Skip the store-bought sauces and whip up a quick and easy recipe for Homemade Butterscotch Sauce.
I had grand plans today to share a recipe starring nutrient-packed leafy greens. Instead, my lack of willpower has resulted in Easy Homemade Butterscotch Sauce. Leafy greens. Butterscotch sauce. Same thing, right? Keto-lovers, shield your eyes.
In researching what goes into a successful—and incredibly simple—butterscotch sauce, I discovered countless discussions across the interwebs about butterscotch versus caramel.
To summarize: Butterscotch sauce is made with brown sugar, while a traditional caramel sauce is made with white sugar.
I’ve caramelized sugar a million times and a thousand different ways—white sugar, brown sugar, butter, no butter, bourbon, whiskey, cream, vanilla. This recipe is hands-down the winner when it comes to a fast (10 minutes!) and easy sauce for ice cream sundaes.
I tested the recipe with light and dark brown sugar, and the dark variety inevitably won out for its deeper molasses flavor and intense amber color. I also opted for large-flake sea salt to balance out the sweetness. And the texture? Silky smooth, and totally eat-it-with-a-spoon-worthy.
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Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon large-flake salt
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan (not non-stick) over medium heat.
- Add the brown sugar, salt and heavy cream and stir the mixture with a rubber spatula until it's well blended. Bring the mixture to a boil, scraping down the sides occasionally, and boil it for 4 to 5 minutes.
- Remove the mixture from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Transfer the butterscotch sauce to a container to cool. (See Kelly's Notes.)
Kelly's Notes:
- The butterscotch thickens significantly as it cools, so it's important to not over-boil it or you'll end up with chewy butterscotch caramels rather than a pourable sauce.
- If you want to add a kick to your butterscotch sauce, stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons of your choice liquor (think bourbon, whiskey or cognac) at the same time you stir in the vanilla extract.
- ★ Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to give it a star rating below!
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Recipe by Kelly Senyei of Just a Taste. Please do not reprint this recipe without my permission. If you'd like to feature this recipe on your site, please rewrite the method of preparation and link to this post as the original source.
This sauce tastes DELICIOUS! I 100% recommend making it if you think about trying it.
So glad you loved the recipe, Bianca!
My husband is diabetic. I was wondering if I could use a sugar substitute, like Truvia?
Hi Glenna! I haven’t tried this recipe with a sugar substitute so I can’t say with certainty what the results would be. Let me know if you try it!
Hey! Could I use regular brown sugar instead? And if I don’t get my hands on flaked salt, could I use a regular one too?
Hi Luka! Light brown sugar works. It won’t change the outcome, just the flavor a bit. Large-flake salt and table salt are not interchangeable so you’d need to use much, much less table salt since the crystals are so much smaller. Or, you could use 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt!
Fantastic recipe, simple, fast, very well balanced, on point every time. Thank you for sharing.
You are so welcome, DJ! I’m thrilled you’ve been enjoying the recipe!
I have made your butterscotch sauce a couple of times and it never disappoints.
It’s so simple to make and delicious.
A definite crowd pleaser.
I’m thrilled you’ve been enjoying the recipe, Sarah!
Is this supposed to be stored in the fridge or shelf?
Hi there! The sauce will last up to two weeks when stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
LOVE your recipe to bit! Very easy to make and addictive :)
I’m so happy you’ve been enjoying it, Ashleigh!
There is a warm drink that is sold in a local drink shop here in our city. I tried it and knew I could make using this butterscotch topping recipe! I use 12 oz hot whole milk (or half-and-half cream), 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar, 1 tablespoon warmed Easy Homemade Butterscotch Sauce from Just-a-Taste. Stir the brown sugar, cinnamon and butterscotch sauce in the hot liquid, top with homemade whipped cream and a drizzle of Butterscotch sauce and there you have it! It’s a great homemade hot drink! Thank you Kelly for your recipe so that I could make my grandchildren a great hot drink with it. They love it more than the one from the local drink shop!
WOWZA! That sounds delicious, Kathy!
Is saving to favourites bar okay?
Absolutely, Gabriella! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Thank you for this recipe, not only is the butterscotch sauce delicious, it is so simple and easy to make. The best things are simple.
YESSSS! I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Gabriella!
Super easy to make and really quick too! I replaced the large flake salt with 1/2 tsp regular fine salt and it worked well enough. I used it as a base for butterbeer.
Excellent! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Kim!
Hello, is this sauce thick enough to be used as a filling for cakes?
Hi Reema! It’s a pourable consistency so I’m not sure if that would work.
Not sure why a recipe where you dissolve the salt calls for expensive big flake sea salt. What would the comparable amount of kosher salt be?
Hi John – I originally developed the recipe with large-flake sea salt, however, if you prefer to use kosher salt, I’d recommend starting with 1/2 teaspoon.
I made the sauce which I was so excited for as my grandmother used to make for me as a treat over vanilla ice cream. I then made a bread pudding and after about 15 minutes of baking I poured the sauce over and baked it for a further 5 minutes and it came out so much better then I hoped. Yum..
Oh.Em.Gee! That sounds amazing, Jutta! I’m so glad you enjoyed the butterscotch sauce.