For the longest time I was completely terrified of homemade caramel sauce. It seemed so finicky to me, and getting it to just the right color without crystallization issues proved nearly impossible. Eventually I found a recipe that yielded pretty consistent results, and I’ve stuck with it. Having the ability to make caramel in my own kitchen is simultaneously a really good and really dangerous thing. Once it’s in the fridge, it’s all too easy to grab a spoon and take a taste as you’re walking past, or to decide that eating your apple plain just won’t cut it when there’s a big jar of caramel sauce in the fridge for dipping instead π It’s really good on ice cream too!
As much as I’ve had good luck with my go-to recipe, I was really intrigued when I came upon this recipe from Cook’s Illustrated. It promised perfect caramel using your microwave. Yep, the microwave! No candy thermometers, pastry brushes wiping down the side of the pot, crystallization worries, or any of the other concerns that often arise – it seemed too good to be true, so I simply had to try it. And, as you’ve probably gathered by now, it worked! Perfectly, in fact. If you’ve ever struggled with homemade caramel sauce, this is the recipe you’ll want to try next time. I’ve made the sauce several times without issue, so I think it’s safe to declare it nearly foolproof. I’ve included some photos of the process below that I think illustrate how easy the recipe is – hope they’re helpful!
Updated to add: A few friends have mentioned that 5 minutes was too long in their microwave, and that 4 worked better.Β I wish I could definitely say what will work in yours, but if you have a powerful microwave, you might want to start with 4 just in case!
The Easiest Homemade Caramel Sauce
from Cook’s Illustrated
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons corn syrup
2 tablespoons water
1/8 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 cup hot heavy cream
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Stir the sugar, corn syrup, water and lemon juice together in a 2-cup microwave-safe measuring cup or medium glass bowl. Microwave until the caramel is just barely starting to take on some color, 5-8 minutes (depending on your microwave – in mine, 5 minutes is perfect). This is the point where you really need to have faith – don’t be tempted to keep heating the caramel in the microwave until it is darker. Here’s mine when it first came out:
Barely any color at all, right? Place the measuring cup on your counter and just let it sit undisturbed. Over the next few minutes here’s what will happen:
The bubbling will subside and it’ll become easier to see the caramel getting darker…
and darker…
until it is a nice amber color.
It will take about 5 minutes for your caramel to darken once you remove it from the microwave – just keep an eye on it. In the meantime, if you haven’t already, heat your cream in a small saucepan until it is hot. If you add cold cream to the caramel sauce it will seize up, and though you can fix it by setting it over low heat and stirring, it’s easier to just start with hot cream.
Once the caramel reaches the right color, add the hot cream, a few tablespoons at a time. It will bubble up intensely, but it won’t overflow.
After you’ve added all of the cream, stir to incorporate then add the butter.
Stir until it is melted and combined. And that’s it! Couldn’t be easier, right? Just try to resist the temptation to taste it immediately – you will burn your fingers and/or tongue π
Once the caramel cools, you can store it in your fridge (it should be good for at least a few weeks). Gently reheat it when you want to use it. Later this week I’ll tell you what I did with my caramel sauce (aside from the obvious apple dipping), but here are a few ideas to hold you over until then:
Ooey Gooey Turtle Brownies
Salted Caramel Cheesecake Bars
Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls from Annie’s Eats
Candy Apple Pie from Ezra Pound Cake
{PS – For my Southeastern New England readers – If you’re a fan of Emeril Lagasse, I wanted to let you know he’ll be doing a book signing this Tuesday, October 11, at Dave’s Marketplace in East Greenwich, RI from 4-6 pm. Only books purchased at the store will be signed – I believe they’ll be selling copies of his new book, Sizzling Skillets and Other One-Pot Wonders (which you’re probably familiar with from the blogger party), as well as some older titles. If I’m feeling better (still nursing a cold), I hope to attend, so let me know if you’ll be there.}
How did I miss this one? Such a cool idea! I’m really comfortable with the regular CI recipe for caramel sauce (stovetop), but I may have to try this one just because I can’t believe how the caramel colors after it’s out of the microwave. =)
When I saw your picture, it looked just like pictures of apples and honey for Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish new year). Once I read it I thought, apples and caramel would make a great twist on tradition. Love your blog!
Super cool! I am a little terrified of making caramel, but this looks hands-off enough for me.
You’re right, I have had my reservations about making caramel sauce, but this recipe looks very easy. Thanks!
I’ve never made caramel sauce (only caramel candies). A microwave method sounds right up my alley. Pretty interesting how the color darkens after sitting. Will have to give this one a try. Looking forward to seeing what you used it for (besides apples).
This was amazing! I love your site this wasn’t the first recipe I got from you that was a huge success and I’m sure it won’t be the last!
This was amazing! I love your site. This wasn’t the first recipe that was a huge hit and I’m sure it won’t be the last. π
As much as I know I shouldn’t, I really want to give this a try. It looks terrific and so tempting. Thanks for sharing it.
Hi, this looks really good,I was wondering if you know what the lemon juice does and can it be left out, thanks, π
@Robyn – I’m not 100% sure but I think the lemon juice also helps prevent crystallization. It’s such a small amount you might be ok without it, but I haven’t tried. That said, the first time I made the sauce I didn’t have lemon juice so I just substituted another acidic ingredient – I think I used cider vinegar, and it worked great!
Wow, that looks really easy and not at all scary! I’m definitely trying this recipe the next time I need caramel!
Oh, My. I’m with Di. How did I miss this one. Fantastic. And sooo easy!!!!
this is genius! Last weekend I made homemade caramel sauce using a much more temperamental recipe. Speaking of temperamental, my temper got the best of me and a few F bombs were flinging around as I realized that I was on the verge of wasting $7 worth of expensive organic cream. I’m totally going your way next time. We’ll reserve the temper for other expensive and potentially disastrous recipes. π
i like your pictures and would like to invite you to share them on tastingspot.com
We like to do caramel apples for Halloween, so we’ll have to try this method for the caramel.
Honeycrisp are the perfect apples for caramel apples. π
This is a recipe everyone should know. Yum!
Oh, I absolutely have to give this a shot! I’ve made caramel on the stovetop, but this sounds so much simpler. Definitely giving it a try this week!
AMAZING! WOW! So cool π
Love the pictures – big help! I have never made caramel sauce before – partly because I thought it would be hard and super messy. Goign to have to try this for sure!
Wow! I am trying this next time I need to make a caramel sauce. Love this shortcut recipe…and the picture perfect results~
So simple! Love that – and good step by step directions. I would have totally started second guessing myself after that cup came out of the microwave.
Wow – this looks ridiculously easy! Going to try that!
I’ll try this–I have a basket of honeycrisp apples that are looking lonely.
Wow that looks great! I bet it’s amazing poured over vanilla ice cream π
I tried this and it was just as easy and you said! I needed caramel fast and this was perfect! Thanks!
that is easy and looks delish! i can think of many uses for it!
Looks good…I have my tried and true one that doesn’t require anything other than a pan on the stove with the ingredients and me watching it after three minutes…no thermometers, pastry brushes, etc., and one pan to clean up and one measuring cup from the cream. I think it is one of the easiest things I make…have seen all those recipes for this and that and worry and do not understand that at all. I will give yours a try to see how it compares. Thanks for the process photos, those are great.
Can you please tell me how much this makes? Thanks!
Unfortunately, I didn’t take note when I made it, and the recipe doesn’t specify, but I would estimate roughly 1 to 1 1/2 cups. Next time I make it I’ll update this post with a definitive answer!
Well, I don’t know why mine didn’t turn out — I’m guessing because my microwave is old and probably required the full 8 minutes. I cooked for 6 minutes and then put it back in for 2 more minutes after waiting the 5 minutes and not seeing the amber color. As a result, it’s very runny — like water. It tastes great but totally unusable. I followed the recipe exactly too. π
So excited! I am hooked on Starbucks caramel on my homemade late’s and they stopped selling it to the public. I am so looking forward to making my own and this sounds doable. I really appreciate the pictures to guide me in the process. Ready to go. Thanks.
Thanks! I didn’t get the amber color but that’s because I was a big chicken and didn’t let it cook in the microwave long enough. My son kept saying it was going to blow up in their. That’s what I get for listening to him. Lol. But it did taste good and was easy. The pics were SUPER DUPER helpful!
Sounds good, but I think my recipe is even easier. Place an unopened can of sweetened condensed milk in a pan of boiling water (make sure the water is over the top of the can). Boil for 4 hours. Open the can and you have delicious, perfect caramel. I use it to make my turtles and everyone loves it!
hi,
can i use Golden syrup instead of corn syrup?
thank you
I made this sauce this morning and it was everything you promised it would be. Just wonderful. I had to cook it in my microwave a little longer because it’s old, but other than that, your photos are fantastic. Thanks
This looks brilliant. I normally do not like to use corn syrup in caramel, but I might try this once for the ease and fun.
Thanks for such an easy recipe…I had been looking for something to drizzle on my Dark Chocolate Cheesecake and this is perfect…I wonder ? can I add @ 1/2 tsp Vanilla and a pinch of salt…just to change it up a little…I have a friend that likes it as is and puts it in his coffee:)thanks again.Cissy
@cissy – Yep, I think you’d be fine adding the vanilla and salt. Sound like great additions to me π Enjoy!
Just wondering if the microwave should be put on a lower power level? My sauce boiled over in just over two minutes! What a mess π I kept tweaking it and added cream and had to microwave some more and I think I saved it . .
@Heather – I made the sauce on full power in my microwave (and that’s what the original recipe specified), but it seems quite a few people have commented that theirs needed less time. I always thought my microwave was powerful, I guess not!
Have you tried this in large batches? I need to make caramel dip as favors for my wedding. I am using the 4 oz. Ball jars you have pictured and I will need about 120 of them.
You just saved my butt on this one. I’ve made two failed batches of caramel and was about to give up. My husband even bought me a bottle of the Smucker’s stuff. Then I looked at the ingredients and thought, “yuck.” I googled what I needed and low an behold – one my favorite blogs pops up with the answer. Thank you!
Thank you for sharing! I just made it today-it was awesome and not as intimidating as the stovetop method π I burned my tongue tasting it but the pain was truly worth it!! This is going into my “tried and true” recipe stash. Thanks again.
I put it In for 5 minutes and took it out, It was burnt oh man i have failed, Definatly check on it because microwaves must have a large range of difference.
I made a half-batch, put it in for 4 minutes, and it burned so black! So I made another half-batch, put it in for 2 minutes, and set it on the counter. It never changed color, and when I put the hot cream in, hardly anything happened. I added the butter, microwaved it for two more minutes, and now I have great caramel flavor, but it is definitely candy and not sauce. Maybe I should have micro’d the sugar mixture a bit longer?
@The Shoestring Contessa – Yep, unfortunately this is one of those things where microwaves vary so much that the time that worked for me hasn’t worked for everyone. It definitely sounds like it needed to cook longer the second time you made it. You want it to change color and become amber before you add the cream and butter, otherwise you’re not going to end up with the desired result. I wish I could say for sure how long you’ll need in your microwave, I might try experimenting with 2 1/2 minutes and go up from there if necessary.
This was a total flop. I made it the first time exactly as directed-burned to a crisp. I watched it and it didn’t look dark at all when I took it out but as it sat it became darker and darker and finally burned. I dumped that and started again, this time taking it out 1 1/2 minutes sooner. It didn’t have any color at all. It became darker as it sat, again finally a really dark color and again smelled burned. I added the cream anyway and it became lumpy, the lumps rose to the top. I warmed the cream as directed. I was unable to blend the lumps into the carmel. I will stick with my old carmel recipe.
@donrae – I’m sorry it didn’t work for you. This is one of those recipes that worked perfectly in my microwave but that so many others have had trouble with. Wish I could say why for certain.
Ok real quick how long do I cook it if I’m using the stove top?
@Brenda – I’d probably try a different caramel recipe if you’re making it on the stove top since this one is specifically intended for a microwave. The one in this recipe is one of my favorites:
http://traceysculinaryadventures.blogspot.com/2012/02/sweet-and-salty-brownies.html
I just made this. I didn’t need a lot so I halved the recipe. After throwing out the first scorched batch, I realized…duh….that I needed to reduce the time!
A half recipe needs only about 3 minutes. Worked like a charm the second time. I used it to drizzle over a pecan pie. Thanks!
Leah says: Your not going to believe this, I still managed to mess this up on the first try, 5 minutes was too long in my microwave so it was burnt (I should have known it was bad when it came out of the microwave the color that yours was after resting!). Try 2 seems better! I am so excited to try caramel recipe! I love you site!
yum I used this in my salted caramel hot chocolate recipe