Honestly, I never used to be the biggest fan of caramel (except in a caramel macchiato) but homemade salted caramel is on a whole other level! It’s so good! It’s also super easy to make and only requires 4 ingredients and comes together in about 10 minutes! I'll teach you how to make homemade salted caramel from scratch and all the different substitutions I've tried!
This salted caramel can be used in buttercream for my caramel macarons, drizzled on top of cupcakes, or tossed with popcorn! Or just eaten by the spoonful if that's what you're feeling.
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Ingredient Notes
All you need to make caramel is sugar, butter, cream, and salt!
Sugar - I typically just use regular granulated sugar for caramel, but I've also used brown sugar and it works great!
Unsalted Butter - The butter is key to a silky, buttery caramel sauce! One of my favorite swaps is using brown butter instead for an extra toasty flavor! To make brown butter, check out this post!
Heavy Cream - You want to use heavy cream for extra creamy salted caramel! However, you can also substitute coconut cream or Nutpods plain, original creamer for a dairy free option.
Flaky Sea Salt - You can't have salted caramel without salt! I love using Maldon Flaky Sea Salt because it has the best flavor and texture. But it's important to note that different types of salt taste differently. For example, table salt tends to taste "saltier" than kosher salt. So you may need to adjust the amount of salt in the recipe based on what you're using.
Optional Add-ins
You can also add in different flavorings to your caramel at the end if desired!
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon bourbon
How to Make Caramel
Making homemade caramel is actually surprisingly simple! All you have to do is caramelize the sugar (hence the name caramel) and then mix in butter and cream!
Warning: do not walk away from your caramel because it will probably burn the second you walk away from it (trust me).
In a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat, add the sugar and stir every 1-2 minutes or so until it begins to melt (the sugar will start to clump up before melting).
Once the sugar is completely melted and smooth (it should be an amber color), immediately remove from the heat. This should take about 10-15 minutes.
Stir in the butter until combined (don’t be scared if it bubbles a lot).
Add in the heavy cream and salt and mix until fully combined and smooth.
It won't want to combine at first, but just keep stirring and it will come together.
Pour the caramel into a heavy glass jar to cool to room temperature.
Can be stored in the fridge for up to a month!
The caramel will get hard in the fridge, so you can microwave it for intervals of 15 seconds to get it back to a pourable consistency.
Recipe FAQ's
Your homemade caramel will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month!
Yes! I've made this caramel vegan by swapping out vegan butter and using coconut cream instead of heavy cream!
Adding more or less cream will change the consistency of the caramel! For super thick caramel, reduce the cream by half. For super runny caramel, add in a few extra tablespoons of cream.
Tips for Success!
For best results I always recommend using weight measurements (especially when baking) because it's the most accurate. Kitchen scales are super affordable and also reduce the number of dishes you have to do! However, all my recipes also include US customary measurements for convince. Use this chart to convert measurements for common ingredients!
Substitutions: In all my recipes, I've included substitutions that I know will work, but I cannot guarantee results if you substitute ingredients that I have not recommended. [For example, granulated sugar and honey are indeed both sweeteners but they have very different properties so they can not always be swapped 1:1. Using honey in a cookie recipe that calls for granulated sugar will yield a giant mess.] In the recipe card you'll find links to the specific ingredients/brands that I use.
A note on salt: I almost exclusively use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt because it's the best all-purpose salt for cooking and baking. If you're not using kosher salt, consult this handy guide for a conversion chart! When in doubt, if you're using table salt just reduce the amount by half for baked goods. When cooking, I prefer to under-salt because you can always add more! If you've over-salted, adding a little bit of acid (like lemon juice) can help.
Salted Caramel Recipes
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Recipe Card
How to Make Salted Caramel
Special Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt
Instructions
- Warning: do not walk away from your caramel because it will probably burn the second you walk away from it (trust me).
- In a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat, add the sugar and stir every 1-2 minutes or so until it begins to melt (the sugar will start to clump up before melting).
- Once the sugar is completely melted and smooth (it should be an amber color), immediately remove from the heat. This should take about 10-15 minutes.
- Stir in the butter until combined (don’t be scared if it bubbles a lot).
- Add in the heavy cream and salt and mix until fully combined and smooth. It won't want to combine at first, but just keep stirring and it will come together.
- Pour the caramel into a heavy glass jar to cool to room temperature. The caramel will thicken as it cools.
- Can be stored in the fridge for up to a month! The caramel will get hard in the fridge, so you can microwave it for intervals of 15 seconds to get it back to a pourable consistency.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Melinda Tate says
Amazing
Debbie says
it is delicious. I had a hard time incorporating the butter. also when I added the cream the sugar/butter solidified. I put it back on low heat and it combined beautifully as soon as it softened. Yummy 😋
Caitlin says
I tried this recipe three times and got it right on the third. I was using room temp butter and cream and when I added it, it never mixed correctly. The third try, I lowered the heat on the sugar and also melted the butter and made sure both the butter and the cream were warm when I added. Constantly stirred both cream and butter into the melted sugar very slowly and constantly. Added pink salt and vanilla and it turned out fantastic.
Haley says
I have tried it twice and the flavor is amazing, but both times after taking off the heat and incorporating all ingredients, there were chunks that formed and would not dissolve so I am not getting as much out of the batch as I would like. Any tips?
Kyleigh Sage says
Crystallization can happen if the sugar is heated too quickly. This can happen depending on the type of pot you'r using or if the heat is just a little too high. So you can try reducing the heat and letting it melt slower. If you're still having this issue you can also add in a tiny bit of either cream of tartar (1/8 tsp) or lemon juice (1/4 tsp) at the beginning and that can help prevent crystals forming!
Chelsea says
Okay - I keep burning it! my sugar crystals aren't all the way dissolved before the color turns DEEP amber and by then, I know it's burnt. Do I start with med-low heat, maybe? I did the first batch and it was burnt, so I decided to do another one right after and planned on pulling it before the color turned like the first - but the sugar wasn't melted, so I waited - but damn. burnt again! Haaaalp!
Kyleigh Sage says
If it's burning definitely start with lower heat! Also it could be the pan you're using - a heavy bottomed pan really helps protect it from overheating and burning.
Chelsea says
hmm... I guess I'm not sure what constitutes a heavy bottom pan - our pans are newer, induction pots/pans.
If I wanted a thicker caramel, would I just reduce the amount of heavy cream?
Thanks for such a quick response!
Amy says
I have tried to make salted caramel before but could never quite get it right. Your portions were absolutely spot on! We had it with some vanilla ice cream and it was fantastic!
Jules says
Oh my goodness, this caramel recipe is SO DREAMY, and such minimal ingredients, yay!
Bernice says
I was craving a caramel macchiato today so I'm actually reading your blog post drinking one! Salted Caramel is so easy to make, I'm glad you've made a great easy to follow post for it.
Katie Deacon says
Oh yum!! I can't wait to make some of this for my morning coffees. It sounds delicious!
Katie xoxo