This silky smooth Vegan Caramel Sauce is easy to make with just two ingredients! Rich, sweet, and decadent, it’s the perfect sauce to drizzle over vegan ice cream or apple pie. Or try dipping apple slices in it! The possibilities are endless.
Searching for more sweet vegan sauces? Check out my Vegan Hot Fudge, Vegan Lemon Curd, Strawberry Sauce, and Vegan Chocolate Ganache recipes as well.
Hello, dreamy, creamy Vegan Caramel. This incredibly sweet and easy sauce takes 10 minutes to stir together using just 2 ingredients: coconut cream and brown sugar! It comes together like magic before your eyes.
Once it’s looking luscious and silky smooth, you can drizzle this perfect vegan caramel sauce over a bowl of Vegan Ice Cream, homemade Vegan Apple Crisp, my Caramel Skillet Cookie, and any other vegan dessert recipes that could use a caramel twist.
Don’t forget to try my salty and sweet Vegan Salted Caramel recipe, too. It’s made in a more traditional way on the stovetop and is a bit more difficult, but is still fairly simple. You can’t go wrong with either in my opinion, but if you don’t love coconut, you may want to use that recipe instead (leave out the salt if you don’t want salted caramel).
Why this is the best vegan caramel sauce
- Only two ingredients! Coconut cream and brown sugar are all you need for homemade vegan caramel. Or, customize the flavor with a pinch of salt, cinnamon, and other add-ins.
- A 10-minute recipe – Heat the two ingredients in a pot on the stove and in 10 minutes, you have a perfectly thick and creamy caramel sauce.
- Delicious caramel – I really used to love caramel and while I have nothing against the “healthy” versions made with dates or maple syrup, this sweet and luscious recipe instantly curbs my cravings.
How to make vegan caramel
Find the complete recipe with measurements in the recipe card below.
Add the coconut cream and brown sugar to a small pot and heat over medium-high heat on the stove, stirring constantly. When the mixture begins to bubble and foam, lower the heat to a simmer and stir frequently for about 5-10 minutes.
Customize the flavor by stirring in a pinch of salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, or vanilla bean paste while the caramel is simmering.
Take the pot off the heat. Use the caramel right away or transfer it to a glass container and let it cool. Enjoy!
Pro tip: The caramel thickens considerably as it cools. To loosen the consistency, place it on the kitchen counter or zap it in the microwave for 30 seconds. Give it a good stir, then enjoy.
Serving suggestions
There are so many ways to use vegan caramel, such as:
- It’s one of the best vegan ice cream toppings ever!
- Drizzle it over apple pie, apple crisp, apple cake, apple crumble, or apple muffins. You can even use it in my Apple Upside Down Cake.
- Or, keep it simple by using it as a sweet dip for apple slices.
- Use it as a cake or cupcake filling.
- Drizzle it over my Vegan Salted Caramel Skillet Cookie.
- It gives my Vegan Caramel Monkey Bread a glistening and sweet touch.
- Eat it by the spoonful right out of the pot. I won’t judge!
Frequently asked questions
Butter and/or heavy cream are sometimes added to caramel for a glossy look and rich mouthfeel, so usually, no, caramel is not vegan. The good news is that dairy isn’t what makes caramel caramel, and you can make a delicious dairy free version.
This vegan caramel recipe uses brown sugar as the main ingredient, while some coconut cream gives it a nice richness.
Yes, you can use canned full-fat coconut milk if you can’t find canned coconut cream. Simply scoop out the thick white part at the top and leave the liquid in the can (save it for a vegan curry or potato soup).
This recipe makes about 1 1/4 cups of caramel.
The leftover caramel will keep for up to 1 week when stored in an airtight glass container in the refrigerator. Give it a good stir before serving or reheat it in 30-second intervals in the microwave until it’s smooth again.
Yes! The caramel freezes well for about 1 month. Let the leftovers thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating them in the microwave and serving.
Vegan Caramel
Ingredients
- 1 cup coconut cream
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- optional: pinch of salt
Instructions
- In a small pan or pot, add the coconut cream and brown sugar. Heat over medium-high heat, stirring constantly while the coconut cream melts. The mixture will get bubbly and almost foamy. Lower the heat to a simmer and stir frequently for about 5-10 minutes. If you want salted caramel, add a pinch of salt, or more to taste.
- Remove from heat. The caramel can be used immediately, or let it cool and it will thicken considerably. Each time you go to use it, give it a good stir. Store leftover caramel in a covered glass container in the refrigerator for about a week.
Video
Notes
- I like to buy canned coconut cream for this recipe, but if you can’t find it you can use full fat coconut milk. Simply scoop out the thick white part, and leave the liquid in the can. You might need a few cans of full fat coconut milk to get enough cream.
- May sub coconut sugar for brown sugar if desired, but I prefer brown sugar.
- It will be quite thick after refrigerating. Simply microwave or heat in a pan and stir until it thins a bit, as desired.
Hi, should the coconut cream be refrigerated before using or used at room temp?
It does not need to be refrigerated, but it won’t hurt anything if it is.
Hi! I was wondering if I could bake this and it would still have the consistency of a sauce?
I haven’t tried it so I’m not quite sure. I think you could bake it into brownies or something like that, but I haven’t tried it. I think it will still stay saucy though I’m not 100% positive.
Hello Nora. I would like to try this recipe, but I want to be able to keep it long term. Will this long for a period of time if I store it in a air tight jar in the refrigerator? Thank you!
Hi Teil. The sauce will last about a week in the refrigerator . I hope this helps!
Hey, I made this recipe today, but it hab a very strong coconut taste… is this normal or how do you avoid this?
Hi Rabea, this could be caused by the brand of coconut cream/milk you used. I use Thai Kitchen, which doesn’t give the caramel a strong coconut flavor.
Delicious! Adding a touch of warm water to the cornstarch to make a slurry helps avoid clumps. I’m using this for my coffee and love it!
excellent – this one will be a staple
Glad you love it! Thank you for your positive feedback!
Help! I whisked for quite a while, and my constarch never dissolved….. It stayed in little clumps. Flavor was spot on, but having those little starch balls was not ideal. Do I just need to add it in slower/smaller amounts? Or is there another solution?
Sifting the cornstarch through a fine mesh sieve can help you avoid those clumps, Emily!
Thanks. I’ll try that next time!
Mmmm can’t wait to try it. Let you know how it turns out. Thank you!
I hope you enjoy! Please let me know how it turns out for you! Happy cooking!
Would this caramel recipe be firm enough to make caramel tarts, or would I need to add more cornstarch?
I haven’t tried it, so I’m not sure but this one doesn’t firm up quite like other recipes. It stays more of a sauce. You could make the caramel from my Millionaire Bars, it gets super firm like normal caramel.
Love it… eyes rolling in the back of my head as I eat this! Thank you Nora for this delicious caramel sauce recipe.
Thank you for your wonderful feedback! I’m so glad you loved the caramel sauce!
Hi Nora! Do you think it’s possible to freeze it? If yes, up to what, 2 weeks, 1 month maybe? And do you have a tip if we want it more “think” (less runny)? Thanks! 🙂
It should freeze well for about 1 month! Just keep the cooled batch in a sealed jar or container for freezing. The caramel should thicken as it cools but you could try adding a little more cornstarch to thicken it even more.
Great recipe, added alil vanilla at the end came out awesome.
Thank you for sharing your review and comments! I’m glad you loved the sauce!
Simply THE BEST vegan caramel
Great recipe for gifts! I added the salt and a little vanilla which took it through the roof. I’ll label it “coconut vanilla caramel sauce”
Not sure why, but lots of little corn starch clumps wouldn’t dissolve when stirring/cooking first batch. I blended the whole mixture before cooking the second batch. Problem solved, but slightly different texture. We’ll how similar they are when cooled. Both are delish.
Thanks a bunch!
How much salt and vanilla did you add, and when?
This sounds like a super easy and fast Vegan option for a caramel sauce.
Not that I am expecting to have any left over but am wondering if this sauce can be frozen as I sometimes tend to over cater!!!! Thank you for your guidance.
You can try freezing it, but it might change the texture somewhat, I’m not sure as I haven’t tested it!
Sounds amazing! Have you ever tried canning it?
I have not. But that would be cool!
Nora would arrowroot work in place of the cornstarch?
I think arrowroot will work, though I haven’t tried it myself.
I made this with arrowroot starch – it was very gelatinous. Not sure if it doesn’t work the same at corn starch or if I used too much (I didn’t have exactly 1 cup of coconut fat).
I made this with cornstarch and it was pretty gelatinous. I added more sugar and vegan butter (about 3 T) per the instructions of another recipe and that improved the texture, but I’d want to experiment with reducing the starch or leaving it out next time.
I’m excited to try this as part of a vegan option at a party I’m catering! I was wondering though, how much sauce by volume does this recipe yield? It says 12 servings, but is that equivalent to about a cup? Just trying to figure out if I should double or triple it to get enough!
It makes about 1 1/4 cups. Sounds fun, enjoy!
Hi Nora! Love your recipes! How long can I store this in the fridge? Thanks!
Thank you, Brenda! You can store the caramel in a covered glass container in the refrigerator for about a week.
Can you make all my dreams come true and come up with a caramel candy recipe and a recipe that will work for caramel apples? I have the fall blues after spending like $30.00 on a 3x failed recipe today and letting my kids down in the process!
I need your kitchen wisdom!!
Oh I will definitely consider it! I have thought about it actually, because I don’t think this caramel sauce cuts it for apples. Stay tuned!
This was incredibly delicious and easy to make! I made this recipe as is with no issues. I served it on top Banana Pancakes with sliced bananas, walnuts & coconut whip cream. It was so good. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
You are welcome, Hannah! I’m glad you love the sauce, and your ideas sound delicious! I appreciate you taking your time to share your wonderful review and comments! Thank you!
I can’t wait to eat this on top of your Oreo cheesecake!
Hi Nora,
This was very delicious, thanks. I kept making caramel lattes with it (as well as topping ice cream!) My only “issue” with it was the color—I would’ve liked it to be more golden (it turned out kind of beige). I think next time I make it, I’ll try stirring the brown sugar in the pot by itself for a bit, first, to darken it up a little, and see what that does.
Thanks again! So happy to have a nondairy caramel.
I was going to make this, but my can of coconut cream was a thick liquid with no solid parts. Will it still work in this recipe?
Yes, that’s totally fine. If you are in a warm area, your coconut cream likely is softer because of that. Also, brands differ a lot. It should work here.
Hi Sharon. My can of Thai Kitchen coconut cream was also not solid at all—it was a thick cream consistency throughout—and it has worked fine all THREE times I’ve made this caramel in the past two weeks!
If you are in a warmer climate, you can chill the can, and it will separate, allowing you to scoop out the solids.
Trying to recreate the Salted Caramel Kind Bar. Will this caramel completely harden?
No, it never does get completely hard, more semi-firm when cold.