This salted caramel sauce is rich, sweet, and salty and perfect for adding to your favorite desserts. It’s great on ice cream, brownies, cheesecake, and more.

You will love this homemade salted caramel sauce, whether you make it to drizzle on top of a bowl of ice cream, to go on your brownies, or just to eat by the spoonful. It really is that good!

I adapted this recipe from Sally’s Baking addiction, and tweaked it a little bit. I was a little intimidated by this recipe, but it is actually easy to make. And the end results are well worth it.

Ingredients Needed:

This is a quick overview of the ingredients you’ll need for this Salted Caramel Sauce recipe. Specific measurements and full recipe instructions are in the printable recipe card below.

granulated sugar
unsalted butter
heavy cream
salt
vanilla extract

How to make Salted Caramel Sauce?

Arrange all your ingredients, so that they are measured out and ready to go. Everything moves quickly with this recipe, and you want to make sure you don’t burn the sugar.
Add the sugar to a medium sized heavy duty pan over medium heat. When the sugar starts to form clumps and melt you need stir it constantly. Continue to stir as the sugar melts completely. Once it it is melted continue to stir gently until the sugar turns a nice amber color.
Then you will add the butter, and stir until the butter is melted into the sugar.
Remove the pan from the heat and slowly pour in the heavy cream, whisking it into the mixture as you pour it in.
Add the salt and vanilla extract and stir them into the caramel sauce. Let the sauce cool for a few minutes in the pan, then transfer it to a large jar to cool to room temperature. Use as desired, or store covered in the fridge till needed.

Tips and Tricks:

I’ve never used a candy thermometer for this recipe, but if you are worried about it burning you can use one for preciseness.
Make sure to stir the sugar until all pieces and chunks of sugar are dissolved. This will ensure you have a velvety smooth caramel sauce.
This would be a great food gift for the holidays. Double the recipe and pour it into small 8oz mason jars to give to friends and neighbors as a nice food gift.

When to Use Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce:

Caramel sauce is a versatile topping that can be used in a variety of ways, here are some of our favorites.

Ice Cream: A classic ice cream topping, I especially love it on top of a bowl of vanilla ice cream
Brownies: A little caramel drizzled on top of brownies makes them extra indulgent.
Apple Pie: Drizzle some hot caramel sauce on top of a slice of apple pie, or use it in our caramel apple pie recipe.
Cheesecake: A popular cheesecake topping, this salted caramel sauce is great on no bake cheese cake, or a traditional classic cheesecake.
Fruit Dip: Dip apple slices, strawberries, or bananas straight into this sauce. Or it’s a great addition to our cream cheese caramel apple dip.
Poke Cakes: Homemade caramel sauce is so much better than store bought drizzled all over the top of poke cakes. Try it in our Pumpkin Better than Sex Cupcakes.
Breakfast Foods: Instead of syrup, try this sauce on your favorite pancakes, waffles, or French toast.

How to store?

Allow the caramel to cool to room temperature in your airtight container. I like to use a glass jar with a lid. Once it is cooled down it can be stored in the fridge for about 2 weeks.

The sauce will get hard in the cold fridge, so when you are ready to use it on your favorite desserts add it to the microwave for about 30 minutes, then stir. If it needs longer in the microwave you can microwave in additional 15 second increments until it is smooth and pourable, as needed. This homemade salted caramel sauce is such a great versatile sweet sauce that adds a nice rich flavor to so many desserts. It is sweet and salty, and the perfect thing to keep on hand for your next ice cream night or dessert night at home.

More Sweet Sauce Recipes:

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