This is the easiest vanilla sauce recipe ever! It contains only 3 ingredients and goes perfectly on just about anything sweet like bread pudding, cakes, and pancakes.
Erez and I agree on most things, but not when it comes to choosing between vanilla and chocolate. I prefer chocolate (obviously), while he goes the more traditional route. The only time I really prefer vanilla is when we’re picking out ice cream.
When I made this cake for a party, as always, the cake itself just wasn’t enough for me and I wanted to add a little something to it. The cake is great on its own, but the bar is constantly being raised among my sweet, demanding friends ever since the moment they tagged me as the baker of the group. So I need to pull something extraordinary out of my sleeves every single time in order to please them. Erez wouldn’t agree with me, though. He says that what I consider to be just ok will surely satisfy his hungry friends, and that I shouldn’t sweat it. He’s probably right, because he almost always is.
So I ended up making chocolate sauce and vanilla sauce to serve with the cake, and no one really cared for the chocolate sauce, but they all asked for the vanilla sauce recipe.
Only 3 ingredients
With only 3 simple ingredients, this is the easiest vanilla sauce recipe in history. You’ll find yourself making it over and over again. It goes perfectly with just about everything: cakes, pancakes, waffles, crepes, bread pudding, ice cream, and a few other things I shouldn’t even mention I added it to. Or, you can just drink it straight from the jar.
How to make vanilla sauce
All you need for this sauce is to heat together heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla, for a few minutes, and voila! Letting it simmer gently for 10 minutes should be enough for it to thicken, but if it doesn’t, leave it for longer. It should be like thick liquid. I once forgot about it and left it on the stove for a while, luckily on very low heat, and that’s how I learned how thick and wonderful this sauce can get over time.
Tips:
- I usually use pure vanilla extract for this. Don’t use artificial. If you prefer using a vanilla bean, substitute the extract with 1 split and seeded vanilla bean. Cook the mixture with both the pod and seeds, and once the mixture is ready, discard the pod.
- For a richer, thicker sauce, you can add butter to the recipe – up to 1 stick/113g. .
- For a thicker consistency, you can add about 1 tablespoon cornstarch. If you do, you’ll have to whisk the mixture constantly until it’s smooth, or it can get lumpy.
Recipe to use this sauce with:
- 2 cups (480 ml) heavy cream
- ⅓ cup (65 g /2.3 oz) granulated sugar
- 1-2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (or 1 vanilla bean - read above post)
- Optional: up to ½ cup (1 stick/113 g) butter for more flavor and a thicker, creamier consistency
- Place all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens, 10-15 minutes (or keep cooking until desired consistency).
- Drizzle sauce over cakes, pancakes, waffles, bread puddings, and more. Serve warm or slightly cool (the sauce will thicken as it cools).
- Sauce will keep in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to a week.
26 Comments
וויני
November 29, 2014 at 11:31 amשבוע טוב שירן
קודם כל אני עם ארז 🙂 גם אני מעדיפה וניל
זה קרם וניל שאני לא מכירה, כי את מבשלת פה את השמנת המתוקה – חייבת לנסות
תודה על החידוש!!
Jess @ whatjessicabakednext.com
November 30, 2014 at 10:15 amThis vanilla sauce looks amazing! Love it Shiran!
Shiran
November 30, 2014 at 1:55 pmThanks Jess!
pamela higgins
June 4, 2016 at 8:32 amcan you reheat it a day later
Shiran
June 5, 2016 at 6:08 amYes Pamela, you definitely can!
Coach Cheryl
September 19, 2016 at 1:21 amI used swerve instead of sugar, Delish!
Jenny
November 23, 2016 at 9:14 pmI made this with condensed milk and a vanilla bean. OMG amazing.
Khaleel
February 20, 2017 at 9:33 amHi Shiran, what’s the difference between Vanilla beans and vanilla extract. I tried Vanilla Sauce in Malaysia and am in love with it. I would like to make the tastiest, best, most flavoursome vanilla…I have searched and it seems vanilla beans are harder to get hold of than vanilla extract. in addition vanilla beans seem to be more expensive…I was wondering does it make a huge difference in the taste?
Shiran
February 22, 2017 at 5:02 amHi Khaleel, yes, there’s a difference in taste and vanilla bean has the best vanilla flavor, but if it’s hard for you to find, using pure vanilla extract tastes really good, too.
Hermit
March 2, 2017 at 2:44 amBy “seeded”, do you mean remove the seeds from the pod but leave them in the mixture?
Shiran
March 5, 2017 at 10:03 amYes, exactly. You need to add the seeds to the mixture.
catherine
April 24, 2017 at 8:47 pmhow do you make it not liquidly?
Shiran
April 29, 2017 at 9:25 amHi Catherine, the sauce should have the consistency of a thick liquid.
Nanette
June 17, 2017 at 8:39 pmHI Shiran, just found your site. I have gained five pounds just READING, can’t wait to try a few recipes! Beautiful job summarizing and then detailing recipes, great photos! My new “go to”! Do you have a clever trick to get the flavor of simmering vanilla beans/pods, without the black flecks? Thinking of making crème patisserie (spell check keeps replacing word!) and vanilla sauce (not together…sugar overload!). I always use pure vanilla extract, but in ice cream LOVE the richness and little flecks. In pastry creams, not so much liking the look of black pepper! I’m looking for a new source for clear vanilla since I used mine all up.
Shiran
June 19, 2017 at 4:45 amThank you Nanette! If you’re using vanilla pod, I’m not sure how you can avoid those black flecks. Personally I like their look. Otherwise, I use vanilla extract.
Peter
August 16, 2017 at 5:52 pmJust a theory.
Could you add cinnamon to spice up the flavor?
Shiran
August 17, 2017 at 2:07 pmYou can definitely try. Sounds good to me!
Julie
August 23, 2017 at 9:22 pmDo you need to cook it
Sharmila
February 22, 2018 at 6:05 amJust made this sauce and paired it with a marmalade pudding cake. It’s divine.
Thank you
Sharmila
February 22, 2018 at 6:29 amMade this wonderful sauce today and paired it with a marmalade pudding cake. It tasted divine
Emily @ Emily’s Tasty Adventures
May 19, 2018 at 7:39 pmI’m making this tonight to go along with your Strawberry Cake recipe! Can’t wait to try it!!
Rose
October 20, 2018 at 6:50 pmHi. Can you use regular milk instead of heavy cream?
Shiran
October 21, 2018 at 7:56 amHi Rose, I recommend sticking to the recipe. If using milk, the sauce will be thin and not as rich.
Ingrid
December 12, 2018 at 2:32 pmWould it work as well to replace the sugar with honey or maple syrup?
Shiran
December 15, 2018 at 5:53 amHi Ingrid, I don’t recommend it because maple syrup and honey have a strong flavor.
Susan Rhode
January 26, 2019 at 2:31 pmI made this sauce for some bread pudding I had made. I used a half stick of butter but next time I’ll only use about two tablespoons. This sauce was delicious! I added about 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg to the finished sauce. My bread pudding had cinnamon and nutmeg in it and this sauce with nutmeg was the perfect compliment! It is very similar to what my Mom used to make as I was growing up. Thank you for such a wonderful recipe!