This easy caramel sauce is rich and buttery, and you have my step-by-step photos to help you along when you make it!
Let’s be real…I was super concerned the first time I made caramel from scratch, and I’m normally a “I can do anything in the kitchen” kind of gal. Caramel sauce can be intimidating to make with the molten sugar and how fiercely it can boil up when you add the cream. But when you get through making it once, you’ll realize that there is nothing to fear. Now, I don’t necessarily make caramel all the time, because it is not the most healthy thing in the world. However, it really is a breeze with nothing to worry about when you follow this awesome recipe. This easy caramel sauce recipe is really great, really simple, and I included step-by-step photos as visual clues when you finally decide to give it a go! Plus, a fun little video if you’d rather watch the process!
I adapted this recipe from the amazing food geniuses that make up Cook’s Illustrated, which basically means…you have nothing to worry about. Cook’s Illustrated and Chris Kimball (the founder of Cook’s Illustrated) do a terrific job at EVERYTHING food related, and their test kitchen of awesomeness provides solid recipes.
Once you make this recipe for the first time you will wonder why you ever bought the stuff from the store. You can’t even compare the flavor of this amazingness to any store bought caramel. Anyway…make this caramel sauce (it would be great on top of my banana peanut butter cake or just over a scoop of ice cream), let me know in the comments how much you like it, and…get ready for a delicious recipe that uses this caramel sauce next week!
The step-by-step directions and photos are below the printable recipe…and the cool little video I made. So feel free to read the recipe and watch the video or look at the still step-by-step directions!
Easy Caramel Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup heavy cream
- Pinch kosher salt for salted caramel use 1 tbsp. kosher salt
- 8 tablespoons 1 stick unsalted butter, cold and cut into 8 pieces
Instructions
- Measure out all of your ingredients (and keep your butter in the fridge!) and pull out all of the tools you need (you will need a 2-quart heavy bottomed pot with a lid, a candy thermometer, a small heavy bottomed pot, and a whisk).
- Pour 1 cup water into your 2-quart pot, and pour the sugar into the center of the pot. You want to create a little mound of sugar submerged under the water, so make sure to pour the sugar into one spot of the pot!
- Cover the pot, and bring to a boil over high heat, which will take about 3 minutes.
- Remove lid and insert your candy thermometer. Keep boiling the sugar until it reaches 300 degrees, which will take about 15 minutes. Then reduce the heat to medium.
- Place the cream in the small pot and bring to a simmer over high heat. (In a perfect world your cream will reach a simmer once the sugar reaches 350 degrees in the next step, but if it reaches a simmer early, just remove it from the heat)
- Once the sugar reaches 350 degrees (this will happen about 5 minutes after you reduce the heat to medium in step 4), it will be a dark amber color and begin to smoke, turn off heat. (If you have an electric stove remove it from the burner).
- Very slowly stream in the warm cream. The sugar will bubble, but as long as you do this step slowly, you will be good to go!
- Once all of the cream is added whisk the mixture well. Add the salt and butter and whisk until it is completely incorporated (the butter will probably bubble a bit too!)
- Let it cool and then pour over a large scoop of vanilla ice cream or store in an airtight container in the fridge!
STEP-BY-STEP DIRECTIONS WITH PHOTOS
Step 1 – Measure out all of your ingredients (and keep your butter in the fridge!) and pull out all of the tools you need (you will need a 2-quart heavy bottomed pot with a lid, a candy thermometer, a small heavy bottomed pot, and a whisk).
Step 2 – Pour 1 cup water into your 2-quart pot, and pour the sugar into the center of the pot. You want to create a little mound of sugar submerged under the water, so make sure to pour the sugar into one spot of the pot!
Step 3 – Cover the pot, and bring to a boil over high heat, which will take about 3 minutes.
Step 4 – Remove lid and insert your candy thermometer. Keep boiling the sugar until it reaches 300 degrees, which will take about 15 minutes. Then reduce heat to medium.
Step 5 – Place the cream in the small pot and bring to a simmer over high heat. (In a perfect world your cream will reach a simmer once the sugar reaches 350 degrees in the next step, but if it reaches a simmer early, just remove it from the heat)
Step 6 – Once the sugar reaches 350 degrees (this will happen about 5 minutes after you reduce the heat to medium in step 4), it will be a dark amber color and begin to smoke, turn off heat. (If you have an electric stove remove it from the burner).
Step 7 – Very slowly stream in the warm cream. The sugar will bubble, but as long as you do this step slowly, you will be good to go!
Step 8 – Once all of the cream is added whisk the mixture well. Add the salt and butter and whisk until it is completely incorporated (the butter will probably bubble a bit too!)
Step 9 – Let it cool and then pour over a large scoop of vanilla ice cream
Easy Caramel Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup heavy cream
- Pinch kosher salt for salted caramel use 1 tbsp. kosher salt
- 8 tablespoons 1 stick unsalted butter, cold and cut into 8 pieces
Instructions
- Measure out all of your ingredients (and keep your butter in the fridge!) and pull out all of the tools you need (you will need a 2-quart heavy bottomed pot with a lid, a candy thermometer, a small heavy bottomed pot, and a whisk).
- Pour 1 cup water into your 2-quart pot, and pour the sugar into the center of the pot. You want to create a little mound of sugar submerged under the water, so make sure to pour the sugar into one spot of the pot!
- Cover the pot, and bring to a boil over high heat, which will take about 3 minutes.
- Remove lid and insert your candy thermometer. Keep boiling the sugar until it reaches 300 degrees, which will take about 15 minutes. Then reduce the heat to medium.
- Place the cream in the small pot and bring to a simmer over high heat. (In a perfect world your cream will reach a simmer once the sugar reaches 350 degrees in the next step, but if it reaches a simmer early, just remove it from the heat)
- Once the sugar reaches 350 degrees (this will happen about 5 minutes after you reduce the heat to medium in step 4), it will be a dark amber color and begin to smoke, turn off heat. (If you have an electric stove remove it from the burner).
- Very slowly stream in the warm cream. The sugar will bubble, but as long as you do this step slowly, you will be good to go!
- Once all of the cream is added whisk the mixture well. Add the salt and butter and whisk until it is completely incorporated (the butter will probably bubble a bit too!)
- Let it cool and then pour over a large scoop of vanilla ice cream or store in an airtight container in the fridge!
Perfect instructions and perfect results. Thank you!
Yay! You are welcome and I’m so glad you like it!
Beautiful! Yet another recipe that is too often over complicated for no good reason. I will put this up in my caramel sauce reference. I think I hear french toast and raspberries calling my name….
Yeah, it really is simple! Thanks for keeping it as a reference, and I am getting super hungry thinking about it on some french toast…YUM! Love your site by the way 🙂
Hi Michelle, I just love caramel sauce on ice cream. The sweeter and the creamier the better! Hope you have a great week! Cheryl.
I do too Cheryl!!! The original recipe from Cook’s Illustrated only called for…maybe 2 tbsp. butter?!?! I was like, “nope” and upped it to a full stick to make it super buttery and rich.
I hope you have a great week too Cheryl and thanks for visiting 🙂