My 5 minute vegan caramel sauce will have you wondering how you’ve managed without it in your life before. Whether you’re vegan or not, this sauce is so good and you seriously need to go and make it! Easy to make with only 3 ingredients and ridiculously addictive.
Why You Need this Recipe
If you’re looking for the perfect topping for ice cream or a filling for your cakes, cupcakes and macarons, this is THE recipe for you. I make this sauce far too often and it really is caramel perfection. It is silky, rich, decadent and so easy to make. The hardest part is not eating it all in one go!
Ingredients and Substitutions
With just 3 ingredients, my caramel sauce uses vegan condensed milk as its base. Read on for my substitution recommendations if you are not vegan or are unable to find coconut condensed milk. It is usually available at natural food stores and also on Amazon. Check out my FAQ for common recipe questions.
Sugar: the molasses in brown sugar help to create that rich flavour and colour for the caramel sauce. You could sub with yellow/golden sugar or white sugar if you prefer, which will slightly lighten the colour and flavour. I have not tried this recipe with a sugar substitute or coconut sugar. If you want to try it, let me know how that turns out.
Condensed Milk: I am obsessed with sweetened coconut condensed milk as it has a wonderful consistency and such a satisfying flavour. I’m located in Ontario, Canada and usually buy this particular brand at my local Bulk Barn store. You may also have luck finding it in natural food stores such as Goodness Me and on Amazon.
If you can not find plant based condensed milk, you can sub it with regular coconut milk but note that you will need to boil it for longer to thicken it up more. Condensed milk already has a thicker consistency and as such, this reduces the amount of boiling time required. If you are unable to find a 250 ml can of condensed milk, alter the amount of sugar and butter needed accordingly.
Plant Based Butter: I prefer to use unsalted block plant based butter. If you like a more salted caramel sauce, feel free to sub it with salted butter. Use dairy butter if you are not dairy-free or vegan. I do not recommend using tub-based butter to make this caramel sauce. The additional oils and higher water content can affect the consistency of the caramel and your sauce may not turn out as well.
How to Make Vegan Caramel Sauce
This recipe makes approximately 400ml of caramel sauce, which can be stored in the fridge for up to 10 days. Start by adding 100 grams (0.5 US cup) of brown sugar and a can of coconut condensed milk (250ml) to a saucepan over a medium heat.
The condensed milk already has a slight caramel colour and a thick consistency.
Continuously stir the mixture until the sugar is dissolved. This usually takes 3-4 minutes. I prefer to use a wooden spoon when making caramel so that it doesn’t radiate any heat when I am stirring.
It will develop into a deep caramel colour and a thick pouring consistency. I know what you’re thinking, this looks wonderful already but we’re not quite done with it yet.
Add 56 grams (4 tbsp) of room temperature plant based butter to the saucepan. This will add a creaminess and also help with the final consistency of the caramel. You can see that the mixture is bubbling away nicely at this stage. The butter doesn’t take long to melt – usually a minute or two. If you want to make salted caramel, use salted butter.
Continue to whisk until the butter is fully melted.
We now have a beautiful pouring consistency. Please be aware that the caramel is extremely hot at this stage so be careful with it.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow it to cool. If I am using the caramel on the same day, I usually pour it into a jug. You can also store it in a mason jar if you prefer to use it over a few days. The caramel will thicken up as it cools.
Wasn’t that easy? I love that this recipe comes together really quickly and you don’t need to use a candy thermometer or a whole multitude of ingredients.
Serving Suggestions
This is about as easy as it gets to make vegan caramel sauce. For salted caramel sauce, either use salted butter or add salt to taste.
Perfect drizzled over ice cream or used as a filling in cakes, cupcakes and macarons. No judgment if you just want spoonfuls of it straight from the jar!
Common Questions
This sauce can be stored for up to 10 days in the refrigerator. I recommend using a mason jar with a reusable lid.
It will firm up over time so if you prefer a runnier caramel sauce, you can always scoop some out of the jar and warm it slightly in the microwave. I recommend warming at 5-second intervals as it will soften up very quickly.
Absolutely! This caramel sauce works wonderfully in macarons. I recommend adding a small dollop in the centre so that it doesn’t spill over when you add the second macaron shell.
Recommended Recipes
I love using this caramel as a filling in my vanilla cupcakes and my millionaire shortbread bars. It also pairs wonderfully as a sauce for my warm almond blueberry cake. And of course, if you’re making this sauce, you’ll want to fry up some of my air fryer churro bites (warning – they are seriously addictive!).
I also used this recipe as part of my caramel biscuit bars (aka Twix) Technical Challenge from Season 12 of the Great British Bake Off. If you’re a fan of the show and would love to watch me attempt this challenge, check out the full Caramel Biscuits bake-along video.
5 Minute Vegan Caramel Sauce
Equipment
- Saucepan
- Wooden Spoon
Ingredients
- 250 ml Coconut Condensed Milk
- 100 grams Brown Sugar (0.5 cup)
- 56 grams Plant Based Butter (unsalted) (4 tbsp)
Instructions
- Add 250 ml of coconut condensed milk and 100 grams brown sugar to a saucepan over a medium heat. Continuously stir until the sugar is dissolved. It will develop into a deep caramel colour. This usually takes 3-4 minutes. I prefer to use a wooden spoon when making caramel so that it doesn't radiate any heat when I am stirring.
- Add 56 grams of room temperature plant based butter to the saucepan. This will add a creaminess and also help with the final consistency of the caramel. Whisk continuously until the butter is melted. The butter doesn't take long to melt – usually a minute or two. If you want to make salted caramel, use salted butter.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow it to cool. Please note that the caramel is extremely hot so be careful with it. If I am using the caramel on the same day, I usually pour it into a jug. You can also store it in a mason jar if you prefer to use it over a few days. The caramel will thicken up as it cools.
Video
Notes
- This recipe is about as easy as it gets to make vegan caramel sauce and makes approx 400ml of sauce. For salted caramel sauce, either use salted butter or add salt to taste.聽
- Perfect drizzled over ice cream, a warm slice of almond blueberry cake or used as a filling in cakes, cupcakes and macarons. No judgement if you just want spoonfuls of it straight from the jar!聽
- This sauce will store for up to 10 days in the refrigerator. It will firm up over time so if you prefer a runnier caramel sauce, you can always scoop some out of the jar and warm it slightly in the microwave. I recommend warming at 5-second intervals as it will soften up very quickly.
- I’m located in Ontario, Canada and usually buy this particular brand of coconut condensed milk at my local Bulk Barn store. You may also have luck finding it in natural food stores such as Goodness Me and on Amazon. If you are unable to find a 250 ml can of condensed milk, alter the amount of sugar and butter needed accordingly.
- If you can not find plant based condensed milk, you can sub it with regular coconut milk but note that you will need to boil it for longer to thicken it up more.聽
Oh my goodness! We made this on the weekend and it was amazing! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe.
Sadly, this did not work for me. It is runny as water. 馃檨
The caramel is runny when it is initially made but will thicken up as it cools. You can also pop it in the fridge and let it firm up completely if you prefer a much thicker spreadable caramel. Let me know if that works for you.
It’s the perfect topping for ice cream, fruits, or even dip your finger into. I’ll definitely make it again.
We love it on ice cream as well!
This was perfect to drizzle around the inside of my coffee cup. Made some good espresso, steamed some oat milk and had a lovely caramel latte. Thanks!
I’m so happy to hear this Britta. And what a great way to use the caramel! Thanks for sharing your review!
This caramel sauce was delish! Served it over chocolate ice cream.
I completely agree – we love it on ice cream!
I tried this caramel recipe this week and it turned out great! I’m always so amazed at what can be made vegan – so delicious!
So happy to hear that Lauren. I think it tastes as good as, if not better than, the real deal.
An easy vegan caramel sauce alternative, a breeze to whip up and so tasty too! Thank you!
You’re so welcome Heather!
This recipe was so easy to make and I love that it’s only 3 ingredients! I used a mason jar as suggested because I’m going to let my kids use this to drizzle over apples over the next few days!
I hope your kids enjoyed it. It pairs so well with apples.
I love this easy and vegan 5-minute caramel sauce. Pinned to try your recipe soon.
I hope you enjoy it Kushi.
Plant butter did not incorporate well into the coconut condensed milk. I kept stirring it, but as it cooled it would rise in patches to the top. Also, my condensed milk was sweetened already (didn’t realize until it was too late) so adding sugar made it cloyingly sweet. Think I will just warm the coconut condensed milk straight and use it as a vegan alternative to caramel. Not exactly the same but much better than date “caramel.”
Thanks for sharing your experience! 馃槉 Since the recipe uses sweetened coconut condensed milk, it鈥檚 meant to be on the sweeter side. Plant butter can sometimes separate a bit as it cools, depending on the brand, so that patchiness can happen. One tip – if it ends up too sweet for you, you can always stir in a touch of salt to turn it into a delicious salted caramel! Warming the coconut condensed milk on its own is also a clever workaround. I really appreciate you experimenting and letting us know what worked for you!
Hello! Thank you for sharing this recipe! I tried to make it and it looked great, then after it cooled it turned rock hard?! Please share any tips you have on what I must have done wrong to end up with a caramel rock 馃檪
Hi! Thanks for trying the recipe. This caramel does firm up a bit as it cools – that鈥檚 normal. If you鈥檇 like it a little softer, you can warm it gently before serving or add a small extra splash of plant-based cream when making it. That should help you get the perfect drizzle next time.