Homemade Salted Caramel

In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, add the sugar and melt down over medium heat.

Stir occasionally at first, as it will take a few minutes (longer if using an electric stovetop) to see any changes in the sugar. As clumps start to form, stir constantly until it’s completely melted down.

Once melted, depending on if you used a gas or electric stove top, the sugar should either be a rich amber color or a light golden. If it’s rich amber, remove from heat and move on to the next step. If it’s lighter in color, stop stirring and allow it to caramelize and darken. It will only take 1-2 minutes for it to turn that rich amber color. Don’t step away from the stove as this happens quickly.

Take the pot off the burner and quickly whisk in the butter all at once. Whisk for about 30 seconds (it may not fully combine and that’s OK).

Quickly pour in the heavy cream and whisk again. Keep whisking until it’s smooth and fluid. *if yours clumps up, see my notes in the post about troubleshooting your caramel.

Finally, whisk in the vanilla and sea salt.

Pour into a glass jar or any heat safe container (it will be very thin at this point).

Cover and transfer to the fridge where it will last for up to 2 weeks. The caramel will thicken quite a bit once chilled, so warm it for about 15-30 seconds in the microwave to get the consistency seen in the images here.

See just above this recipe card for all of my salted caramel dessert recipes to put your homemade caramel to good use!