More and more people are drinking their daily coffee with a touch of caramel flavoring. The only problem is that store-bought caramel syrup is loaded with sugar and artificial ingredients.
You can make your own caramel sauce at home, though, using a few simple ingredients and tools.
It’s no secret that adding a little caramel to your coffee can make it taste amazing. But buying a cup of coffee with caramel sauce mixed in can get pretty pricey, pretty quickly. So, why not try making your own?
In this article, you’ll learn how to make caramel sauce at home, which requires little time. Let’s get started!
What is caramel sauce?
Caramel sauce is a delicious topping for various coffee drinks. It’s made from sugar and water that are heated until they turn into a thick, amber-colored syrup. Then, some cream is added to give it its characteristic smooth texture.
The key to making good caramel sauce is to cook the sugar until it turns a deep amber color.
This deep amber color will give the sauce its characteristic flavor and sweetness. If the sugar is cooked too long, it will turn into burnt sugar and taste bitter instead of sweet.
Below, you’ll find the small list of ingredients needed to make this caramel sauce and a step-by-step guide, so you can start making this caramel sauce at home.
Which ingredients are used in this caramel sauce?
The ingredients in caramel sauce are sugar and cream. Sugar is the main ingredient, and cream is used to make the caramel sauce thicker and richer.
A little splash of water is added to prevent burning the sugar from the start. Optionally, you can add a pinch of salt to your caramel sauce for a unique flavor, but more on this later.
I like to collect all the ingredients before starting with the recipe, so I know I don’t miss anything.
You can make caramel sauce with many different types of sugars, including white sugar and brown sugar. I prefer white sugar as this melts the best and gives it the best flavor. I found that brown sugar can be too overpowering.
You can make this caramel sauce with different types of cream, such as heavy cream, but you can use half-and-half or milk as well.
Although the flavor will be slightly different, using milk in this recipe is totally fine. The flavor will be less rich, but you’ll still get a silky smooth caramel sauce.
How do you make caramel sauce at home?
You can easily make caramel sauce at home in just four simple steps. You can scroll down to get to the complete recipe, but here’s a quick overview:
- Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring to combine. Cook until the sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture is clear. Do not stir anymore once the sugar has dissolved, or you’ll risk crystallizing your caramel.
- Increase the heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil—cook without stirring until it reaches a deep amber color.
- Remove from heat and slowly add in the cream while constantly whisking (the mixture will bubble up quite a bit, so be careful!)
- Let the caramel sauce cool before storing it.
That’s all there is to it. The hardest part of this recipe is reaching the right sugar color, so the flavor is at its best.
Below, I’ll talk more about the best way to store your caramel sauce, and I’ve also listed the complete recipe for this sauce after that.
What is the best way to store this caramel sauce?
Caramel sauce is best stored in the fridge or freezer. When stored in the fridge, sealed in a container, it will last up to a week.
When stored in the freezer, sealed in a container, it will last up to three months. When you are ready to use it, let it thaw out at room temperature or microwave on low heat until melted.
I like to store my caramel sauce in a mason jar when putting it in the fridge. This way, I can easily take a few tablespoons out of it and put the lid back on.
You could also use a glass flask with a pouring spout to easily pour or drizzle some over your freshly brewed coffee.
Caramel Sauce for Coffee
This caramel sauce can be used for so many coffee recipes and also tastes great in your daily morning cup!
Ingredients
- 1 cup (250 grams) of white granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (0.12 l) of heavy cream
- 1/4 cup (0.06 l) of water
- Optional: a pinch of salt
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and water.
- Cook this over medium heat, frequently stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved.
- Raise the heat to high and bring it to a boil. Do not stir anymore from this point on, but swirl the pan occasionally.
- The syrup will start to turn a light amber color.
- Cook until it reaches a deep amber color. This will take about five minutes, depending on how high your heat is.
- Remove from the heat and carefully add the cream (the mixture will bubble up violently, so be careful!).
- Keep stirring gently until the bubbles have subsisted, the sauce has thickened, and you're left with a silky smooth caramel sauce.
- Optionally, add the salt and stir to combine.
- Let it cool completely, and then store it in a jar of choice. You can check out my favorite ways of storing it by looking above this recipe card.
Notes
Please make sure to use a saucepan big enough, so your caramel sauce doesn't overflow while making it!
Nutrition Information:
Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 66Total Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 7mgSodium: 2.1mgCarbohydrates: 13gSugar: 13g
Recipes with caramel sauce to try
There are so many ways to use caramel sauce for coffee. I like to use it for my morning coffee to give it a bit more flavor.
Depending on the weather and your preference, you can use this caramel sauce for hot and iced coffees.
Below, I’ve listed a few hot coffees that use this caramel sauce as its sweetener:
Do you prefer drinking iced coffee? Then the following recipes are a delicious treat you need to try:
As you can see, there are a ton of recipes that use this homemade caramel sauce as a sweetener.
For me, caramel sauce is one of the best sauces to add to coffee. It has such a delicious flavor and combines well with pretty much all other flavorings.
How many calories are in this caramel sauce?
The number of calories in caramel sauce will vary depending on the way you prepare this recipe. However, most caramel sauces contain around 55-70 calories per serving.
If you’re sticking to the recipe and are using heavy cream, this caramel sauce will have a total of 66 calories per serving.
This recipe made with whole milk as a substitute will have 55 calories per serving, but it will be less creamy. A serving is one tablespoon, this recipe makes 16 servings.
Conclusion
There are so many great ways to enjoy this caramel sauce, and I hope you’ll give it a try!
Remember that the key is using high-quality ingredients and letting them do all of the work for you.
I like that you can make this recipe within a few minutes and that it works so well with many different coffees.
If you like making different coffee flavorings, you might want to have a look below for some more add-ins you can make to level up your daily coffees!
