Coconut Caramel Sauce Recipe (Vegan Caramel) - The Yummy Bowl (2024)

· Modified: by Julia | The Yummy Bowl · 3 Comments

Jump to Recipe

This Coconut Caramel Sauce is the easiest caramel recipe out there, you’ll never want store-bought again. It comes together with only 5 ingredients that are all cooked in one pot until thickened to desired consistency.

Let’s take a look on how easy this coconut caramel sauce recipe is.

Coconut Caramel Sauce Recipe (Vegan Caramel) - The Yummy Bowl (1)
Coconut Caramel Sauce Recipe (Vegan Caramel) - The Yummy Bowl (2)

If you haven't tried my Pineapple Pancakes yet, what are you waiting for? They are delicious! Feeling Tropical Vibes yet?

Jump To
  • Ingredients
  • Instructions
  • Easy Dessert Sauce Recipes
  • Tips and Variations
  • Storing
  • Serving suggestions
  • Recipe
  • Comments

We have a great collection of different sauces, condiments, and dips. In my opinion, homemade should mean: easy, healthy, and quick. And this Homemade Caramel Sauce recipe ticks all the boxes!

Ingredients

  • Vanilla paste- you can use both paste or extract, but if using a paste, ½ teaspoon is enough for this recipe as it is stronger than the vanilla extract. I prefer paste but it is not a big deal if you don’t have this on hand.
  • Milk- I used coconut milk in this recipe, it is hands down, the best substitute for heavy cream or any cream I’ve found so far. But I understand not everyone is a fan. I have yet to try this recipe with cashew, soy, and almond milk. As I have researched so far, these alternative milk may require longer simmering times (unless they’re homemade and thicker in texture).
  • Sugar- All-natural sugar of your choice. That can be coconut sugar, cane sugar, organic brown sugar, date sugar.
Coconut Caramel Sauce Recipe (Vegan Caramel) - The Yummy Bowl (3)

Instructions

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan.

Coconut Caramel Sauce Recipe (Vegan Caramel) - The Yummy Bowl (4)

Combine all the rest ingredients in the saucepan and simmer over low heat, whisking constantly or until thickened and no longer watery.

The sauce will reduce in volume and start thickening after about 30 minutes. Remove from heat once you’ll see this result, usually in between 30-50 minutes, and set aside to cool. Keep in mind that the sauce will thicken even more as it cools.

Easy Dessert Sauce Recipes

  • Berry Banana Jam (Without Pectin)
  • Homemade Lingonberry Sauce (Easy Berry Meat Sauce)
  • Homemade Mixed Berry Dessert Sauce for pancakes!
Coconut Caramel Sauce Recipe (Vegan Caramel) - The Yummy Bowl (5)

Tips and Variations

  • If you like this caramel try this next: Pumpkin Caramel Sauce.
  • The texture- When you’ll start cooking the sauce (especially if you haven’t made any caramel sauce before) you won’t see that much of a difference in the texture. But be patient, it requires a little time (about 30-50 minutes) to start seeing the result and when everything comes together.
  • Store- transfer the sauce to specialty store-bought kitchen squeeze bottles and refrigerate.
  • Vanilla- is optional but does enhance the flavor quite a bit!
  • Make it a Salted caramel (coconut) sauce - a little bit of salt is added to the recipe anyway but for that salted caramel-like taste feel free to increase the salt at least double.
Coconut Caramel Sauce Recipe (Vegan Caramel) - The Yummy Bowl (6)

Storing

Best to keep this caramel sauce refrigerated in an airtight container as it has butter in it.

It will keep in the fridge for up to 3 weeks, or freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature, before using.

You can also reheat the sauce very briefly once ready to serve, and will help to thin out the caramel a bit. Hot caramel sauce is THE BEST thign in this worlds to be served over pancakes, ice cream and waffles.

Serving suggestions

This coconut caramel sauce recipe can be used in:

  • Pancakes, waffles, ice cream
  • Transfer to a little cute sealed glass jar and give as a gift!
  • Drizzle over Porridges
  • As a fruit dip
  • Drizzle over brownies
  • Drizzle over cookies or add to batter as a sweetener
  • As a sweetener in the batter for brownies, muffins, bread, pies
  • And well, anything you’d like!

Recipe

Coconut Caramel Sauce Recipe (Vegan Caramel) - The Yummy Bowl (7)

Vegan Coconut Caramel Sauce (Vegan Caramel)

Julia | The Yummy Bowl

This coconut caramel sauce is the easiest vegan recipe out there, you’ll never want store-bought again. It comes together with only 5 ingredients that are all cooked in one pot until thickened to desired consistency. Easy, creamy, and healthier - made with all-natural ingredients, and goes with everything you pour it over!!

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 7 oz

INGREDIENTS

  • 13.5 oz can of coconut milk, unsweetened
  • cup muscovado or coconut sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt or kosher salt
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter, I used lactose-free or sub with coconut oil or vegan butter
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla paste, or sub 1 teaspoon vanilla extract*

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Melt the butter in a medium saucepan.

  • Combine all the rest ingredients in the saucepan and simmer over low heat, whisking constantly or until thickened and no longer watery. The sauce will reduce in volume and start thickening after about 30 minutes. Remove from heat once you’ll see this result, usually in between 30-50 minutes, and set aside to cool. Keep in mind that the sauce will thicken even more as it cools.

NOTES

  • Makes about ½ cups of sauce.
  • The texture - When you’ll start cooking the sauce (especially if you haven’t made any caramel sauce before) you won’t see that much of a difference in the texture. But be patient, it requires a little time (about 30-50 minutes) to start seeing the result and when everything comes together. Plus as soon as it is already reduced twice in size and started to thicken it already means that you may finish the simmering and let the sauce cool. It will thicken even more once cooled and will turn thicker overnight.
  • Store - transfer the sauce to specialty store-bought kitchen squeeze bottles and refrigerate.
  • Vanilla paste - you can use both paste or extract, but if using a paste, ½ teaspoon is enough for this recipe as it is stronger than the vanilla extract. I prefer paste but it is not a big deal if you don’t have this on hand.
  • Milk - I used coconut milk in this recipe, it is hands down, the best substitute for heavy cream or any cream I’ve found so far. But I understand not everyone is a fan. I have yet to try this recipe with cashew, soy, and almond milk. As I have researched so far, these alternative milk may require longer simmering times (unless they’re homemade and thicker in texture).
  • Sugar - All-natural sugar of your choice. That can be coconut sugar, cane sugar, organic brown sugar, date sugar.
  • Vanilla - is optional but does enhance the flavor quite a bit!
  • Storing: Store Caramel Sauce refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks. You will need to heat it up on the stovetop or microwave as it will be very thick.
  • Freezing: You can freeze Caramel Sauce in a ziplock bag (glass containers not advised as the cream may expand and break the glass) for up to 2-3 months.

ADD YOUR OWN PRIVATE NOTES

Click here to add your own private notes.

Tried this recipe?@theyummy_bowl and tag #theyummy_bowl! Thank you!

I would appreciate it so much if you left a comment about this recipe below!Subscribeto join the TYB newsletter and receive free recipes straight to your inbox! Let's connect viaFacebook,IG&Pinterest!

Note:Nutrition information is estimated and varies based on products used.

Full Nutrition Disclaimer can be foundhere.

« Strawberry Iced Tea with Mint

Pineapple Pancakes »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Julia

    Coconut Caramel Sauce Recipe (Vegan Caramel) - The Yummy Bowl (8)
    A delicious alternative to a traditional Caramel sauce.

    Reply

  2. an actual vegan

    why describe this as "Vegan" and include butter in the recipe? How insulting to vegans...
    this makes me unlikely to trust any other recipe from this site.

    Reply

    • Julia | The Yummy Bowl

      I've explained this in the ingredients tips!

      Reply

Leave a Reply

Coconut Caramel Sauce Recipe (Vegan Caramel) - The Yummy Bowl (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between caramel and vegan caramel? ›

Like regular caramel, this vegan caramel is made from a base of sugar, cream, and butter. We'll be using coconut cream instead of regular cream, and dairy free butter to keep it all dairy free since most caramel is not vegan. Then you'll need some salt and vanilla for extra flavor and that's it!

How is caramel sauce made from scratch? ›

Combine brown sugar, butter, and milk in a saucepan and bring ingredients to a boil. Remove thickened mixture from heat before adding (optional) vanilla extract. Let the caramel cool slightly before using. The result is an impossibly rich sauce that is guaranteed to satisfy your sweet tooth.

How do you reconstitute caramel sauce? ›

How to Fix a Seized Caramel Sauce. Crystallized caramel sauce can usually be rescued! Just melt the chunks of hardened caramel back into the sauce over a very low heat, then strain with a fine mesh strainer before using.

How to make caramel Jamie Oliver? ›

Sprinkle 100g of the sugar into a non-stick frying pan, add 3 tablespoons of water and place on a medium heat for about 8 minutes, or until you've got a chestnut brown caramel – don't be tempted to stir or taste it, just gently swirl the pan occasionally. Quickly and carefully divide the caramel between the ramekins.

Why is my vegan caramel grainy? ›

Grainy caramel is caused by crystallization, which is easy to avoid (and can also be fixed). Caramel becomes grainy when the sugars crystallize, a process that happens when the melted sugar splashes up onto the cold sides of the pan.

Why is caramel sauce not vegan? ›

Is caramel vegan? Because caramel is essentially just sugar, in its purest form, it is vegan. However, it is often mixed with dairy cream, butter, or milk, which is why it's important to always check the back of store-bought caramel candy.

How to make caramel sauce Gordon Ramsay? ›

Cooking instructions
  1. Add the sugar, syrup and water to a large pan and bring to the boil over a medium heat, swirling the pan gently to help the sugar dissolve.
  2. Once fully dissolved, let the mixture boil until it starts to turn golden on the bottom, then swirl the pan gently to encourage it to caramelise evenly.

Why is my homemade caramel sauce not thickening? ›

Add more sugar to the sauce.

Most caramel sauces are made by caramelizing sugar and adding milk and a little salt. If you increase the amount of sugar in the recipe you'll end up with a thicker caramel. Try increasing the sugar by about 1/3.

Do you add milk when melting caramel? ›

To melt caramels using a microwave, open up a bag of soft caramels, unwrap the individual candies, and place them in a microwave-safe dish. Next, add milk to the bowl, or if you'd like a richer treat, add heavy cream instead. Then, place the bowl in the microwave and heat the caramels on HIGH for 1 minute.

Why is my homemade caramel sauce grainy? ›

This can happen if sugar crystals form on the sides of the saucepan or if the sugar syrup is mixed too much while cooking. Adjust the Heat: If the caramel cooked at a high heat, causing it to crystallize or burn, lower the heat for future batches.

Why does my caramel sauce taste bitter? ›

The liquefied sugar is then cooked, without stirring, until it darkens in color, taking on additional flavor notes the longer it remains on the heat. You want to hit the sweet spot here: If the caramel is too light, it won't have much flavor, but if it gets too dark, it will taste burnt and bitter.

What is homemade caramel made of? ›

As it turns out, homemade candy isn't all that difficult. And salted caramel is one of the easiest recipes. This truly the best salted caramel I've ever had and there's only 4 ingredients required: sugar, butter, heavy cream, and salt.

Why do you put vinegar in caramel? ›

Add acid. Acid ingredients (like vinegar or lemon juice) can help prevent re-crystallization which causes caramel to become grainy. Acid physically breaks the bonds between the glucose and fructose molecules that form sucrose and ensure that it stays apart.

Why is my homemade caramel so hard? ›

This is usually caused by sugar crystals stuck to the side of the pan that didn't get fully dissolved. It only takes one to set off a chain reaction, and before you know it you have crunchy caramel.

What is vegan caramel made of? ›

The base for this 5-ingredient caramel is coconut cream, dates, and arrowroot starch, which are blended until creamy and smooth. This makes up the liquid ingredients, which are added to a bit of coconut sugar and cooked until glossy and just bubbly.

What are the two types of caramel? ›

When creating caramel, there are typically two different versions: wet caramel and dry caramel. Wet caramel refers to caramel that has been made by adding water to the sugar during the heating process.

What are the three types of caramel? ›

Caramel can be produced in so many forms such as, sauce, a chewy candy, or a hard candy because of how much of an ingredient is added and the temperature it is being prepared at.

Are there different types of caramel? ›

Light caramel has a light golden brown hue, while dark caramel features a dark amber color with a slightly more bitter taste than light caramel. Various candies, confections, desserts, and beverages are made with caramel. Desserts such as flan and creme brûlée even contain a topping of caramel.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Geoffrey Lueilwitz

Last Updated:

Views: 5943

Rating: 5 / 5 (80 voted)

Reviews: 87% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Geoffrey Lueilwitz

Birthday: 1997-03-23

Address: 74183 Thomas Course, Port Micheal, OK 55446-1529

Phone: +13408645881558

Job: Global Representative

Hobby: Sailing, Vehicle restoration, Rowing, Ghost hunting, Scrapbooking, Rugby, Board sports

Introduction: My name is Geoffrey Lueilwitz, I am a zealous, encouraging, sparkling, enchanting, graceful, faithful, nice person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.