This Bourbon Caramel Sauce recipe is easy to make in 10 minutes and tastes irresistibly delicious drizzled on everything from ice cream to fruit, brownies, pies, cheesecakes, coffee drinks, and more.
Guys, this bourbon caramel sauce. ♡♡♡
We’ve been making it on repeat this summer to drizzle over ice cream, grilled peaches, brownies, fruit crisps and more. And oh my goodness, this stuff is just magic. I can vouch from experience that it instantly kicks just about any dessert dish up a delicious notch. And the extra bourbon and sea salt mixed in there will have everyone around the table asking you for the recipe stat.
But here’s the best news — this homemade caramel sauce recipe is super easy to make with ingredients that you likely already have in your kitchen. Plus it can be ready to go in just 10 minutes or so from start to finish. It’s one of my favorite back-pocket dessert recipes that’s easy to whip up in a moment’s notice, and it is always a crowd fave.
Let’s make some caramel sauce!
Bourbon Caramel Sauce Ingredients
To make this bourbon caramel sauce recipe, you will need:
- Bourbon: Or whatever kind of whiskey you love best.
- Sugar: We’re going classic with granulated white sugar for this sauce.
- Water: To mix with the sugar before boiling it.
- Heavy cream: Room temp (or warmer), otherwise the hot sugar will seize and clump up when this is added.
- Butter: Also room temp, please.
- Vanilla extract: Optional, but I highly recommend adding some for extra flavor.
- Salt: Add in however much sea salt you would like!
How To Make Caramel Sauce
To make this salted caramel sauce recipe, simply…
- Start with sugar and water. Give them a quick stir together in a heavy-bottomed saucepan.
- Wait for the sugar to caramelize. Now it’s time for the sugar to work its magic! Turn the burner on to medium-high heat. Then wait patiently and do not stir or touch the pan until the sugar has caramelized. Once the sugar reaches a boil, it will go from being completely clear, to a champagne color, to a light golden color, and then to increasingly darker shades of amber within a few minutes. (Keep a close eye on the sugar, as it starts to darken quickly.) Once the sugar reaches a deep amber color (about the color of a copper penny), remove the saucepan from the heat and turn the burner off.
- Add the remaining ingredients. Slowly and carefully pour the heavy cream into the sugar mixture, whisking as you pour to quickly incorporate the cream. (The mixture will bubble furiously when the cream hits the hot sugar, so be very careful!) Then add in the butter and whisk until combined. And finally, add in the vanilla, bourbon and sea sea salt, and whisk until combined.
- Serve or store. Then serve the caramel sauce immediately if you would like, while it’s nice and hot. Or let the sauce cool until it reaches room temperature (it will thicken considerably as it cools), then transfer the sauce to a sealed container and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
Ways To Use Caramel Sauce
The possibilities are endless! That said, a few of my faves include…
- Ice cream. Always. ♡
- Chocolate. Brownies, cakes, cookies…you name it.
- Fruit. We’ve been on a grilled peaches kick this summer, which pair perfectly with this caramel sauce. But apples, pears, pineapple, and bananas — fresh or baked — all taste fantastic served with this caramel sauce. Or it’s also delicious drizzled on fruit crisps, crumbles, cobblers, etc.
- Coffee drinks. If you want to gussy up your coffee the Starbucks way, drizzle a bit of this atop your morning coffee.
Bourbon Caramel Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated (white) sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, room temperature*
- 1/4 cup butter, room temperature*
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons bourbon
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- Combine the sugar and water in a heavy-bottomed sauce pan. Briefly stir to combine.
- Turn the burner on to medium-high heat. Then -- this is very important -- do not stir or touch the pan until the sugar has caramelized. The sugar mixture will go from being completely clear, to a champagne color, to a light golden color, and then to increasingly darker shades of amber. (Keep a close eye on the sugar, as it darkens quickly once it begins to caramelize.) Once the sugar reaches a deep amber color (about the color of a copper penny), remove the saucepan from the heat and turn the burner off.
- Right away, begin to slowly and carefully pour the heavy cream into the sugar mixture, whisking as you pour to quickly incorporate the cream. (The mixture will bubble furiously when the cream hits the hot sugar, so be very careful!) Add in the butter and whisk until combined. Add in the vanilla, bourbon and sea sea salt, and whisk until combined.
- Serve immediately. Or let the sauce cool until it reaches room temperature (it will thicken considerably as it cools), then transfer the sauce to a sealed container and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
I can taste this on ice cream, and I’ve got to try it!
This was my first attempt at a caramel sauce. What did I do wrong? A bit did seize in the bottom of the pan but the rest has not thickened? It is, however delicious!
How would you preserve this, for gift-giving? I mean, I can buy this stuff at a craft show, and it’s good for a year (until opened) – but I’d love to make my own to give out instead.
can it. I buy 2 dozen 4oz bell jars and give them out as gifts every year. I put them in the water-bath 6-8 min is usually all it takes for the jars to seal. This is the first time using the recipe from this site, previous recipe did not include butter. So far so good.
Amazing
I made this minus the whiskey and it was wonderful! Reminded me of the “burnt” sugar cake and frosting my grandmother used to make many years ago. Thank you for the recipe!
love all of your sauces, bourbon based even better and making sauces like this from scratch, much better, so thank you
I’m off to the store to pick up extra whiskey! I didn’t even know I’d been waiting for this post! I’ll let ya know although I’m ? certain it will become a staple on my coffee bar.
Would it be ok not to add the bourbon? If so, any changes in the other ingredients?
Yes, you can make this without the bourbon. Make the recipe the same as above and just omit the bourbon.
Can you make it without the bourbon? If so, any other changes, I would need to make to the recipe?
Thanks,
If you decide to save/store this bourbon caramel sauce- how to you reheat it to use without losing its consistency?
I typically jar my sauce in 4 oz mason jars, so I place with lid off in a bowl of hot water, if I’m in a hurry 30 sec in the microwave as well and stir…. (not in the microwave by itself )