Say hello to this homemade salted caramel sauce that is brought to you by all desserts everywhere that need that extra oomph to take them to the next level. Hello.

If you follow my posts, you may know that I do my best to avoid cow’s milk whenever I can. I never drink it straight, and always substitute coconut or oat milk for it in any recipe that I make. That’s why I have created this caramel sauce using full-fat coconut milk instead of the typical heavy cream that it normally calls for.

Note that this recipe does include butter and that the coconut milk gives it more of a coconut-y flavour than regular caramel sauce. If you prefer dairy, you can always stick to cream by substituting the same amount as the coconut milk.

Prepare and measure out all of your ingredients before starting this recipe. You will need: one cup white sugar, three tablespoons water, half cup canned coconut milk, three tablespoons cold unsalted butter, one and a half teaspoons vanilla, two teaspoons flaked sea salt. Add water and sugar to a small pot and whisk to combine. Turn the heat on high and do not do any more mixing. I like to keep a small bowl of water and a pastry brush nearby my stovetop, as brushing down the sides of your pot with water every so often prevents the sugar from any unwanted crystallization.

After a few minutes, the sugar will begin to caramelize and bubble up. Watch closely to avoid burning.

Once it takes on a light amber colour (7-8 minutes), remove from heat and add coconut milk, whisking as you pour. Be careful…the sugar is extremely hot! Next, add in the butter followed by the vanilla and continue to whisk. Finally, sprinkle in the sea salt, pour in a mason jar and store in the fridge for up to a week! It will thicken once cooled.

This caramel is a perfect addition to cakes, pies, ice creams and bread puddings…or just by the spoonful.

Salted Coconut Caramel Sauce

Yield: 1 cup

Prep time: 2 minutes

Cook time: 7-9 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp water
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup full-fat canned coconut milk (I prefer Aroy-D), or heavy cream
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1.5 tsp vanilla
• 2 tsp flaked sea salt

Instructions:

1. Add water and sugar to a small pot and whisk gently. Turn heat to high and do not stir anymore. Have a pastry brush and bowl of water on hand to occasionally brush down sides of pot to prevent crystallization. Sugar will begin to liquify and bubble up. When it begins to turn a light amber colour (about 7-8 minutes), remove from heat and immediately pour in the coconut milk, whisking as you pour. Be careful, the sugar gets extremely hot.
2. Add butter and vanilla and continue to whisk until combined.
3. Finish with sea salt and store in the fridge in a glass, airtight container (a small mason jar works well).

Try this sauce on my Panettone Bread Pudding recipe, found here.