dairy free Caramel Sauce (quick & easy)

To make this delicious dairy free caramel sauce, you need brown sugar, plant butter and coconut cream. I have tried many variations of this recipe and settled on this one to make the perfect dairy free caramel sauce.

I share two methods to cook this recipe. The first, is the one I prefer since it remains smooth when cooled. And it is the perfect topping for your dairy free ice cream or frappucino’s.

How Traditional Caramel Sauce is Made

Most caramel sauces are made with white sugar, butter and heavy cream. It entails caramelizing the white sugar by cooking it.

Which means you gently cook the sugar on its own or with some water until it turns into an amber coloured syrup. Then you add in your butter and or heavy cream and cook for just a bit longer to combine it all.

There is another method where you cook brown sugar and vegan butter together. And then add in your coconut cream. Technically speaking though, it would more properly be called butterscotch. But I don’t care, it tastes like caramel to me. Plus there are many easy caramel recipes and dairy free caramel recipes that use brown sugar.

For caramel sauce made without butter or cream, brown sugar is the way to go. I found that during the cooking process white sugar can easily go from browned to burnt.

Ingredients for dairy free caramel

• Plant Butter: I use Country Crock’s vegan butter. Myoko’s is a better option but more pricy.
• Brown Sugar: You can use either light brown sugar or dark.
• Canned Coconut Cream: This recipe just uses thick creamy part and a bit of the liquid from the canned coconut cream or milk.
• Vanilla Extract: You can omit this if needed.
• Pink Himalayan Salt: Or any salt you use for baking.

How to make dairy free caramel sauce

My recipe is faster to prepare then many others and I have two cooking methods. I crafted them so they have different consistencies when cooled.

1. The first one remains a smooth consistency when cooled. Which makes it nicer for using in cold recipes.
2. The second method is quicker and slightly easier but the caramel becomes grainy when cooled. Both can be reheated before seving and have very similar flavours.

Method 1:

1. First measure out all the ingredients. Add the brown sugar and butter to a small sauce pan. Heat together over medium heat. Bring it to a boil and cook for two minutes.
2. Then remove from the heat and add in the coconut cream and coconut milk. And whisk together.
3. Return the caramel to the heat and cook for another 5 minutes.
4. When done cooking, remove from the heat and whisk in the salt and vanilla. Then scrape into a glass container and let cool.

method 2:

1. First: measure all the ingredients except for the salt and vanilla into a small sauce pan. Place over medium/high heat and cook for about 5 minutes until it looks lightly thickened and coats the back of a spoon.
2. Remove from the heat and add in the vanilla and salt. Whisk to combine.

Can I make caramel Without cream or milk?

Yes! I have crafted a recipe that uses coconut cream to make the caramel sauce. It still gives the caramel a rich creamy flavor that you don’t gain with other types of plant milk. 

Can I make caramel without butter?

Yes! A great substitute in most recipes for butter is a vegan butter. I use country crock plant butter and it works fairly well in most things. I found that coconut oil separates too much after the sauce is made. So your best bet is plant butter!

Other cooking tidbits

• You can tell when the sauce is done by the taste, texture and smell. Cook it until it coats the back of the spoon and tastes caramely. It will be fairly liquid on the stove, but will thicken some when cooled.
• Using the second cooking method will result in a slightly grainy texture when cooled.
• Cooking the brown sugar and butter before adding the cream, makes it so that the texture remains smooth when cooled.

How to Store Caramel Sauce

After you have removed it from the heat scrape it into an airtight glass container. I like to use a mason jar. You can store it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. And it can be stored in the freezer for up to 2 months