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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Hi Carolyn,
I was skeptical, oh so skeptical, but oh my goodness this caramel sauce is so delicious! I am insulin resistant and eat a low to moderated carb diet. I have to be very careful of my sugar intake and am about to enter into the world of sugar free ice cream. This sauce is delicate in flavor and truly does taste like the “caramel” of a buttery “caramel corn”. I made this and your hot fudge sauce and both are just divine! I am usually pretty sensitive to the “cooling sensation” of Swerve but in these recipes I don’t really detect it. I followed the recipes to the letter with the ingredients provided, no substitutions. For the caramel sauce I used the coconut sugar as it was the easiest to find at my local Walmart. Thank you for working so hard on recipes and maintaining your site. I think you are the most comprehensive out there and so far that I have found, the most delicious! Next I will be trying out your ice creams to go with these delicious sauces! Thank you!
Is there a way to keep the Swerve from re-crystallizing after it cools so that the texture isn’t gritty? How about replacing it (or the coconut sugar) with xylitol?
Also, you can buy molasses extract on Amazon if you really don’t want the carbs from it. It tastes the same, but be aware that it’s extremely expensive.
Hi Carolyn, thanks for such a delicious tasting caramel recipe. I read in the description that it is supposed to be “ooey” and “gooey”, but the texture on mine came out more like a soft pudding. The taste is absolutely delicious, but I’m not sure the texture like yours. The texture of yours looks like a liquid carmely, gooey texture. But mine is not like that. Like I said, it’s like pudding. I didn’t substitute anything. As I was cooking the butter and sugars, swerve, I was really excited because it looked and tasted like caramel, but then when I added the cream, it became soupy like milk, then added the xanthan gum and cooked for another minute or so and it thickened up a bit, but didn’t have that carmely texture. It started to be more like pudding or gravy. What did I do wrong? It’s still delicious, but I miss the carmely texture.
It sounds as if you didn’t cook it long enough, although I can’t say for sure. When you add the cream, it should boil and bubble like crazy, not become soupy.
I did notice that the cream didn’t boil up when I added it. I boiled the sugars for 5 minutes. I didn’t want to burn it. Is there a test or a way to tell if the mixture has been cooked enough before adding the cream? Again, thanks so much for sharing this wonderful recipe and taking time to answer questions. It’s really appreciated.
There’s no real test but if the mixture is ready, it kind of boils thickly, if you know what I mean…like the bubbles come to the surface more slowly and lazily.
O.M.G!!!!! Just made this caramel sauce for your carmelita recipe. It’s a miracle I am not now making just plain ‘Litas’ as I wanted to eat all of it!! And I don’t even like caramel that much. It is BEEEYOUTIFUL!!!! I did sub for the xantham gum, used flax. And used 5tbsp baking stevia (what I had) + 2 tbsp coconut sugar. It is superb. Reading notes, I opted to stir mine the whole entire time, start to finish. Perfect. THANK YOU!!!
I came across this awesomeness because I found your Carmelita recipe awesomeness!! 🙂 Gonna make those to take to a dog show tomorrow. But quick question, I don’t have xantham gum?? Never used it? Not even sure where to buy? Can I omit/substitute?
Thank you, I am so eager to try the Carmelitas!!
D
In this recipe, it helps to keep the caramel sauce from re-crystallizing. You can skip it but your sauce will get grainy. You can actually find it pretty easily in the gluten-free aisle of many grocery stores.
What about chia or flax?
that would not work here. Xanthan has properties that inhibit recrystallization. Chia and flax do not. And you’d end up with chunks of chia and flax in your caramel.
Actually I do have teensy ‘flecks’ but no chunks or pieces. I cooked ground flax with water and made a paste. Then used the paste after it cooled to room temp as per a google search on how/what to sub. And I whisked VERY VIGOUROUSLY until completely incorporated, like I don’t need an arm workout today! 😉
🙂 Glad you like it.
Absolutely stunning sauce!
Carolyn, I’m presenting Tuesday in my Biochemistry class for for my Natural Therapy Practitioner program (becoming a holistic nutritionist to promote healing through food, specifically ketogenic eating)
I’m making a bunch of keto truffles (using Lilys chocolate chips and coconut oil) and thought how decadent would salted caramel truffles be!?
Made this recipe using monk fruit/erythritol blend, molasses, and twice the xanthan gum. It’s cooling on the stove now, and HOLY **** this is amazing. I’m an ex-pastry chef and honestly this is as good as regular caramel.
Thank you for this amazing blog and so glad to see you still reply to comments.
Thank you, I really love hearing that!
Also, congrats on the holistic healing course!
I’ve ordered some Swerve as it’s not available in my area but if I wanted to make this to go with the butter cake for a dinner tomorrow night which of the sweeteners I currently have would work best? I have Stevia in the Raw, Pure Via Stevia Granulated, Truvia Baking Blend and Now Better Stevia (liquid). I’m guessing the Truvia Baking Blend would work best but confirmation would be much appreciated. 🙂
You can try the Truvia but honestly it’s much sweeter and I don’t know that it caramelized very well.
This is so ridiculously good! I just made a batch to drizzle over your brownie cheesecake, also yummy. My husband and I both eat keto–I love sweets and baking and your recipes allow me both while still staying on track. Thank you so much!
I have two questions about the caramel recipe. First, will it work with powdered Swerve? I need to make a second batch to make one of your cookie recipes for book club and only have powdered. Second, if I swirl it into ice cream, will it harden too much?
Thanks again!
I think it will work with powdered but not sure. Not sure about the ice cream either but it sure sounds good!
Carolyn, Do you think this recipe would work for sugar free caramel chews? I was thinking if they are firm until heated I could cut them into squares and wrap them in wax paper.
It’s not exactly chewy but it would be tasty.
Oh yeah, I made this yesterday because I have been missing caramel sauce something fierce. This is absolutely amazing!!! I used a packet of stweetleaf stevia because the other sweeteners cause stomach issues for me. I just poured a little over some homemade whipped cream and it was the best dessert I have had in months. I highly recommend! Thanks so much!
So glad to hear it!
This is fantastic!!!! I want you to know that we truly appreciate your hard work. Some people are just so ungrateful, and rude – if people want a caramel sauce with absolutely zero carbs, they’re better off buying some Torani caramel syrup and put up with all the chemicals and crap in it. 2 tbsp of coconut sugar is not much considering most people won’t be consuming the entire recipe all at once.
I am going to try and add some butterscotch extract to this and see what happens. Thank you again!!!
Thanks for your support!
Hi there! I think this recipe is great, but I am definitely doing something wrong and I’m not sure what it is. 🙁 The first two batches I made burned. I looked through the comments to see if anyone else had similar problems and I saw that for the electric stove I needed to lower the heat. I did that,but the problem is that it continued to burn without ever coming to a boil, despite vigorous stirring. I ended up just pulling it off the stove after about 15 minutes of hot-but not boiling – but still kind of wanting burn cooking and added the cream and the xanthan gum. I ended up putting it in my bullet to blend it because the gum didn’t want to blend completely. What I ended up with was still great – it has a very fluffy texture and it tastes wonderful, but it’s not the same product that we have here lol. Any advice? I use stainless steel cookware – could that be part of the problem? Thanks!
It’s not the cookware, I have stainless steel too and have made this recipe plenty of times in it. I am really not sure what’s going on if you have your heat on low. It really shouldn’t be doing that. Is your heat on the lowest setting already?
I’m so excited to try this! And the Twix Cookies! But I don’t have Xanthum Gum. Do you think I could use Glucomannan instead? I know they are often interchangeable.
You probably could but I am not sure how much.
I just finished making this and it is absolutely amazing. Thank you for developing such a great recipe. Turned out perfect.
Love your recipes! I am wondering if I can use this caramel recipe in place of the caramel recipe in the chocolate pecan pie bars.
Yes, you should be able to.