Foolproof Salted Caramel Sauce

This foolproof salted caramel sauce is made with one saucepan and just 7 ingredients, two of which ensure that the caramel turns out perfect every single time! All you need is: granulated sugar, cream of tartar, salt, water, heavy cream, butter, and vanilla. And of course flaky sea salt! The best part is this recipe doesn't require a candy thermometer! But this does mean you need watch your sugar very carefully. Below you'll find step by step instructions so you can confidently make your own caramel sauce from scratch! 

Use this caramel sauce for macarons, millionaire's shortbread, linzer cookies, or just drizzle it on some vanilla ice cream! It's absolutely incredible on its own, so you truly cannot go wrong with how you enjoy it!

Ingredient Notes

• Sugar: You'll need about 1 cup of granulated sugar. 
• Salt: Add a bit of kosher salt to balance out the sweetness, and a pinch or two of flaky sea salt to the finished caramel sauce if desired. 
• Cream of Tartar: A small amount of cream of tartar will help stabilize the sugar, preventing it from crystalizing!
• Water: This recipe uses the wet method, which means that a couple tablespoons of water is added to the sugar, coating each crystal and ensuring they do not crystalize again as they are melting and caramelizing. 
• Heavy Cream: Be sure your heavy cream is lukewarm before adding it to the caramelized sugar, or it may seize up.
• Butter: Use room temperature unsalted butter, again so the caramelized does not seize up. 
• Vanilla: Add a generous pour of vanilla paste for a well-rounded flavor.

See recipe card for full information on ingredients and individual quantities.

Step by Step Instructions

Homemade caramel sauce is not as complex as you think! If you stick to these steps and watch your sugar carefully, you'll have a dreamy, irresistible caramel sauce in less than 30 minutes.

The trickiest part of making caramel is knowing when the sugar is done cooking. It can be easy to take it too far, which gives the caramel a burnt, bitter taste. You want to look for a light-medium amber color, and the minute it hits that color, immediately take it off the heat and add the heavy cream. If you linger, it can quickly turn from that perfect amber color to a dark burnt color. I recommend using a light colored pan so you can see the color of the sugar better! 

For the full ingredient list and method, see the recipe card at the end of this post.

STEP 1: Mix. Combine sugar, salt, cream of tartar, and water.

STEP 2: Stir. Stir very well with a rubber spatula.

STEP 3: Heat. Cook until it turns medium amber.

STEP 4: Add cream. Remove from heat and add heavy cream.

STEP 5: Stir. Quickly mix in the cream until fully combined.

STEP 6: Mix and cool. Add butter & vanilla and stir fully, then chill in a glass jar.

Expert Baking Tips

• Use a rubber spatula to ensure the sugar is mixed properly and nothing sticks to the sides of the pan.
• Please see process photos above for a better of idea of the shade of "medium amber" you are looking for in the sugar.
• Be sure your heavy cream and butter are room temp before adding to the caramelized sugar to avoid the sugar seizing up.
• The caramel thickens up significantly after chilling in the fridge overnight.
• Store this caramel sauce in the fridge for about 2-3 weeks.

All of the recipes on this blog are carefully developed with gram measurements so you can easily recreate them in your own kitchen with success. Volume measurements are extremely inaccurate and leave room for significant errors. Not all measuring cups are made equally, so your one cup of flour will be different from my one cup of flour. By providing precise measurements in grams (aside from minor ingredients, which are given in tsp/tbsp), you can make these recipes accurately and with less cleanup! All you need is this kitchen scale. 

If this still isn't enough to convince you, I have provided volume measurements in the recipe card. If you are interested in understanding the conversions, this is the best conversion chart.

But trust me, once you try baking in grams you'll never turn back!

Happy baking! x