Salted caramel is one of those preparations that instantly elevates a dessert. Smooth, rich, and deeply aromatic, it works beautifully as a spread, a filling, or simply drizzled over cakes, pancakes, or ice cream. This recipe produces a perfectly balanced salted caramel sauce designed for storing in a jar, with a texture that stays smooth and spoonable. You will also find three different methods for making it – the traditional approach, a simplified version, and a brown butter variation that adds a subtle nutty depth. Each method uses the same ingredients but creates slightly different flavour nuances, allowing you to choose the one that best suits your style.
For visual learners, the video below demonstrates each step of this salted caramel recipe in real time, from cooking the caramel to blending it perfectly and storing it in jars. Watching the process helps you understand the texture, colour, and consistency to aim for, making it easier to replicate the recipe at home with confidence. Whether you prefer the traditional method, the easy shortcut, or the nutty brown butter variation, the video provides a clear, step-by-step guide to master each approach.
Salted Caramel Recipe
Ingredients
Salted Caramel (~420 g)
- 150 g whipping cream 35%
- 35 g butter 82%
- 2 g sea salt flakes
- 130 g sugar
- 110 g glucose or corn syrup
Instructions
Traditional Method
- Place the glucose and sugar in a tall saucepan over medium heat.
- Shake the pan occasionally to ensure even caramelisation and to help prevent sugar crystallisation.
- Cook until the caramel reaches a deep amber colour, about 185 °C / 365 °F.
- In a separate saucepan, heat the cream and keep it hot.
- Gradually add the hot cream to the caramel in small additions, mixing continuously until fully incorporated.
- Return the saucepan to the heat and cook the caramel to 106 °C / 223 °F.
- Allow the caramel to cool to 70 °C / 158 °F, then add the cold butter and salt flakes.
- Blend with a stick blender for about 1 minute until smooth and fully emulsified.
- Pour the caramel into very clean jars and close them once slightly cooled. This reduces condensation and improves keeping quality.
Easy Method
- Place the glucose and sugar in a tall saucepan over medium heat.
- Shake the pan occasionally to ensure even caramelisation and prevent sugar crystallisation.
- Cook until the caramel reaches a deep amber colour, about 185 °C / 365 °F.
- In a separate saucepan, heat the cream, butter, and salt flakes together. Keep the mixture hot.
- Gradually add the hot cream mixture to the caramel in small additions, mixing continuously until fully incorporated.
- Blend with a stick blender for about 1 minute until smooth and fully emulsified.
- Pour the caramel into very clean jars and close them once slightly cooled. This reduces condensation and improves keeping quality.
Brown Butter Method
- Place the glucose and sugar in a tall saucepan over medium heat.
- Shake the pan occasionally to ensure even caramelisation and prevent crystallisation.
- Cook until the caramel reaches a deep amber colour, about 185 °C / 365 °F.
- In a separate saucepan, heat the cream and keep it hot.
- Add the room-temperature butter to the caramel to deglaze it.
- Cook for about 30 seconds, until you smell a nutty brown-butter aroma.
- Gradually add the hot cream in small additions, mixing continuously until fully combined.
- Cook the caramel to 106 °C / 223 °F.
- Blend with a stick blender for about 1 minute until smooth.
- Allow the caramel to cool to 70 °C / 158 °F, then pour it into very clean jars and close them once slightly cooled. This reduces condensation and improves keeping quality.
Video
Easy Salted Caramel Recipe – Professional Advice
When preparing this easy salted caramel recipe, one important rule is to always use hot cream, never cold or room-temperature cream. Caramel reaches extremely high temperatures, and adding a cold liquid creates an intense thermal shock. The sudden temperature difference causes the liquid to instantly turn into steam, which makes the caramel bubble aggressively and can lead to dangerous splattering.
Using hot cream significantly reduces this reaction and allows the caramel to incorporate smoothly, creating a stable and well-balanced emulsion.
For the best texture, blending the finished caramel with a stick blender is recommended. While optional, this step helps create a finer, more stable emulsion and reduces the risk of separation during storage.
Glucose and Glucose Substitution for Salted Caramel Sauce
When making caramel, glucose syrup plays an important role in texture and stability. In some of the mousse cakes (entremet) components on this website, glucose can be substituted with honey. In those preparations – such as ganaches or mousses – the goal is mainly to help prevent sugar crystallisation, and honey works well for that purpose. However, this substitution is not suitable when preparing salted caramel sauce.
Honey behaves very differently from glucose syrup. First, honey is significantly sweeter. It has roughly 120 percent the sweetness of sucrose, while glucose syrup is only about 30 percent as sweet. Replacing glucose with honey will make the final result noticeably sweeter and alter the overall flavour balance.
Second, honey browns much faster during cooking. It contains fructose, which caramelises at a lower temperature. Because of this, the caramel darkens more quickly and can easily become bitter if cooked using the same method.
Can caramel be made without glucose? Certainly. Many traditional recipes use only sugar. However, glucose syrup helps create a smoother and more stable salted caramel sauce with a glossy appearance and a pleasant gooey texture that works particularly well for spreading, drizzling, or storing in a jar.
Cooking Temperature for the Right Salted Caramel Texture
Achieving the right texture in salted caramel largely depends on the final cooking temperature. In this recipe, the caramel is cooked to 106 °C / 223 °F, which provides a smooth, spoonable consistency ideal for storing in a jar. This temperature also allows for small variations during cooking, for example if the cream is not hot enough or if the caramel is not stirred quickly during the deglazing stage. In most cases, once the cream is incorporated, the caramel naturally settles around this temperature.
If you prefer a slightly thicker salted caramel, you can continue cooking it a little further, to 108–110 °C / 226–230 °F. The higher the final temperature, the firmer the caramel will be once cooled.
In the photos and video tutorial, you can see three jars prepared using the same ingredients but finished at different temperatures: 106 °C (223 °F), 108 °C (226 °F), and 110 °C (230 °F). This comparison clearly shows how cooking temperature affects the final texture of salted caramel at room temperature.
Keep in mind that caramel stored in the refrigerator will naturally become firmer. However, even when chilled, the texture should remain spoonable and spreadable. If needed, the salted caramel can also be gently warmed before serving to return it to a more fluid consistency for drizzling or using as a sauce.
Salt vs Salt Flakes in Salted Caramel
Choosing the right type of salt makes a noticeable difference when preparing salted caramel. Salt flakes are generally the preferred option because they consist of larger, irregular crystals compared to fine table salt.
These larger crystals dissolve more slowly in the caramel, creating small bursts of saltiness rather than dissolving immediately. This gradual release of salt helps balance the sweetness and gives salted caramel a more complex and pleasant flavour profile, while also contributing to a slightly more interesting texture.
The quantity of salt used in this recipe creates a clearly defined salted caramel flavour that most people expect from this type of sauce. However, taste preferences can vary. If you prefer a milder result, simply reduce the amount of salt by about half to create a softer, more subtle salted caramel flavour.
Storage for Salted Caramel Topping
Proper storage helps maintain the quality and safety of salted caramel topping. Because this recipe contains cream and butter, it should be stored in the refrigerator in a clean, airtight container. When refrigerated, salted caramel topping will keep well for about 2 weeks while maintaining its smooth texture and flavour.
If stored at 18 °C / 64 °F, it is best to use the salted caramel topping within 2–3 days. The presence of dairy and water in the recipe makes it more susceptible to spoilage when kept at room temperature for longer periods.
This recipe is designed for home use, where factors such as water activity, professional stabilisers, or preservatives are typically not calculated or used. For this reason, proper refrigeration and clean storage containers are the most reliable ways to maintain freshness.
Learn Other Basic Techniques to Elevate Your Pastry
If you want to take your pastry skills to the next level, mastering a few foundational techniques can make a big difference. Start with an easy homemade hazelnut praline recipe to add depth and crunch to your creations. Perfecting a shortcrust pastry gives you a reliable base for tarts and pies, while a silky lemon crémeux adds bright, professional flavour to desserts. For a smooth, creamy component, try making namelaka with white, milk, or dark chocolate and fruit, and finally, mastering a Swiss meringue provides a light, stable topping for cakes and tarts. Learning these basic techniques will complement your salted caramel and allow you to create desserts that are both elegant and delicious.
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