Vegan Caramel Sauce

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Ooey, gooey, sweet and delicious! This vegan caramel sauce is easy to make and perfect for dipping and drizzling to create all kinds of indulgent treats.

I worked in a few ice cream shops when I was growing up, and caramel sauce was a big time addiction of mine during those days.

I recently got hit with a craving and it occurred to me that vegan caramel sauce shouldn’t be all that difficult to make. Good news: it wasn’t!

Let me show you how!

What You’ll Need

• Sugar. Caramel is made with white sugar (as opposed to it’s relative, butterscotch, which is made with brown). Use organic to keep the recipe vegan!
• Water.
• Coconut cream. Look for this in cans, near where coconut milk is sold. If you can’t find it, just buy a can of coconut milk and chill it for a day or so — it will separate into coconut cream (the solid part) and coconut water. Be sure to warm up the cream to at least room temperature after you separate it from the liquid and before adding it to your caramel.
• Vegan butter. This is normally sold near the regular butter at the supermarket. Look for brands like Earth Balance or Miyoko’s.
• Vanilla extract.
• Salt.

How to Make Vegan Caramel Sauce

The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll down if you’d prefer to skip right to the recipe!

• Whisk your water and sugar together in a small saucepan.
• Now place the saucepan over medium heat. Don’t stir! Bring the mixture to a simmer.
• Let the mixture simmer for a bit, until it turns amber in color. This should take about 10 to 12 minutes. If it’s taking longer than that, you might need to turn the heat up a smidge. Continue to avoid stirring during this whole process.
• Now stir in the coconut cream. Continue simmering the mixture for 2 minutes. At this point you can stir as much as you like!

Tip: The sugar mixture will continue to darken until you add the coconut cream. Let it simmer longer for a more intensely flavored caramel (mine shown in the pictures was quite robust). But don’t let it simmer too long or your caramel will be bitter.

• Now take the pot off of heat.
• Whisk in the butter, vanilla and salt.

• Let your caramel cool in the pot for a bit, then when it’s warm, transfer it one or more sealable containers and chill. It will thicken in the fridge.

Tip: For salted vegan caramel sauce, add some extra salt to taste after your caramel has had a chance to cool a bit.

Shelf-Life & Storage

Your caramel sauce should keep in a sealed container in the fridge for at least 2 weeks.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this vegan caramel gluten-free?

It is!

How is caramel sauce served?

Try drizzling it over ice cream, cakes or pies, or dipping fruit, pretzels (my favorite), or chocolate chip cookies.

Why is my caramel sauce bitter?

You probably let it get a little too dark before adding your coconut cream. This process happens fast! Have the coconut cream ready to go and stir it in before the mixture goes from amber to brown.