Homemade Maple Syrup Caramel Sauce

This maple syrup caramel sauce is an easy homemade caramel made without granulated sugar. Pure maple syrup, heavy cream, and butter cook together into a glossy sauce with a creamy texture and deep toffee-like flavor. Ready in about 15 minutes, this is the sauce to drizzle over everything from ice cream and cheesecake to slices of fresh fruit.

Turning Maple Syrup Into Caramel

Maple syrup is part of my dessert DNA. If there’s a way to swap regular sugar for it, I’ll probably do it because I favor its buttery, caramel notes. What was once the syrup reserved for pancakes and waffles has become one of my go-to sweeteners.

So, turning maple syrup into caramel only seemed fitting. As it cooks with cream and butter, it transforms into a rich, creamy sauce that rivals traditional caramel — and it reminds me of toffee candy.

I make this caramel sauce a lot. I love to drizzle it over a slice of no-bake cheesecake. It’s not nearly as daunting as caramelizing granulated sugar, and after testing different ways to make it, I found the simplest method also gave me the caramel I liked best.

It works so well, I even have an apple cider caramel sauce version of it. And these days, I’m far more likely to turn maple syrup into caramel than pour it over pancakes.

How To Make Maple Syrup Caramel Sauce

Add the maple syrup, heavy cream, and butter to a small heavy-duty saucepan off the heat, and give it a couple of stirs to mix in the cream. It won’t be fully incorporated, and the butter will still be solid, but it will all come together as the syrup cooks.

Turn the heat to medium-low and cook until the syrup starts to boil and the sauce reaches 225°F. The hot caramel sauce will coat the spatula and gently drip back into the pan. Remove it from the heat and sprinkle the salt over the top.

Immediately pour the hot caramel into a heatproof jar. The sauce will thicken as it reaches room temperature, and even more so when it is refrigerated.

Why I Use the All-In-One Method

I have made this maple caramel using the traditional method of heating the syrup to temperature first, then adding the cream and butter at the end. The caramel sauce is still delicious, but it doesn’t have the same rich, creamy texture as cooking all the ingredients together from the start.

Cooking everything together produces a richer caramel. And since it’s also the simpler method, the choice was easy. I use this caramel as more than a topping, too. It becomes a layer in my caramel banana overnight oats and the base for my dairy-free caramel frosting.

My Golden Rules of Maple Syrup Caramel

Even when you use maple syrup, caramel is still caramel, and it can be finicky. After making it many times (and crystallizing a few batches along the way), these are the things I’ve learned make the biggest difference.

• Let the caramel cook without stirring. Except for the salt, stir all of the ingredients together in the saucepan before turning on the heat. The butter will melt as the syrup comes to a boil, so avoid the urge to stir once it starts cooking. This reduces the chance of the caramel crystallizing.
• Watch the temperature. Cook the caramel to 225°F. Much further, and you’ll continue concentrating the sugar, sending your silky caramel sauce toward candy territory.
• Transfer it right away. Once the caramel reaches temperature, pour it directly into the heatproof jar where it will cool to minimize unnecessary stirring and agitation.
• Leave it alone while it cools. This is the one I struggle with because I have the patience of a gnat and inevitably want to stir it so it cools faster. Don’t. Stirring as it cools can encourage sugar crystals to form, making the caramel sauce grainy.

💡 If your caramel does crystallize, you may be able to save it. I’ve rescued grainy maple caramel by adding about 2 teaspoons of water and gently stirring and reheating it over low heat, just until I can no longer feel the graininess. Then (apparently I need to write this on a Post-it for myself), leave it alone to cool.

A Dairy-Free Maple Caramel Option

When I first published this recipe, I made the caramel with coconut cream. You can still make it that way by replacing the heavy cream and butter with a tablespoon of full-fat coconut cream. The caramel sauce is still thick and smooth, but won’t be as rich.

Homemade Maple Syrup Caramel Sauce

4.9 from 8 reviews

Rich and buttery maple syrup caramel sauce with a smooth, creamy texture and deep toffee-like flavor. Pure maple syrup, heavy cream, and butter come to a boil together to make an easy caramel that’s thick and glossy.

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by Erin Cernich

Yield8 Servings

Prep15 minutes minutes

Total Time15 minutes minutes

Equipment

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  Small Heavy Duty Saucepan
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  Digital Thermometer

Ingredients

• ▢ ½ cup pure maple syrup
• ▢ 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• ▢ 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• ▢ 1 pinch salt

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

 

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  With the heat off, add the maple syrup, cream, and butter and give it a couple of stirs. The cream and butter will not be fully incorporated, but will come together as the syrup heats.
  
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  Turn the heat to medium-low and cook until the syrup starts to boil and is heated to 225F. Do not stir the sauce as it heats, or it can crystallize. This can take 10 to 15 minutes.
For the smaller batch, I recommend using a digital thermometer instead of a candy thermometer (that clips to the pan) to check the caramel temperature, because it is easier to read.
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  Remove the pan from the heat, and sprinkle the salt over the top. The sauce will still look fairly fluid while it's hot. Transfer it immediately to a glass jar or bowl and let it cool completely to room temperature. It will thicken as it cools. Do not stir it as it cools, or it can crystallize.
  
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  Cover and store the caramel sauce in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. It will thicken even more in the refrigerator and can be microwaved for 10 to 15 seconds to loosen and serve.

Notes

• Serving Size – The recipe makes about 1/2 cup of caramel sauce and can easily be doubled.
• For Dairy-Free Maple Caramel – Originally, I made the maple caramel sauce with coconut cream. Replace the cream and butter with 1 tablespoon of full-fat coconut cream. The caramel won’t have the same buttery richness, but it will still be thick and smooth. Use the leftover coconut cream for smoothies!
• Watch the Temperature – Remove the caramel from the heat when it reaches 225°F. Cooking it much beyond this can result in caramel that is overly thick or grainy once cooled.
• Leave It Be As It Cools – Immediately transfer the hot caramel to a heatproof jar and don’t stir it as it cools. Stirring or whisking can encourage crystallization and make the caramel grainy.
• Storage Container – A glass jar, like a repurposed jelly jar, is a great option to store the caramel sauce. It can be reheated right in the jar. 

Nutrition Estimates

Calories: 80kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 0.1g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 8mg | Potassium: 49mg | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 99IU | Vitamin C: 0.02mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 0.03mg

Nutrition information is calculated by a third-party and should only be considered an estimate and not a guarantee.