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This 5-ingredient Caramel Sauce recipe is extremely easy to prepare and something that you can make with the whole family.
If you're wondering what I can serve with caramel sauce? Try these out: Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream, Sweet Potato Pecan Ice Cream, Apple Pie with Graham Cracker Crust, Peach Bread Pudding, and Buttermilk Pound Cake
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The first time I made caramel sauce at home was in the seventh grade for science homework. I thought it was weird for the teacher to assign a cooking project for homework but little did I know the impact of one homework assignment on my life.
This caramel sauce was probably the easiest caramel recipe I've ever seen. It only calls for 1 cup of sugar, a medium skillet, and patience. It took about 5 minutes to see the chemical change of the sugar go from solid white to a melted golden amber color to some ice cream I had in the freezer.
Now, my recipe isn't that easy, but you only need 5 ingredients and 15 minutes to make enough caramel sauce to last you a long time. Unless you go crazy and pour it over everything you can find.
Let me show you how easy this caramel sauce with milk recipe really is.
Key Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you'll need to make this caramel sauce. You probably have everything at home already.
Granulated sugar
All you need is white granulated sugar for this recipe.
Water
Tap water will do the job.
Kosher Salt
A little salt goes a long way to bring out the sweetness of this caramel sauce.
Heavy Cream
Heavy whipping cream will lighten the color of the caramel sauce and give it a creamy consistency. It's the richest and thickest part of the milk, with 36-40% fat. When I don't have heavy cream on hand I like to make it with evaporated milk too.
Unsalted butter
I only use unsalted butter in my recipe.
How To Make Homemade Caramel Sauce Recipe
Making homemade caramel sauce is simpler than you think. After making this creamy caramel sauce, you'll wonder why you bought it from the store.
In a medium pot, add sugar, water, and salt over high heat.
Cook for 5 minutes until the sugar melts. As it begins to boil, it'll start turning colors.
As the sugar begins to turn a light caramel color, make sure your milk is measured out and ready to pour. This will happen fast.
Remove the pot from the heat, add heavy cream (caramel will bubble up), bring to a boil over low heat, and stir constantly until the caramel sauce smooths out. *If you use evaporated milk or another milk, continue cooking for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly until caramel bubbles down.
Turn off the heat and stir in cold unsalted butter until smooth. The caramel sauce will thicken and turn a lovely golden brown color as it cools.
How To Store Caramel Sauce?
Caramel is best used 3 days after making but will be fresh for 7 days in a cool dark place.
Reheat small portions in the microwave for 10-15 seconds to loosen the caramel, so it's pourable.
I wouldn't recommend freezing caramel sauce because the sugars will crystalize when frozen, making the sauce watery.
Pro Recipe Tips & Tricks
Here are the best practices, techniques, substitutes, and flavor builders you'll need to make caramel sauce with milk.
- The sauce will go from clear to golden amber brown really fast. One minute it'll look like nothing is happening. Then in the blink of an eye, it'll begin to turn brown fast.
- For a brown sugar caramel sauce, use dark brown sugar or light brown sugar instead of granulated sugar.
- If you use salted butter, omit the salt in the recipe.
- If you would like a thinner caramel sauce use 1 cup of water.
- For a thicker sauce, cook the caramel longer after you add the cream.
- When you stir the sugar, water, and salt, you can cause sugar crystals to form on the side of the pot. Then you have to dip a brush in water to brush it down, so it doesn't burn. The secret to not doing that is patience and letting the heat do all the work.
- Hot caramel is something you do not want to get on your skin. If this happens, immediately rinse the spot off with cold running water.
- After your sauce cools, add sea salt to it for a salted caramel sauce.
- You can use whole milk, almond milk, or evaporated milk in place of heavy cream. You'll need to cook it for a couple more minutes longer after you add it so it can thicken up a bit.
- Try adding vanilla extract to your caramel sauce for a boosted flavor.
What can you serve caramel sauce with?
Caramel sauce with milk in it is perfect for a wide range of toppings. Here are a few things you can place it on.
- Pour it over some ice cream for a delicious sundae.
- Drizzle over fresh fruits like apples, bananas, or strawberries.
- Make a fruit dip by mixing in some Greek yogurt.
- Top off a warm slice of apple pie.
- Use it as a pancake or waffle topping.
- Popcorn.
- Add it to your morning coffee.
- Milkshakes.
FAQs
Here are the top questions readers have about caramel sauce with milk.
What are the ingredients to caramel?
Sugar, water, salt, and milk are the base ingredients for any caramel.
Can I substitute milk for heavy cream in caramel?
Absolutely! You can use any milk you have at home, whether whole, non-dairy, or evaporated, to make a deliciously creamy caramel sauce.
What is milk based caramel?
A sweet sauce made from sugar and milk, milk-based caramel is a flavorful condiment. The milk aids in the creation of a smooth and creamy sauce that may be drizzled over desserts or consumed by the spoonful! It can be soft, rich, or hard.
How do you thicken caramel sauce without cream?
If you want to thicken your caramel sauce without using cream, you use evaporated milk. Once you stir in the milk, bring the sauce to a boil and allow it to boil until it reaches the consistency that you desire for your caramel sauce.
Another option is to increase the ratio of sugar to water. The recipe below is 1 ½ cups sugar to ½ cup of water. This is a great ratio for thickening caramel without cream.
What makes caramel thick?
The main ingredient in caramel sauce is sugar. As sugar cooks down, sugar crystals slowly dissolve, resulting in a thicker consistency. Also, by adding a milk based product like heavy whipping cream, you help the sauce thicken.
More Dessert Recipes
This list below should tangle your sweet tooth:
- Triple Chocolate Brownies
- Southern Peach Cobbler
- Fried Apple Pies
- Classic Apple Pie
- Deep Fried Cheesecake
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
Before You Begin
Before getting started, here are the steps I use to get organized.
Step 1: Get all ingredients for the caramel sauce on the counter.
Step 2: Measure everything out.
Step 3: Start following the recipe and get ready for the best homemade caramel sauce ever!
I hope you try this easy recipe and enjoy it on everything you drizzle it over. If you make it, I'd love to hear from you! Please leave a comment and star rating below.
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📖 Recipe
Easy Caramel Sauce with Milk
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup water
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cups heavy cream or evaporated milk
- 1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter
Instructions
- Add the sugar, water, and salt to a pot over high heat, and cook for 5-6 minutes until the sugar melts and turns a light caramel color.
- Remove from the heat, add cream (sugar will steam and bubble up), bring to a boil over low heat, and stir until the sauce smooths out. *If you use evaporated milk or another milk, continue cooking for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly until caramel bubbles down.
- Remove from heat and stir in cold butter until smooth. Caramel will thicken as it cools. Cool completely before placing in an airtight container.
Notes
- Use a dry measuring cup for the sugar and a liquid measuring cup for the water for accurate measurements.
- The sauce will go from clear to a golden amber brown really fast. One minute it'll look like nothing is happening. Then in the blink of an eye, it'll begin to turn brown fast.
- For a brown sugar caramel sauce, use dark brown sugar or light brown sugar instead of granulated sugar.
- If you use salted butter, omit the salt in the recipe.
- If you would like a thinner caramel sauce use 1 cup of water.
- For a thicker sauce, cook the caramel longer after you add the cream.
- When you stir the sugar, water, and salt, you can cause sugar crystals to form on the side of the pot. Then you have to dip a brush in water to brush it down so it doesn't burn. The secret to not doing that is patience and letting the heat do all the work.
- Hot caramel is something you do not want to get on your skin. If this happens, immediately rinse the spot off with cold running water.
- After your sauce cools, add sea salt to it for a salted caramel sauce.
- You can use whole milk, almond milk, or evaporated milk in place of heavy cream.
- Try adding vanilla extract to your caramel sauce for a boosted flavor.
Daniel says
If the name of the recipe says caramel sauce with milk and the recipe underneath asks for heavy cream, it's a straight up lie. This is the same basic caramel sauce that shows up literally everywhere, and not what it's claiming to be in the title.
It tastes great and is simple, but a note about using milk instead of the the heavy cream in the middle of a paragraph is not the same thing and it being a caramel sauce using milk.
Kenneth Temple says
Hey there! Let's clear up some dairy confusion. Heavy cream is the thickest part of milk, and with 36-40% fat, it's the richest too. Milk ranges from 1% to 4% fat, with whole milk at the higher end. Sorry if there was any confusion. By the way, I'm thrilled to hear you enjoyed the recipe, although I must say calling me a liar isn't accurate or fair. Let's keep the positivity flowing!
Perceus says
Not sure what I did wrong but the sugar and water never changed color, I ended up boiling the water out till I was left with hardened sugar clumps 😩. Maybe Carmel making isn’t my thing?
Kenneth Temple says
I'm sorry you had that experience. If the water-to-sugar ratio is off, this can happen. Did you use a dry measuring cup for the sugar and a liquid measuring cup for the water to ensure accurate measurements?
Katherine Beck says
No confusion for me! A quick google search of "caramel sauce" and "evaporated milk" led me here and it was easy to find that this recipe had simple substitutions. And it comes out perfect every time - not grainy, not difficult and I don't have to waste my leftover wholesale size evaporated milk I use for pies! Love this and thank you!
Kenneth Temple says
Love to hear it! Thank you for trying out my recipe!
Debbie says
If I refrigerate this will it last longer than the 7 days? Or will it ruin the taste or texture of the caramel sauce?
Kenneth Temple says
Hey Debbie, it'll actually be good for 1-2 months in the fridge but for the best flavor 7 days.
Anita says
Easy to follow recipe, super helpful having images of each stage to follow. I was initially a little worried after adding the evaporated milk, as my caramel looked a little too runny. I cooked it a little longer and let it cool, it turned out perfect. Now I'm going to be putting this on everything! Thank you! 🤗