This simple Caramel Candy Sauce is deliciously creamy and sweet, and it's so simple that it's foolproof. I love to make homemade salted caramel sauce from scratch, but it can be daunting at times. Times when you just want caramel sauce in a hurry. That's where this easy recipe comes in.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- Quick and easy. Just three simple ingredients are all you need to make this easy caramel sauce, and one of them is water! This homemade caramel sauce recipe takes just a few minutes and comes out perfectly every single time.
- No sweetener required. Caramel candies already contain both corn syrup and sugar, so there is no need to add those.
- Foolproof. Making creamy caramel sauce from scratch can be tricky. You need to caramelize sugar syrup by cooking it until the sugar melts, which is time consuming. You also need to avoid any sugar crystals getting into the melted sugar, or you'll have a grainy sauce. This 3-ingredient caramel sauce works every time because all you need to do is melt the soft caramel candies with some heavy cream. And there's no need for a candy thermometer.
- Easy clean up. You only need one pot and a whisk to make this easy caramel recipe and the clean up is a breeze.
Here's what you need.
Ingredient quantities and full instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Soft caramels. You can use Kraft caramels or Werther's. I've made this simple caramel sauce with both, and they work equally well.
- Water. A little water helps with the initial melting of the soft caramels to keep them from sticking to the pan.
- Heavy cream. Heavy whipping cream or half and half will work. I have also made this recipe with canned evaporated milk (not sweetened condensed milk) with good results.
How to make caramel candy sauce
- In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine caramel candy with water, stirring often, until smooth and creamy with no lumps.
- Remove from heat and whisk in the cream. Allow the caramel sauce to cool, then transfer it to a jar.
Helpful Tips
- Keep stirring. While the caramels are melting, be sure to stir so that you don't have burnt caramel.
- Melt completely. Before adding the cream, be sure the caramels are completely melted, with no lumps. Once the cream is added, you won't be able to smooth out any un-melted lumps.
- Thicker or thinner sauce. This is a fairly thick caramel sauce. If you prefer a thinner sauce, add more cream, a tablespoon at a time, until it's the perfect consistency. For an extra thick sauce, reduce the cream to one third of a cup. Keep in mind that as the hot caramel cools, it will become thicker.
- Salted caramel. Add a teaspoon of salt to make this a homemade salted caramel sauce. I like sea salt, but regular table salt is fine, too.
- Flavor variations. Add a teaspoon of maple syrup for maple flavored caramel sauce. Other delicious flavor additions are vanilla extract, chocolate (melt along with the caramels), or alcohol like rum, whisky, or Irish cream.
- Storage. Allow the caramel candy sauce to cool to room temperature before transferring it to an airtight container like a glass jar with a lid. I like to use a mason jar. Store caramel sauce in the fridge for up to three weeks.
- Reheating. The caramel sauce will become quite solid after refrigerating. You can take it out ahead to allow it to come to room temperature, or you can use the microwave to heat the sauce if you want to serve it warm.
How to use your homemade caramel sauce
Caramel sauce is so versatile and makes all sorts of recipes better! Of course, it's perfect as a topping for ice cream sundaes, and we love it on my buckwheat pancakes. You can drizzle it on cheesecake, bread pudding, or French toast casserole.
The caramel apple combo is classic (think caramel apples), and we drizzle caramel candy sauce on warm apple crisp or apple cakes, like these; apple spice cake and apple ricotta cake. Or use it as a dipping sauce for apple slices, bananas, and other fruit.
Caramel also loves chocolate! So feel free to pour caramel sauce over Mexican chocolate brownies, air fryer chocolate cake, or drizzle some over a decadent whipped cream topped RumChata hot chocolate.
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a rating in the comments below and let us know how it turned out. Did you make any changes? We would love for you to share and your feedback is important! Thank you for visiting The Food Blog!
Recipe
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Caramel Candy Sauce
Ingredients
- 12 oz soft caramel candy
- 2 tablespoon water
- ½ cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Put the unwrapped caramels and water into a medium sauce pan.
- Heat over medium heat, stirring, until the caramel candies are melted and smooth.
- Remove from heat and whisk in the cream until completely combined.
- Allow the caramel sauce to cool to room temperature before transferring to a glass jar with a lid.
Notes
-
- Keep stirring. While the caramels are melting, be sure to stir so that you don't have burnt caramel.
-
- Melt completely. Before adding the cream, be sure the caramels are completely melted, with no lumps. Once the cream is added, you won't be able to smooth out any un-melted lumps.
-
- Thicker or thinner sauce. This is a fairly thick caramel sauce. If you prefer a thinner sauce, add more cream, a tablespoon at a time, until it's the consistency you like. For an extra thick sauce, reduce the cream to one third of a cup.
-
- Salted caramel. Add a teaspoon of sea salt to make this a salted caramel sauce.
-
- Flavor variations. Add a teaspoon of maple syrup for maple flavored caramel sauce. Other delicious flavor additions are vanilla extract, chocolate (melt along with the caramels), or alcohol like rum, whisky, or Irish cream.
-
- Storage. Allow the caramel candy sauce to cool to room temperature before transferring it to a glass jar with a lid, like a mason jar. Store in the fridge for up to three weeks.
-
- Reheating. The caramel sauce will become quite solid after refrigerating. You can take it out ahead to allow it to come to room temperature, or you can use the microwave to heat the sauce if you want to serve it warm.
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