This sugar free caramel sauce is ooey and gooey and it stays pourable! Best of all, it tastes just like real caramel sauce. This is the only keto caramel sauce recipe you will ever need. I am excited to bring you this updated recipe and a new instructional video.
Want to hear something crazy? I just improved my keto sugar free caramel sauce recipe! It was always truly amazing and by far one of the most popular low carb caramel recipes out there, but now it’s even better.
And I attribute this improvement to two “secret weapon” ingredients: The new Swerve brown sugar replacement and Bocha Sweet. The combination of these two keto sweeteners results in the most perfect caramel that stays soft and pourable for days. It can even be refrigerated and still stays soft, with absolutely no recrystallization.
Creating a really good, true-to-life caramel sauce with erythritol has been one of my low carb goals for a long time now. Almost from the first moment I started baking and cooking low carb, I found myself wondering if it was possible and absolutely determined to find out.
Creating Keto Sugar Free Caramel Sauce
I’d tried a few store-bought sugar-free caramel sauces and they were simply awful. They were laden with chemicals and they tasted like it too. So I had to find a way to make homemade sugar-free caramel sauce from scratch, and I set my sights high.
It had to be:
- Gooey
- Smooth and creamy
- Have true caramelized-sugar taste
- Not harden and recrystallize upon cooling
Anyone who has ever worked with erythritol-based sweeteners will know that the last issue was the biggest challenge to overcome. I’ve made some great-tasting and great-looking sauces along the way, but they all had a tendency to harden up pretty quickly.
Even my previous recipe, which I considered almost perfect, did begin to solidify and get a bit grainy as it cooled. The addition of some Yacon syrup, molasses, or even coconut sugar definitely helped offset that reaction, but it also added a little to the carb count. Some people objected to these additions but I felt that they were worth it to get really good low carb caramel sauce.
But honestly, both Swerve Brown and Bocha Sweet have totally changed the sugar free caramel sauce game. Completely and utterly. How so?
- Swerve Brown gives the sauce a perfect caramel color without the addition of Yacon or molasses
- Bocha Sweet keeps it soft and inhibits the crystallization of the erythritol
- The combination of the two gives it the ideal caramel sweetness
I first tried a bit of Bocha Sweet in my caramel sauce a few months ago and was astonished to pull it out of the fridge the next day and still have it be perfectly pourable. And when the long-awaited Swerve Brown finally came out, I tried the two together and I knew I had perfected this recipe.
But please don’t worry if you can’t get your hands on these sweeteners. I am putting notes in the new updated recipe so that you can still make it the old way, with Swerve and a little Yacon syrup. It’s still amazing and delicious!
So put away all those awful store-bought, chemical-laden sugar free caramel sauces because this keto caramel sauce recipe will blow your caramel-loving mind. Check out the video in the recipe card!
I’ve actually been using this caramel sauce recipe in many of my other dessert recipes for a while now, like my maple pecan pie. But I use it so often and found myself rewriting it so frequently, I decided that it needed to be a stand alone recipe.
Believe me, it deserves it! It’s already part of some of my favorite keto dessert recipes and it will be part of many more to come. But it truly is good enough to be have its very own recipe post. Sometimes I just make some for the heck of it, just to keep in the fridge. It’s fantastic slathered on a piece of very dark chocolate with a little sea salt sprinkled on top. Or drizzled over low carb vanilla ice cream. Or simply licked from the spoon.
I really don’t think there is a better low carb caramel sauce out there. Back when I first wrote this post, I said if there was any way to improve on this recipe, I would find it. And I truly believe I just did. I can die happy now!
How to enjoy your keto caramel sauce
- Keto Caramel Cake
- Keto Salted Caramel Brownie Bites
- Keto Salted Caramel Cheesecake Bars
- Keto Turtle Cupcakes
- Keto Salted Caramel Butter Bars
- Keto Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate
The Best Low Carb Caramel Sauce
Ingredients
- ¼ cup butter
- 3 tablespoon brown sugar replacement
- 3 tablespoon allulose or BochaSweet
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum
- ¼ teaspoon kosher or sea salt
- 2 tablespoon water
For Salted Caramel Sauce:
- ½ teaspoon additional kosher salt or sea salt
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine butter, Swerve, and Bocha Sweet. Bring to a boil and cook 3 to 5 minutes (be careful not to burn it).
- Remove from heat and add cream. Mixture will bubble vigorously.
- Sprinkle with xanthan gum and whisk vigorously to combine. Add salt.
- Return mixture to heat and boil 1 more minute. Let cool to lukewarm and stir in water until well combined.
- For salted caramel, simply stir in additional salt at the end.
- The sauce can be stored in the fridge for a week or so (I've actually stored mine for several weeks). Just gently reheat in the microwave or in a saucepan to make it pourable again.
Video
Notes
tiffany says
Is there a difference in molasses? I have a bottle of unsulphured molasses but it doesn’t say blackstrap.
Carolyn says
That’s fine. It has a slightly higher carb content (only 4 more g per tbsp, so it goes about .5 g per serving) and lower mineral content so it’s not quite as healthy.
Laura says
How can you make this vegan? Will a nondairy milk work?
Carolyn says
One reader has said that full fat coconut milk works. I haven’t tried it myself!
Meg says
I’ve had success with full fat coconut milk in other caramel recipes. I used cream for this one.
Gransan says
I recently started using a sweetening product called “Just Like Sugar”. It is made of chicory root fiber. Would this work in your caramel sauce recipe? Thanks.
Carolyn says
I really don’t know without trying it myself. But I suspect not, since this recipe relies on erythritol. It’s worth a try, though!
Debra says
Thanks for the amazing recipe! It looks and sounds fabulous and I am going to make some. How is the moving going? Have you moved yet or still packing?
Carolyn says
We move officially on Nov 24th. Moving/pacing is still in progress!
Debra says
Oh my. I feel for ya! Going to be a busy prelude to Christmas!
Peggy Cole says
Hi Carolyn! Thanks so much for the caramel recipe, just in time for the holidays. I have a question, could I use this to drizzle over cakes or cupcakes to replace using frosting? Thanks!
Carolyn says
You bet! It’s great on cakes and I’ve used it in frosting on my Salted Caramel Brownie Cupcakes.
Mandy says
Thanks for sharing Carolyn – always churning out creative recipes. 🙂
Question: do you think full-fat coconut milk would work place of the heavy cream? Just curious. I know even the full-fat version is a bit “lighter” than heavy cream, but some recipes use them interchangeably. This recipe seems… er… a bit more sensitive… but I thought I’d ask. 😉
Thanks so much for sharing your creations!
Carolyn says
Yes, I think it would work pretty well. One reader says she does this all the time!
Lisa says
Thank you! I’ve been looking for a lower carb version and it looks so good! I can’t wait to try it.
Tarryn says
Delicious looking! I have made your other recipes with your caramel sauce as an ingredient, so I am looking forward to making a batch of this – my plan is to use it to concoct low carb cookie butter 🙂
sandi says
Sorry Carolyn, I forgot to say thanks for the awesome recipe. I am so looking forward to your Maple Pecan Pie recipe. To late for our Thanksgiving but I’ll be making it at Christmas time for sure.
Agne says
Is there any replacement for Swerve? I really would rather not use it, besides its hard to get one here in Europe
Carolyn says
No, this recipe really depends on it. You can try plain erythritol but I don’t think it will work as well.
sandi says
I made this recipe yesterday with Now Foods erythritol (ground into powder) and about 1/4 tsp liquid stevia and I think it turned out as it is supposed to. I also had to use half and half instead of heavy cream ’cause that’s all I had. It thickened up very nicely and it is only slighly grainy when cold. I probably wouldn’t even notice the slight grainy texture at all if I used the caramel in a recipe. Next time I will only use 1 Tbsp of molasses though, as mine seems to be quite strong in flavor.
Carolyn says
Thanks for the feedback. I find the molasses to be a little strong too, but when I cut back on it, it does tend to get grainier. If you want it less strong, try coconut sugar – I have a bag and it lasts me forever because the caramel sauce is the only thing I use it in.
Rebekah Marquez says
Maybe 1 tbsp molasses +1 tbsp coconut sugar? I’ll be trying this with my lakanto monkfruit sweetener. It is similar to swerve & has erythritol as well, but I prefer it over swerve
Trina says
I was wondering if anyone is using Lakanto. It’s been my sweetner of choice lately. Thx for sharing…
Plz share yr successes.
Molly says
Just to add – THANKS for this – I have a recipe for caramel but it crystallizes 🙁 Am off to get some coconut sugar !
Amanda says
Love this! Such a creative recipe!
Joyce says
Carolyn,
You and your recipes are truly amazing! I made this recipe and it is to die for! I made a caramel custard recipe from another wonderful low carb cooking guru and then topped it off with this. I was in heaven!!
Your “cranberry jalapeno cornbread” recipe was so intriguing that I also made it today. It was delicious topped with a little butter and with my dinner tonight!
Thanks so much for making low carb an amazing way to live! In the meantime, I will be waiting for the next great recipe 😀
Carolyn says
Thanks, Joyce! Love hearing that it helps people.
Jana says
Hate recipes that require Swerve. 🙁
Carrie says
I wonder if you could use xylitol and get a good result – I use that sometimes and it seems to work really well in baking.
Carolyn says
Xylitol won’t caramelize as easily, which might not be an issue if you use the blackstrap molasses.
Molly says
Hiya !
I usually make my caramel with Xylitol – it doesn’t caramelise – you heat it up and boil it for a bit, then take it off the heat and add the butter and cream – they then go a sort of dark brown colour. The only problem with it is that it crystalizes horribly when it cools.
I buy bulk Erythritol by Now foods from iHerb – its just pure Erythritol – maybe that might work better for you than Swerve ?
Carolyn says
Hi Molly…no, plain erythritol won’t be better than Swerve, as I have tried it in the past. Swerve caramelizes better but both have a tendency to re-crystallize. It’s the coconut sugar/molasses and the xanthan gum that keep it from re-crystallizing so much. But you can use the Now erythritol in this recipe, it just might harden a bit more. Not sure.
joesy says
I used pure erythritol and two Tbsp coconut sugar and it turned out perfect no crystallized clumps just smooth caramel
Carolyn says
You can probably use other erythritol, you just may not get quite the same results. Why do you hate Swerve?
Carrie says
Oooh…..this looks delicious! And I’m REALLY excited about the prospect of the maple pecan pie you mentioned – I’ve been thinking about how to stay low carb through Thanksgiving and pecan pie is the one dish I would really miss! Thanks!
Maria says
I wouldn’t worry about that small amount of coconut sugar. It wont make that big an impact unless you sit and eat the whole recipe, and trust me, this is SO GOOD it is tempting to do just that! I have made this both with and without and you really need the coconut sugar to give it a ‘real’ feel. I have not tried it with molasses.
Carolyn this recipe inspired me to work on making some of my favorite candy low carb and sugar free and its has worked beautifully!
Carolyn says
So glad, Maria! And yes, I don’t recommend sitting and eating the whole batch. The 2 tbsp serving is quite generous and honestly, you don’t even need that much. It goes quite far in my other recipes where I use it…those are usually 12 to 16 recipes so it’s less than even in this recipe.
Reni says
I am going to cover some cashew nuts with this and bake – will let you know how it goes. And can’t wait to try this over my homemade vanilla ice cream yummmmmy.
Thanks you Carolyn for doing the work so we can have healthy alternatives.
Reni says
OK. I didn’t even make it past the BSM*+sugar+butter stage…I tasted it and thought OMG this is fabulous. I just poured that over my cashews and then stuck them in a 350 oven for 5 or so min, took them out and have been spooning them over and over on the parchment covered cookie sheet for about 10 min now. They are sooo hot I keep burning my fingers trying to taste them. Gonna sprinkle sea salt over them when they get cooler. I think I should have used almonds or pecans…or some other nut.
NOW. This carmel sauce with all of your ingredients is going to be made tomorrow for my homemade ice cream.
*The Black Strap Molasses gave it a really nice taste.
Reni says
I did boil the BSM+sugar+butter for the 3-5min.
Edith says
O M G! You rock! You rock more than a rocking horse in a room full of small children! So, that being said… what do you usually use when making this… coconut sugar or blackstrap molasses? And thanks for all your work!
Carolyn says
I usually use coconut sugar. The molasses has a stronger flavour so I like the coconut sugar a little better.
Edith says
That would be my choice too. I used to say I wanted to have lunch with ‘Ellen’ but now I would say ‘Carolyn’ instead. I love you more! lol
Carolyn says
LOL! Thank you!
Dk says
Divine, in made this one before but want to try again. Can I use honey or golden syrup as a replacement for the yakon syrup? And coconut sugar in place of boca sweetener. I did use only brown swerve the first time I made it but it got really really thick. Want to make it for NYE for my dinner party. Thanks
Kapu says
How big is a serving? Looks “ono”. That’s delicious in Hawaiian.
Carolyn says
2 tbsp, it’s in the recipe
Kapu says
Thanks! Sorry, I must have missed it. Just so excited for caramel in my life again.
Linda says
How much salt?
Carolyn says
It’s in the recipe.
linda says
Coconut sugar or molasses! Neither are healthier than regular granulated sugar – although they sound “natural”. Fructose is more dangerous than glucose. Carolyn please keep working on this recipe – how about Yacon syrup? Tastes great and would make a good substitute I think.
Susan says
FWIW, black strap molasses is much lower in sugar than other forms of molasses. In fact, it really doesn’t taste sweet at all, and to my taste, much more like black licorice. I don’t have diabetes, and while I have given up sugar virtually entirely, I do occasionally use a bit of blackstrap in things like barbecue sauce – mostly for the subtle burnt-sugarish undertones.
It is extremely high in many essential minerals. It’s sort of a villain with some virtues.
Barbara Budworth says
OMG!! This caramel sauce is simply amazing! I literally licked the pan when it cooled enough to do so. Thank you for this awesome recipe. It will be made often!
Carolyn says
Linda, I know exactly the choices I have here and how “healthy” they are or are not. I have chosen these things because they WORK in this recipe. The small amount of sugars in this keep the caramel soft but don’t raise the carb count much at all. I feel strongly that this small amount per serving is not an issue. Yacon syrup also contains fructose so if you need to steer clear of that entirely, I am afraid it’s not a great sub after all.
Victor says
Do you think I could replace the coconut sugar for honey?
Carolyn says
That should probably work.
Victor says
Thank you so much =D
John Smith says
Woman, your gonna ruin me! Middle of the danged night, and I’m up making caramel….LOL
I seen someone’s post on Facebook making turtles, so I needed a keto friendly caramel recipe, and you never disappoint. Anyways, I did them using some chocolate turtle molds I picked up at a garage sale a few weeks back, and also using your chocolate chip recipe (with just 1 more Tbsp of erythritol, it makes a pretty decent dark yet sweet chocolate bar).
Anyways, I tried to cut down on the “sugar” in this recipe a little bit by only using 1 tsp of black-strap molasses. I compensated for the other 2 tsp (flavor wise) by using 2 Tbsp of “Just like sugar Brown” in lew of 2 Tbsp of erythritol (only used 1/4 cup of that), and then also using 1/4 tsp of toffee flavored liquid stevia to bring the hammer down on that molasses flavor. I also browned my butter a bit first, so when I added the tsp of molasses, it really got dark. It stayed pretty much like caramel even just above to room temp, but I guess I’ll see what it acts like tomorrow in chilled turtles.
I put about a tsp+ of caramel with each turtle, and they seemed to have turned out pretty good, at least the deformed one that I devoured seemed exquisitely caramely (is that a word?). I ran out of turtle molds, so I got out my mini snickers candy bar molds (same garage sale), and proceeded to do some more pecan caramel chocolate bars, and even tried a batch with peanuts instead. Of course, then I ran out of chocolate half way thru, so I had to break into my emergency reserves of pre-made chocolate chips I had sitting in the freezer. I guess I’ll need some sort of a “nougat” to get a true Snickers bar (please let me know if you come up with that ;-).
Again, thanks for all your efforts.
Danielle says
I made three other caramel recipes and they were a flop! Made this one and it turned out great! Never crystallized and I didn’t even have to use powdered sugar. Left on counter overnight and it was still pourable and good the next day! Definitely keeping this one.
Carolyn says
Hooray, I am so glad to hear it. Thank you!
Sheryl says
I bought Bocha sweet just for this recipe. I am nervous bc I don’t want to ruin it but I’m going to try this weekend. I’m hoping to make a double batch for a double layer cake. Wish me luck!
Adriana Gutierrez says
Did you ever fund a carmel sauce that hardens? I’m looking for a caramel topping for my Granola Bites recipe that will firm up.
Terra says
Could you do a dairy free option for this?
Carolyn says
You can use coconut milk… but it comes out much thinner.
Suzanne says
Coconut cream is a little thicker than the coco milk. That would work better. I also don’t like the xanthan gum or any gums — one of the first things to avoid that we were taught about in nutrition school.
Carolyn says
While it may be thicker in the can, it results in a much thinner caramel sauce – I do test these things. Feel free to use glucomannan instead.
Linda Schmitz says
I consider myself a pretty damn good keto cook. Making Carmel has been the bane of my existence. Every time it goes granular and fudge like. Help!
Carolyn says
Welcome to the joy that is keto sweeteners! What are you using for this?
melanie says
Regular sugar has been depleted of its life forces, vitamins and minerals. It is processed. They make molasses out of all the minerals and vitamins from the regular sugar process.
Sandy Bloomfield says
You might want to just chill and realize the minuscule amounts per serving pretty much makes the point moot…or at least way off the charts of relevant and useful input for those who understand the low carb and keto WOE. At the end of the day, it’s all about each person’s specific insulin response, and which products support it the best. Everyone is different. Carolyn and the folks on here are not newbies to healthy eating, and sometimes decisions are weighed out and executed based on health/taste balance. So relax and enjoy your food, and if you prefer a stricter style, there are plenty of sites that would work for you.
Jen says
This is so rude! Telling her to “keep working on it.” Do you know how much time and effort go into recipe development?! If you have nothing positive to say, perhaps just leave your comments to yourself!
Personally, I can’t wait to try this! Thank you for all you do to create these recipes!
Carolyn says
Thanks! 🙂
Delores Harmon says
I made this sauce….it is divine!!!! My husband loves caramel cake, for his birthday I made the cake and this “sauce” to pour over it, instead of doubling the sauce recipe, I simply made the cake into a Bundt and slathered it over the cake after cooling completely….was awesome.
Carolyn says
Sounds perfect!
Paula says
Help someone anyone? New to all these sugar subs i want to make yjis but without buying any more sugar alternatives dont have boca sweet have monk fruit,erithritol, swerve powdered and brown and also splenda brown what two could i use or have to buy boca sweet?
Carolyn says
All of those (except the Splenda) are erythritol based. So they won’t give this the gooeyness it needs. You’re welcome to do it with what you have on hand but expect it to solidify and re-crystallize.
Erica says
I agree with you, Jen! It’s one thing to respectfully disagree or ask for a sub (although that’s kind of bold, too). I’ve tried this both ways, and I much prefer the taste of the one with molasses to the one with coconut sugar. And I must confess, all I had in the cabinet was regular molasses. Guess I should buy some black strap.
Just another note: I made microwaved lemon curd using erythritol instead of sugar, and it turned very grainy in the fridge. Next time I’ll add a touch of the real stuff and see if that keeps it from doing this.
Anita says
Erica – I’ve had good luck using powdered erythritol in my curds. 🙂 Good luck!
Debbie Robin Archibald says
I feel exactly the same way. Every recipe I have tried is wonderful. If I see Carols name on it, I know it will be good. Thank you for all your hard work Carol!
Amy says
My thoughts exactly. Like excuse me? Why don’t YOU work on it if you need a new recipe. People.
Michelle Williamson says
Can you substitute Lakanto Monkfruit golden for the sweetener. My daughter and I are type 1 diabetics and I would love to try this. Kind of cost prohibitive for an experiment. I hate the cooling effect so I am leery of using something I don’t know about. Yes Lakanto has erythritol but I don’t get the cooling effect with it. The other ingredients in the sweetener in the recipe scare me after some research as I already have liver damage from being a type 1.
Carolyn says
You can use Lakanto in place of the Swerve, but not in place of the Bocha Sweet. Well, technically you CAN, but it will recrystallize. Not sure about your reference to liver damage. Can you please link me to your source? I know there is another blogger making some claims about things being metabolized in the liver but I have done extensive research and have found ZERO studies to support this. She doesn’t back herself up, as far as I can tell.
Kate says
Me three! I’m constantly amazed at how brave trolls are when there is a computer screen to protect them from those they choose to crack on! Carolyn, you’ve made sugar-free, low carb simply amazing, thank you for your hard work and sharing with us!
Dana says
I Agree. I’m making this sauce tonight and it’s hard to stick to a diet without people to work hard and come up with the recipes.
Sobia says
My thoughts exactly! I tried this recipe and it was delicious!! I didn’t have the blackstrap or yakon and it still turned out soooo delicious with the cheesecake bars
Thanks Carolyn for these delicious recipe and making my keto journey that much easier to stick to 🙂
Becky says
Can this be canned in a water bath?
Carolyn says
Water bath canning requires a certain amount of acid to avoid botulism. I would not recommend water canning this, for your own safety.
RebeccaJ says
Perhaps it could be frozen if someone wanted to make a lot and save it?
Carolyn, some years ago, you had a caramel sauce (I’m pretty sure it was you) that I thought was perfect, but that was before Bocha Sweet existed. Was that an earlier version of this one? Could you point me at it again, please?
I agree with the others about how wonderful and welcome all your work has been for us low carbers. I am a “relaxed” low carber, and prefer your non-judgemental attitude, and tendency to give people options and choices. And your recipes. My goodness. Having one of your desserts around for an occasional treat has made life so much more enjoyable for me.
Carolyn says
Thanks, Rebecca. The version with BochaSweet can be frozen and re-warmed. The one without BochaSweet, which I will copy below, will just recrystallize too much, I am afraid.
Ingredients
* 1/4 cup butter
* 6 tbsp Swerve Sweetener
* 2 tsp Yacon syrup (You can also use blackstrap molasses)
* 1/2 cup heavy cream
* 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
* 1/4 tsp kosher or sea salt
* 2 tbsp water
For Salted Caramel Sauce:
* 1/2 tsp additional kosher salt or sea salt
Instructions
1.
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine butter, Swerve, and Yacon syrup. Bring to a boil and cook 3 to 5 minutes (be careful not to burn it).
2. Remove from heat and add cream. Mixture will bubble vigorously.
3. Sprinkle with xanthan gum and whisk vigorously to combine. Add salt.
4. Return mixture to heat and boil 1 more minute. Let cool to lukewarm and stir in water until well combined.
5. For salted caramel, simply stir in additional salt at the end.
6. The sauce can be stored in the fridge for a week or so (I’ve actually stored mine for several weeks). Just gently reheat in the microwave or in a saucepan to make it pourable again.
RebeccaJ says
Thank you so much, Carolyn. I think it was before Yacon syrup, too, that I made this, but I probably used plain molasses when I made it before. And I do have a bottle of Yacon syrup in the fridge, that’s been sitting there forever because I forgot why I bought it. It was probably for this recipe. 😀
I’ve ordered the Bocha Sweet too, but I am happy to have this recipe too, for when I think I won’t have to store it very long and I want to make it more cheaply.
I was thinking of trying out adding a little of that Boyajian maple flavoring, just to see if it will taste good on pancakes. Don’t you think that would be fun?
Stacy says
Hi Linda,
I really want to make Millionaire Bars for Thanksgiving. I’ve been searching for a complete keto recipe for them. Do you have one? Will this Carmel hold up in them if I can find a keto shortbread recipe? BTW, I’m totally new to all of this and have not baked anything keto yet. :0)
Thanks,
Stacy
Carolyn says
Please use my search box and look at my tagalong bars, then sub the caramel sauce for the peanut butter filling. Will be perfect.
Buckle says
Realize this is an old post, but where do some ppl get their information? All sugars are not ‘equally healthy’. Regular granulated sugar is most commomly derived from sugar beets in North America…98% of which are GMO crops. Many companies, thankfully, have at least diversified their production with cane sugar options in the last few years. In western Canada, a major supplier is Rogers. They have 2 processing plants, one that processeses sugar beets, the other cane sugar. If you call your favourite brand of sugar’s offices and they produce both, they can tell you which of their products are made from which, and/or the first numbers of their product barcodes to differentiate between the two. A little TMI, but boy this poster was rude.
I found your website 3 months ago when my husband encouragd me to start eating keto with him. I NEVER would have agreed/ stayed on it if I couldn’t have found desserts that have a ‘normal’ taste and texture. I don’t have a sweet tooth…I AM a sweet tooth! Thank you!