Gooey, rich and sticky vegan salted caramel sauce. Do I really need to explain more?
Okay well it starts with coconut milk, brown sugar, vanilla and ends with some sea salt.
Literally, that's it. It take about 25 minutes on the hob to turn into this smooth, velvety vegan salted caramel sauce.
The sea salt comes at the end, but it is optional. If you aren't a salted caramel fan just leave it out (who are you?).
I originally made this sauce with coconut sugar but I wasn't entirely happy with it. Then I retested it with light brown sugar and omg it's so good (even if it's not as healthy).
And anyway, caramel isn't meant to be healthy and it's definitely a lot healthier than dairy caramel so it's all good.
A lot of vegan caramel calls for dates, coconut sugar or tahini. I wanted to make this recipe with ingredients you (hopefully) always have in the pantry! So there is no need to rush to the shops to get the ingredients.
So indulge yourself - drizzle it on cake, ice cream, hot chocolate or take it by the spoonful. Just like I did whilst shooting it. I'm warning you - it is highly addictive.
I am a huge fan of vanilla bean paste over vanilla essence so I highly recommend spending the extra money if you don't already have some. The little black specs in the sauce are the vanilla and they give for a much stronger flavour. A little goes a long way.
This last week has been a struggle with work. I came back from visiting my dad last Monday and carrying heavy bags set off an old injury.
I injured my back in my previous job, as a nursery teacher, whilst pushing a heavy cupboard. I have seen doctors, osteos, physios but I still don't really have a proper answer. Just that it is something I have to manage and deal with. GREAT.
Anyway, the good news is that I don't have to constantly bend down/pick up children which made it a whole lot worse. However I'm not sure that cooking and being a photographer is that great either. But the bonus is that I get to work from home so if my back does get set off I'm able to manage it much better!
Enough about my back injury. Whilst visiting my dad (who lives near Hull) there happened to be a vegan festival on. I dragged my family members along, had some yummy food and bought a new Sea Shepherd tshirt.
The next day we went to another food festival, sadly not a vegan one, but I managed to find a vegan cafe (thank goodness for Happy Cow) called Blondes Coffee Shop.
It's in a village called Cottingham and if you are ever there you need to stop by. The salted caramel rocky road is to die for. SO good!
It's probably what subconsciously inspired this salted caramel sauce. Honestly, I've been dreaming about that rocky road ever since.
This week I plan on getting as many recipes and photos taken as my back will let me because next week I will be preparing for a yoga retreat I am catering at. I'll be sharing all about it on my stories.
It's in Glastonbury (a three hour drive from here) and I am thinking I might stay an extra day or two to explore. If any of you have an recommendations on things to do or see I would love to hear!
This recipe would be perfect drizzled on top of my creamy oat milk hot chocolate. And is amazing in these caramel chocolate chip cookies!
As always if you make this vegan salted caramel be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!
Don’t forget to follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram – I’d love to see you all there!
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Vegan Salted Caramel Sauce
The most amazing sweet and salty gooey vegan salted caramel. Indulgent, addictive and perfect drizzled on desserts. Just 4 ingredients.
Ingredients
- 1 can coconut milk (400ml)
- 150g soft light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 1-2 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
Place the coconut milk(including water), sugar and vanilla in a pan.
Bring to a gentle boil and stir frequently for 20-25 minutes.
The sauce will have thickened and be a dark brown caramel colour (but will still be quite runny), take it off the heat and stir in the salt. Add between 1-2 teaspoon salt, taste and add accordingly.
The sauce will thicken to the desired consistency as it cools. Leave to cool and use straight away or store in an air tight container in the fridge. It will keep for at least a week.
Notes
The sauce will thicken as it cools, especially in the fridge. Bring back to room temperature, or heat up on the hob to soften.
I used Neilsen-Massey vanilla bean paste. Sub for 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence if you don't have vanilla bean paste.
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Do you think I can use vegan double cream instead of coconut milk?
Hi Nyssa, I would have thought it would probably work but as I haven't tried it I can't say for sure. Let me know if you try it! Tamsin xo
Hello, I’m trying to get as much done ready for Xmas day as I can. Is it possible to freeze the salted caramel sauce? Thanks
Hi Miriam, I have never frozen this so I'm not sure exactly how it will react. However it will last a couple of weeks in the fridge just make sure its in a clean air tight container 🙂 Thanks, Tamsin xo
@Tamsin, thanks..! Making it today ?
Could you use coconut sugar instead of brown?
Hi Natasha, I have only made this with brown sugar, it should work but will have a much stronger coconut flavour I imagine. Let me know how it turns out, Tamsin xo
I really love this recipe, thank you so much! I used it in a banoffee pie. Do you have any tips on how I could thicken it even more? It does thicken in the fridge, but was wondering if there is anything I should add, or cook it for longer
Hi Serena, thanks for your comment, so glad you like it! Banoffee pie sounds amazing! You can try simmering it for 15 mins longer of you could try adding some cornflour slurry (cornflour mixed with water) and that would thicken it, but I haven't tried it so can't say for sure how it would turn out! Tamsin xo
Hello, by light brown sugar, do you mean soft sugar or Demerara?
Thanks 🙂
Hi Natasha, yes soft light brown sugar - I'll amend so it's clearer 🙂 Tamsin xo
Hi this looks amazing! Can I use vanilla extract instead of paste? Thank you!
Yes definitely! 🙂 xo
Hi, I’m going to try this tomorrow - will white sugar be okay? Any reason why you used brown sugar? Many thanks
Hi Beth, sorry for my late reply. The brown sugar gives it colour and a more caramel taste. I'm not entirely sure how it would taste with white sugar but let me know how it turned out! Tamsin xo
Hi! I love the look of this - would it work to use as a drip on a drip cake?
Hi Emma - yes definitely, you might just want to boil for 10 mins or so longer to thicken it a bit more. My friend Eva used it on this cake 🙂 https://www.thecuriouschickpea.com/easy-vegan-vanilla-cake/ xo
Hiya would this work with almond milk? There's a coconut allergy in the family and 4 vegans so I'm trying to find something suitable for a filling for some vegan vienesse whirls. Hope you see this in time xx Ellie xx
Hi Ellie, sorry for the late reply, hope you had a lovely Christmas. You won't get the same consistency as you need the fat from the cococnut milk to help it thicken. It would probably still be tasty if you wanted a more runny caramel though! Tamsin xo
Delicious! I’m giving it as gifts at the office and it’s a hit!
Have you tried making larger batches?
This was so simple to make and tastes so good! I like that it's not super sweet and somehow tastes buttery. Some sort of magic!
Aww thank you so much for your comment Sara - so glad you enjoyed it! I need to make a new batch for Christmas 🙂 xo
So delicious! I don't know if it was just the coconut milk I had, but when I first tasted it it tasted mostly of coconut milk and not very sweet, so I added another ~1/2 cup of brown sugar. That and the final addition of salt made it perfect!
One tip - when adding the salt make sure you actually mix it through - I noticed when pouring into my jars that most of the salt had sunk to the bottom of the pan.
Hi Ella, thanks for your comment. The coconut milk shouldn't vary too much but it may just be personal preference that you like it sweeter! Thanks for the tip, I will amend the recipe so it is clearer 🙂 Tamsin xo
Hello. I only have brown sugar. Is this ok to use instead of light brown?
Hi Olivia, I haven't tried it but it should be fine! Let me know how it goes 🙂 xo
I can't believe how good this tastes! And how easy it is to make!
And it's vegan!
Thanks so much for sharing!
Hi Yvette, thank you so much for your comment. I'm so glad you enjoyed it, it's one of my favourites!! xo
Looking forward to trying this recipe out. Just wondered what your top tips would be if you wanted to make something like this as gifts for Christmas? How long does it keep/how far ahead could you prep it sort of thing.
Hi Min, thanks for your comment! I love that you're thinking of making them for christmas gifts 🙂 I've made this and kept it in the fridge for a few weeks and it's been fine, just make sure it's in a sealed container. You could always test it ahead of time to see what you think. Tamsin xo
Will this work for caramel apples?
Hi Sara, thanks for your comment. The caramel won't set hard and crack like a caramel apple would. However it is delicious with some apple slices dipped in! 🙂 xo
Do you have a brand preference on coconut milk??
Hi Susan, I tend to always buy the Sainsburys own brand one. Any should work just make sure you're buying the full fat one and not the 'light' kind! xx
I am a big fan of caramel. This caramel sauce is mind blowing. And your presentation is wonderful.
Thank you so much Silpa, it's quickly become a favourite!
This caramel sauce looks to die for! Think I’ll need to be making it soon! It’s perfect for apple season :). Hope your back is better soon ❤️
Thanks Eva, I hope you love it too if you do! Back is almost back to 100% phew! xo
Just coming back to say I've made this caramel sauce twice and it's amazing! My husband especially loves it and smothers it on EVERYTHING sweet. Thanks for the great & super easy recipe!
Did you know salted caramel is one of my favourite things EVER? This looks so delicious Tamsin! And love that its such simple ingredients and different than a date or tahini caramel. Doesn't even need to be healthy, we all need to indulge sometimes 😉
Aww thanks Jess! Salted caramel is the best! And I totally agree, we can all indulge in some refined sugar every now and again (or too often in my case haha) xo