Brown Sugar Caramel Sauce is a quick and easy recipe you can make in about 10 minutes with 6 ingredients. And no candy thermometer!
Luxuriously smooth and creamy, it's a delicious caramel sauce topping for Banoffee Ice Cream Cake, Chocolate Caramel Poke Cake, and No-Bake Banana Pudding Pie, dipping sauce for apples and pretzels, and makes a fabulous gift.
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The first time I made brown sugar caramel sauce was for this Pumpkin Bundt Cake recipe. I was amazed by the smooth, luscious texture and rich caramel flavor from such a fast and easy caramel sauce recipe.
This simple caramel sauce without cream comes together with six simple ingredients you might already have, and you can make it in about 10 minutes. The best part, it's completely fuss-free and foolproof -- no candy thermometer necessary!
This caramel sauce has a thin, liquid consistency when it's hot. As the caramel cools, it thickens to the perfect consistency for drizzling over No-Bake Cheesecake, Apple Pie with Graham Cracker Crust, or a simple scoop of vanilla ice cream. When cooled to room temperature, it's a delicious and easy caramel dip for apples, pretzels, cookies, or cinnamon chips.
Why You're Going to Love This Recipe
- Delicious caramel dessert topping or dipping sauce
- Foolproof homemade caramel sauce recipe without a candy thermometer
- Lusciously smooth and creamy caramel without heavy cream
- Easy caramel recipe that makes great homemade gifts
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 whipping 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 salt. You can use 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 without 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, or until the mixture reaches 225 on a candy thermometer. Remove 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.
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.
Success Tips
- A little corn syrup keeps the caramel mixture from crystallizing.
- Cool the caramel sauce completely before refrigerating.
- Feel free to adjust the flavors of your caramel sauce with cinnamon or more salt.
FAQs
Store leftover caramel sauce 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.
Yes! Reheat caramel sauce in the microwave in 30-second increments, stirring in between, or in a saucepan over medium-low heat until warm.
Yes. Freeze caramel sauce in a freezer-safe container (not glass). Thaw in the refrigerator.
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
Nutrition
Recipe inspired by this caramel sauce recipe by Ree Drummond on Food Network.
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