Gluten-free Brown Sugar Caramel Sauce

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If you love caramel but don't like how picky it can be to make, then you need to make this gluten-free brown sugar caramel sauce.

I am a huge caramel lover. I could eat it with a spoonful because it's that delicious. Okay, I do eat it by the spoonful, and I am always finding ways to use it. I mean, there are also several gluten-free caramel recipes on the site, too, haha.

Caramel sauce gets a bad reputation for being difficult to make. This gluten-free brown sugar caramel sauce is easy, I promise. No more worrying about burned sugar and splattering hot sugar when you add the cream. Just easy, delicious caramel sauce.

A jar of homemade gluten-free brown sugar caramel sauce in a jar next to a spoon of caramel dripping off.

Jump to:

Ingredients.
Ingredient notes.
Steps.
Tips and Tricks
Thinner or thicker caramel sauce.
How to use brown sugar caramel sauce.
Caramel sauce FAQ.
Storing and reheating.
More gluten-free desserts.
📖 Recipe
Comments and Ratings

Ingredients.

This gluten-free caramel sauce recipe takes only a few simple ingredients to make and comes together so quickly!

Brown Sugar
Butter
Heavy Cream
Vanilla
Sea Salt (optional)

Overhead view of the ingredients needed to make a brown sugar caramel sauce.

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Ingredient notes.

You might notice that this gluten-free caramel sauce uses brown sugar instead of regular cane sugar. That little switch is what makes this an easy homemade caramel sauce to make.

Cane sugar vs. brown sugar for caramel. - You can use both cane sugar and brown sugar to make caramel. Cane sugar caramel takes a little bit more time and a little more patience because it can be trickier to make. Caramel made with cane sugar usually also needs a bit of help from corn syrup or honey to help keep the sugar crystals stable. Brown sugar caramel already has a little bit of help with the molasses in the brown sugar, making it a whole lot more stable with it comes to making caramel.
Dairy-free caramel - This gluten-free brown sugar caramel sauce can be turned into an easy dairy-free caramel. Just switch the butter for a dairy-free alternative like Earth Balance sticks and use full-fat dairy-free milk. Make sure that you like the flavors of the substitutions since it will change the flavor slightly.
Sea Salt - I love the combination of caramel and sea salt, which is why I always add a good pinch of sea salt to this brown sugar caramel sauce once I take it off the heat.

Steps.

See just how easy it is to make a brown sugar caramel sauce.

Melt the butter.
Add the brown sugar and heavy cream to the pot of butter.
Stir gently to combine and bring it to a boil over medium heat.
Let the caramel sauce boil for exactly 3 minutes.
Remove the pot from the heat.
Stir in the vanilla and sea salt, and let it cool.

Melted butter in a pan, then brown sugar and heavy cream are added. The mixture is boiled for three minutes and then removed from the heat. Once removed vanilla and salt are added to make a caramel sauce.

Tips and Tricks

Use a metal pan - I know the instinct here is to use a nonstick pan, but this can sometimes interfere with the heat transfer in the sugar as it cooks, which can cause it to seize easier.
Use a silicone spatula - You aren't stirring much, but I've found this works best when making this sauce as it is less of a heat conductor and will reduce heat transfer from the sugar, helping it stay at the correct temperature.
Do NOT stir as it boils. - Once you get the sugar and cream mixed gently into the melted butter, stop stirring and let it cook.
Make sure your heat is set to medium - I know there is an urge to want to turn the heat up and make the caramel come together faster, but don't.

Thinner or thicker caramel sauce.

I prefer this gluten-free caramel sauce on the thinner side so that when it cools, I can still drizzle it into my coffee or even dunk some sliced apples. If you want your caramel sauce to be a bit thicker when it's chilled, you can reduce the heavy cream by a quarter of a cup. Your caramel sauce will still drizzle when it's warm but will be more solid at room temperature.

How to use brown sugar caramel sauce.

Ice Cream - This gluten-free caramel sauce tastes amazing over ice cream! We like to use it when doing banana splits or drizzling on top of a bowl of vanilla ice cream. Pair it with my gluten-free hot fudge sauce for an even more decadent treat!
Desserts - There are SO many different dessert recipes that this caramel sauce can be used for. A few of my favorites are apple pie or over some of my gluten-free brownies. You can even add more caramel love to my gluten-free caramel cake,
Fruit - We love to dip sliced apples into a big bowl of this homemade caramel. It also tastes fantastic, drizzled on top of baked pears!
Breakfast - We love to serve this caramel over pancakes, waffles, crepes, and french toast. It tastes like dessert, even though it's the first thing in the morning. Let's not forget to add a spoonful to a delicious cup of coffee, either.
Give it as a Gift - This gluten-free brown sugar caramel sauce would make a great addition to a homemade gift basket, especially with the holidays coming up. Bottle it up, add a cute little tag, and put it along with things like a homemade sundae kit or for the coffee lover in your life to drizzle in their favorite cup of Joe!

Caramel sauce FAQ.

What causes grainy caramel?

There are a few reasons your caramel sauce can become grainy.

1. The temperature is off. - Make sure that your stove is reading accurately and your caramel isn't cooking on too high of a heat.
2. You caramel cooked too long. - If you let your caramel cook too long on the heat, the sugar can crystalize.
3. It wasn't stored properly - Caramel sauce that has been stored at room temperature for too long can crystalize. Make sure that you are properly storing your caramel sauce in the fridge when you are not using it.

How do you fix grainy caramel sauce?

Grainy caramel is caused by the crystallization of the sugar in the caramel. Don't worry, it's easy to fix.

The best way to fix grainy caramel sauce is to warm it up and add more liquid.

1. Add your caramel sauce to a pot over medium-low heat with a few tablespoons of heavy cream or water.
2. Stir the caramel sauce with a silicone spoon until the liquid is mixed and the crystals have dissolved, and the caramel is smooth.

Storing and reheating.

Storing. - This brown sugar caramel sauce is best when kept in a glass jar and refrigerated when not eaten. When stored this way, this gluten-free caramel sauce will last in the fridge for up to three weeks.
Reheating - To easily reheat this gluten-free caramel sauce, just pop it into the microwave for 20-30 seconds and stir to bring it back to drizzling consistency. If you warm it too much and it becomes thinner than you want, just let it rest and cool before using it.
Freezing - Believe it or not, you can actually freeze this brown sugar caramel sauce. Place your caramel sauce into a freezer-safe container (not glass because the liquid will expand). Once sealed, you can freeze this gluten-free caramel sauce for up to three months. Let it defrost in the fridge overnight to defrost, and then warm it up as needed.

More gluten-free desserts.

If you love this gluten-free caramel sauce, then I think you'll love how delicious and easy my homemade gluten-free caramel candy is. Or give one of these other gluten-free desserts a try next.

Homemade brown sugar caramel sauce dripping off a spoon into a glass jar.

📖 Recipe