Description
This Perfect Salted Caramel Sauce is foolproof and simple to make – no candy thermometer required! A versatile and decadent sauce that will have you swooning. The perfect accompaniment to ice cream, pies, lattes, and more!
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 stick unsalted butter, cut into cubes
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or extract)
- 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt
Optional add-ins:
- 1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon or cardamom
Instructions
- Set a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Sprinkle the sugar all over the bottom of the pan. Cook the sugar, stirring constantly, until it melts and turns a light amber color, about 5-7 minutes. Make sure to watch it and stir it the entire time – sugar burns quickly! It will clump up quite a bit before it melts, so don’t be alarmed if it looks crystallized and clumpy before it fully melts. Just keep stirring! This is a “trust the process” recipe.
- Once the sugar has completely melted and is a deep amber color, add the cubed butter, a few pieces at a time, and whisk carefully until it is melted and combined. The butter will make the sugar sizzle up a bit, so be careful.
- Once all the butter is melted and incorporated, carefully pour in the heavy cream. It will splatter so do so very slowly and carefully.
- Stir to combine and bring the caramel to a boil. Boil for 1 minute.
- Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the vanilla and sea salt. If using espresso powder or spices, stir them in as well. Stir well to incorporate.
- Fully cool the caramel to room temperature. It will get thick and glossy as it cools.
- Store in the fridge in a well-sealed mason jar for up to one month. Warm before serving.
- Prep Time: None
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: dessert
Keywords: salted caramel sauce, homemade salted caramel sauce, easy salted caramel sauce, salted caramel sauce no thermometer needed