Easy, no-frills recipe for homemade salted caramel sauce. Sweet, sticky, salted sugary goodness – perfect for topping (or filling) on almost any dessert.
Five ingredients and ten minutes are all you need to make this salted caramel sauce. It is actually enjoyable to watch sugar melting in a pan then turning into a form of like liquid gold. And when the rich heavy cream is added to the caramel, it turns into a slightly softer, comforting color. At this point, it is actually ready to use for any of your desserts, but add a pinch of sea salt and your caramel is elevated to the next level.
Sweet and salty is the best combination of all!
Once prepared and cooled, salted caramel sauce can be stored in a sterilized jar ready to be used in your ice creams, drinks, cheesecake, crepes, pies, cinnamon rolls, etc. The possibilities are endless!
Important Tips When Making Salted Caramel Sauce
- Be careful when adding the cream into the boiling sugar. When you have achieved the deep amber color, take the saucepan away from heat then add the heavy cream in a slow and steady stream, while constantly mixing the caramel. Adding them all in one dump may cause splattering and that sugar is very hot!
- Use a good quality sea salt. Table salt doesn’t have quite the right flavor.
Salted Caramel Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 tablespoons water
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- pinch good quality sea salt
Instructions
- Combine the heavy cream and vanilla extract in a container (preferably with a spout). Set aside.
- In a saucepan, pour the water and the sugar. Give a little stir. Put the saucepan over medium heat until it has a deep amber color, around 6-8 minutes. If using a thermometer, the temperature of the sugar should be at around 175 to 190 Celcius (345 to 375 F). It is important not to stir because it can make the sugar crystallize.
- Remove the saucepan from heat and pour the cream into the saucepan in a slow, steady stream while stirring the caramel constantly with a wooden spatula.
- Add a pinch of sea salt and stir. Leave the salted caramel to cool and transfer into a sterilized jar – it will keep in the fridge for up to two weeks.