When it comes to salted caramel, this recipe is as versatile as can be. I’ve used it to drip cakes, drizzle cupcakes, dip apples, top ice cream, and have even used it to make salted caramel buttercream! With only four ingredients and fail-proof instructions, it is truly the easiest caramel I’ve ever made and has never let me down. If you’ve ever struggled with making salted caramel before, I hope recipe changes everything for you.
One Reader, Hilary, Says: “This was my first attempt at anything caramel. I was scared to death to heat a pile of sugar and was sure it was going to burn. I did what you suggested and had everything pre-measured and room temperature, followed all the steps, and once it cooled and I ventured a taste, it was AMAZING! I was stunned. Thank you for taking the fear out of caramel for me!” ★★★★★
Why You’ll Love This Salted Caramel Recipe
While I’ve tried my hand at some more intricate salted caramel recipes before, this one is my favorite for a few reasons:
- Only four ingredients. All it takes to make this salted caramel is granulated sugar, unsalted butter, heavy whipping cream (or double cream), and salt.
- No candy thermometer necessary. Unlike other salted caramel recipes, you won’t need a thermometer to measure this one! Instead, you’ll be going by time markers and simple visual cues.
- It’s nearly fail proof with consistent results. I’ve written super detailed instructions to help you make this recipe, and when followed properly you’ll always end up with amazing salted caramel.
- Perfect amount of sweet and salty. The flavor of this salted caramel is absolutely divine! I’ve been known to eat it by the spoonful.
- It’s versatile. You can use this recipe as a caramel sauce, as a cake drip, drizzle it in between cake layers, or use it in my salted caramel buttercream recipe.
Homemade Salted Caramel Ingredients
There are only four ingredients needed to make this salted caramel:
- Granulated Sugar. The recipe begins with cooking the granulated sugar until it melts into an amber-colored liquid. Heating the sugar breaks down its molecules, transforming them into a new compound and giving the caramel its signature rich and nutty flavor notes.
- Unsalted Butter. The butter gets combined with the melted sugar to add a velvety texture, rich flavor, and stability.
- Heavy Whipping Cream. The cream provides the liquid base that makes the caramel smooth, pourable, and creamy. It’s important to use heavy whipping cream that contains at least 36% milkfat, as milks with lower fat will cause the final caramel to be too thin and possibly lead the mixture to separate.
- Salt. To create the best salty caramel flavor, use kosher salt or a flaky sea salt like Maldon.
Tips for Best Results
Like I mentioned previously, you’ll find detailed instructions on how to make this salted caramel below. Here are some tips for success that will keep you cool, calm, and collected throughout the entire caramel-making process:
- Read through the entire recipe first. You’ll want to know what’s coming next in this recipe. It involves a lot of stirring and whisking, and it’s a known fact that caramel likes to burn when you top stirring even for a few seconds to read your next step (it’s sneaky like that!). Having even a vague idea of what’s involved will be a key to your success.
- Prepare your ingredients. Have your ingredients pre-measured, room temperature, and ready to go.
- Protect your hands. There are some points in this recipe where ingredients will bubble up and cause a lot of steam, like when adding the butter and the heavy whipping cream. Keep an oven glove nearby to protect your hand while you whisk and stir if needed.
- Allow time for cooling. This caramel will thicken beautifully as it cools. It takes a few hours left on the counter or one hour in the refrigerator to cool to room temperature.
How to Make Homemade Salted Caramel
Here’s how to make this salted caramel from start to finish:
Step 1. Melt the sugar. Add the granulated sugar into a medium saucepan set over medium heat and stir frequently until it melts into an amber colored liquid. Here are the changes you’ll see in the process:
Step 2: Add the butter. Whisk the butter into the melted sugar until the mixture is uniform, about 2-3 minutes.
Step 3: Add the heavy whipping cream. Whisk in the heavy whipping cream, then let the mixture boil for one minute without stirring it.
Step 4: Add the salt. Whisk the salt in and remove the salted caramel from the heat and let it cool to room temperature. It will thicken as it cools.
Salted Caramel Buttercream Recipe Video
Here’s a quick video of the process before you read all about it below:
PS: If you’re into recipe videos like this one, be sure to check out my YouTube Channel! You’ll find more of my favorite recipes, cake decorating tutorials, and so much more. Click the Subscribe button while you’re there so you never miss a new video!
How to Use Salted Caramel
Here are some of my favorite ideas + recipes to use with this salted caramel:
- Salted Caramel Apple Cake
- Chocolate Caramel Pecan Pie Cake
- Salted Caramel Buttercream
- Salted Caramel Banana Cake with Brown Butter Frosting
- Use it as an ice cream topping
- Gift it in cute jars for the holidays
- Use it as a cake drip! Just make sure it’s slightly above room temperature to achieve the perfect drip consistency.
- Drizzle it onto cupcakes or in between cake layers.
- Use it as a dip for apples
I hope you love this salted caramel recipe as much as I do! Let me know if you make it in the comments below and feel free to tag @sugarandsparrowco on Instagram to show me a photo. I love to see what you create with my recipes!
Salted Caramel
Ingredients
- 1 Cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 6 Tbsp (85g) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into cubes
- 1/2 Cup (120ml) heavy whipping cream, room temperature
- 1 1/4 tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- Have everything pre-measured and ready to go (you’ll be constantly stirring). Place the sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat and stir constantly with a wooden spoon, until it melts into an amber-colored liquid and no sugar clumps remain, 5-6 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low. Carefully add the butter (it will bubble up when you do) and use a whisk to combine it with the sugar mixture until the butter is fully melted and incorporated, 2-3 minutes.
- Add the heavy whipping cream in a steady stream while whisking. As soon as the cream is incorporated, let the caramel boil for a full minute before removing it from the heat and stirring in the salt.
- Let the caramel cool to room temperature* before using it in a buttercream recipe or as a cake topping. If you’re using it to drizzle over ice cream or warm baked goods, you only need to cool it slightly (20 minutes or so). It will thicken as it cools.
Can I use a nonstick pot for this (I do have a silicone whisk)?
Hi Donna! That should work just fine. Enjoy!
Is it super imperative that the butter be room temperature?
Hi Natalie! Yes, it’s important to use room temperature butter so that the caramel doesn’t cool down too much after adding the butter.
Wow. Just wow. This is such an easy and deliciously tasting recipe, and now I can finally check it off my bucket list! Thanks Whitney!
Hi Whitney! This caramel looks absolutely delicious. I am planning on using it as a drip for a six-inch cake, and for one batch of your salted caramel buttercream. Would one batch of this recipe be enough? I saw that 1/2 a cup of caramel was needed for the buttercream, but I am not sure how much I will need for the drip! Hope this makes sense! Thanks so much!
Hi Addie! Yes, one batch will be enough to use in the buttercream and as a drip. Enjoy!
I am so sorry!!! I got confused, and I wrote one batch and thought I was doing one batch of buttercream!!! But I am not, I need to do two. I am so sorry for the confusion!! Would one batch of caramel still be enough/ Thank you Whitney! You are amazing!
Hello, thank for your recipe and handy instructions. I had a 300ml tub of cream so decided to increase ingredients 2.5 times to match. The downside I discovered is that heating more sugar for longer introduces a slight bitterness (like treacle). I would also use a bit less salt. My son still loves it though, which is good because I have three jars! I will freeze two
I’m glad the recipe still worked scaled up that much! I normally don’t recommend doubling the recipe because of the risk of burning the sugar with the increased amount/time. I’m glad your son loves it and you found a great use for that cream!
this is super easy to follow and I got so excited making it my caramel looks perfect. I followed the instructions to a T. I’m not sure what happened, but it’s extremely bitter . I don’t wanna say it taste burnt because it doesn’t taste burnt, but it almost taste like chemical like any suggestions?
Hi Theresa! If it tastes bitter that means the sugar was overcooked. Basically when sugar is over heated it starts to form new compounds that can taste bitter. Next time try melting the sugar at a lower temperature, maybe try medium-low instead of medium. I’m so sorry it didn’t turn out this time!!
I made this recipe two times. First time was wonderful but the second time my toddler needed rescued right when my sugar was fully melted so it had a slightly burnt taste to it And I don’t have enough cream right now to try again:( Guess I have to wait till tomorrow!
So sorry about the second time!! I hope your redo is as wonderful as that first time 🙂
Hi. I have made this recipe before and it is delicious! This time I’m planning to whip it up as I saw someone doing it and it looked amazing! Recipe was similar. Have you tried this? Do you think it would work? Many thanks.
So happy you love this recipe, Julia! I have never tried whipping the caramel but let me know if you end up trying it. I’d love to know how it goes!
I just finished making this recipe for the second time and as I forgot to comment the first time, I’ll do both now!!
I absolutely love this recipe. Both times I have followed the recipe to a T and it turns out perfect! Thank you!
First time was a drizzle and this time I’ll be using it for your salted Carmel buttercream recipe!
Yay, Yonna! Thanks so much for letting me know 🙂 I’m so happy it was a hit!
This is my go to recipe now, it is amazing and so easy.
I was just about to make a batch this morning and realized I only have half & half cream and no whip cream. Do you know if it’s possible to use half & half instead?
Hi Nicole! I’m so happy this recipe has become your go-to! I’ve never tried it with half and half so it would definitely be an experiment. I can only recommend heavy whipping cream at this point. Let me know if you try the half and half though!
Hi,
I’d like to make several batches. Can you please advise on whether i can just do6bke or triple this without running into problems with the sugar not melting properly? If so do I need to start with clean utensils for each batch or can I just restart with the ones I just used? Sorry if this seems ridiculous, but I saw something about this with making caramels.
Hi Diane! That is a great question! Caramel does get finicky when scaling it up because of the sugar not melting evenly. That said, I do recommend making one batch at a time for best results, with clean utensils for each batch. Hope that helps!
Roughly how much salted caramel does this make volume-wise (in cups)? I plan on making a 4 layer 8in cake, with a double batch of your salted caramel buttercream (so I’ll need 1 cup of caramel for that), plus a caramel drip on top, and possibly caramel in the layers as well, if that wouldn’t be overkill!
Ok, you are my hero. I had my heart set on a salted caramel buttercream for my birthday cake and had tried a different recipe and, while the caramel worked, the frosting was rubbish. I ended up trying it again, but the caramel wouldn’t set up. ARGH! Then I tried this caramel (and subsequent buttercream recipe) and it was perfect and exactly what I wanted. Now, I am planning out 1000 more recipes that I can use this for. My boyfriend has used up all the extra caramel on his Peanut butter sandwiches lol I have been pouring over your recipes and tutorials for the last week. I am obsessed.
I’m so happy to hear that you found your new go-to caramel recipe, Dereth! Also I laughed out loud when I read that your boyfriend put the caramel on his peanut butter sandwiches! Thanks so much for letting me know it was a hit 🙂
OMG this was so easy! It came out perfectly and in an hour or two it will go into the salted caramel buttercream recipe!
Yay, Ashley!! I’m so happy to hear that and I hope you love the salted caramel buttercream 🙂
Hi. Can it be left out overnight at room temperature before using in buttercream? I don’t have a microwave to reheat after refrigeration. Thank you!
Hi Stacy! I don’t think leaving it out for one night will be a problem, so long as it’s in an airtight container. Enjoy!
I have made this recipe twice and came out beautifully both times! I have always had a fear of caramel as it failed more often than not. This recipe is simple, delicious and I haven’t had any form of crystallization at all even after several days. Thank you very much!
I’m so happy to hear that, Tosin! Thanks for taking the time to let me know!