• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Pretty. Simple. Sweet.
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Baking Course
  • About Me
  • Newsletter
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Baking Course
  • About Me
  • Newsletter
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • YouTube
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Home
    • Recipes
    • Baking Course
    • About Me
    • Newsletter
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • YouTube
  • ×
    Home » Recipes » Caramel

    Quick and Easy Caramel Sauce

    Published: Apr 21, 2014 · Modified: Oct 29, 2019 by Shiran · This post may contain affiliate links · 41 Comments

    Jump to Recipe

    Quick and easy caramel sauce that takes only 5 minutes to make. No thermometer is needed!

    Quick and Easy Caramel Sauce | prettysimplesweet.com

    If there is one thing I love more than chocolate (and Nutella and peanut butter and Snickers), it’s probably salted caramel. As much as I love caramel, I’ve always thought it is way too sweet (imagine that) – a phrase that barely exists in my sweet obsessed life.

    A few days ago, Erez and I ate at one of our favorite restaurants. We were very excited about their new menu. Erez picked the dessert for us – a chocolate and salted caramel mousse (nom nom nom… great choice), He clearly ignored the word salted because when he took the first bite he looked at me (surprised) and said, “It’s salty”.
    Me: Yes, because it’s salted caramel.
    Erez: Salted caramel?
    Me: Yes, when you add salt to caramel.
    Erez: Why would you want to put salt in a sweet dessert?

    You imagine the rest of the conversation… No agreement on that one.

    Then yesterday I made this amazing caramel sauce and let Erez taste it. You know how a baby’s face looks when you let him taste something sour? He had the same expression on his face 🙂 Then he said: “it’s salty”, as if we’ve never had this conversation before.
    Anyway, you get the point. He doesn’t like salted caramel. But I love him so much that I forgive him.
    He did mention though, that the caramel itself tastes amazing so we’re good.

    Would you like to save this recipe?

    We'll email this recipe link to you, so you can come back to it later!

    Quick and Easy Caramel Sauce | prettysimplesweet.com

    This caramel sauce is so delicious – salted or not. This caramel tastes just as good as caramel made in the traditional way (i.e. caramelizing granulated sugar first), but this one is much easier to make. The brown sugar in the recipe is what gives the sauce its amber caramel-y color.
    No thermometer is needed. All you need to do is to mix the ingredients in a saucepan and let it simmer for about 4 minutes. Don’t be tempted to cook it for longer, otherwise it will get too thick once it’s cooled. Remove from the stove and add vanilla extract. Be careful though, because the mixture is very hot and will foam up.

    The sauce can be kept refrigerated for up to 5 days. Warm it up in the microwave before using.

    Now guess what I did with the caramel I’ve made?

    Quick and Easy Caramel Sauce | prettysimplesweet.com

    5 from 3 votes
    Print

    Quick and Easy Caramel Sauce

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup (200 grams) dark brown sugar
    • ½ cup heavy whipping cream
    • 4 tablespoons (½ stick or 56 grams) butter
    • salt (a pinch for classic caramel sauce or ½ teaspoon for salted caramel)
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

    Instructions

    1. In a medium saucepan, mix together the sugar, heavy whipping cream, butter and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let the mixture simmer for about 2 minutes, whisking occasionally.
    2. Remove the saucepan from the heat, add the vanilla extract (be careful, the mixture is hot) and stir. Let mixture cool in the pan for 2 minutes, then pour into a jar. Let cool to room temperature and refrigerate until ready to use (up to 5 days). Warm it up in the microwave before using.

     

    More Caramel

    • Salted Caramel Shortbread Bars
    • Snickers Brownies
      Snickers Brownies
    • Pecan Pie Bars
      Pecan Pie Bars
    • No-Bake Banoffee (bananas and toffee) Pie | prettysimplesweet.com
      Banoffee Pie

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




    1. Anne says

      April 21, 2014 at 10:28 pm

      Ohhh… That looks delicious! No thermometer and burning/caramelizing the sugar? I’m sold!

      Reply
      • Shiran says

        April 22, 2014 at 1:58 pm

        I know! It’s so easy! I’ve made it so many times 🙂

        Reply
        • Glaucia says

          March 07, 2016 at 4:45 am

          I just made it! It’s PERFECT!

          Reply
          • Shiran says

            March 07, 2016 at 7:07 am

            Thank you, Glaucia!

            Reply
    2. Angie (@angiesrecipess) says

      April 22, 2014 at 4:17 am

      This is so delicious and addictive! I dare not to make caramel any more…it’s too darn delicious that I usually end up eating the whole bottle myself.

      Reply
      • Shiran says

        April 22, 2014 at 2:01 pm

        Me too! As you can see in the photos, I simply ate bananas with it 🙂

        Reply
    3. Cindy @ Pick Fresh Foods says

      April 23, 2014 at 2:41 am

      Too funny! Some people just don’t like salted caramel. It’s funny he had the same reaction as the first time. Sounds like my husband. 😀
      Lovely recipe. So simple and easy to whip up!

      Reply
    4. Winnie says

      April 23, 2014 at 9:00 pm

      חחחחחחחח החצי שלי היה מגיב בדיוק אותו הדבר כמו בעלך חחחחחח
      האמת שאני….. די מסכימה איתם
      אני כן אוהבת מתוקים שיש שילוב של מלוח ומתוק אבל כל מרכיב שומר על ייחודו – או מתוק או מלוח

      בכל מקרה – אני אוהבת מאדדדדדדדד קרמל, וזה מתכון קל מאד
      נהדר!!

      Reply
    5. kayce says

      September 25, 2014 at 4:25 pm

      Looks and sounds great! Would it work for making Carmel apples though? Thanks in advance

      Reply
      • Shiran says

        September 30, 2014 at 9:58 am

        Thank you Kayce 🙂 This sauce won’t work for coating apples, but it will be perfect for dipping apple slices.

        Reply
    6. Pat says

      November 20, 2014 at 6:12 am

      Thank you!! very useful to me. Love it.

      Reply
      • Shiran says

        November 21, 2014 at 5:38 pm

        Thank you Pat!

        Reply
    7. Brittani says

      November 23, 2014 at 11:27 pm

      This recipe was delicious! Didn’t work very well for the caramel popcorn I just made, the popcorn shrunk as soon as I poured the caramel on! I’ve never made this caramel or caramel popcorn before so could have been something i did. Still sooo good even though it was a soggy puddle of slimy popcorn/caramel mess that I ate with a spoon! (darn you pregnancy cravings)

      Reply
      • Shiran says

        November 24, 2014 at 3:39 am

        Hi Brittani! I use this caramel recipe mostly as a sauce for desserts/pancakes/ice creams etc. Here’s my recipe for caramel popcorn. The popcorn needs to be baked so it would be crunchy. Hope this helps!

        Reply
      • Amanda Goodwin says

        November 02, 2018 at 11:44 am

        when you make caramel popcorn, you pop the popcorn, make a caramel sauce that contains karo syrup, and then bake it with it ontop of the popcorn.

        Reply
    8. Lucy says

      March 21, 2015 at 5:44 pm

      I’m surprised it was so easy and delisous I’m glad I found this recipie thanks a bunch.

      Reply
      • Shiran says

        March 22, 2015 at 6:33 am

        Thank you Lucy!

        Reply
    9. Isabella says

      June 14, 2015 at 7:48 pm

      This turned out really grainy for me, but the taste was so delicious… any ideas on what went wrong?

      Reply
      • Shiran says

        June 15, 2015 at 7:05 am

        Hi Isabella 🙂 I’m guessing that the sugar didn’t melt properly. Try cooking it for a bit longer next time until it’s completely smooth.

        Reply
    10. Moe says

      September 28, 2015 at 5:36 pm

      This recipe was so good, that I had to stop and comment. Super simple and delicious. While it was hot, I spooned it over air-popped popcorn. Ah-mazing!

      Reply
      • Shiran says

        October 02, 2015 at 12:31 pm

        Thank you for your comment 🙂 I’m so glad you like it!

        Reply
    11. Gail says

      October 17, 2015 at 7:11 pm

      Hi, this looks yummy but can you use 2% milk instead of whipping cream? Thanks 🙂

      Reply
      • Shiran says

        October 18, 2015 at 4:30 am

        Hi Gail, personally, I wouldn’t recommend it for this recipe. The fat content is significantly different and milk is thinner in consistency, and of course, the taste is different, too. Yet, if you still want to try it, you can read this.

        Reply
    12. Isabela says

      November 03, 2015 at 1:32 am

      I love caramel on everything and this looks so easy!
      Quick question, do you think this recipe would work on pretzel rods or chocolate covered apples?
      Thank you for this recipe!

      Reply
      • Shiran says

        November 03, 2015 at 3:44 am

        Hi Isabela 🙂 I wouldn’t recommend it for coating because it would be too liquid, but it would be great for dipping apples.

        Reply
    13. Caroline says

      November 30, 2015 at 3:23 am

      Hey Shiran,

      sorry you’re probably sick of answering these questions, but i was wondering if i could use his as a glaze over a butter cake? i mean, sure it would take great, i was just wondering about the consistency.

      Reply
      • Shiran says

        November 30, 2015 at 12:15 pm

        Don’t be sorry, Caroline! That’s what I’m here for, I’m happy to help 🙂 You can use it to top your cake, but use it moderately rather than pouring it all over the cake because it’s quite thick and heavy. The caramel firms up in the fridge, so make sure to serve the cake at room temperature.

        Reply
    14. nikita says

      March 05, 2016 at 10:16 pm

      Can i use full cream milk instead of heavy cream. Will the result be the same or less tasty

      Reply
      • Shiran says

        March 06, 2016 at 6:25 am

        Hi Nikita, personally, I wouldn’t recommend it for this recipe. The fat content is significantly different and milk is thinner than heavy cream. Regarding flavor, heavy cream would taste better 🙂

        Reply
    15. Jane says

      May 22, 2016 at 8:16 pm

      Can this recipe be thickened to make it into chewy caramels. I made this the other night as a sauce to go with my churros. I put the remainder in the fridge and it had firmed up slightly, I ate a spoonful the next morning and it brought tears to my eyes as it was exactly the same taste as my late grandmothers chewy caramels. I would love to make a batch for a reunion we are having in August.

      Reply
      • Shiran says

        May 30, 2016 at 7:23 am

        Hi Jane! Thank you for your sweet comment! Unfortunately, I suggest to use a different recipe for caramel candies. The process of making those candies is different than this recipe, and usually requires using a thermometer.

        Reply
    16. Anh says

      June 21, 2016 at 8:48 am

      Do you think this could go in one of those squeeze bottles? I am always on the lookout for real caramel sauce to make caramel lattes at home. I put store bought caramel sauce in a squeeze bottle and then just nuke it for 10 secs before making a latte. Will this sauce be able to do that? Thanks.

      Reply
      • Shiran says

        June 22, 2016 at 6:03 am

        It has a consistency of caramel so I don’t see why not!

        Reply
    17. Carla J Seeks says

      April 24, 2018 at 8:01 am

      Can you freeze this?

      Reply
      • Shiran says

        April 24, 2018 at 4:28 pm

        Yes, it freezes well.

        Reply
    18. Colleen Johnson says

      February 06, 2020 at 3:36 pm

      Hi – Would it be good as a cupcake filling?

      Reply
      • Shiran says

        February 11, 2020 at 3:09 am

        Yes it would work, although this caramel sauce would be better in my opinion.

        Reply
    19. James says

      September 08, 2020 at 6:08 am

      Just made a batch of this caramel sauce and it’s delicious! Super quick and easy recipe, thanks for sharing.

      Reply
    20. Lisa says

      November 19, 2020 at 6:43 pm

      Super simple and never fails. Great recipe that the whole family LOVE!!!

      Reply
    21. BMMC says

      December 08, 2020 at 8:42 pm

      Shiran,
      Can’t wait to try! Would this recipe work using whole milk instead of cream?
      B

      Reply
      • Shiran says

        December 09, 2020 at 12:17 pm

        Hi 🙂 Heavy cream is necessary for this recipe. Milk would be too thin and not as rich.

        Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I'm Stephanie! Join me in my kitchen, where we’ll be making simple and classic desserts and learning the science of baking along the way.

    More about me →

    Find A Recipe

    Recent Popular Recipes

    • Refreshing Watermelon Juice
    • Creamy orange curd in a jar with a spoonful of curd being removed, flanked by fresh oranges.
      How To Make Orange Curd
    • Chocolate Panna Cotta with shaved chocolate and a dollop of whipped cream.
      Chocolate Panna Cotta (Easy)
    • Citrusy orange cupcakes with a swirl of orange cream cheese frosting surrounded by fresh oranges.
      10 Orange Flavored Desserts You’ll Love
    Shop King Arthur Baking for all your baking needs!

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    Website Policies

    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Testimonial Disclaimer

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • About Me

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2025 Pretty. Simple. Sweet.