My simple, 4-ingredient vegan salted caramel sauce is the perfect accompaniment to ice cream, puddings, sundaes, cakes, cookies, and fruit crumbles.
Simple 4-ingredient vegan salted caramel sauce
Is...
- gluten-free
- nut-free
- dairy-free
- totally delicious
- and only 22 calories per teaspoon!
A teaspoon straight out of the jar (yes, it is thick enough to spoon out when it's cool!), is perfect when you have that urge for something sweet. C'mon, I know I'm not the only one!
Plus, it goes really well with:
How to make vegan salted caramel sauce
Ingredients
- white sugar
- vegan butter
- full-fat coconut milk
- sea salt
Method
Place the sugar in a heavy-based pan.
Melt over a low heat, stirring all the time.
Do not inhale the vapour. Don’t ask me how I know. :-/
Don’t let it burn!
It should take around 15 minutes to get to this stage.
Add the vegan butter/margarine, and stir well until it has melted. You will notice that the butter/marg has a lot of water, don’t worry, it will incorporate.
(Yeah, I know it looks like the Quatermass Experiment.)
Slowly pour in the coconut milk, whisking all the time. Don’t get spattered by hot caramel sauce!
Continue to whisk until the butter/marg and milk have completely incorporated.
Let the sauce boil for a minute or so, until it has thickened.
Remove from the heat, and stir in the sea salt. Pour into a sterilised jar or bottle.
Done!
(Those light bits are a gazillion tiny air bubbles!)
Enjoy!
📖 Recipe
Simple 4-Ingredient Vegan Salted Caramel Sauce
Ingredients
- 200 g white sugar
- 100 g vegan butter or margarine
- 120 ml full-fat coconut milk (full-fat)
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Equipment
Instructions
- Melt the sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over a low heat, stirring all the time – it should take around 15 minutes. Don't let it burn!
- Once the sugar has melted, add the vegan butter/margarine, and stir well until it too has melted.
- Slowly pour in the coconut milk, whisking all the time. Continue to whisk until the butter/marg and milk have completely incorporated.
- Let the sauce boil for a minute or so, until it has thickened.
- Remove from the heat, and stir in the sea salt.
- Pour into a sterilised jar or bottle, seal, let cool, then store in the ‘fridge.
- The caramel sauce will keep for up to a month. Unless you nom it all first!
- 1 cup = US cup = 240 ml
- 1 tablespoon = US/UK = 15 ml
- 1 fl oz = US = 30 ml
Diana
hullo! are these measurements in metric or uhm, american? I ask because the sugar and butter are in ounces. Do you have conversions for nonmetric (imperial?) measurements? Thanks tons, can't wait to make this!
Nico
Hi Diana,
As you can see in the recipe, the measurements are in both metric and imperial. An ounce is an ounce! Enjoy the sauce! xx
Lieke Paternotte
This is so good! The photos and your explanations made every step really easy to follow, so mine came out really tasty 🙂 I halved the recipe and it still worked fine. It does become thick when it cooled down, it might be nice to actually say that in the recipe because I didn't know that beforehand and it wasn't really convenient for it's purpose (I made this ahead to serve with an apple cake somewhere outside my own house, but now I have to reheat it over there).
Nico
I'm really glad you enjoyed it, Lieke, thank you for letting me know! Regarding it being thick - I do mention that it thickens as it cools! xx
Krisztina
This looks amazing! Would love to try it but don’t have white sugar - do you think it will work with raw cane sugar too? Thanks 🙂
Nico
Sure, that will be fine! xx
Isabelle Payne
Fabulous easy recipe, and I already had all the ingredients. Added to chocolate brownies, so delicious!
Nico
Ooh, that sounds amazingly yummy! xx
Kristy
Would this be thick enough to fill cupcakes with? I don't want it to "run" like water out of a cupcake. Thanks!!
Nico
Hi Kristy,
It should be fine if the cupcakes are cold as the sauce thickens as it cools; however, if you're going to be serving them warm, then the sauce, while not being water-like, will still be on the runny side. If you want to make doubly sure though, you can use less coconut milk. Let me know if there's anything else I can help with, and I hope the cakes are a success! xx
Sarah
Yum! I made this and it's delicious!! I didn't have coconut milk so I used unsweetened almond milk and added vanilla because I love vanilla. The pictures really helped me to know I was on the right track.
Nico
Ooh, yours sounds lovely, Sarah - I'll have to try it with almond milk. The addition of vanilla sounds fab too. Thank you so much for sharing this, I really appreciate it. So glad the pics helped! xx
Amber
Hi Nico,
I wanted to start by saying a big thank you to you and everyone else who puts vegan recipes out there for all of us newly transitioning vegan's. It makes my family's transition a bit easier. We aren't completely, fully, 100% vegan quite yet as I'm still attempting to find "replacements" for certain things we love but I think we are about 80-90% there. Had you asked me a year ago if I'd make this kind of transition, I would have vehemently said no thanks. But I'm realizing its not all that bad AND I'm feeling better. 🙂
So about the caramel... I made it and its entirely possible that I messed up somewhere along the line, but it wasn't quite as sweet as I typically like caramel sauce to be. I'm a sweets person and have been using the Hershey's type caramel for a while in my blended coffee I make each morning and it adds the nutty, sweet flavor I love. I tried this recipe and I wasn't a big fan. 🙁 I hate even saying that BUT I figured maybe you might have a solution for me that I hadn't thought of yet. I saw some recipes that had vanilla extract in it and thought to ask you if that might work to pump up the flavor/sweetness???
Thanks so much again for your hard work.
Nico
Hi Amber!
Thank you so much for your kind comment; I actually read it out to amato mio, who said, "Awww, she sounds lovely"!
Congratulations on your transition - I am so happy it's working out for you and your family. It sounds as though you've taken a really good approach, and one that's eminently more sustainable, I suspect, than going full cold turkey!
Now, about this caramel sauce! I find it hugely sweet but I don't have an overly sweet tooth. Well, not all the time - kind of depends on my mood, I guess but I'll take savoury over sweet any day, so I thought that perhaps I'm not the best-qualified to judge. With this in mind, I asked amato mio (who has a massively sweet tooth!), and others who've had this sauce, and everyone agreed that it's very sweet! So the only thing I can think of is that you win the prize for sweetness! Ha ha!
More realistically, I suspect that putting in coffee is what's reducing its sweetness; I know that if I eat a cookie, for example, and then drink some coffee, the coffee tastes quite bitter to me (does anyone else get that or do I have funky taste buds? LOL!), so perhaps by putting it in the coffee, some kind of sweetness-reducing wizardry happens. Maybe.
I have no idea what Hershey's caramel tastes like, so I can't help you there but if you want to add a teaspoon of vanilla extract (not essence because it's a bit rubbish!) or even the seeds from a vanilla bean (put the empty skin into a jar of sugar to make delicious vanilla sugar), that will certainly ramp up the flavour. As for the sweetness, you could add more sugar... how much is up to you. My teeth are hurting, just thinking about it, ha ha!
Let me know how you get on, won't you? And if there's anything else I can help with, or you have any request, please don't hesitate to get in touch. You can use my contact form, or leave me a comment.
Have a lovely day! xx
Marie
Hi Nicole,
Wondering if I can use just any butter - lactose free butter? Would the recipe still work fine? Planning on using it as cake filling for a chocolate cake.
Thanks!
Nico
Hi Marie, absolutely - as long as it doesn't have a high water content, any butter or margarine will be fine. Or you could use vegetable shortening but you might want to use a little less. Your cake sounds delicious! xx
Martina
Hi Nicole! Found your recipes on Pinterest and am now stuck on your site due to all those AMAZING recipes and ideas!!!! I have been missing caramel quite a bit since I went vegan ... But no more- thanks to you!!!!
I have to use up my soy milk - is it possible to use it in this recipe instead of the coconut milk? Have a fabulous day and keep them mouthwatering recipes rollin!!
Nico
Hi Martha, I am so sorry for the late reply; this month has been insane (we moved back to England, after travelling around the world for six years), and I feel like I am constantly playing catch-up right now! But yes, do feel free to use whichever milk you prefer - it shouldn't make any difference to the taste, and consistency-wise, no difference at all. I hope you love it! xx
Naz
Looks yum! Does this thicken as it cools? I would like to use it to fill chocolates.
Nico
It does thicken, especially in the fridge. It won't be like toffee but if you're after a semi-liquid centre for your chocolates, then yes, this will be great! xx
Kristen
Did you use just white sugar or brown??
I'm currently standing over a lot of white sugar waiting for even a tiny bit to start melting and it's not :/ I've been stirring for 10 mins and it's still sugar granules so just wondering if I'm doing something wrong!!
Nico
White sugar, Kristen! Did you see the step-by-step pics? It stays granulated for a fair while! Maybe your cooker has a lower heat setting than mine? It will definitely melt though... just give it a bit of time! xx
Jennifer
Could you can this in waterbath or is this refrigerated?
Nico
I've only ever kept it in the fridge but I'm happy to report that I've managed to keep a jar for just over 6 months, and it's still perfect. I'm pretty sure that you're not supposed to can anything that contains dairy, so even though this is vegan, I'm not convinced I'd want to can it. It might be OK but I'd hate to give you bad advice! xx
Nicole
Hey the recipe looks amaaaazing! can't wait to try it. Vegan butter isn't available in my area though, so do you reckon coconut oil will work? thanks in advance! 🙂
Nico
I've never tried, Nicole (great name, BTW - LOL!) but I imagine it could work. Maybe use a bit less, as it tends to be greasy. Can you get vegan spread where you are? (E.G. Vitalite, Flora, etc.) - they would all work perfectly.
Or, you could try making your own butter - this is my most-used recipe, from my friend, Mel, and it's brilliant. Not good for frying with but brilliant for baking! https://avirtualvegan.com/easy-vegan-butter/
Good luck - do let me know how you get on! xx
Carla Jane
Thank you for this fantastic recipe! I am not vegan but struggle with dairy so I was delighted to find this idea on Pinterest. The coconut milk whisks in smoothly and gives the perfect creamy texture. My family loved it so much yesterday that I have already made another jar (with a bit more salt this time, we love a quite salty caramel).
Nico
Carla, thank you so much for stopping by and leaving a comment, I really appreciate it. I am beyond happy that you and your family loved this caramel sauce. I hope you check out some of my other recipes too - did you see my condensed milk? xx
Patti
Nicole, This looks amazing. I really like your photos with the caramel dripping down the sides of the jar. Great job and great instructions. If it wasn't so hot, and I wasn't feeling so lazy, I would be making this caramel sauce.
Nico
Hi Patti!
So sorry - for some reason, Akismet flagged your message as spam. 🙁
I so know what you mean about it being hot, and feeling lazy. As I type this, there's a raging thunderstorm, and yet I am melting! Cooking is not high on my to-do list right now. Fortunately, I do have a jar of salted caramel sauce in the 'fridge... what do you think? Legitimate dinner choice? LOL!
Sarah @ The Fasting Diet Plan
I love my oatmeal pudding and I think that your salted caramel sauce will be a good match. I will have to give it a go. Thanks.
Nico
I imagine it would work really well, Sarah. Do let me know if you try it!
I really like oatmeal made with 50/50 apple juice and water, with a few slivered almonds and sultanas, and a dash of cinnamon; although it's more than sweet enough like that, a teaspoon of salted caramel sauce on top would make it such a decadent breakfast!
Choclette
Oh my! I adore salted caramel sauce and your pictures of it in the jar are delectable. I'm not really a fan of margarines, so I'm wondering if this would work with coconut oil. I might have to try it to find out. I've no idea what vegan butter is.
Nico
Thank you for your kind words, Choclette - I really appreciate them!
I assume it would work with coconut oil, although I'd use refined as opposed to virgin so as to not get the coconutty taste. I'll have to give it a try!
One of the vegan butters I use is Miyoko Schinner's recipes (from The Homemade Vegan Pantry) and is pretty darn good! I've included Miyoko's video here: https://www.yumsome.com/foolproof-vegan-choc-chunk-cookies/
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche
Oh my goooosh. I am literally drooling here. If only it was acceptable to drink this stuff straight from the jar!
Nico
I won't tell if you don't, Becca! 😉
Natalie Tamara @TheTofuDiaries
Oh wow. This is what heaven looks like for me. I've never used coconut milk to make caramel before but it makes perfect sense. Pinning for my next sweet craving 😉
Nico
I have to warn you, Natalie, it's terribly addictive!
Have you seen Becca's (Amuse Your Bouche) recipe for salted chocolate cups? I made them last night - vegan, of course, with coconut milk, ha ha! - and used this sauce with them. Perfection. Absolute perfection!