Name: Homemade Vegan Caramel Sauce
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Cuisine: caramel sauce
Ingredients: 1 can (15 oz) unsweetened coconut cream; 1/2 cup coconut sugar; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Homemade Vegan Caramel Sauce

20 mins

by: Lindsay Grimes

August 16, 2017 (Updated: September 20, 2024)

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side view of a small glass jar with caramel inside and dripping off the edge. a spoon sticks out of the jar and the jar sits on a white counter with a white background. — Four ingredient homemade vegan caramel sauce comes together in under 20 minutes and perfect for drizzling on any dessert!

This homemade vegan and paleo caramel sauce is an absolute game changer!!

Here’s my deal. I really like caramel. When I was young, one of my favorite after school snacks was cut up apples and those little single serve caramel packs.

I really wanted to get you guys a caramel recipe for all your caramel sauce needs: dipping apples, putting in pies, maybe apple pies? Drizzle on a cake. Dipping a muffin in? I don’t know. I just know you guys needed this caramel sauce as much as me.

Here’s the best part: no candy thermometer needed. No fancy stuff or extra care. All you need is a good old fashion pot, a stove, and FOUR ingredients!! If you can whisk, you can make this caramel sauce!

overhead image of four ingredients: coconut sugar, coconut cream, vanilla, and salt on a white counter. text overlay reads "coconut sugar, coconut cream, vanilla, salt"

Ingredients and substitutions for paleo and vegan caramel:

coconut cream : you should be able to find it in the international section of your grocery store. It’s near the coconut milk. I always grab the “unsweetened” coconut cream because we’re adding the sweetness here. If you get already sweetened coconut cream, it may be a bit too sweet.
coconut sugar : I haven’t tested this recipe with any other sugar, but I think brown sugar would be a great sub if you don’t have coconut sugar or don’t like it.
vanilla: just a splash to give it some more warm cozy caramel vibes
sea salt: a sprinkle to bring out the sweet flavors.

overhead image of a white skillet showing three steps of making homemade caramel sauce.

How to make vegan caramel:

Put the coconut cream and coconut sugar in a saucepot. Coconut cream should be near the coconut milk in the grocery store. Make sure it’s unsweetened and that it’s coconut cream and not coconut milk.

Bring it to a rolling boil for 15 minutes, whisking constantly. The color will darken and the caramel will thicken up. If you’re having a hard time getting it to thicken up, turn up the heat and continue to whisk constantly until it reaches your desired consistency.

Once it’s a good consistency, turn off the heat and whisk in the vanilla and sea salt. Donezo, my friends.

side view of a spoon with caramel sauce spilling onto the white counter with a small glass jar of caramel next to it.

side view of a small glass jar filled with caramel. the jar sits on a white counter with a white background. a spoon drips caramel into the jar.

How to use homemade caramel:

dip apples in it
make these Gluten Free + Vegan Twix Bars
or these Homemade Snickers Bars
drizzle it on this Chocolate Chip Cookie Skillet

Did you make this? Leave a review below and tag me on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest!

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