Coconut Caramel Sauce Recipe (Vegan Caramel) - The Yummy Bowl (2024)

· Modified: by Julia | The Yummy Bowl · 3 Comments

This Coconut Caramel Sauce is the easiest caramel recipe out there, you’ll never want store-bought again. It comes together with only 5 ingredients that are all cooked in one pot until thickened to desired consistency.

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Let’s take a look on how easy this coconut caramel sauce recipe is.

Coconut Caramel Sauce Recipe (Vegan Caramel) - The Yummy Bowl (1)
Coconut Caramel Sauce Recipe (Vegan Caramel) - The Yummy Bowl (2)

If you haven't tried my Pineapple Pancakes yet, what are you waiting for? They are delicious! Feeling Tropical Vibes yet?

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  • Ingredients
  • Instructions
  • Easy Dessert Sauce Recipes
  • Tips and Variations
  • Storing
  • Serving suggestions
  • Recipe
  • Comments

We have a great collection of different sauces, condiments, and dips. In my opinion, homemade should mean: easy, healthy, and quick. And this Homemade Caramel Sauce recipe ticks all the boxes!

Ingredients

  • Vanilla paste- you can use both paste or extract, but if using a paste, ½ teaspoon is enough for this recipe as it is stronger than the vanilla extract. I prefer paste but it is not a big deal if you don’t have this on hand.
  • Milk- I used coconut milk in this recipe, it is hands down, the best substitute for heavy cream or any cream I’ve found so far. But I understand not everyone is a fan. I have yet to try this recipe with cashew, soy, and almond milk. As I have researched so far, these alternative milk may require longer simmering times (unless they’re homemade and thicker in texture).
  • Sugar- All-natural sugar of your choice. That can be coconut sugar, cane sugar, organic brown sugar, date sugar.
Coconut Caramel Sauce Recipe (Vegan Caramel) - The Yummy Bowl (3)

Instructions

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan.

Coconut Caramel Sauce Recipe (Vegan Caramel) - The Yummy Bowl (4)

Combine all the rest ingredients in the saucepan and simmer over low heat, whisking constantly or until thickened and no longer watery.

The sauce will reduce in volume and start thickening after about 30 minutes. Remove from heat once you’ll see this result, usually in between 30-50 minutes, and set aside to cool. Keep in mind that the sauce will thicken even more as it cools.

Easy Dessert Sauce Recipes

  • Berry Banana Jam (Without Pectin)
  • Homemade Lingonberry Sauce (Easy Berry Meat Sauce)
  • Homemade Mixed Berry Dessert Sauce for pancakes!
Coconut Caramel Sauce Recipe (Vegan Caramel) - The Yummy Bowl (5)

Tips and Variations

  • If you like this caramel try this next: Pumpkin Caramel Sauce.
  • The texture- When you’ll start cooking the sauce (especially if you haven’t made any caramel sauce before) you won’t see that much of a difference in the texture. But be patient, it requires a little time (about 30-50 minutes) to start seeing the result and when everything comes together.
  • Store- transfer the sauce to specialty store-bought kitchen squeeze bottles and refrigerate.
  • Vanilla- is optional but does enhance the flavor quite a bit!
  • Make it a Salted caramel (coconut) sauce - a little bit of salt is added to the recipe anyway but for that salted caramel-like taste feel free to increase the salt at least double.
Coconut Caramel Sauce Recipe (Vegan Caramel) - The Yummy Bowl (6)

Storing

Best to keep this caramel sauce refrigerated in an airtight container as it has butter in it.

It will keep in the fridge for up to 3 weeks, or freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature, before using.

You can also reheat the sauce very briefly once ready to serve, and will help to thin out the caramel a bit. Hot caramel sauce is THE BEST thign in this worlds to be served over pancakes, ice cream and waffles.

Serving suggestions

This coconut caramel sauce recipe can be used in:

  • Pancakes, waffles, ice cream
  • Transfer to a little cute sealed glass jar and give as a gift!
  • Drizzle over Porridges
  • As a fruit dip
  • Drizzle over brownies
  • Drizzle over cookies or add to batter as a sweetener
  • As a sweetener in the batter for brownies, muffins, bread, pies
  • And well, anything you’d like!

Recipe

Coconut Caramel Sauce Recipe (Vegan Caramel) - The Yummy Bowl (7)

Vegan Coconut Caramel Sauce (Vegan Caramel)

Julia | The Yummy Bowl

This coconut caramel sauce is the easiest vegan recipe out there, you’ll never want store-bought again. It comes together with only 5 ingredients that are all cooked in one pot until thickened to desired consistency. Easy, creamy, and healthier - made with all-natural ingredients, and goes with everything you pour it over!!

5 from 1 vote

Print Save Pin

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

Servings 7 oz

INGREDIENTS

  • 13.5 oz can of coconut milk, unsweetened
  • cup muscovado or coconut sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt or kosher salt
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter, I used lactose-free or sub with coconut oil or vegan butter
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla paste, or sub 1 teaspoon vanilla extract*

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Melt the butter in a medium saucepan.

  • Combine all the rest ingredients in the saucepan and simmer over low heat, whisking constantly or until thickened and no longer watery. The sauce will reduce in volume and start thickening after about 30 minutes. Remove from heat once you’ll see this result, usually in between 30-50 minutes, and set aside to cool. Keep in mind that the sauce will thicken even more as it cools.

NOTES

  • Makes about ½ cups of sauce.
  • The texture - When you’ll start cooking the sauce (especially if you haven’t made any caramel sauce before) you won’t see that much of a difference in the texture. But be patient, it requires a little time (about 30-50 minutes) to start seeing the result and when everything comes together. Plus as soon as it is already reduced twice in size and started to thicken it already means that you may finish the simmering and let the sauce cool. It will thicken even more once cooled and will turn thicker overnight.
  • Store - transfer the sauce to specialty store-bought kitchen squeeze bottles and refrigerate.
  • Vanilla paste - you can use both paste or extract, but if using a paste, ½ teaspoon is enough for this recipe as it is stronger than the vanilla extract. I prefer paste but it is not a big deal if you don’t have this on hand.
  • Milk - I used coconut milk in this recipe, it is hands down, the best substitute for heavy cream or any cream I’ve found so far. But I understand not everyone is a fan. I have yet to try this recipe with cashew, soy, and almond milk. As I have researched so far, these alternative milk may require longer simmering times (unless they’re homemade and thicker in texture).
  • Sugar - All-natural sugar of your choice. That can be coconut sugar, cane sugar, organic brown sugar, date sugar.
  • Vanilla - is optional but does enhance the flavor quite a bit!
  • Storing: Store Caramel Sauce refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks. You will need to heat it up on the stovetop or microwave as it will be very thick.
  • Freezing: You can freeze Caramel Sauce in a ziplock bag (glass containers not advised as the cream may expand and break the glass) for up to 2-3 months.

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Note:Nutrition information is estimated and varies based on products used.

Full Nutrition Disclaimer can be foundhere.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Julia

    Coconut Caramel Sauce Recipe (Vegan Caramel) - The Yummy Bowl (8)
    A delicious alternative to a traditional Caramel sauce.

    Reply

  2. an actual vegan

    why describe this as "Vegan" and include butter in the recipe? How insulting to vegans...
    this makes me unlikely to trust any other recipe from this site.

    Reply

    • Julia | The Yummy Bowl

      I've explained this in the ingredients tips!

      Reply

Leave a Reply

Coconut Caramel Sauce Recipe (Vegan Caramel) - The Yummy Bowl (2024)

FAQs

What is vegan caramel made of? ›

The base for this 5-ingredient caramel is coconut cream, dates, and arrowroot starch, which are blended until creamy and smooth. This makes up the liquid ingredients, which are added to a bit of coconut sugar and cooked until glossy and just bubbly.

What is the difference between caramel and vegan caramel? ›

Vegan caramel is created from a mixture of coconut milk and brown sugar simmered down until it forms a thick syrup. It may be a different take on caramel but, for those with food restrictions, it is a dream.

What can you use instead of cream in caramel sauce? ›

Caramel sauce is a wonderful topping for ice cream, cake, pie, and bread pudding. While a typical caramel recipe calls for heavy cream, what if you don't have any handy? This easy recipe uses milk and butter instead, ingredients you're more likely to have on hand.

Why is my caramel sauce not thickening? ›

Add more sugar to the sauce.

Most caramel sauces are made by caramelizing sugar and adding milk and a little salt. If you increase the amount of sugar in the recipe you'll end up with a thicker caramel. Try increasing the sugar by about 1/3.

Why is my vegan caramel grainy? ›

Caramel becomes grainy when the sugars crystallize, a process that happens when the melted sugar splashes up onto the cold sides of the pan.

Why is caramel sauce not vegan? ›

The ingredients list tells us that classic caramel is one of the most non-vegan foods around. The butter and heavy cream are both sourced from cows, and vegans omit dairy from their diet. White sugar is a hit or miss for vegans - some choose to consume it, while others prefer to avoid it.

Can I use condensed milk instead of caramel? ›

Most of the time, people cook caramel by heating up regular or brown sugar until it turns into a smooth and creamy substance. However, you can also make caramel out of sweetened condensed milk, creating the same great sauce with a unique, extra-sweet kick.

What's the difference between caramel sauce and caramel syrup? ›

Caramel sauce is easier to mix and dissolve, and it also has a richer flavor because of the dairy / fat. If you want to use it to decorate your coffee (hot or iced) on top of the whipped cream, I'd recommend syrup because it holds well in lower temperatures and it is better to make drawings.

Why did my homemade caramel get hard? ›

The water evaporates, leaving sugar crystals behind. If even one sugar crystal falls back into the pan of cooking caramel, it starts a chain reaction of sugar crystals and the entire pan will harden. The result? Gross, grainy caramel that is unusable in most recipes.

What is the difference between caramel and carmel? ›

Caramel is the correct spelling if you're talking about food or colors. Carmel is a misspelling when used in those contexts, but it is a word that can be used as a name for people or places.

What ingredient is caramel made from? ›

Caramel is made by heating sugar (either with a liquid or by itself, more on that below!) in a heavy-bottomed saucepan until it melts and becomes clear. The liquefied sugar is then cooked, without stirring, until it darkens in color, taking on additional flavor notes the longer it remains on the heat.

Why is Starbucks caramel not vegan? ›

It's no secret—Starbucks drinks aren't made with real caramel or fresh fruit. Every Frappuccino, sweetened latte, and refresher gets its signature flavoring from concentrated syrups, sauces, and powdered mix-ins.

Does caramel come from a plant? ›

Traditional caramel is made with ingredients like butter and cream, which are animal-derived products. However, various plant-based alternatives can be used to create a vegan version of caramel that is just as rich and delicious.

Is caramel Flavouring vegan? ›

Artificial Caramel Flavor may not be vegan. Per the FDA, artificial flavors cannot be derived from natural substances like meat, fish, poultry, eggs or dairy products. However, some vegans choose to avoid artificial caramel flavor since it may have been tested on animals when it was initially developed.

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