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caramel sauce dripping in a glass

Caramel Sauce | 2 Ways

Learn how to make amazing caramel sauce with 2 methods: dry caramel and wet caramel.
Author ayacaliva
Total Time 15 minutes
Course filling, sauce
Servings 1 16 oz container
5 from 1 vote
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Equipment

  • Pot
  • Spatula Heat resistant
  • (Brush or a lid for wet caramel)

Ingredients

  • 7 oz Granulated sugar 1 US cup
  • 2.3 oz Water. * Only for wet caramel ¼ US cup
  • 5.3 oz Heavy cream ⅔ US cup
  • ⅓ - ¼ pod Vanilla Beans Or use vanilla extract: 1 tsp
  • ¼ teaspoon Salt
  • 1.76 oz (Unsalted butter *Optional) 3.5 Tbsp

Instructions
 

Preparation

  • * Cut butter into smaller pieces. 
    * Scrape off the vanilla beans and add that to the heavy cream in advance. Today, we are adding the pod as well.
    * Heat heavy cream. Ensure it is hot when you add it to the caramel. 
    * Prepare a clean pot. Any liquid or impurity can affect the final result.

Dry Caramel

  • Heat water and sugar.
    7 oz Granulated sugar
    heating granulated sugar in a pod
  • Once it starts caramelizing in one spot, turn your pot to even out the color:
    Turn the heat down to low heat quickly so the caramelization proceeds more slowly.
    The caramelization always starts from the edges, from the edges toward the center. So blend caramel and sugar inward. 
    Try not to let the sugar touch the edges since it will be harder to remove it later once it sticks there.
    If you see small pieces of sugar in the caramel at this point, mix well to eliminate it or crush it with a spatula.
    And once it turns into a nice amber color and everything is melted, remove it from the heat.
    blending sugar and caramel in a pod
  • Add heavy cream (and vanilla beans or extract) to the caramel:
    And add a vanilla pod and ⅓ of hot, heavy cream right away. Add the rest of the heavy cream once they are blended roughly. 
    Add heavy cream while the caramel is fluid and extremely hot before it starts getting hardened.
    5.3 oz Heavy cream, ⅓ - ¼ pod Vanilla Beans
    adding a vanilla pod and heavy cream in hot caramel a pod
  • Add salt (& butter) and mix.
    ¼ teaspoon Salt, 1.76 oz (Unsalted butter *Optional)
    adding butter and salt in caramel sauce in a pod
  • Heat the caramel sauce one more time.:
    Once you see that all the caramel is melted and looks nice and smooth, it is done!
    heating caramel sauce in a pod

Wet Caramel

  • Heat water and sugar:
    Ensure that the sugar is wet completely before heating.
    Do not move the pot or mix the syrup until it starts caramelizing partially.
    7 oz Granulated sugar, 2.3 oz Water. * Only for wet caramel
    heating sugar and water in a pod
  • Once it starts caramelizing in one spot, turn your pot to even out the color:
    As soon as you see the light caramelization partially, turn the heat to low heat.
    Repeat this as you heat until you reach the color you want. Keep in mind that the caramel gets slightly darker with the remaining heat before you add heavy cream. 
    bubbling caramel in a pod
  • Add heavy cream (and vanilla beans or extract) to the caramel:
    Remove from heat quickly and add a vanilla pod and about ⅓ of heavy cream right away. And once it’s roughly mixed, add the rest.
    Don't wait too long, and add heavy cream right away before the caramel cools down and gets harder.
    5.3 oz Heavy cream, ⅓ - ¼ pod Vanilla Beans
    adding heavy cream in hot caramel
  • Add salt (& butter) and mix.
    ¼ teaspoon Salt, 1.76 oz (Unsalted butter *Optional)
    adding butter in bubbling caramel sauce
  • Heat the caramel sauce one more time:
    Once you see that all the caramel is melted and it looks nice and smooth, it is done!
    mixing bubbling caramel in a pod

Video

Notes

How to store caramel sauce:

Store in an air-tight container.
In the refrigerators: for up to 2 weeks.
In the freezer: for up to a few months.
 
** For best results, measure ingredients with a scale. All recipes are designed with weighed ingredients using grams/ounces. Cup measurements are provided for your convenience. **

Nutrition

Calories: 1639kcal | Carbohydrates: 204g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 95g | Saturated Fat: 60g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 24g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 277mg | Sodium: 633mg | Potassium: 159mg | Sugar: 204g | Vitamin A: 3455IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 115mg | Iron: 0.3mg
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