Vegan Salted Caramel Sauce
This 4-ingredient vegan caramel sauce is rich, flavorful, and healthier than traditional caramel. It consists of unrefined coconut sugar and coconut milk, which makes the salted caramel sauce dairy-free, paleo-friendly, and refined sugar-free. Plus, it can be made low and slow for sweet and decadent results or even in just 5 minutes with a quick 'hack'!
Servings 16
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (105 g) coconut sugar
- 1 (13.5 oz) can (380 g) coconut milk (full-fat)
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp cornstarch (optional) - ONLY used for the quick method - (see notes)
Instructions
- Watch the video in the post for visual instructions.Add the coconut milk and coconut sugar to a medium-sized saucepan, mix with a whisk or spoon, and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Once it boils, reduce the heat to medium-low to simmer for around 35 minutes, stirring occasionally. During this time, the sauce will thicken slightly - it's ready when it begins to cling to the back of a spoon (see step-by-step photos in the post).
- Add the salt and vanilla extract. Stir again and allow the sauce to cool at room temperature for about 15 minutes before using it as-is. Or transfer it to a clean glass jar (preferable with a lid). Place the jar in the fridge where the sauce will thicken up further.
- Drizzle over pancakes, waffles, ice cream, cakes, etc. Enjoy! Stir in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
For the quick method:
- Add the coconut milk, coconut sugar, and cornstarch to a medium-sized saucepan. Mix thoroughly with a whisk or spoon until the cornstarch has dissolved, then bring the mixture to a boil.
- Let simmer for about 3-5 minutes at low-medium heat, stirring occasionally until the caramel sauce has thickened. Adding a tablespoon of creamy peanut butter during simmering does help to make the sauce a bit thicker and improves the texture.
- Follow the remaining instructions as written above.
- Please note the quick method is not paleo-friendly due to the cornstarch. For a paleo version, you can try using arrowroot flour instead.
- The quick caramel is not as sweet, because the liquid isn't being reduced, so you might need to add more coconut sugar. The sauce is lighter, and it doesn't thicken as much.
- Coconut sugar: Brown sugar should work fine too (for both methods).
- Coconut milk: Please make sure to use canned coconut milk, not a Tetra Pak.
Nutrition Facts
Vegan Salted Caramel Sauce
Serving Size
1 tbsp
Amount per Serving
Calories
74
% Daily Value*
Fat
5
g
8
%
Saturated Fat
4
g
20
%
Carbohydrates
8
g
3
%
Fiber
1
g
4
%
Sugar
5
g
6
%
Protein
1
g
2
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.