Caramel Sauce for Coffee: A Homemade Recipe You Need to Try (2024)

More and more people are drinking their daily coffee with a touch of caramel flavoring.

The only problem is that store-bought caramel syrup is loaded with sugar and artificial ingredients.

You can make your own caramel sauce at home, though, using a few simple ingredients and tools.

It’s no secret that adding a little caramel to your coffee can make it taste amazing. But buying a cup of coffee with caramel sauce mixed in can quickly get pretty pricey.

So, why not try making your own?

In this article, you’ll learn how to make caramel sauce at home, which requires little time. Let’s get started!

What is caramel sauce?

Caramel sauce is a delicious topping for various coffee drinks. It’s made from sugar and water that are heated until they turn into a thick, amber-colored syrup. Then, some cream is added to give it its characteristic smooth texture.

The key to making good caramel sauce is to cook the sugar until it turns a deep amber color.

This deep amber color will give the sauce its characteristic flavor and sweetness. If the sugar is cooked too long, it will turn into burnt sugar and taste bitter instead of sweet.

Below, you’ll find the small list of ingredients needed to make this caramel sauce and a step-by-step guide to start making this caramel sauce at home.

Which ingredients are used in this caramel sauce?

The ingredients in caramel sauce are sugar and cream. Sugar is the main ingredient, and cream makes the caramel sauce thicker and richer.

A little splash of water is added to prevent burning the sugar from the start. Optionally, you can add a pinch of salt to your caramel sauce for a unique flavor, but more on this later.

I like to collect all the ingredients before starting with the recipe so I know I don’t miss anything.

You can make caramel sauce with many different types of sugar, including white sugar and brown sugar.

I prefer white sugar as this melts the best and gives it the best flavor. I found that brown sugar can be too overpowering.

You can make this caramel sauce with different types of cream, such as heavy cream, but you can also use half-and-half or milk.

Although the flavor will differ slightly, using milk in this recipe is fine. The flavor will be less rich, but you’ll still get a silky smooth caramel sauce.

How to make caramel sauce for coffee at home

You can easily make caramel sauce at home in just four simple steps.

You can scroll down to get to the complete recipe, but here’s a quick overview:

1. Combine the sugar and waterin a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring. Cook until the sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture is clear. Do not stir once the sugar has dissolved, or you’ll risk crystallizing your caramel.
2. Increase the heat to highand bring the mixture to a boil—cook without stirring until it reaches a deep amber color.
3. Remove from heatand slowly add the cream while constantly whisking (the mixture will bubble up quite a bit, so be careful!)
4. Let the caramel sauce coolbefore storing it.

That’s all there is to it!

The hardest part of this recipe is reaching the right sugar color so the flavor is at its best.

Below, I’ll talk more about the best way to store your caramel sauce, and I’ve also listed the complete recipe for this sauce after that.

What is the best way to store this caramel sauce?

Caramel sauce is best stored in the fridge or freezer. When stored in the refrigerator, sealed in a container, it will last up to a week.

When stored in the freezer, sealed in a container, it will last up to three months. When you are ready to use it, let it thaw out at room temperature or microwave on low heat until melted.

I like to store my caramel sauce in a mason jar when putting it in the fridge. This way, I can easily take a few tablespoons out of it and put the lid back on.

You could also use a glass flask with a pouring spout to pour or drizzle some over your freshly brewed coffee easily.

Tip:You can also use thismason jar to brew cold brew! Check outthis recipe here.

Here’s the recipe card to make caramel sauce for coffee:

Coffee recipes with caramel sauce to try

There are so many ways to use caramel sauce for coffee. I like using it for my morning coffee to give it more flavor.

You can use this caramel sauce for hot and iced coffees, depending on the weather and your preference.

Below, I’ve listed a few hot coffees that use this caramel sauce as its sweetener:

• Caramel coffee
• Caramel latte
• Caramel macchiato

Do you prefer drinking iced coffee? Then the following recipes are a delicious treat you need to try:

• Caramel iced coffee
• Iced caramel macchiato
• Iced caramel latte
• Salted caramel cream cold brew

As you can see, there are a ton of recipes that use this homemade caramel sauce as a sweetener.

For me, caramel sauce is one of the best sauces to add to coffee. It has such a delicious flavor and combines well with pretty much all other flavorings.

How many calories are in this caramel sauce?

The number of calories in caramel sauce will vary depending on how you prepare this recipe. However, most caramel sauces contain around 55-70 calories per serving.

If you’re sticking to the recipe and are using heavy cream, this caramel sauce will have 66 calories per serving.

This recipe made with whole milk as a substitute will have 55 calories per serving, but it will be less creamy. A serving is one tablespoon; this recipe makes 16 servings.

More coffee sauces to try

Not sure yet if the caramel sauce fits you? Or just curious to see which coffee sauces are out there?

I’ve got you covered! Check out the lists below to find great coffee sauces:

• Chocolate Sauce for Coffee
• White Chocolate Sauce for Coffee

And for even more options,check out the coffee add-ins hub here!

Conclusion

There are so many great ways to enjoy this caramel sauce, and I hope you’ll try it!

Remember that using high-quality ingredients and letting them do all the work for you is key.

I like that you can make this recipe within a few minutes and that it works well with many different coffees.

What’s your favorite way to enjoy caramel sauce? Let me know in the comments below!

Coffee recipes to try

• Cinnamon Brown Sugar Cortado: An Easy Homemade Recipe
• Coconut Cold Brew Coffee: Easy 4 Ingredient Recipe to Make