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
Want To Save This Recipe?
Find more recipes like this:
PIN for later:
I will be making this soon as I love homemade caramel sauce, that store-bought stuff is tasteless. Funny, about your family members and their preferences, I never liked caramel anything until “later” in life, now one could say I can’t get enough. (Making up for lost time?) So, maybe they’ll eventually come around. I hear ya on the Oreo situation, but I have to say that I find folding socks very therapeutic. Thanks for the easy recipe, my last few attempts at making a traditional caramel sauce did not turn out so well, leaving me very discouraged. I’m pinning this, too!
Seriously the best Carmel I’ve ever had! Thank you!
Now I can have a jar of salted caramel sauce in my fridge at all times. I can’t decide if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.
I LOVE caramel and can’t wait to try this. I don’t usually keep cream on hand (yes I can run to the store) but I always have coffee creamer on hand. Do you think liquid coffee creamer would work as a substitute for the cream?
A hint for all you caramel lovers: try a Caramel flavored coffee creamer in some baking like pancakes or waffles etc. . . it adds a wonderful flavor.
Since coffee creamer is non-dairy usually I don’t know if it would work..I’d be more apt to try a whole milk before anything else, but if you try it let me know how it turns out!!
Hi there. Great page – love the look of this sauce. I’ll be trying it tomorrow. Thank you!
Hi there Brittany. Would you share your hot fudge recipe please. It sounds delish. I’m on mandym@sai.co.za. Not sure how else you’d find me or be sure I’d get your reply. Thank you so much. All the best from sunny South Africa. Mandy (McInnes)
This looks absolutely fabu…wait, you fold socks? 🙂
hahaha, well, if placing them in pairs and folding them into one sock nugget is folding, then yes 🙂
Hi Shelly,
I just make your caramel. I think I did something wrong… It is more of a liquid. Doesn’t look like your caramel in the picture. Any suggestions???
You probably didn’t cook it long enough…all microwaves are a bit different. Also, as it cools it thickens up!
Ohhhh…THANK YOU!!! Well my hips and scale don’t agree, but too bad. I can’t wait to make this and swirl it into my homemade malted vanilla bean ice cream! Or maybe just eat it with a spoon. Wonder if you could add a little dark chocolate to it…maybe make a chocolate caramel sauce??? (I have 25 lbs of chocolate sitting around, I’ll try it!)
Can you tell me if this is interchangable with recipies that tell you to unwrap and melt a bag of caramels. Thanks
NO, it’s a different type of caramel. This is actually creating caramel instead of just melting them…hope that helps!