Homemade caramel sauce recipe is simply white sugar that has been melted with water, this sauce is characterized by its caramel flavor. It can be prepared in different ways such as with condensed milk, with heavy cream, evaporated milk, and butter. You can never go wrong using caramel sauce as it can easily be used as a flavoring in puddings and desserts, as a topping for ice cream and custard, or as a filling in bonbons.
The easiest way to make caramel sauce recipe is by sticking to just a few and easy to find ingredients. Here in this article, you will learn how to make salted caramel sauce without cream or milk and butter, this might turn out to be your best-salted caramel sauce ever.
Below is a Youtube video that explains more on caramel sauce recipe
When making caramel sauce, it is important to add a little salt to it, salt enhances the taste of caramel sauce and makes it even taste better. You don’t need a candy thermometer to make caramel sauce at home, you can easily use your eyes to determine when to add the next ingredient. The good thing about this homemade caramel sauce is that the leftover can be stored in the fridge for a month or frozen for up to 3 months in the freezer. When reusing caramel, simply microwave it for a few minutes, or place the bowl in a hot water bath, the caramel will melt and return back to its former consistency.
Table of Contents
Caramel sauce uses
Below are the few things that you can use your caramel sauce for
- Cinnamon rolls
- Caramel popcorn
- Apple pie
- Cupcakes
- Ice creams
- Brownies
- Cheese cream
- Butterscotch pudding
- Caramel candy of toffee
- Salted caramel cinnamon macarons
- Caramel bread pudding
Caramel sauce ingredients
- 1 cup of granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup of water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup of warm water
How to make salted caramel sauce at home
- Place a large saucepan on a stovetop and add granulated sugar to it, shake the pan gently to evenly spread out the sugar.
- Add 1/3 cup of water to moisten the sugar and let it melt slowly without stirring jet.
- Once the water has evaporated from the sugar, you will notice the sugar changing to a slightly yellow color keep cooking.
- If the sugar crystallizes at this point, all you need to do is to add more water to the sugar then place a lid over the pot to melt, it will melt back again. Or wet a pastry brush and brush back the sides of the pot to release the crystallized sugar; this won’t affect the color and the process of the sauce.
- Keep an eye on it and watch it turn a beautiful amber color, once it has gotten to a deep amber color turn off the heat.
- This is the point where other people add their heavy cream and butter but I used hot water and then stir, this will discontinue the caramel from cooking.
- Add salt and stir to combine; pour the sauce out into a bowl and leave to cool down.
- It is ready! Place the caramel in the fridge for 2 hours to set, store in a jar with a fitting lid and refrigerate it.
Important tips to note when making caramel sauce at home
- Don’t try to taste hot caramel when it is still on heat as it can burn your skin. Allow it to cool before tasting.
- Always stand close-by when making caramel as it can easily change color within a few minutes.
- When the caramel has turned an amber color, it’s important to turn off the heat, as it can easily burn within seconds.
- Add more water at the end cooking caramel sauce otherwise, the caramel will harden and become very hard to stir.
- The amount of water you add at the end will determine how loose or how thick your caramel will be. For a looser caramel add more water. For a thicker sauce add less water at the end.
- If the water evaporates and the sugar crystallizes when making caramel, you don’t have to be discouraged; you can easily fix it by brushing the sides of the pot with a wet pastry brush. Alternatively, you can about 1/4 cup of water to the sugar again then place a lid over the pot to melt it back again. This won’t affect the color and the process
- It is easy to know when the sauce is ready. When it has turned a deep amber color and starts to smoke just a little bit. At this point, it should be removed from the heat immediately to stop the sugar from darkening any further.