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    Home » Recipes » Desserts » Simple Homemade Caramel Sauce

    Simple Homemade Caramel Sauce

    By Sherri On October 10, 2014, Updated April 24, 2022 29 Comments

    948 shares
    5 from 2 votes
    Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe
    closeup top view of caramel sauce in a jar

    This simple Homemade Caramel Sauce is made with just a slow cooker and condensed milk for a fabulous to dip apple slices in or serve over ice cream.

    a jar with homemade caramel surrounded by red apples

    Homemade Caramel Sauce

    You can make your very own caramel sauce (also know as Dulche de Leche) with one ingredient!

    That would be sweetened condensed milk and a crock pot!

    I actually poured my condensed milk into small mason jars to cook it in.  But you can just place the entire can of condensed milk in the crock pot directly.  I didn’t want to add any potential contaminates from the can so I opted for the mason jars.   🙂

    This homemade caramel sauce is such a HUGE hit!! 

    How to Make Homemade Caramel Sauce

    three small mason jars with condensed milk in front of a white crock pot

    Place the jars in the slow cooker and cover completely with water.  Make sure the can stay covered with water the entire time it is cooking.

    mason jars in a slow cooker

    FAQ’s

    How to Store Caramel Sauce?

    Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 14 days.

    closeup top view of caramel sauce in a jar

    Homemade Caramel Sauce

    This simple homemade caramel sauce was so much easier than I ever imagined! Fabulous to dip apple slices in or serve over ice cream.
    5 from 2 votes
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Cook Time: 10 hours
    Total Time: 10 hours
    Servings: 28
    Calories: 91kcal
    Author: Sherri Hagymas

    Ingredients

    • 28 ounces condensed milk 2 cans
    • 3 small mason jars

    Instructions

    • Pout the 2 cans of condensed milk and into (3) 8 ounce mason jars and place the lid on each jar.
    • Place the covered jars in the slow cooker and cover completely with water. Make sure the jars or cans stay covered with water the entire time it is cooking.
    • Cook on Low for 8 – 10 hours.
    • After removing from the crock pot, let cool completely and then refrigerate.

    Notes

    Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 14 days.
    For drizzling, thin the caramel by adding one teaspoon of milk and heat a little in the microwave. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1oz | Calories: 91kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 36mg | Potassium: 105mg | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 75IU | Vitamin C: 0.7mg | Calcium: 81mg | Iron: 0.1mg
    Tried this recipe?Mention @ToSimplyInspire or tag #ToSimplyInspire!
    a mason jar with caramel sauce

    ENJOY!!

     

    « Healthy Molasses Raisin Oat Muffins
    Maple Roasted Pecans »

    Filed Under: Desserts, Recipes

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Miz Helen

      October 20, 2014 at 11:23 am

      Your Homemade Caramel looks fantastic! Hope you are having a great day and thanks so much for sharing your awesome post with Full Plate Thursday!
      Come Back Soon!
      Miz Helen

      Reply
    2. Sharon

      October 19, 2014 at 10:41 pm

      I was skeptical the first time I saw this method. Immediately put it in the crockpot and 8 hrs later pulled it out to cool down. 3 hrs later I was eating it with apple slices. It was wonderful and just too easy. Next time I will do the jars instead. Thanks for the tip.

      Reply
    3. Andrea Fogleman

      October 19, 2014 at 12:37 pm

      I’ve made this caramel on the stove and it’s fabulous. I’ll have to try it in the crock pot. I love the start it and forget it part. Thanks for sharing. Thanks for linking up for Scraptastic Saturdays. This post will be shared via FB/Twitter/Pinterest. Have a wonderful day. Hope to see you Saturday.

      Reply
    4. Akamatra

      October 19, 2014 at 10:48 am

      I am drooling!!!! Thanks so much for sharing!

      Reply
    5. swathi

      October 19, 2014 at 12:26 am

      Homemade caramel looks perfect, thanks for sharing with Hearth and Soul blog hop. pinning.

      Reply
    6. Shirley

      October 18, 2014 at 6:59 pm

      I see that you refrigerate this after cooking. I would think that it is sealed after the crock pot and when jar pings, you should be able to store it on a shelf.

      Reply
      • Sherri

        October 19, 2014 at 9:17 am

        It does look like it is sealed (as in canning) but it is not quite as tight as it seems it would be so I didn’t want to take any chances 🙂

        Reply
      • Jessica

        October 25, 2014 at 12:21 am

        Milk products really shouldn’t be canned because the protien can binds around botulism bacteria protecting it from the heat. This not killing the bacteria and allowing the whole jar to be contaminated.

        Reply
    7. Cindy @ Upcycled Design Lab

      October 18, 2014 at 1:27 pm

      That is simple. I am going to have to give that a try. Thanks for sharing.

      Reply
    8. Heather @ MySweetMission.net

      October 18, 2014 at 8:12 am

      Sherri, I’ve seen this on Pinterest too and I love this idea for simple homemade caramel! I’ve gotta try it for myself, yours sure turned out amazing!! Visiting from the Saturday Sparks link party, thanks for sharing.

      Heather
      MySweetMission.net

      Reply
    9. Dini @ giramuks kitchen

      October 17, 2014 at 11:58 am

      Found this on #FoodieFridays, and I’m so glad I did! I might just have to buy a Slow Cooker just for this! 🙂 I tried this once by cooking the condensed milk straight in the tin on a stove top – didn’t come out nearly as nice as yours!

      Reply
    10. Nicole

      October 16, 2014 at 10:30 pm

      I love making homemade caramel. I have found out the hard way that it is seriously a quick instance to go from good to bad.

      Reply
    11. Michelle @ A Dish of Daily Life

      October 16, 2014 at 10:17 pm

      This looks quite decadent! Definitely need to try it! Pinning! Thank you for sharing it with us at Foodie Fridays!

      Reply
    12. Christine

      October 16, 2014 at 10:03 pm

      I think I did something similar with an actual can of sweetened condensed milk once. I loooooove caramel on crepes. Thanks for sharing this at #FoodieFridays!

      Reply
    13. Jennifer Dawn

      October 16, 2014 at 11:59 am

      Caramel is one of my favorite things! Fantastic! I’ve love to have you share this at my weekly link party! http://www.thelifeofjenniferdawn.com/2014/10/a-little-bird-told-me-link-party-112.html Hope to see you there!

      Reply
    14. Audrey

      October 15, 2014 at 4:01 pm

      Like Bev, I tried it once in the can and it didn’t work. I will give it a try again with your method.

      Found this on In and Out of the Kitchen.

      Reply
    15. Jess

      October 14, 2014 at 11:20 pm

      I’ve always wanted to try this! YUM!

      Thanks for joining the Link Up this week

      Reply
    16. Cathy

      October 14, 2014 at 8:34 pm

      pinned because this is simply amazing! Saying hello from the wonderful Wednesday blog hop!
      Cathy

      Reply
    17. Christie@Practical Princess Diaries

      October 14, 2014 at 5:33 pm

      I love making caramel sauce for gifts. I will have to try this recipe. I love that it is only one ingredient and I can utilize the crockpot, so I don’t have to stay in the kitchen. Thanks for sharing. Connecting via Social Media Mixer.

      Reply
    18. Shelly

      October 14, 2014 at 11:14 am

      The caramel looks so delicious. I’m going to have to give this recipe a try. Thanks for sharing it.

      Reply
    19. Bev @ The Make Your Own Zone

      October 13, 2014 at 7:46 pm

      I tried this one time doing it right in the can and it didn’t work. I did use an old crockpot so maybe the water did not get hot enough to turn the milk to caramel. I like your idea of putting the milk in little mason jars. Maybe I’ll have to give this another try using that method. Your finished caramel looks delicious!

      Reply
    20. Jessica Lane

      October 12, 2014 at 7:50 pm

      WOW – this looks amazing. I think my whole family would appreciate a jar – plus this would be a great gift – and the holidays are right around the corner. Thanks for sharing! 🙂

      Reply
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