3 ingredient salted caramel sauce: Do you know how incredibly easy it is to make homemade salted caramel sauce? All you need is sugar, salted butter, heavy cream, a pinch of salt, and 5 minutes! Yes, only 5 minutes! Pour this utterly delicious sauce over ice cream, waffles, and brownies or you know, directly into your mouth. We won’t tell!

I spent a few days earlier this month with two of my best girlfriends and while I have more to share on this soon, I feel compelled to talk now about a major difference we have: the pronunciation of the word “caramel.”

It’s the craziest thing! And not the biggest deal in the world of course, but it seemed to pop up in our conversations over the entire visit – quite possibly because we did a lot of eating (again, another post soon). Man…Indianapolis has some great eats!

So, do you pronounce it ca-ra-mel (like me and Josie) or car-mel (like Annie)?

Or does it not matter at all, as long as it’s delicious? Because that’s REALLY what it’s all about, isn’t it?

Well, this 3 ingredient salted caramel sauce is right up your alley then! It literally takes 5 minutes to make, there’s no thermometer needed, and you’ll need to hide the spoons in order to save yourself.

Not even kidding!

Ingredients for Salted Caramel Sauce

Have you ever read a label on a jar of caramel sauce in the grocery store? Can you pronounce all of the ingredients on that list?

No? Me neither!

That’s one of the reasons why I love making homemade caramel sauce! For this easy homemade salted caramel sauce recipe, all you will need is:

granulated sugar
salted butter
heavy cream
salt

That’s it! I don’t really consider salt to be an ingredient, per se, in the sense that virtually everyone has salt in their kitchens. Let’s go with that, shall we?

How to Make Salted Caramel Sauce

Heat 1 cup of sugar in a saucepan until it liquefies
Cook until it turns a dark amber color
Mix in 6 tablespoons of salted butter
Stir in ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons of heavy cream and a pinch of salt until combined
Store in a glass jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

I’ve made and loved vanilla bean and maple bourbon caramel sauces in the past but this one is different.

That bite of saltiness at the end of a taste balances so perfectly with the sweetness of the caramel sauce, sort of like a certain TSwift song. Not that I’m still listening to 1989 like its my job or anything.

But seriously, guys. You’ll want to drink this stuff. And pour it on everything. Like brownies and waffles and ice cream and those pumpkin salted caramel affogatos you see pictured above.

Because, espresso + ice cream + salted caramel = utter deliciousness!

3 Ingredient Salted Caramel Sauce

Name: 3 Ingredient Salted Caramel Sauce
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Yield: 1
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 cup granulated sugar; 6 tbsp (3 oz) salted butter; ½ cup plus 2 tbsp heavy cream; Small pinch of coarse sea salt

Yield: about 1 ½ cups

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

3 ingredient salted caramel sauce is so incredibly easy to make that you'll wonder how you could ever buy caramel sauce again! Made with only sugar, salted butter, heavy cream and a pinch of salt, this caramel sauce takes 5 minutes to make and will keep well in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. If you can keep your spoon out of it, that is!

Ingredients

1 cup granulated sugar
6 tbsp (3 oz) salted butter
½ cup plus 2 tbsp heavy cream
Small pinch of coarse sea salt

Instructions

In a 2- or 3-quart sauce pan, spread the sugar out in an even layer. Turn the heat to medium-high and once the sugar starts to liquefy around the edges, whisk until it all turns to a liquid. Continue whisking while you bring the liquid to a dark copper color. Be careful not to overcook - once the sugar gets this hot, it can burn very easily. Add the butter all at once and when incorporated, take the pan off the heat and pour in the cream and salt, whisking until you get a nice smooth sauce.
Pour the sauce into a heatproof container and use immediately or store in the fridge for another time. The sauce will keep in the fridge for about 2 weeks if you can restrain yourself from sneaking spoonfuls. Reheat in the microwave for 30 seconds to make it pourable again.

Notes

adapted from Smitten Kitchen

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