Why I love this dairy free caramel
I’ve been dying to make over my salted caramel recipe since we went dairy free, and just in time for apple season. I can’t wait to drizzle this stuff over my favorite apple crisp.
I’m even plotting ways to serve it for breakfast. I’m thinking either a salted caramel sticky bun version of my vegan cinnamon rolls, but we’ll see.
Compared to traditional caramel sauce, this recipe is actually more of a dulche de leche, but I’ve never had success making vegan caramel any other method, so this is the one I’ll be sticking to from now on.
The results are nothing short of amazing. The caramel is smooth and silky with a perfectly sweet – and salty if you want it – flavor. It’s the vegan caramel of your dreams, I promise.
Ingredients:
- Sweetened condensed coconut milk – There are several companies that make this, and I normally find it in the organic section at my grocery store. If you can’t find it, you can always make your own. This recipe would be option.
- Coconut milk – I’ve also used a can of regular coconut milk. You don’t want to swap this out for light coconut milk or the stuff you find in the refrigerated section. You want the full-fat canned kind. My favorite brand is Aroy-D, but any brand should work.
How to make dairy free caramel sauce
Mix the ingredients. Start by combining your ingredients in a large saucepan. Whisk them to combine and heat the pan to medium. Continue whisking until the sugar dissolves and the vegan butter melts.
Simmer the caramel. Let the caramel simmer on the stove over medium heat for about 20 minutes. This will slowly thicken the sauce and allow the water content to evaporate.
Let it cool. After 20 minutes, remove the pan from the burner and stir in the vanilla extract. Then transfer the caramel sauce to a heat safe container, like a mason jar or glass container, to cool.
This will take some time, and the caramel – particularly the oils from the coconut milk – needs that time to thicken. Coconut is super temperature sensitive and takes a while to re-solidify after being heated, so if it seems too thin, don’t panic. It will get there.
Frequently asked questions:
Yes. Sweetened condensed coconut milk is available at most grocery stores, usually in the organic/natural section. If you can’t find it, you can also make your own.
This vegan caramel is made from sugar, coconut milk and vegan butter. I’ve also added some vanilla extract and kosher salt for added flavor.
This recipe would be great with:
More sauce recipes you’ll love:
Dairy Free Caramel Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 11- ounce can sweetened condensed coconut milk
- 1 15- ounce can full-fat coconut milk
- 4 tablespoons vegan butter, or coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Combine the sugar, coconut milks, vegan butter and salt in a large saucepan or skillet over medium heat.
- Whisk until the sugar dissolves.
- Bring the mixture to a low boil (medium-high heat) and allow it to simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the caramel sauce has thickened.
- Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla extract.
- Transfer to a mason jar or other storage container.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
I love this recipe, thanks for sharing. I want to try it 🙂
Salted caramel sauce is one of the greatest little pleasures in life! Gorgeous photography.
one of my favorite dessert sauces!
Delicious, I made it for the first time today. Note: If you don’t use coarse sea salt, use less salt.
Does it harden when you put it on nice cream(non-dairy ice cream)??
It will definitely get more solid, but if you warm it up before adding it, you should be good.
Can I use simple cream instead of double cream? What difference would it make? Thank you.
Yes, you definitely can! It will just have a slightly thinner consistency. 🙂
Yum! Very good! How long will it stay good in the refrigerator?
At what point is it supposed to thicken? Is it supposed to boil over?
Hi Courtney! Coconut oil is very temperature sensitive, so it will seem really thin while it’s hot. It will thicken when it cools. It shouldn’t boil over at any point. Hope it works out for you ok!
A new Canadian Thanksgiving tradition! Awesome on apple pie and thinking a drizzle on the pumpkin cheesecake won’t be a bad thing, either!
It would be really great on pumpkin cheesecake! I’m glad you liked it 🙂 Happy Thanksgiving!
How do you store it and how long will it keep?
We haven’t made it in forever since we’re dairy free now, but I would keep it no longer than 2 weeks in a mason jar or any airtight container.