Recipes/ Sweets

Easy Caramel Sauce

easy caramel sauce dip brown sugar dessert

Does caramel ever really need a lengthy introduction? I mean, it’s CARAMEL…we already know it’s amazing right?! This Easy Caramel Sauce however is made with brown sugar instead of white so it’s rich and tastes amazing on pretty much anything….seriously anything!

You start by adding the sugar, butter and water to the pan. How could anything that starts with those ingredients taste anything but great right?!

Easy Caramel Sauce, caramel, homemade caramel sauce, caramel sauce with brown sugar

Once melted, you boil that for 5 minutes. It’s going to bubble like crazy but it’s totally fine. Just stir it to keep it from burning on the bottom.

Easy Caramel Sauce, caramel, homemade caramel sauce, caramel sauce with brown sugar

After the 5 minutes, take it off of the heat and add in your evaporated milk and vanilla and stir until it stops bubbling and is completely smooth.

Easy Caramel Sauce, caramel, homemade caramel sauce, caramel sauce with brown sugar

That’s it!

Easy Caramel Sauce, caramel, homemade caramel sauce, caramel sauce with brown sugar

easy caramel sauce dip brown sugar dessert

Easy Caramel Sauce

Ingredients
  

  • 1 stick butter
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp water
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/3 - 1/2 cup evaporated milk depending on the consistency you want
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions
 

  • In a saucepan over medium heat, add your butter, brown sugar, water, and salt.
  • Bring to a full boil then immediately lower to a simmer (medium/low) for 5 minutes while stirring occasionally. 
  • In a separate cup, add the vanilla extract to your evaporated milk. That way you can add it all in to the pot at once. 
  • Once your mixture has been simmering for 5 minutes, remove it from the heat and slowly pour in your evaporated milk/vanilla mixture. It's going to bubble up like crazy but just keep stirring until it all comes together. 
  • Make sure you cool it down before serving so it's not piping hot! 

Notes

I like to start with adding only about 1/3 cup of the evaporated milk at first and then going from there. The sauce will thicken up as the caramel cools down. (in the pictures from this post, I used 1/2 cup of the milk)
You can keep this in the fridge and just warm it up for about 20-30 seconds in the microwave when you're ready to use it. 
MAKES 1.5 CUPS
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment!

Easy Caramel Sauce, caramel, homemade caramel sauce, caramel sauce with brown sugar

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45 Comments

  • Reply
    Michelle @ Vitamin Sunshine
    January 19, 2017 at 11:39 pm

    This looks crazy good. I just photographed a hot fudge recipe for Valentine’s Day. Maybe our sauces should get together and have an ice cream party.

    • Reply
      Coco and Ash
      January 22, 2017 at 10:11 am

      Haha!! Yes! Chocolate caramel party!!

  • Reply
    Amanda
    January 19, 2017 at 11:56 pm

    This looks super easy and I have never made my own caramel! I’ll try this recipe out for sure!!

  • Reply
    Debra C.
    January 20, 2017 at 12:10 am

    Homemade caramel sauce is the best and your pictures look just mouthwatering!

  • Reply
    Brian Jones
    January 20, 2017 at 1:12 am

    Oh boy that looks so sticky and indulgent, nice job!

  • Reply
    Nicola @ Happy
    January 20, 2017 at 2:48 am

    I LOVE homemade caramel, but I’ve never tried it with brown sugar or condensed milk. Super excited to try your version!

    • Reply
      Cynthia
      May 16, 2020 at 4:45 pm

      I have tried 4 other online recipes for caramel sauce and this was the best! And it was quick and easy!

  • Reply
    Cinnamon Sugar Banana Donuts – Coco and Ash
    January 22, 2017 at 12:31 pm

    […] difficult at all! And if you REALLY want to go all out (trust me…you do!), make them with my caramel dipping sauce on the side. (Tip: You can make the caramel sauce and the donut dough the night […]

  • Reply
    Yaz
    January 9, 2019 at 2:52 pm

    Boiling for five minutes created a smokey burnt mess. Keep temp lower maybe?

    • Reply
      Coco and Ash
      January 10, 2019 at 10:58 am

      Hi there, definitely try it on a lower temperature. Everyone’s stove-top, pans, heat differently. So I would definitely keep a close eye on it and try a lower temp.

  • Reply
    Krista
    January 8, 2020 at 2:01 pm

    Mine actually came out looking like the picture. A major feat for me!

  • Reply
    Crystal Allen
    January 14, 2020 at 8:07 am

    How long does it keep for ?

    • Reply
      Coco and Ash
      January 19, 2020 at 1:04 pm

      I’d say about a week in the fridge. 🙂

  • Reply
    Ashley Stewart
    April 8, 2020 at 8:57 pm

    Would it be okay to change the brown sugar to regular sugar?????

    • Reply
      Coco and Ash
      April 9, 2020 at 6:37 pm

      For this recipe to turn out with the right results, I’d stick with brown 🙂

    • Reply
      Alicia
      September 29, 2021 at 4:44 pm

      If you don’t have brown sugar, you can always sub sugar & molasses. I’ve done it twice with this recipe. So freaking good!

  • Reply
    Natalie
    April 10, 2020 at 8:14 pm

    Great recipe to use up evaporated milk! Thanks 🙂
    A helpful tip I’ve picked up throughout years of experimenting with various caramels: heat the milk and vanilla 30sec-1min in microwave before adding to caramel (I did this when the butter mixture had been boiling for 4 mins). This helps to prevent caramel sauce from bubbling over and spitting back at you as it does when cold ingredients are added.

  • Reply
    Cookie Butter Again…Sweet! | Sister Sweetly
    June 13, 2020 at 8:07 pm

    […] *recipe from Coco and Ash […]

  • Reply
    Ruth MacKenzie
    August 13, 2020 at 5:10 pm

    Is a stick of butter a quarter of a cup or a half of a cup?

    • Reply
      Coco and Ash
      August 13, 2020 at 8:03 pm

      I stick is half a cup

      • Reply
        Diane Stonehouse
        March 19, 2024 at 7:21 pm

        This really was sooo good on vanilla ice-cream . Easy way to make this perfect sauce. I just wanted to use up the carnation milk. Thanks for sharing . Diane and Sheryl.

  • Reply
    Easy Apple Pie Bread Pudding - Coco and Ash
    September 15, 2020 at 1:00 pm

    […] brown. In my opinion, you HAVE to serve this with a scoop of ice cream and some caramel sauce (click here for a homemade caramel) but it’s up to you to devour as you see […]

  • Reply
    Caramel Apple Cheesecake - Coco and Ash
    October 30, 2020 at 9:25 pm

    […] caramel topping. I just quickly sauteed some apples in butter and cinnamon and drizzled with this easy caramel sauce, also made with brown sugar for extra rich caramel goodness. You’ll have some left over but […]

  • Reply
    Gramma Di
    November 14, 2020 at 4:48 pm

    This caramel sauce is sooooo easy and soooooooo good! Served it with white cake and ice-cream . It is the best!

  • Reply
    Maya
    November 18, 2020 at 2:27 pm

    This is the first caramel recipe that has worked for me ! It came out wonderful definitely will use this recipe again!

  • Reply
    Theresa
    November 24, 2020 at 2:28 pm

    Is this sauce good for dipping apples or will it slide off?

    • Reply
      Coco and Ash
      November 24, 2020 at 4:05 pm

      I can’t guarantee it won’t slide but it’s delicious with apples! It’s not as thick as a store bought apple dip though.

  • Reply
    Constance Nora
    August 3, 2021 at 12:28 pm

    I just love to this recipe I’m from new Orleans and I make our caramel candy but I wanted to make it into a sauce using the exact same ingredients this is perfect I did a little dance it was that awesome so thanks so much evaporated milk is way better to use to than regular milk , heavy cream , half n half etc is has more deep flavor that’s makes up the sauce so every one give it a try you won’t regret it

  • Reply
    Amber
    October 7, 2021 at 4:34 pm

    I followed the recipe but mine did not bubble at all when adding the evaporated milk. What might I have done wrong?

    • Reply
      Coco and Ash
      October 11, 2021 at 9:04 pm

      You might need to adjust the heat. Sorry it didnt work for you!

  • Reply
    Claire
    August 20, 2022 at 10:43 am

    Came out perfect, so rich and delicious. Thank you!

  • Reply
    Aisha
    September 4, 2022 at 12:20 pm

    Been looking for a super easy recipe for caramel sauce,I make my own caramel candies and I need sauce now too!! Getting ready to throw it down in the kitchen 🤞

  • Reply
    Random baker
    September 4, 2022 at 7:28 pm

    This caramel is way better than the stuff I made in culinary school!

    • Reply
      Coco and Ash
      September 4, 2022 at 7:32 pm

      Aw thank you so much!! I appreciate the compliment!

  • Reply
    Jenny S
    November 21, 2022 at 4:38 pm

    If I want to add a touch of heat to the caramel to drizzle over roasted sweet potatoes, how much cayenne should I add?

    • Reply
      Coco and Ash
      November 21, 2022 at 4:39 pm

      I would start with 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon, taste then add more if needed 🙂

  • Reply
    Ashley Penn
    November 23, 2022 at 8:39 am

    Decided to make some since I had leftover evaporated milk from making my pumpkin pie. It was so easy and SO good! I’m gonna use it as a drizzle on my apple pie. I’m NEVER buying storebought caramel sauce again!

  • Reply
    Busola
    January 21, 2023 at 6:30 am

    Just made it this morning, turned out well, exactly like your pictures. I love the taste, thank you for the recipe

  • Reply
    Leslie
    January 28, 2023 at 4:02 pm

    It tastes wonderful, but I used a half cup of evaporated milk and it was too thin😔

  • Reply
    Michal
    February 20, 2023 at 12:10 pm

    Can I use this to make a caramel cream cheese frosting?

  • 4.50 from 22 votes (6 ratings without comment)

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