High Altitude Caramel Sauce: Perfect Every Time!

There’s nothing quite like the rich, buttery goodness of homemade caramel sauce. This foolproof high-altitude caramel sauce is silky smooth, perfectly sweet, and incredibly easy to make with just a few simple ingredients. Whether you’re drizzling it over ice cream, dipping crisp apple slices, or adding a golden touch to your favorite desserts, this recipe delivers a depth of flavor that store-bought versions simply can’t compete with.

This homemade caramel sauce is 1,000 times better than store bought caramel sauce. My grandma made this delicious caramel recipe every Christmas for my whole family. When I moved to high altitude in Colorado I knew that I had to adapt this recipe so my kids could experience the joy of mouthwatering, perfectly thick caramel sauce.

Pumpkins, apples, and caramel are the wonderful, classic flavors of fall. Check out these other delicious high altitude fall recipes…Pumpkin Bread with Chocolate Chips and Pumpkin Bread with Streusel, Pumpkin Pie, Pecan Pie, Apple Pie with Crumb Topping, Apple Pie with Cream, Apple Crisp, and Pumpkin Muffins.

Love coffee? Add this irresistible homemade caramel sauce or this easy homemade chocolate syrup to your coffee for the perfect mocha or latte.

Recommended tools:

• LARGE SAUCEPAN WITH HEAVY BOTTOM – when the cream is added to the sauce it will bubble up quite a lot, the last thing you want is boiling hot caramel sauce bubbling over onto your stovetop. A saucepan with a heavy bottom will help to prevent the sauce from burning.
• MEASURING CUPS & SPOONS – cooking caramel at high altitude is a little bit like science so accurate measurements are needed
• WHISK – the caramel will need to be stirred often to avoid the sauce from burning on the bottom
• CANDY THERMOMETER – I find the most accurate way to achieve the most luscious texture of caramel sauce is with a candy thermometer but I will teach you how to make caramel without a candy thermometer below.
• MASON JAR OR GLASS CONTAINER – as soon as the caramel sauce has reached the correct temperature it needs to be poured into another container to cool down.

High Altitude Caramel Sauce ingredients:

• BROWN SUGAR – most recipes call for white sugar but to get the perfect rich coloring brown sugar is used
• LIGHT CORN SYRUP – helps to create the perfect consistency and luscious texture
• HEAVY CREAM & SALTED BUTTER – creates the rich, creaminess of the caramel sauce. Do not use milk. The salted butter adds the perfect flavor of salted caramel.
• VANILLA EXTRACT – the small amount helps to enhance the rich flavor

How to make Caramel Sauce at high altitude:

1. PREP INGREDIENTS & TOOLS – measure out the ingredients ahead of time. Making this caramel sauce goes quickly and requires a lot of stirring, so having the ingredients ready helps to prevent the sauce burning.
2. MELT BROWN SUGAR, CORN SYRUP, AND BUTTER – in a large saucepan cook brown sugar, corn syrup, and butter over medium heat until the mixture starts boiling.
3. SLOWLY ADD CREAM – SLOWLY add the heavy cream so the mixture doesn’t stop boiling. Continuously stir while pouring the heavy cream in. BE CAREFUL: the mixture will bubble up when the cream is added.
4. BOIL UNTIL 216° F – continue to boil the mixture until the mixture reaches 216-218­° F. Stir every 30 seconds to avoid the mixture from burning.
5. REMOVE FROM HEAT & ADD VANILLA – quickly remove the pan from the heat and add the vanilla extract.
6. POUR INTO MASON JAR – quickly pour the caramel sauce into a mason jar to prevent the sauce from continuing to cook.
7. ALLOW SAUCE TO COOL & THICKEN – the hot caramel sauce will be thin and runny, allow the sauce to cool down for the perfect thickness.

How to make caramel sauce without a candy thermometer:

1. Fill a small bowl with ice cold water.
2. Use a spoon to pour a small amount of caramel from the pan into the water.
3. Wait 20-30 seconds for the caramel to cool.
4. The caramel will maintain the shape you poured. Remove the caramel from the water and it should be a thick sauce that could be drizzled.

Tips for perfect Caramel Sauce:

Caramel sauce needs to cool to thicken:

When the caramel sauce has reached 216° F it will be very thin and runny. The caramel sauce will thicken as it cools. I have found the caramel has the best consistency at room temperature, perfect for scooping and drizzling. When the caramel sauce is refrigerated it will be too thick for drizzling, slowly warm the caramel sauce in the microwave or sauce pan.

What to serve with caramel sauce:

Homemade caramel sauce is a great topping or dipping sauce to elevate an apple snack, coffee, or favorite dessert.

• Ice cream, cookies, cheesecake, or cakes – drizzle the caramel sauce over
• Apples – the most known combination, tart granny smith apples dipped in caramel
• Coffee – caramel sauce adds the perfect sweetness to balance the acidity of coffee

How long will homemade caramel sauce keep?

Store homemade caramel sauce in the refrigerator for up to 1 month. Store in an airtight container. Caramel sauce can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw the caramel sauce overnight in the refrigerator.

Caramel sauce at sea level:

The boiling point is higher at sea level than at high altitude. To make this homemade caramel sauce simply boil the mixture until 220° F for the perfect consistency.

Try out these other high altitude recipes:

If you make this delicious High Altitude Caramel Sauce leave a comment below and let me know how it turned out. If you have any questions, post them below and I would love to help you out.