My husband Dave loves caramel sauce on his ice cream—or, perhaps more accurately, he loves caramel sauce, chocolate sauce, and peanuts on his ice cream. And while I’ve already learned how to make homemade chocolate sauce that’s every bit as good as what we usually get at the store, I hadn’t attempted making caramel sauce until now.
I looked around a lot of different recipes, but when I saw this one from Ree Drummond, I knew I had found “the one.” (Her recipes tend to be easy to follow and rarely feature complex methods or ingredients, and this caramel sauce recipe is no exception.)
Give it a try—I’m sure you’ll find it every bit as delicious as Dave and I do!
Easy Homemade Caramel Sauce
adapted from The Pioneer Woman (via Food Network)
Ingredients:
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup half and half
- 4 Tbsp butter
- Pinch of salt
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
Directions:
Combine the brown sugar, half and half, butter, and salt in a saucepan and place it over medium-low heat. Cook while whisking gently for 5 to 7 minutes until the mixture thickens.
Add the vanilla and cook 1 more minute, then remove from heat. Let the caramel sauce cool slightly before pouring it into an airtight jar and storing it in your fridge.
Like I said, easy!
7 Delicious Ways To Use Homemade Caramel Sauce
- Drizzle it on ice cream for an amazing sundae.
- Dip apple slices into it.
- Stir some into your yogurt or oatmeal at breakfast.
- Drizzle it over popcorn for the most amazing caramel popcorn ever.
- Dip pretzels in it for a sweet and salty treat.
- Drizzle it on pancakes or waffles.
- Add a tablespoon or two to coffee or hot cocoa.
Got any other tasty caramel sauce ideas? Share them in a comment below!
Homemade Caramel Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup half and half
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Mix the brown sugar, half-and-half, butter, and salt in a saucepan over medium-low heat.
- Cook while whisking gently for 5 to 7 minutes, until thickened.
- Add the vanilla and cook another minute to thicken further.
- Turn off the heat, cool slightly and pour the sauce into a jar. Refrigerate until cold.
So surprised to see my morning yumminess here today! This really is a good base recipe to add flavorings to as well. With the change in season here…add some pumpkin spice! Amazing!!
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Vicky
Does anyone have a hazelnut creamer recipe? We go through a quart of that a week and I’d much rather make it myself to avoid all the “extra” ingredients.
Thanks!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I would add some hazelnut extract to the mix! Try it in a small batch to adjust the ratios of flavoring a to creamer. Sounds yummy!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I would love to try this do you have a dairy free version!! I love love caramel!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Half-and-half is a bit rich for me, but I think this would work with evaporated milk. That comes in a fat free version. I use the regular evaporated milk in my coffee already – this would make it even more yummy!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I was just telling my husband I wanted to find a recipe for homemade coffee creamer and when I got online this morning, my prayers were answered! Gonna give this a try this morning after the kids are off to school and a quick run to the store :) Thanks Jillee!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Pinning post haste….Love it :)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Any tips on how to make this more diabetic friendly?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Cathy, I do know that Splenda has a brown sugar. But I did wonder the same thing. I am pre-diabetic and hubby is full blown. =) I just has to take a pill before eating, no shots, yet. I does run in my family, but not his. He is diabetic due to pancreatitis. He also can’t have anything with alcohol in it.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.We have Pero! But my husband drinks coffee every day and while he used to use coffeemate creamer (uggh! horrible!) I have now switched him to the liquid stevia french vanilla flavored, along with raw whole milk. Tastes similar, but no bad stuff, much fewer calories and good enzymes from the raw milk. I want to try this for the caramel flavor of it :)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I love to use coffee creamer to flavor oatmeal or eat with granola but it is so expensive! I can’t wait to try this out!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Good idea Mjika! I didn’t even think about oatmeal! yummm!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.DC Adams, I bet you could make the caramel with just sugar & water, then add coconut milk to it. That would be yummy and dairy free! Valeen, half and half is (like the name suggests) 1/2 milk and 1/2 heavy cream. Just substitute those two things. I’m a coffee creamer addict, I can’t wait to try this recipe! Mmmm
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thanks for the idea i will try it !!!! now all i have to do is by some coconut milk!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’m not a coffee drinker but you can bet your sweet bippy (?) that I’m making that caramel sauce!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I can’t believe I found this!! We recently decided to start the 100 Days of Real Food pledges and giving up my vanilla caramel creamer was going to be the hardest part for me, even with the substitution of maple syrup it just isn’t the same. So excited to try this!!
We do not have Half&Half here in Canada (at least not in my part) do you happen to know what the percentage is (10, 18, 35?)? Or what other cream could be substituted?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.It’s half cream, half whole milk, so ~12% butterfat. You could certainly substitute light cream (for a richer creamer) or whole milk (for a slightly thinner, lighter creamer). HTH!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.The Canadian equivalent to Half & Half is Blend Cream! Figured that one out myself awhile ago. :)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Any help for those of us who are lactose intolerant?!? No ice cream, no milk, no half-n-half, no skim milk, no cheese…boo hoo. Thank you for all of your great ideas. (Just did a load of towels using your softener. Yeah!)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.i would try vanilla almond or soy milk. it might change the taste just a bit, but it is almost as thick as half and half. my daughter cant have milk either and she loves the pure almond vanilla milk. i was thinking about making the caramel with it so she could have some too. :)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I use coconut milk for these kinds of things.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Always finding “good things” here! I’ve been buying the natural storebought flavored creamer, now I’m going to give this a whirl. Can’t wait to try it.
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