5 ways to make sugar caramel at home

Caramel is a favorite treat for countless people. Every day, mothers add this sweet treat to their children's cereal or drizzle it over pancakes. Ice cream with this syrup is available even in the most popular establishments around the world.

Knowing the right recipes is crucial to making caramel sauce right the first time. We've compiled the most common recipes for this treat to suit every taste. In today's selection, you'll find formulas for making coffee caramel with cane sugar, dry-baked, microwaved, and milk, as well as the most classic recipe. Each recipe features the perfect ratio of sugar and water for the caramel, ensuring effortless results.

How to properly melt sugar for caramel?

To ensure your favorite treat turns out perfect the first time, it's important to know the basic rules that significantly simplify the preparation process and even make it more enjoyable. We've answered the most frequently asked questions to help you achieve delicious caramel:

Dry sugar caramel

This incredibly simple recipe requires only sugar. Dry-process caramel requires no water, milk, cream, or butter. It produces a richly colored syrup that hardens very quickly. Therefore, it's important to work quickly and be mindful and collected when melting the sugar. Drizzle the resulting caramel over your favorite nuts, and you'll have a wonderful garnish for your desserts.

Ingredients

• Sugar – 300 g
• Nuts - a handful

 Cooking time: 15 min

Number of servings: 300 g

Step-by-step recipe

Step 1

Pour sugar into a saucepan with a thick bottom.

Step 2

Spread the sugar evenly over the bottom; it will begin to melt over time. No need to stir, just shake the pan gently.

Step 3

When the caramel begins to turn amber around the edges, stir it gently with a silicone spatula. Stir toward the center to prevent the sugar from sticking to the sides of the pan.

Step 4

Stir the caramel continuously until it begins to become homogeneous.

Step 5

The result should be a caramel syrup without any sugar lumps.

Step 6

Prepare a handful of your favorite nuts.

Step 7

Gently pour caramel syrup over the nuts.

Step 8

We wait until the caramel hardens and get a large layer with nuts.

Step 9

We break the resulting layer into pieces and can use them as a decoration for desserts or as a stand-alone treat.

Caramel made from sugar and milk

This recipe is a favorite among many cooks. It's their go-to for a delicious topping for porridge, pancakes, and crepes. It's also indispensable as a coffee syrup. Adding this caramel to ice cream creates a dessert with a completely new, sophisticated flavor. This sweet treat can also be used in baked goods, cookies, or candies.

Ingredients

• Sugar – 250 g
• Water – 50 ml
• Milk – 100 ml
• Butter – 50 g
• Salt – to taste

Cooking time: 25 minutes

Number of servings: 350-400 g

Step-by-step recipe

Step 1

Pour sugar into a saucepan with a thick bottom.

Step 2

Pour water into the same container.

Step 3

Place the saucepan on the fire without stirring the syrup.

Step 4

At the same time, heat the milk, but do not bring it to a boil.

Step 5

Cook the syrup until it reaches a rich caramel color.

Step 6

After removing the caramel from the heat, add the butter and stir vigorously.

Step 7

Then add milk to the caramel, but not all at once, but gradually in small portions and mix the mixture.

Step 8

Then put the saucepan with caramel back on the heat and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring gradually.

Step 9

Remove the syrup from the heat and pour it into another container.

Step 10

The caramel will thicken as it cools. Store the syrup in the refrigerator.

Microwave Sugar Caramel

This recipe is a great choice for those who don't like spending a lot of time cooking but still want to surprise their loved ones with delicious treats. The entire preparation process takes about 15 minutes. You'll get a delicious caramel sauce that you can enjoy as a standalone dessert or as a garnish for various dishes. If you prefer a thicker treat, simply increase the microwave time.

Ingredients

• Sugar – 210 g
• Butter – 120 g
• Corn syrup – 120 ml (maple syrup or honey)
• Condensed milk – 120 ml
• Vanilla extract – 0.5-1 tsp.
• Sea salt – to taste

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Number of servings: 300 g

Step-by-step recipe

Step 1

Melt the butter in the microwave.

Step 2

Add sugar to it.

Step 3

We also add honey to this container and mix everything well.

Step 4

Add condensed milk to this mixture and mix everything well again.

Step 5

We place the container with this mass in the microwave for approximately 10 minutes at 800 kW power.

Every 2 minutes we take out and stir the mixture, and then put it back in the microwave.

Also at the end add vanilla and stir in the caramel.

Step 6

Pour the caramel sauce into the prepared and greased pan. You can add salt at this point.

Step 7

We leave the caramel to cool at room temperature, and then put it in the refrigerator.

Step 8

We take our caramel out of the refrigerator, it is ready to use.

Step 9

After this, if necessary, we can remove the caramel from the mold and cut it into pieces.

Cane sugar caramel

If you enjoy adding variety to your culinary creations, you'll definitely love this recipe. This caramel isn't quite a classic flavor, as the coffee beans and liqueur add new and interesting notes, making the treat even more interesting. It's a great addition to breakfast. But you can also add this caramel to various drinks for a completely new and unusual flavor.

Ingredients

• Cream (33-35%) – 150 g
• Coffee beans – 20 g
• Cane (coconut) sugar – 100 g
• Butter (82%) – 70 g
• Liqueur (coffee or cream) – 20 g
• Salt - a pinch

 Cooking time: 35 minutes

Number of servings: 300 g

Step-by-step recipe

Step 1

Add coffee beans to a saucepan with cream and heat. Bring the cream to a boil, then immediately remove from the heat, then strain out the beans.

Step 2

Place the saucepan with sugar on the fire, stirring the mixture periodically.

Step 3

Gradually add cream to the melted sugar and stir constantly.

Step 4

The result should be a coffee-colored mass with a rich aroma. At this stage, turn off the heat.

Step 5

Add butter to the resulting caramel and mix everything until smooth.

Step 6

Using a blender, beat the caramel.

Step 7

Then we add liqueur to our mixture and mix everything.

Step 8

Pour the resulting caramel into jars and leave it to cool.