This Easy, Homemade Microwave Caramel Sauce can be made in just minutes with only 5 ingredients! This buttery, rich caramel sauce recipe is perfect to drizzle on ice cream or dip apple slices in.
Can You Make Caramel Sauce in a Microwave? YES! And it’s EASY!
This quick and delicious Microwave Caramel Sauce recipe is a no brainer. Making it homemade is infinity times better than a store-bought sauce, and this recipe takes literally 5 minutes, so I can make it all day every day. Because that’s exactly what will get me closer to my goal weight, yes? Oh also, I added a bit of extra salt to my recipe to amp up the heart-health factor, as well as make it Salty Caramel Sauce. Win-win.
You know I love my caramel. I make Homemade Caramels for the holidays, Caramel Cake when I have a craving, and of COURSE Salted Caramel Corn to name a few favorites, but this recipe might be my most favorite…probably because it’s done in just minutes and seriously can be eaten with a spoon. I’m not proud.
How to make Homemade Caramel Sauce IN A MICROWAVE!
Traditional caramel sauce requires candy thermometers, and a little stress in my opinion. SO I am here to day to simplify the whole process. If you’ve never made caramel sauce, this is a perfect recipe to start.
What Ingredients You Will Need:
- Heavy Cream: This is the base for the sauce, and heavy cream makes the sauce rich and silky.
- Vanilla: Use Pure Vanilla extract in this recipe. The vanilla really shines through!
- Butter: I use salted butter in this recipe, because I prefer a Salted Caramel. Salted Butter along with an extra pinch or two of salt will give you that yummy salty/sweet balance.
- Brown Sugar: I use brown sugar in this recipe (which TECHNICALLY makes this a butterscotch sauce) because we’re not boiling the sugar, as in a traditional homemade caramel sauce. Cooking the sugar on the stove top is what gives it that deep amber color which we know in caramel, but since this is a short cut recipe, you get the color from brown sugar. I’m not made about it.
- Salt: You can use kosher or sea salt in this recipe to make it a Salted Caramel Sauce, which I highly recommend. Use as much or as little as you like, but make sure you stir it in enough so it all dissolves and doesn’t settle to the bottom.
The Simple Steps:
- First melt your butter and add in the brown sugar and cream. You can do this all in one bowl, but make sure the bowl has high sides, because it will bubble up in the microwave!
- Whisk the caramel mixture until it’s combined and then pop it in the microwave for a few minutes, stirring once.
- And this is when I add a little salt to make it homemade SALTED caramel sauce! Make sure you stir the salt in enough for it to dissolve.
- Add in your vanilla last and stir to combine.
Pro Tip: The caramel will seem a bit thin at first. Just keep whisking it and it will thicken as it cools. You can always reheat it for a few seconds if it gets too thick.
I like to store this in cute little Mason Jars so I can pretend like I live in Pinterest, but as long as it’s air tight, it will be fine in the fridge for up to a week!
Looking for More Caramel Recipes? Try These:
- Chocolate Caramel Shortbread Bars (aka Homemade Twix)
- Salted Caramel Pinwheel Cookies
- Caramel Stuffed Krispie Treats
- Apple Cider Caramel Sauce
Microwave Caramel Sauce
- Prep Time: 2 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 minutes
- Total Time: 6 minutes
- Yield: 1 1/4 cups 1x
- Category: Sauce
- Method: Microwave
- Cuisine: Dessert
Description
makes 1 1/2 cups caramel sauce
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup salted butter, melted
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- In a 4 cup microwave safe glass bowl (or larger) combine melted butter, brown sugar and heavy cream, whisking until blended and there are no lumps.
- Heat mixture in microwave on high for 2 minutes and remove to stir. Return to microwave and heat for 2 more minutes until bubbly and slightly thickened.
- Stir in salt and vanilla and allow to cool until warm, not hot. Mixture will thicken as it cools.
- Serve warm.
- If caramel cools completely reheat by placing in microwave for 20-25 seconds.
Notes
Microwave time might vary slightly, as microwaves aren’t all the same wattage.
Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week
recipe adapted from Domino Sugar
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 tablespoons
- Calories: 68
- Sugar: 7.2 g
- Sodium: 80 mg
- Fat: 4.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 7.3 g
- Protein: 0.2 g
- Cholesterol: 12.8 mg
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Hi, would anyone know what the conversions would be to grams or oz for butter and sugar then ml for cream, for uk measures pretty please 🙂
The conversion would be 67.5gm butter this would be quarter of a 250gm block of butter or half a 125gm block. Cream would be 125ml.
I just made this tonight! It was so super easy! My toddler had fun helping me make it. I love that it just takes a few minutes in the microwave, as opposed to stirring it forever on the stove top. We dipped apples in it and it was divine! Thanks for the delicious (and dangerous) recipe! 🙂
Oh awesome!! Love that!
This just pretty much made my day – I think I’ll be poring this stuff on every single thing!
I am so doomed to a summer of fat pants!
I adore caramel sauce, but apparently my family doesn’t like caramel??? So I hardly ever have it, but I love it so much and I think I’ll make a little batch of this for myself asap. Yum!!
Just curious… Does it dry hard? Was wondering if this would work on popcorn. Looks delicious!
I don’t think this one would work on caramel corn.. it might be pretty sticky. BUt here’s my FAVE recipe for Salted Caramel Popcorn! http://cookiesandcups.com/salted-caramel-popcorn/
Oh man I’m in trouble! A microwave version?!? I’m all over this. I agree with you–something wrong with people who don’t like caramel!
Yeah, I will never understand people. 🙂
What is the shelf life of the caramel? I would love to make some but I wouldn’t need that much.
The recipe really only makes abot a cup and a half…you cuold store it in the fridge for up to a week or so.
Thank you Shelly 🙂
Genius!! I’ve been meaning to make my own salted caramel for so long, but was always intimidated by the stove top method. I can’t wait to try this!
This looks great, but how do you store it? In the frig. or in your cabinet?
Store it in the fridge for up to seven days 🙂