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Vegan Caramel

Name: Vegan Caramel
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 65 min
Ingredients: 1 cup vegan half & half ((see note)); 1 teaspoon cornstarch; ½ cup coconut sugar; ¼ cup maple syrup ((or agave nectar)); 1 teaspoon vanilla; ¼ teaspoon sea salt

by Marly McMillen

Updated 11/7/24

5 from 2 votes

Make this easy vegan caramel sauce with only 6 ingredients! It’s the perfect caramel topping for sliced apples, ice cream, or any dessert!

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 30

Resting Time 30

Total Time 1 5

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I love to drizzle. Whether it’s adding cheese sauce over a baked potato, chocolate sauce over cakes, or yes, caramel sauce over nice cream. I love the look, the taste, and the act of drizzling. What can I say?

I’m so happy to share my easy vegan caramel sauce with you. Let me just preface everything by saying this — there are a lot of unnecessarily complicated caramel sauce recipes out there. It doesn’t have to be that hard, and I’m about to show you why.

Serve this sweet, creamy sauce over baked apple slices, vegan apple spice cake, and vegan banoffee pie.

Reader Reviews

★★★★★
Best caramel ever! It just happens to be vegan too.
Mahayla

★★★★★
This is perfect over ice cream. I try to keep it in the fridge so we have it around for last minute desserts.
Cathy

In This Post show

Ingredients & Substitutions

You can find the full printable recipe, including ingredient quantities, below. But first, here are some explanations of ingredients and steps to help you make this recipe perfect every time.

Vegan half & half — I used Ripple, which makes a vegan half & half. You can use any thick vegan creamer, such as Silk, etc. You can also use the cream from a can of full-fat coconut milk.
Cornstarch — I used cornstarch as a thickener, but you can substitute arrowroot powder.
Coconut sugar — This has a natural caramel flavor. You can substitute regular sugar.
Maple syrup — Feel free to use either maple syrup or agave nectar.
Vanilla extract — this adds flavoring to the sauce.
Salt — I prefer using flaky sea salt, but a smidge of table salt works, too.

What Makes This Recipe Shine?

Using a rich vegan cream as a foundation creates a smooth caramel with rich flavors
Adding a bit of cornstarch thickens the sauce, giving it a perfect drizzling consistency
Adding salt helps to intensify the other flavors, which is why it’s so good in caramel. As much as we may say we have a sweet tooth, the truth is complex flavors are more exciting, and salt adds complexity to flavors in baked goods, cookies, and sauces.

Serving Suggestions

To serve, remove the jar from the fridge and drizzle over your favorite vegan desserts, like dairy-free creme brulee or individual portions of vegan chocolate mug cake.

For a vegan salted caramel sauce, add a sprinkle of salt over the sauce immediately before serving.

Storage Tips

Transfer the finished sauce to a glass container like a lidded mason jar. Then cover and keep refrigerated between uses. This sauce will keep in the fridge for up to 15 days or more.

Frequently-Asked Questions

What is caramel sauce?

A caramel sauce is a thick, sweet sauce made from caramelized sugar thickened with some kind of cream.

Is caramel vegan?

Most store-bought caramel is not vegan. That’s because it’s made with butter and cream sourced from animal dairy. However, it is possible to make caramel sauce without cream from a cow. There are more vegan caramel products for purchase every day, and you can make homemade vegan caramel.

If you’re looking for a healthier sweet sauce, try my date caramel sauce made with all-natural ingredients.

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More Vegan Desserts

Here are some other recipes just begging for a drizzle of vegan caramel sauce:

Vegan Apple Crisp

90 mins total

Vegan Banana Pancakes

20 mins total

Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

35 mins total

Slices of cookie bars are stacked on top of each other and topped with ice cream and sauce.

Caramel sauce is being drizzled over ice cream atop baked apple slices. There is an apple and a blue kitchen towel behind it.

Vegan Caramel

This tasty vegan caramel can be added to your favorite vegan desserts, like vegan apple crisp, and more.

5 from 2 votes

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 30

Resting Time: 30

Total Time: 1 5

Servings: 12

Calories: 85kcal

Author: Marly McMillen

Ingredients

Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

Combine the cream, cornstarch, coconut sugar, and maple syrup in a saucepan over medium heat.
Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer the mixture for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and salt. Allow the caramel to cool for at least 30 minutes. It will thicken as it cools.
Transfer the sauce to a glass container and keep refrigerated between uses. This will keep up to 10 to 15 days in the fridge.

Recommended Equipment

Medium Saucepan

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Notes

I used Ripple Half & Half creamer which I have found at Target, Sprouts, and my local grocery store. Alternatively, you can use a vegan creamer.

For the sugar, you can use maple syrup, agave nectar, sugar, or coconut sugar. I like using coconut sugar because it has a natural caramel flavor.

The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

This post was originally published in 2020 and was updated to include new photos, new text, and an updated recipe in 2021.