I’m here to introduce you to a little pot of liquid gold. Have you jumped on the salted caramel bandwagon? If so, you are going to love today’s post. I am sharing an easy recipe for homemade salted caramel sauce, made with just four ingredients.
That’s right, you are just minutes away from the most luscious and creamy salted caramel sauce EVER. Perfect for pouring over an ice cream sundae or a gorgeous chocolate layer cake. It’s also perfectly acceptable to grab a spoon and just dig right in if you are a salted caramel enthusiast like me.
Have you tried making salted caramel sauce at home? You really need to. I know making caramel on the stove can be a little intimidating but it is so worth it. The richness of flavour just does not compare to the store-bought kind. It is gorgeously smooth, velvety in texture, boasting an irresistible sweetness.
Once you have created your own pot of heaven, you can use it to make Salted Caramel Chocolate Cupcakes, Salted Caramel Twix Ice Cream or Twix Caramel Cookie Cups – the possibilities are endless!
Let’s Bake
Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce
An easy recipe for homemade salted caramel sauce, made with just four ingredients.
Ingredients
- 300 grams (1 and 1/2 cups) caster sugar
- 120 ml (1/2 cup) water
- 60 grams (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 120ml (1/2 cup) thickened or heavy cream, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, add the caster sugar and water and pop onto the stove on a medium heat. Let the sugar melt, swirling the pan occasionally. As the sugar dissolves, it will eventually change colour and turn golden but this can take a while so be patient.
- Let the sugar simmer away until it has turned dark golden in colour but be careful not to leave it for too long as it can burn quite quickly.
- Next, add all your butter and whisk rigourously. It will bubble up but just keep going until the butter has completely melted and mixed in with the sugar.
- Remove your saucepan from the heat and gradually pour in your cream and whisk it through. Again, it will bubble up considerably but just keep going until it is incorporated. Pop back onto the heat for 30 seconds until fully incorporated and smooth. Then whisk in the salt. Remove from the heat, leave your caramel to cool down for 15 minutes before transferring to a glass bowl or jar.
Notes
- Make sure your cream and butter are at room temperature, otherwise your mixture will seize and burn.
- If your caramel has any lumps, just run it through a sieve after removing from the stove.
- You can store the caramel in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. To use it, simply microwave it for 10 second intervals, until it becomes loose and warm.
Kristen Strauss says
Hey Jess, would this be suitable as a cupcake filling?
Jessica Holmes says
Yes! I’ve used it for that!
Milo says
Hi what can I use instead of heavy cream ? My husband is a vegan
Thank you
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Milo, I haven’t tested the result with a dairy-free alternative.
Shannon says
Hi
I’m having trouble with this Caramel, I have it on a medium heat with the caster sugar and water, it melts down but all of a sudden turns into a solid and is white. What am I doing wrong? Please help!
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Shannon, I’m sorry this didn’t work for you. It sounds like your caramel is crystallising – which is a common problem when making homemade caramel. Make sure you aren’t stirring or touching the sugar mixture with anything while its melting. You could also try adding a squeeze of lemon juice to the mix before heating which can help discourage crystallising.
Cory Archer says
Does this thicken up enough when it’s cold to make homemade Twix?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Cody, you probably want to use a candy thermometer and take the caramel a little bit further to ensure it’s firm enough. I’d suggest the firm ball stage (approximately 242F / 116C). Alternatively, you could try making a caramel using glucose syrup (or corn syrup) like these.
Marinea says
Hi not sure what I’m doing wrong. Could it be my nonstick saucepan? Cause I’ve tried twice now and all mine ends up doing is drying out and being white still and not colouring in the slightest 🙁 I’m really keen to get this to work
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Marinea, thanks for your comment. It doesn’t sound like your sugar is dissolving. Are you using sugar and water? It should dissolve over medium heat. Feel free to email me at hello@sweetestmenu.com and we can troubleshoot together ☺️
Susie F says
I’ve made this a lot now and it works every time! Soooo delicious!
★★★★★
Jessica Holmes says
Thanks for the lovely feedback Susie! 😊
Josh says
This is addictive!
★★★★★
Tarsha says
If I made this to top the twix cake, would I be able to refrigerate the cake overnight or would I be best leaving the cake out and icing it that morning? Would the caramel harden too much if I refrigerated it then took it out to “thaw” for a few hours before serving?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Tarsha, good choice, the Twix Cake is one of my favourites. I think it would be best to add the icing as close to serving time as possible. The caramel shouldn’t go hard in the fridge but the cake can dry out. Hope this helps!
Lauren says
I would be happy to just drink this from the jar!
Jessica Holmes says
You and me both Lauren! 😉
Lucy says
Oh this looks delicious! And absolutely perfect too. I love your tips – they’re great. Mmm salted caramel is my biggest weakness, especially drizzled over apple crumble or a chocolate brownie! Thanks for joining our Fabulous Foodie Fridays party xx
Jessica Holmes says
Thanks so much Lucy! I think it’s my biggest weakness too! 😉
Melissa says
Great tips to have the butter and cream at room temperature. I did not know about that!
Jessica Holmes says
I learnt that the hard way Melissa! I find it really surprising when recipes don’t specify this – no one wants to go to all that effort for burnt caramel!
Sues says
This looks so sticky and messy, but SO perfect!!
Jessica Holmes says
Thanks so much Sues!
Leah says
Diving straight in with a spoon is the ONLY way to pay proper respects to this liquid gold. Jessica this is PERFECTION!
Jessica Holmes says
Aw so glad you agree Leah! It really is the only way to truly appreciate the sauce in its full glory 😉
Beeta says
This caramel sauce looks so simple and perfect. I definitely need to make this so I can have it in stock for all your delicious salted caramel recipes!! <3
Jessica Holmes says
It is simple Beeta – even i can do it! You will love it. You could totally use it in one of your gorgeous French creations!
Beth says
Liquid gold is right, WOWZA!
Jessica Holmes says
That made me giggle, thanks Beth!