This Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce is about as easy as it gets! It takes only 10 minutes and 4 ingredients and is the perfect topping for any dessert!

Indulge in the rich and velvety sweetness of homemade caramel sauce. This sauce is perfect for drizzling over cookies, cheesecake, coffee drinks, or ice cream!

This quick and easy sauce is fool proof – no candy thermometer needed! It comes out perfect every time we make it, and it beats any sauce you can buy at the store. It’s buttery, sweet, a little sticky, and it tastes amazing on just about anything you spoon it over. Even if it is just eating it straight from the spoon! This would be so good in a caramel apple pie or drizzled over your favorite ice cream!

Ingredients & Substitutions

Sugar: Sugar is the primary ingredient in caramel and is responsible for its sweetness. When heated, sugar undergoes a process called caramelization, transforming into a rich golden-brown syrup with a deep flavor profile.
Sea Salt: Sea salt acts as a flavor enhancer in caramel sauce, providing a delicate balance to the sweetness. It adds a hint of savory complexity, highlighting the caramel’s richness and enhancing its overall taste. The salt helps to cut through the sweetness, adding depth and dimension to the sauce.
Butter: Butter adds richness and a creamy texture to caramel sauce. It helps create a smooth and velvety consistency while contributing to the overall flavor. The fat content in butter enhances the caramelization process and adds a luscious mouthfeel to the sauce.
Heavy Cream: Heavy cream, also known as whipping cream, is essential for creating a smooth and luxurious caramel sauce. It adds a silky texture and richness to the sauce. When combined with the caramelized sugar, it creates a perfect balance of flavors and helps to achieve a velvety consistency.

How to Make Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce

Heat the sugar in a small pot over medium heat. Once the sugar is liquid, add the butter.

Ways to Use Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce

This sweet sauce is amazing with just about anything and the possibilities are endless!

As a dip: apple slices, churros, wontons, even soft pretzels are just a few ideas of delicious dippables!
As a sauce: it will work perfect with any recipe needing a caramel sauce like caramel apple cupcakes, mini hand pies, stuffed snickerdoodles, or turtle brownies. You could even add a spoonful to your coffee!
As a topping: of course, this is great on ice cream but it also would be scrumptious as a topping for cheesecake, banana bread, scones and cinnamon rolls!
As a gift: fill up nice decorated jars and give this sauce away to family and friends! It would make a perfect gift for holiday parties or housewarming!

How to Store Caramel Sauce

Once you’ve allowed the sauce to cool, it’s best to store it in a glass jar or another type of airtight container. Once it’s cooled completely, keep it on the fridge. It should last for about a month when stored properly. It can be frozen in an airtight container as well and should keep for about 3 months.

The caramel will solidify as it cools and from being stored in the fridge, but you can gently reheat it in the microwave or on the stove to use it again. If frozen, allow it to thaw in the fridge or on the counter at room temperature before reheating.

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