Easy Homemade Caramel Sauce

This homemade caramel sauce is the perfect topping for your favorite ice cream, cheese cakes or your favorite iced coffee. Made with just 5 simple ingredients and ready in 10 minutes, you will want to have a jar of this indulgent homemade caramel sauce on hand at all times!

Homemade caramel sauce is so simple to make and once you try it, you will not want the store bought stuff again. This recipe does not require a candy thermometer and is made with just a few simple pantry ingredients you most likely have on hand! I love dipping these chocolate chip cookie fries in the caramel sauce or drizzling on vanilla ice cream.

What You Will Need to Make Homemade Caramel Sauce

• 1 cup white granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup water
• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons salted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Heavy sauce pan
• Jelly size ball jar

How to Make Homemade Caramel Sauce

• In a sauce pan add 1 cup sugar and shake the pan to level the sugar. 
• Add 1/3 cup water and DO NOT STIR. You won’t stir until you add the heavy cream (stirring too early can cause sauce to crystallize). 
• Bring sugar and water to a boil over medium heat. Boil until clear…again…DO NOT STIR! 
• Continue boiling on medium high heat until the mixture is caramel in color. This can take about 10 min.
• Be sure not to let the mixture start to scorch, adjust heat as needed. 
• Once caramel in color, turn off heat and immediately add 3/4 cup cream. 
• Add butter and stir mixture until smooth. The mixture will likely have clumps in the bottom of the pan…just continue to stir until dissolved. 
• Pour caramel sauce into a ball jar with a lid and store in the fridge.
• Caramel will thicken in fridge. Reheat in the microwave or a sauce pan prior to serving. 

Tips for the Best Homemade Caramel Sauce

• Level sugar: When you add the sugar to your sauce pan, be sure to level out the sugar as much as possible. This will insure that the water coats the sugar evenly and the sugar/water mixture cooks evenly.
• DO NOT STIR: for the best consistency and to avoid crystalization of the sugar, don’t stir the sauce until it is ready to be removed from the heat and you are ready to add the heavy whipping cream. 
• Stir in heavy whipping cream: be sure to stir or whisk in the heavy whipping cream until all the lumps (crystalized bits) have fully dissolved from the bottom of the pan.
• Store in fridge: until ready to use and just reheat in microwave or sauce pan prior to serving. The caramel sauce will thicken when stored in fridge. Store in an airtight jar or container in the fridge for up to one month.