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
- 1/4 cup butter
- 3 tbsp brown sugar replacement
- 3 tbsp allulose, or BochaSweet
- 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
- 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
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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Carolyn Carolyn Carolyn Carolyn
I “almost never” comment, but I could not not comment on this recipe
this is the best stuff that I have ever made in the world of sweet sauce/syrup
thank you thank you thank you thank you
5 stars
two thumbs up
Thanks for the lovely feedback!
Carolyn-awesome sauce! Burnt my first batch badly. Electric stove……so second batch I used LOW heat and LeCreuset pot; start to finish 11.5 minutes. Total success. Went from almost crying to a happy dance. Making your pecan pie as a trial run today for Thanksgiving. Looking great now! Thanks for great recipes- good luck during your transition to the west coast.
Yikes! I am so worried because our rental house will only have electric and I am so used to gas!
Just made this and I am in love….. thanks for such a yummy recipe. I have to stop my self from gulping it down.
“this sauce will blow your caramel-loving mind.”
It sure the heck did! Just amazing!
I made it with the coconut sugar, which I had on hand from my early keto days but haven’t used since. Now I will! I do seem to have quicker cooking times, maybe because I’m at altitude, mine was about 2 minutes.
I used it for this:
http://www.averiecooks.com/2014/10/caramel-apple-cheesecake-crumble-bars.html
Lots of subs but it looks devine, it’s for tonight’s dessert.
Thanks for another great recipe Carolyn! Every recipe I make of yours comes out perfectly!
Marvelous recipe, as always! Can I sub this caramel sauce in your chocolate pecan bars?
Yes, I think you could!
Hi Carolyn,
Just a quick question – if I wanted to make caramel candies with this, what would I need to alter? I’m looking to make something close to the wrapped caramels we used to buy by the bag. Thanks so much for all you do!
Barb
I am not certain you can make this into caramel candies…at least not the really chewy kind that stick to your teeth. Because it’s not sugar, and it just won’t quite work that way. But you could try boiling it down further until it’s a little more gummy. Then it will begin to harden more as it cools and you might have something you can work with.
Hi, Carolyn. I made this sauce for your pecan pie recipe and although I burned it slightly, it still had a wonderful caramel taste. Do you have any tips to keep it from burning? I watched it very closely and stirred it often. I cooked it for 4 minutes. Do I need to stir it constantly and cut down on the time? Or is constant stirring the key? By the way, loved the pecan pie!!! I wasn’t a huge fan while it was still warm but after leaving it in the fridge overnight it was AMAZING! Thanks for all your low carb desserts that don’t leave us missing our high carb alternatives.
It could be your pot or the heat of your stove. Is it electric? If so, turn it down a bit and do stir pretty constantly.
I found that the brand of butter mattered in the burning risk. Great Value did fine. Kerrygold burned when I blinked at it.
Interesting!
Can I use Sukrin Gold instead of the Swerve? Seems to have the same ingredients. I also appreciate all your recipes! Have had success with several of them.
Should be fine.
this is the best danged caramel sauce!!! You rocked it Carolyn!!
Thanks, Dinah. Based on your feedback, I may change the recipe for 1 tbsp blackstrap molasses instead of 2. I think it’s just too much .
What is considered a serving???
I think it’s 2 tablespoons.
If I double the recipe and then eat it ALL- is that considered a serving?!!!! Bwahahaha!!! AwEmAzInG!!!!
LOVE THIS! I used Xylitol and Molasses as it’s all I had and it it turned out perfectly…could seriously not tell the difference in a normal caramel taste! I do grind my xylitol to a fine powder first before anything I cook with it, so maybe thats why it worked so well with the xylitol? Either way, thanks for the recipe! Even though the xylitol I used brought the carb count up, it is still a HUGE winner and healthier than a regular caramel. Cheers from Aus!
So glad it worked out!
Oh goodness, I can’t wait to make this! I’ve been using the Walden Farms caramel sauce because it was (until now) my only option– and it’s not even very nice-tasting, let alone all the chemicals in it!!!
I’m just curious Carolyn, have you ever tried tagatose? I’m told it caramelizes exactly like table sugar so it’s good for caramels and things that require browning. It’s so expensive and hard to find though!
Best of luck and speed with your move, and thank you so much for taking time out of this busy and stressful period to keep us supplied with new recipes. You’re the best!
I haven’t tried it but I have heard of it. I am leery of things ending in “ose” as that denotes a sugar and I am suspicious of claims about low glycemic index. They said the same thing about agave and it spiked me as much as table sugar. I’d have to try it on my own blood sugar before I’d use it in recipes for readers.
Is there a difference in molasses? I have a bottle of unsulphured molasses but it doesn’t say blackstrap.
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.
How can you make this vegan? Will a nondairy milk work?
One reader has said that full fat coconut milk works. I haven’t tried it myself!
I’ve had success with full fat coconut milk in other caramel recipes. I used cream for this one.
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.
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!
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?
We move officially on Nov 24th. Moving/pacing is still in progress!
Oh my. I feel for ya! Going to be a busy prelude to Christmas!