How do you make salted caramel sauce thicker?

If you're using heavy cream, note that it contains more water (less butterfat) than double cream. If your caramel sauce ends up too runny, cook it for a few minutes longer to remove some of the moisture – this will thicken it up. (And next time, try using a slightly smaller amount of heavy cream.)

Can I use milk instead of heavy cream for caramel?

Try milk instead. If you don't want to make a special trip to the store, you can use whole milk with an extra tablespoon of butter in place of the heavy cream . It may not be quite as thick, but it will work in a pinch!

What happens if you add too much butter to caramel?

If you have added too much butter to your caramel sauce, you may find that it is too oily or it might even begin to separate . To fix this, add 1 tablespoon of either water or milk and stir while cooking over medium heat. Adding 1-2 Tbsp of a simple cornstarch slurry may fix the problem, as well.

How many parts of sugar and water to make caramel?

The main ingredient for making a caramel is sugar. A liquid caramel can be made using any quantity of sugar or water just as long as it follows the ratio of 2 parts sugar: 1 part water .

Why is my homemade caramel sauce not thickening?

Add more sugar to the sauce . Most caramel sauces are made by caramelizing sugar and adding milk and a little salt. If you increase the amount of sugar in the recipe you'll end up with a thicker caramel. Try increasing the sugar by about 1/3.

Why is the butter separating from my caramel sauce?

When the sauce cools it should remain amalgamated. If the butterfat separates out then usually this is due to the mixture being either heated or cooled too quickly , which "shocks" the mixture and causes the fat to separate out.

Why did my homemade caramel get hard?

The water evaporates, leaving sugar crystals behind . If even one sugar crystal falls back into the pan of cooking caramel, it starts a chain reaction of sugar crystals and the entire pan will harden. The result? Gross, grainy caramel that is unusable in most recipes.

What happens if you stir sugar when making caramel?

Like dry caramel, you want to gently move the sugar mixture in that same side-to-side paintbrush-like fashion until the sugar dissolves. Then, as soon as the mixture comes to a boil, it should not be stirred, as the agitation can cause crystallization .

How do you make caramel sauce more liquid?

To thin caramel, just add some cream or water over heat . Melt caramel loaves in the oven. You can also add corn syrup or lemon juice to caramel sauces to prevent them from crystallizing.

How to make caramel set harder?

If caramels are too soft, that means the temperature didn't get high enough. Again place the caramel back into a sauce pan with a couple of tablespoons of water and heat to 244°F . If you don't have a candy thermometer, you can test with a cold water test.

Why add water to caramel sauce?

When making a wet caramel, water is added to help dissolve the sugar before cooking . Like dry caramel, you want to gently move the sugar mixture in that same side-to-side paintbrush-like fashion until the sugar dissolves.

Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce Recipe (2024)

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This simple homemade salted caramel sauce recipe will have you licking your lips and fingers…and bowl. A secret ingredient keeps this easy caramel sauce soft and pourable. It’s the perfect sauce for all your Fall recipes.

Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce Recipe (1)

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Henri Le Roux should be a household name. He was the French chef who brought salted caramel into this world back in 1977. His ingenious food invention was named the “Best Candy in France” (Meilleur Bonbon de France) at the Paris Salon International de la Confiserie in 1980.

Can we all just take a moment to pay our respect to Henri Le Roux?

Thanks to Henri, we have creamy salted caramel to add to our lattes!

For those of us that don’t have a sweet tooth guiding our appetite 24/7 (wonder what that is like), salted caramel makes any foodie happy. The salt helps to bring out those buttery notes while also toning down the sweetness with a tiny hint of bitterness.

What You Need To Know About This Caramel Sauce Recipe:

If you have tried making caramel before and it turned out as a ball of burnt goop, I welcome you here.

Making salted caramel sauce can seem like an intimidating process, but I promise there aren’t any hoops to jump through for this recipe.

For those of you that haven’t tried your hand at making caramel before, it can get tricky when it comes to managing the heat of the burner. Overcooked caramel sauce is really sad and you won’t want it within an inch of your apple crisp. This step by step recipe will help take all of those homemade caramel “scaries” away.

Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce Recipe (2)

Did you make this recipe? Leave a star rating and let me know in the comments! You can also leave a photo/comment on this pin for others to see.

With that being out on the table now, let’s chat about a few salted caramel fun facts.

Science proves that we can’t help but keep eating salted caramel! No, really! It turns out that the perfect mixture of sugar, salt, and fat are just what our brains ordered. The diversity of flavors keep our brains interested which means it’s hard to turn away another bite!
Remember Henri? You can visit one of many Henri Le Roux candy shops in France and taste test various caramels!
Did you know that salted caramel ice cream is the fastest melting flavor out there? The saltiness of the ingredients makes it more difficult for it to freeze as well as other flavors. That’s okay, though. It tastes amazing melted, too.

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Caramel Ingredients

heavy cream
granulated sugar
unsalted butter
baking soda
kosher salt
pure vanilla extract

Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce Recipe (3)

Why add baking soda to caramel?

The purpose of baking soda in the caramel is to react with the acid. It helps to soften the caramel for pour-over desserts and/or to use as an additive.

Equipment Needed to Make Salted Caramel Sauce

Medium saucepot
Stirring spoon

How to Make Homemade Caramel Sauce

Step 1. In a medium-sized saucepot, add the heavy cream, sugar, butter, baking soda, and salt. Place over medium heat and stir together until melted and combined.

Step 2. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, be careful to watch it so it doesn’t boil over. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Continue to keep an eye on it the entire time as it has the tendency to rise in the pot.

Step 3. DO NOT overcook it, it is ready at 8 minutes with a nice amber color, it may not seem very thick right now, but as it cools it thickens a lot. Take off the heat.

Tips for Making Homemade Caramel Sauce

Timing is everything. Stick close by and have a timer on hand so you don’t scorch the caramel!
Don’t over-stir. Let the heat do its thing.
It’s tempting, but don’t add more butter than the recipe calls for. The more fat (butter) you add, the higher your risk is for burning the caramel sauce.

Recipes To Serve with Salted Caramel Sauce

Apple Crisp
Vanilla Ice Cream
Chocolix No-Bake Cheesecake
Apple Upside-Down Cake (pictured below)
Salted Caramel Cheesecakes

Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce Recipe (5)

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Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce Recipe (6)

4.62 from 26 ratings

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 8 minutes minutes

Total Time: 13 minutes minutes

Servings: 2 cups

By: Sharon Lachendro

Ingredients

½ cup heavy cream
¾ cup granulated sugar
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon kosher salt or more to taste
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

In a medium-sized saucepot, add the heavy cream, sugar, butter, baking soda, and salt. Place over medium heat and stir together until melted and combined.
Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, be careful to watch it so it doesn’t boil over. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Continue to keep an eye on it the entire time as it has the tendency to rise in the pot.
DO NOT overcook it, it is ready at 8 minutes with a nice amber color, it may not seem very thick right now, but as it cools it thickens a lot. Take off the heat.
Stir in the vanilla. Let cool and serve over ice cream or however you want!

Video

Notes

Don't use table salt for this recipe, it's too fine.

Recommended Products

Silicone Baking Utensils

Pyrex 100 2 Cup 100th Anniversary Measuring Cup, Turquoise

Le Creuset Signature Cast Iron Saucepan, 1-3/4-Quart, White

6 Mini Tulip Jelly Jar with Glass Lids 6 Rings and 12 Clamps

Nutrition Information

Serving: 2Tablespoons | Calories: 113kcal | Sodium: 75mg

Disclaimers

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Nutrition Facts are estimated and aren't always accurate. Please consult a doctor or nutritionist if you have special dietary needs.

Did you make this?Mention @whattheforkfoodblog or leave a comment rating below!

Did you make this recipe? Leave a star rating and let me know in the comments! You can also leave a photo/comment on this pin for others to see.