Dangerously delicious, ooey-gooey, rich & thick healthy caramel sauce that you can make in only 5 minutes with just 3 ingredients (plus a touch of water and salt). No blender or food processor required!
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"I made this yesterday, and it is insanely delicious. I can't believe it's so easy!!" - Brandy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ More reviews →
This delightful, sticky, incredibly rich, healthier caramel sauce deserves to be put on everything. Pancakes, New York cheesecake, waffles, ice cream, vegan French toast, brownies, quinoa pudding, rice pudding, vegan pumpkin pie, oatmeal, banana, apple slices - It's perfect in every way, and I'm hooked!
Healthier homemade caramel sauce is extremely quick and easy to make with pantry-friendly ingredients that you probably already have at home. Within about 5 minutes, you can have your own jar full, ready to dollop and drizzle on all the things. Be sure to try it on my super crispy, crunchy Vegan Chocolate Caramel Popcorn!
The flavour of this caramel sauce is rich, deep, sweet and nutty with lots of character thanks to the addition of some nut or seed butter. I like to use tahini because I really love the depth and slight bitterness it gives, but you can use any nut or seed butter. All will change the flavour of the finished caramel, but no matter which one you use, it will be delicious!
Mel x
P.S. Got some Medjool dates? You might also like my Easy Date Caramel!
Ingredients
Here is what you need at a glance, along with some important ingredient notes & substitution ideas:
- Sugar - This needs to be either coconut sugar or dark brown sugar. Other sugar varieties won't give enough flavour.
- Nut/seed butter - My preference when making this is to use tahini. I love the bittersweet flavour it gives. Almond butter is also really delicious, as is peanut butter if you don't mind a very peanut-forward flavour. Any smooth, natural nut or seed butter will technically work, though.
- Vegan butter or coconut oil - Either works well, although vegan butter makes a slightly richer caramel. If you use coconut oil and don't want coconut flavour, be sure to use refined coconut oil.
- Salt - This should be good-quality sea salt, or kosher salt if you are in the U.S.A. A salt that you would use for finishing, not table salt. I really like Maldon Salt for this purpose.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! Heat the sugar and water in the microwave to dissolve (not for long, as it's a tiny amount), then add the other ingredients and stir well. If you struggle to bring it together because the nut or seed butter is too thick, warm the mixture up gently in a short burst or two to loosen it and make stirring easier. You're done when it's combined well and nice and smooth.
Recipe
Five Minute Vegan Caramel Sauce
Author:Ingredients
- ½ packed cup (100 grams) coconut sugar or dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons natural nut or seed butter , such as tahini, peanut butter, almond butter, sunflower seed butter
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter or coconut oil
- ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt (add to taste)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Add the sugar and the water to a small pan. Place over a medium heat and warm until the sugar has completely dissolved and the mixture is just starting to bubble. Swirl the pan a bit to help the crystals dissolve. It will take 2 to 3 minutes max. Don't leave it unattended, as it will burn very easily if left too long.
- Remove from the heat and add the nut or seed butter, a pinch of salt, and vegan butter or coconut oil. Stir vigorously until melted and combined. It is normal to see a few little light flecks throughout. If you have trouble getting it to come together because your nut/seed butter is stiff, you can put it over a low heat again for 30 seconds or so to loosen it up.
- Taste and add more salt if desired. I like a salted caramel vibe so tend to use the max amount. If you want a thinner sauce, add a drop of extra water and stir again to combine. The finished caramel sauce will thicken as it cools.
NOTES
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Lisa Roberton says
Hi Melanie,
I made this (again) yesterday and used the Vegan butter of yours instead of the coconut oil, only cause I was too lazy to get a new container out. It worked well, only slightly less firm in the fridge overnight and the flavour is only just a little milder, but worked well - fyi.
Lisa Roberton says
This is wonderful (and dangerous), the flavour is so good. Thank you.
Adele Rumbold says
My go to recipe for anything salted caramel.
Brandy says
I made this yesterday and it is insanely delicious. I can't believe it's so easy!
Irina says
It is so easy to make this and it is delicious, we loved it, thank you!!!!
A Virtual Vegan says
That's great. I'm really pleased you enjoyed it Irina!
kay says
Could you use honey, maple syrup or rice malt syrup in place of the sugar?
Susan says
I thought the tahini was a little weird and couldn't imagine how sesame seeds could have anything to do with the taste of caramel, but I took your word for it on how delicious this is and went ahead and made this. So glad I did because you're right, this is amazing! And I even forgot to add the salt! Instead of water, I used raspberry juice. I was hoping it would come out red for a Halloween concoction I was attempting to make. That didn't work out (the brown overpowered the red), but I'm so happy I found this recipe anyway because this is a keeper. Can't wait to try it on my vegan ice-cream!
A Virtual Vegan says
On vegan ice cream it is amazing!!! I'm so glad you ignored your 'weird' feelings! This recipe happened accidentally. I thought I had used cashew butter and grabbed tahini by mistake and didn't realize until it was too late. I thank my lucky stars I made that mistake because it's so good, (as you have discovered)! Have fun experimenting with it....on everything!!!
Jana danza says
Delicious! Just made it...so simple. I'm going to make some apple cookie bars and will put the caramel sauce between the crust and the apples. I think it should be tasty! Thanks for the recipe.
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you! I am so glad you are enjoyed it and I am sure it will be awesome in your apple cookie bars :O)
Wendy says
We just made it. It tasted like very sweet tahini. "Carmelini" We are going to try to lessen the amount of tahini next time.
Cathy says
This is so yummy and definitely easy to make! I think I put just a touch too much of salt, as there is a salty note at the end...or I might have left it on the heat a little too long.. I added a bit more coconut sugar and it helped a bit. Good thing i love salted caramel desserts! :)
123matata says
I love it, so quick and easy and delicious! Love it on popcorn, ice cream, pancakes and muffins!!!! Another great vegan sauce!!! Tahini works so well in it, never thought to add it into caramel! Well done!
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you so much! It goes great with so many things and is totally addictive as you've discovered. And thank you for taking the time to comment. It means so much to know you're out there enjoying my recipes :0)
xlindziex says
After getting rid of the excess oil and letting it sit in the freezer for awhile it seems to be a lot better. I guess what felt cooled down to me wasn't so cool after all, aha. I think I was a little too approximate with my oil measurements, so I'll try to be better next time and will probably get better results, haha.
Thanks so much for the recipe! =)