Brown Sugar Caramel Sauce without cream is a smooth and luscious dessert topping, dipping sauce for apples and pretzels, and a thoughtful homemade gift idea.
It's quick and easy, too! All you need are 6 ingredients and about 10 minutes. No candy thermometer required.
It's incredible drizzled over Banoffee Ice Cream Cake, Chocolate Caramel Poke Cake, and No-Bake Banana Pudding Pie.
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✅At a Glance: Homemade Caramel Sauce without Cream
- Simple ingredients: Brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, evaporated milk. No heavy cream.
- No candy thermometer needed!
- Cooks on the stove in under 10 minutes
- Makes 2 cups, 16 servings
- Versatile: Perfect for drizzling, dipping, or gifting!
The first time I made brown sugar caramel sauce without heavy cream was for this Pumpkin Bundt Cake recipe. And let me tell you, it was quite an experiment. I tinkered with it so many times we had at least five jars of different caramel sauce recipes in the fridge!
I wasn't just trying to nail the flavor, I also tested different ways of cooling, reheating, and freezing it to get the texture just right. Some caramel sauces can turn grainy, especially after reheating. Want my secret to the smoothest texture? Corn syrup.
🤎Ingredients
- Dark brown sugar. Brown sugar gives it the most amazing flavor of deep caramel-slash-butterscotch in a short amount of time. I like dark brown sugar for the richer flavor, but light brown sugar also works. I don't recommend white sugar in this recipe. It will not have the same amber color or deep, rich flavor.
- Unsalted butter. I always use unsalted butter to better control the salt levels. If you use salted butter, you may wish to use less salt.
- Light corn syrup. Corn syrup is a type of invert sugar, that helps keep caramel sauce from crystallizing. It's not the same thing as high fructose corn syrup.
- Evaporated milk. Caramel sauce with milk is perfectly creamy with rich flavor -- no heavy cream necessary.
- Salt. A little bit of salt is necessary to enhance the flavors in this brown sugar caramel. To make your own homemade salted caramel sauce, feel free to add another ½ teaspoon of sea salt or regular table salt.
- Cinnamon, optional. This is totally optional, but ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon is a great way to add flavor to this basic caramel recipe. I added cinnamon to the caramel sauce in the photos in this post -- it's delicious!
🥣How to Make Caramel Sauce without Heavy Cream
Step 1: Place the brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, evaporated milk, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
Step 2: Whisk and stir while the butter melts, the sugar dissolves, and the caramel mixture comes to a boil. Boil and stir for about 2 minutes. Remove pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
Step 3: Pour the hot caramel sauce into a heat-proof glass jar or bowl to cool.
Don't worry if it seems too thin and liquidy at first. It thickens as it cools to the perfect drizzling consistency.
Step 4: Serve warm drizzled over your favorite desserts, or at room temperature as a dipping sauce.
Cool the caramel sauce completely before storing it in the refrigerator. Otherwise, it can become grainy.
💡Tips for Smooth & Creamy Caramel Sauce without Cream
- Don't skip the corn syrup. It keeps the caramel mixture from crystallizing.
- Are you a cook-by-thermometer person like me? Boil until it reaches 225 degrees.
- Cool the caramel sauce completely before refrigerating to keep it from getting grainy.
- Adjust the flavors to your liking with cinnamon or more salt.
🍨Serving Suggestions
I love Brown Sugar Caramel Sauce drizzled over cakes, pies, and ice cream. It also makes a delicious dip. Try it with:
- No-Bake Cheesecake
- Apple Pie with Graham Cracker Crust
- Caramel Apple Dip
- Pineapple Bread Pudding
- Oatmeal or coffee
- Apples, pretzels, cookies, or cinnamon chips
- As a homemade holiday gift for neighbors and co-workers
🧊Storage, Freezing & Reheating
- How to store leftover caramel sauce without cream. Cool completely, then store it in a covered mason jar or airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks. Let it come to room temperature or reheat before use.
- How to freeze caramel sauce. Cool completely, then freeze in a freezer-safe container (not glass). Thaw in the refrigerator.
- How to reheat caramel sauce. Warm in the microwave in 30-second increments, stirring in between, or in a saucepan over medium-low heat until warm.
❓FAQs
No. Because it has a soft consistency, this caramel sauce without cream will not work well as a cake or cupcake filling or frosting.
Grainy caramel sauce happens when the sugar crystallizes. This can be a result of undissolved sugar crystals, temperature fluctuations, or a host of other factors. But don't worry if your creamy caramel sauce becomes gritty. It's so easy to fix!
Place the caramel sauce and a tablespoon or two of water in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk and bring the mixture to a boil until it's smooth again. You can also reheat it until bubbly in the microwave. Cool the caramel completely at room temperature before storing it in the refrigerator.
Brown sugar contains molasses, which gives the caramel sauce a deep amber color and complex flavor with hints of toffee and butterscotch sauce. Using brown sugar in your caramel sauce will result in a richer, more robust taste.
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📖 Recipe
Brown Sugar Caramel Sauce without Cream
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons corn syrup
- 6 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup evaporated milk
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, optional
Instructions
- Place the brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, evaporated milk, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk and stir while the caramel mixture melts together and comes to a boil. Boil and stir for 2 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. If you're using cinnamon, add it now.
- Place the caramel sauce in a heat-proof jar or bowl to cool. Serve warm over cake, ice cream, pie, cheesecake, or stir into coffee or oatmeal.
- Cool completely at room temperature. Store covered in the refrigerator. Reheat in the microwave in 30-second increments until warm.
Notes
- If you're a cook-by-thermometer person, boil the caramel until it reaches 225 degrees.
- A little corn syrup keeps the caramel mixture from crystallizing. Don't skip it!
- Cool the caramel sauce completely before refrigerating.
- Feel free to adjust the flavors of your caramel sauce with cinnamon or more salt.
Nutrition
Recipe inspired by this caramel sauce recipe by Ree Drummond on Food Network.
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