There is nothing more delicious than soft, gooey, caramel sauce for your ice cream! This easy caramel sauce recipe will become a favorite!
Making caramel sauce is easy and only takes four ingredients!
Here’s how you do it. First, gather your ingredients together:
Ingredients for Easy Caramel Sauce for Ice Cream
Heavy cream (not whipped cream or whipping cream–make sure the carton says “heavy” on it–the fat content should be between 36% and 40%)
Salted butter
Granulated sugar
Salt
Instructions for Easy Caramel Sauce for Ice Cream
Get a medium-sized saucepan and place it on the stove over medium-high heat.
Add the granulated sugar and stir occasionally until it all melts and turns a lovely amber color. The sugar will clump up at first, but then separate as it melts.
Once it has all melted and turned medium-brown, add the butter. It will sputter and get frothy, so I suggest you wear oven mitts from this point on. Keep stirring until all the butter has been incorporated.
Now add the cream by slowly pouring it down the side of the pan while whisking. (Here’s where the oven mitts really come in clutch). There will be a lot of steam. Keep stirring! Turn down the heat if the mixture is rising to the top of the pan. Just keep whisking until all (or most) of the lumps are gone.
Remove from the heat and add the salt. This creates more of a salted caramel. If you don’t want that, reduce the amount of salt, or leave it out altogether (since you’ve already used salted butter).
Now just wait for it to cool (if you can) and then add to a jar or other airtight container and store in the refrigerator. The caramel sauce will thicken as it cools. Don’t expect it to be very thick when it’s hot.
This sauce stays soft and gooey, even when chilled. It is the perfect addition to ice cream, like my German Chocolate Ice Cream…
…and my Chocolate Caramel Toffee Ice Cream.
(Recipes for both of these amazing flavors can be found in my Ice Cream Inspiration Cookbook! Get yours today!)
If you want your caramel sauce to be warm when serving, just microwave it for about 15 seconds and stir.
Also, if it never makes it to the ice cream and you just eat it by the spoonful, I won’t judge 🙂
Easy Caramel Sauce for Ice Cream
Gooey, sweet, and slightly salty caramel is the perfect addition to your ice cream.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons heavy cream
- 1/4 cup salted butter (half a stick), cut into 4 Tablespoons
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Add the sugar to a medium-sized saucepan on the stove over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon or whisk until sugar melts, clumps up, then separates and turns a medium-brown/amber color. (Do not leave the stove. You must tend to the sugar the whole time. If it gets too dark, it will burn).
- Add the butter and stir constantly until the butter is incorporated. The butter will bubble and get frothy. (Please protect your hands by using oven mitts or holding your spoon or whisk with a hot pad).
- Once the butter has been mixed in, slowly pour the heavy cream down the side of the pan, whisking or stirring the whole time. This will cause a lot of bubbling and steam. Turn down the heat if the mixture is rising to the top of the pan. (Again, please protect your hands during this step).
- After the heavy cream has been mixed in, remove the caramel from the heat and add the salt. Stir and set aside to cool at room temperature for at least half an hour.
- Transfer to a glass jar or other airtight container and store in the refrigerator. Caramel will thicken as it cools.
Notes
To reheat caramel, pop in the microwave for 15 seconds and stir. This caramel will stay soft in your homemade ice cream, even when frozen.
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