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.
Can you please create a caramel buttercream icing? I’m hoping I can just add some of this caramel to your vanilla icing recipe but I’m a little scared of getting the amounts correct
That’s a great idea! I would try adding 1/2 cup of this caramel to my buttercream frosting, and leaving out the milk altogether.
I can’t wait to make this! I bought the Thai kitchen coconut cream you recommended, but it’s all liquid and no thick part. It looks like they changed the formula, I bought it yesterday and the steel by date is good. Would it work if it’s as liquid as the canned cocoon milk.
Hopefully it will be okay, is it still creamy and white? If it’s clear and watery, I would not use it. That’s too bad, if you pay for a can of coconut cream (it’s kinda expensive these days!), you want it to actually contain cream. I hope it works well for you!
I bought vanilla organic sugar for the other batch of the Creamy Caramel Yumminess Thanks Nora 😘💕
Any ideas on how to make Caramel popcorn with this Divine sauce? Thanks Nora 😘💗
I’ve never tried it but that sounds good!!!
Hi Nora, would cornstarch be good to add like the filling in your German chocolate cake?
I know it might help thicken it. Otherwise curious why not?
I know it’s in your caramel pecan filling for the Ger chocolate cake and I love it.
You can, I just found it’s not necessary actually, it thickens up well without it.
Thank you Nora… making it now, review to follow. 🙂 XOXO
Nora, can I substitute the brown sugar for Swerve brown sugar? I am a diabetic and have to be very careful.
I’ve never tried it so I’m not sure, but it’s worth a shot! Hopefully it works well.
Hi. Is there any other vegan cream that can be used? I hate coconut 🙁
It might work okay with another vegan cream, but I haven’t tested it. I’d actually try this recipe for Vegan Salted Caramel, and just leave out the salt if you don’t want it salted. No coconut in that recipe!
Can you use this for caramel apples?
I think you could, yes. Enjoy!
How long will it take to thicken..
It won’t thicken up a lot in the pan; it thickens up as it cools.
I am going to try this in 7 layer bars. The original recipe is unhealthy in my opinion, so I substitute vegan butter, vegan grahams or crushed pecans, carob bits, unsweetened coconut, and coconut cream. The butterscotch layer was the only thing that hung me up but thanks to your recipe I may finally be able to make them.
The video shows three ingredients but the recipe shows two. Is the written recipe missing an ingredient?
I recently discovered the caramel doesn’t need the cornstarch at all, so I updated the recipe. I will actually remove that video because that’s confusing. Sorry about that!
So yummy! It worked perfectly for me! I used an old fashioned sauce pan, not a nonstick. I added a tiny bit of salt and cinnamon and it is delicious. The apple crisp (your recipe, of course) is in the oven. I can’t wait to have dessert!
I often get asked who is my go-to for my vegan recipes, and I always say Noracooks.com! Thank you!
Hi Debbie. I am honored that you recommend my recipes, and appreciate you using them! I’m thrilled you loved the caramel sauce! Thanks for sharing your fabulous review and feedback! Happy cooking!
Would this possibly work for caramel apples?
Hi Kyndra. I don’t think this caramel sauce cuts it for apples. A good idea to work on!
It’s terrific on apples imo
I use it for cut up apple slices to dip-even my non-dairy free family love it!
Can I use this caramel sauce to make caramel apples?
Hi Leila. This sauce is great for dipping apple slices in! I don’t think it will work for caramel apples. A good idea to work on! Enjoy!
Does it taste like coconut, though?
It doesn’t to me, but if you are sensitive to coconut flavor it could. If you want a caramel with no coconut, check out my Vegan Salted Caramel. Just leave out the salt if you want regular caramel, it’s so, so good.
It’s not smooth and creamy. A little gritty which takes away from the taste. Did I not cook it enough or too much?
It sounds like the sugar didn’t have a chance to dissolve, which means it wasn’t cooked long enough or stirred continuously. If the grittiness if coming from the cornstarch, try sifting it through a fine mesh sieve next time. Hope this helps!
So easy and delicious! It does taste a little like coconut on its own (I used whole food’s brand coconut cream) but I used it for Samoa cookie bars so I was going for coconut anyway.
Nora, I hate to admit this but im standing in my kitchen eating caramel with a spoon straight from the pot. I had a craving. This hit the spot. I added a sprinkle of cinnamon and allspice because I like those flavors for dipping apples. Thanks for another great recipe
You are welcome! Sometimes we just have to satisfy our caramel craving! Your spice additions sound delicious! Thanks for your fantastic feedback!
Has anyone tried using Arrowroot powder instead of cornstarch?
Anyone who claims this remotely resembles caramel has never tried actual caramel. I was excited to try it as it’s such an easy recipe, but unfortunately it’s not what I wanted. It resembles coconut condensed milk.
Does anybody know how well this freezes? My idea is to make vegan truffles with caramel in the middle to store airtight in the freezer until Christmas. Thanks in advance!
Hi Kate. The caramel will freeze well for about one month. Let me know how your truffles turn out! Sounds delicious!
This caramel tastes great. The only thing is that I usually have to cook it a bit longer than instructed in order for it to thicken, and for some reason the color is a lot lighter than the pictures. But it’s still very yummy!
Hi, I tried this twice and my caramel separated into a gloopy mess with oil on top. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong but I’ll keep trying. Just to be sure- you don’t shake the can of cream to mix it- you just use the solid parts, right?(That wasn’t just if you’re using milk?)
That hasn’t happened to me, but if it’s separating like that I would remove it from the heat and whisk very well until it comes back together, then return to heat. Hope that helps! And yes, no need to stir the coconut cream, just use the thickened white parts.
Hi Anna- I’m an allergen friendly baker and will occasionally make vegan caramel. One of the issues I also had was the mixture separating but I found choosing the right pot helps me. When I use a non stick pot, my mixture tends to separate but when I use my regular metal pans, it stays together. Maybe it’s coincidence but I thought I’d share as a possible option to try.
Nora – thank you so much for sharing this recipe!!
I just made this caramel sauce to put over sweet potatoes for our late Thanksgiving. I used dark brown sugar, and coconut milk solids, because that’s what I have 🙂 Also a good pinch of coarse Kosher salt. Because my Gram said “you *always* need a little salt in something sweet”.
I must have messed something up, because my cornstarch blobbed up & didn’t blend. All was well, though. After boiling for about *2 minutes*. it looked caramelized to me, so I added 1/2 tsp of vanilla (that’s what my Mom always did), then put it through a strainer to get rid of my cornstarch error. It looks perfect, and tastes even better. My omnivore family will never know…
Hi Pam. I’m so glad that the caramel sauce turned out wonderful for you! Way to go! Thanks for sharing your gram’s and mom’s wisdom, and for your wonderful feedback!
Hi Nora – I cut this recipe in half to try as a test; need a vegan salted caramel to drizzle over chocolate ganache as cake filling.
It seemed beautiful and thick initially, but after refrigerating, it turned quite solid, like a spreadable dense icing; cannot be used to drizzle.
Any idea where I went wrong?
I followed the instructions and cooked as directed … maybe I should have cooked less because I cut the recipe in half?
I used 1.5 tsp of arrowroot starch as well.
Thanks for your thoughts.
The caramel thickens as it cools. You can let it sit at room temperature or pop it in the microwave for about 30 seconds to help loosen it up. It should go back to its drizzleable texture when it’s a bit warmer!
I made this for my sticky toffee pudding and it was perfect! I followed directions to a “T” and had lovely toffee sauce.
So glad you liked it, Bridget! Thank you for your wonderful review and feedback!
Pro baker tip: the mix gets HOT. It’s for the best of you use a whisk and not a plastic cooking spoon that will melt when left unattended for a few minutes. You may or may not receive floating plastic bits in your mixture ?
Would cashew cream work instead of coconut cream?
I haven’t tried making it with cashew cream so I can’t say for sure. Sorry!