long handled whisk and an oven mitt on the hand holding the pan, just to ensure that my hands are protected. Once your butter has been whisked in, it’s time for the cream. Gently add the heavy cream and whisk until it is smooth and stops bubbling. If at any point, it seems to be spitting or bubbling too much, simply remove the pan from the heat and continue to whisk.
Gently pour the caramel into a glass jar, and allow to cool on the counter for about an hour. You can also place it in the refrigerator if you’d like to speed up the cooling process, just ensure that the bottom is on heatproof surface or hot pad.
This caramel stays wonderfully in the refrigerator for up to a month. I generally have a jar stashed in my refrigerator, because I know that I want caramel on many different desserts that I make! It is super versatile, and we love it on ice cream, in homemade caramel mocha’s, and for so many other things.
Some of my favorite recipes to use this caramel on or in:
6-Inch Vanilla Bean Cheesecake
Puff Pastry Caramel Apple Pies
Dietary Substitutions
I love providing gluten and dairy free substitutions so that those with alternate dietary needs can enjoy my recipes to their fullest! These are subs that I have either used and continue to stock in my own home, or that have come highly recommended from others. I want your baking experience to be the best it can be, and avoiding gluten or dairy shouldn’t hinder that process in the slightest.
As always, here is a list of tried and true dietary substitutes, so that you can enjoy this caramel recipe without the additions of dairy. As this recipe does not contain eggs, these substitutes would also make it vegan.
Miyokos butter is a plant based brick that closely resembles dairy butter not only in its look, but it’s taste as well. It melts, browns, and spreads just like real butter, and truly is a fantastic substitute in this recipe. Use it as a 1:1 ratio sub, same as the flour, so the recipe measurements will not change.
Silk Dairy Free Heavy Cream is a great option for both the cheesecake and the whipped topping.
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XO,
Heather
Three Ingredient Homemade Caramel Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Granulated Sugar
- ½ Cup Salted Butter, softened to room temperature and cut into four cubes
- ½ Cup Heavy Cream
Instructions
- Begin by placing your sugar in a medium sauce pan on the stovetop on medium heat. You want to watch your sugar closely so that it does not burn. As you with the sugar, it will begin to clump up and turn tan in color. As it melts and begins to heat up even more, it will turn an deep amber color. The sugar is done when it is completely liquefied, and a dark, rich color, but don’t worry if you have a few lumps remaining. Remove the pan from the heat and continue to whisk, as the residual heat will allow the remainder of the sugar crystals to melt. Leaving the sugar on the stove could result in burning the sugar.
- Once the sugar has completely melted and is liquefied, add the butter. This will bubble up, so be very cautious. I usually use a long handled whisk and an oven mitt on the hand holding the pan, just to ensure that my hands are protected. I usually pop it back onto the stove once the butter is melted to allow the heat to fully combine the butter and sugar. Once your butter has been whisked fully into the sugar, it’s time for the cream. Gently add the heavy cream and whisk until it is smooth and stops bubbling. If at any point, it seems to be spitting or bubbling too much, simply remove the pan from the heat and continue to whisk. You can also pop it back on the heat for even 30 seconds or so to melt/ smooth any lumps that may form.
- Gently pour the caramel into a glass jar, and allow to cool on the counter for about an hour. You can also place it in the refrigerator if you’d like to speed up the cooling process, just ensure that the bottom is on heatproof surface or hot pad. This caramel stays wonderfully in the refrigerator for up to a month. I generally have a jar stashed in my refrigerator, because I know that I want caramel on many different desserts that I make! It is super versatile, and we love it on ice cream, in homemade caramel mocha’s, and for so many other things.
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