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
- Prep Time: 1 min
- Cook Time: 9 mins
- Total Time: 10 mins
- Yield: About 2 cups 1x
Description
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, coffee drinks, and more.
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
*Feel free to heat the cream and butter up a bit in the microwave if you are in a hurry. It’s important both ingredients be room temperature (or warmer). If cold, they can cause the caramelized sugars to seize and clump up.
I made this sauce yesterday for a crowd of 80 people. I had never made caramel sauce before and had some trouble getting it right. Part of the challenge was that I had to make 6 x the recipe! My third attempt came out perfect. I had some issues with the mixture crystallizing but then followed the advice of another online cook and covered my pot with a lid. The steam from the mixture constantly runs down the inside of the pot and prevents crystals from forming. The sauce was absolutely delicious served with my bread pudding. I will definitely make it again.
Does the sauce cook the bourbon enough to serve to pregnant women, kids etc??
This is the reason I wanna have a blood transfusion. I want to replace all the blood in my body for this divine and incredible easy to make caramel sauce!!
I’ve made this Bourbon Caramel Sauce twice and it turned out perfectly both times. This recipe is definitely a keeper!
This recipe is fabulous! I’ve made it many times and received rave reviews!
just made this with Eggnog (and bourbon)… dangerous…
5 stars for method! This worked out just as written!
However, the bourbon flavor was a little too strong for my taste and I think I could have just stuck with the caramel sans bourbon.
So easy and a huge hit with my family. It has a strong bourbon flavour on its own, but it’s not overpowering when it’s used on ice cream or fruits. Cooling it in the fridge thickened it up a lot, so we just popped it in the microwave when we wanted to use it again.
I much prefer to make this without the water. Also less cream and more whiskey gives me a thicker more flavored sauce.
I didn’t have the correct pot, the sugar got a bit lumpy, and the open bottle of the bourbon slipped out of my hand into the sauce! And it still tasted AMAZING!