[This is a longish post because I describe the caramel-making process in detail. If you just want to hop straight to the recipe, I totally get it. Click here.]
YES. This is real life.
We are making a caramel sauce that you’ll want to put on, in, and around everything this fall. Guaranteed.
So, I have a baking/cooking bucket list, and I like to try and cross a few of the items on that list off every year.
Homemade croissants, homemade blueberry pie, and homemade pie crust were all things that I’ve successfully crossed off my list. Same with caramel.
But if I’m being completely honest with you, caramel is not my jam. Give me chocolate, peanut butter, mint, what-have-you. But caramel? You can take it.
It’s often times too sweet. Too sticky. Too rich. Don’t get me wrong, I love me a rich dessert. But caramel has just never ever done it for me.
That is…until I decided to dress it up fall-style in this Vegan Pumpkin Spice Caramel Sauce. Who knew that adding a few spices to the mix would tone down the sweetness and increase the absolute mouth-watering droolness that would occur from putting it into your mouth.
If you’ve never made caramel before, don’t worry. It’s so easy. Laughably simple, in fact, because it only requires six ingredients! And you can do it all without a thermometer in just a few simple steps:
Steps to Making the Easiest, Creamiest, Homemade Vegan Pumpkin Spice Caramel Sauce Without a Thermometer
(Before we start, if you’re a visual learner–same–here’s a fun video showing you the process!)
Step 1: Assemble your ingredients. It’s kind of a pain to get everything ready before you start cooking, but it really is the #1 reason of success when making caramel. Measure out everything and put them into nice bowls/measuring cups so you can keep them right by the stove and grab them quickly.
Step 2: Add your sugar to a medium, high sided sauce pan. You need the sides to be high because the mixture will bubble quite a bit and you don’t want to get burned. It goes without saying that that would be bad.
Turn the heat to medium, grab a rubber spatula (the longer, the better), and mix. Mix mix mix. You want to keep that sugar moving constantly so that it doesn’t burn. For the first few minutes, it’ll be just you pushing around some sugar with a spatula. You’re going to think that something is wrong because nothing is happening.
But patience, grasshopper. The sugar will eventually start to clump (it’ll look like clumpy sand), and then those clumps will melt into a nice and brown liquid. Step 2? Check.
Step 3: As soon as all of your sugar clumps have melted, add your vegan butter. Be careful so that the liquid sugar doesn’t splatter up and burn you when you drop the butter in. The mixture will start to bubble, but that’s good; just keep stirring with your rubber spatula. As the butter is melting, you’ll see that it’ll look a bit watery on top – that’s okay too. Once the butter has melted completely – about 30 seconds -, move onto Step 4.
Step 4: Add your coconut milk and spices. The mixture will bubble like crazy here, but that’s okay. Because we chose to use a pan with high sides, it won’t be a problem. Carefully stir the mixture for about 60 seconds as it’s bubbling, then take it off the heat.
Spoiler alert: cue the happy dance. You just made the one of the tastiest caramel sauces of your life. Well, after you add a hefty pinch of salt to the mixture, that is. I let the mixture cool for a bit in the pan, and then I carefully poured it into a glass mason jar to continue cooling.
Oh, and here is the most important note about this recipe: If there’s only one thing you take away from this post, it should be this mantra: No matter how much I love caramel, I will never, ever stick my finger into the mixture, nor will I spoon some of the mixture out and stick it into my mouth-hole.
Melted sugar is crazy hot. So once the whole recipe is said and done, you should absolutely wait a full 30 minutes to an hour before trying it. It’ll be hard. It’ll be tough. But if you value your finger tips and/or tongue, you will not touch it until it is cool. Capiche?
So that’s that! How to make a caramel sauce without a thermometer, in about 10 minutes, with a fall-flair, and that tastes absolutely, 100% delicious.
It’s great on ice cream, in a latte (stay tuned), or by the spoonful, and how great of a gift would this be?! Kind of love that idea so much. Happy carameling!
Vegan Pumpkin Spice Caramel Sauce
https://www.fooduzzi.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/vegan-pumpkin-spice-caramel-sauce-10.jpg
| Prep: | Cook: | Yield: 1 cup | Total: |
The easiest homemade vegan caramel...with a fall twist! Made with only 6 ingredients, and perfect for topping ice cream, lattes, or a spoon.
You'll Need...
- 1 cup organic raw cane sugar*
- 6 Tbsp. vegan butter, cut into 6-10 chunks (I used Soy Free Earth Balance)
- 1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk (in the can), well shaken
- 3/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice**
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- salt
Directions
- Add your sugar to a medium, high sided sauce pan. Place your butter, coconut milk, and spices in separate bowls next to your cooking surface.
- Place your pan on the stove and turn the heat up to medium. Grab a rubber spatula and mix constantly. For the first few minutes, it'll seem like nothing is happening. But then the sugar will eventually start to clump (it'll look like clumpy sand), and then those clumps will melt into a nice and brown liquid. Be careful the sugar doesn't burn.
- As soon as all of your sugar clumps have melted, add your vegan butter. Be careful so that the liquid sugar doesn't splatter up and burn you when you drop the butter in. The mixture will start to bubble, but that's good; just keep stirring with your rubber spatula. As the butter is melting, you'll see that it'll look a bit watery on top - that's okay too.
- Once the butter has melted completely - about 30 seconds - add your coconut milk and spices. The mixture will bubble like crazy here. Carefully stir the mixture for about 60 seconds as it's bubbling, taking care so that it doesn't burn, and then take it off the heat.
- Add a nice pinch of salt, and mix. I poured my caramel into a glass mason jar after it cooled for about 10 minutes in the pan. Allow your caramel to cool a full 30 minutes to an hour before trying it. Store in the fridge with a lid. Enjoy cold or warm.
Additional Notes
*Sometimes sugar isn't vegan. I know. Crazy. Make sure yours is. From my research, I've found that all organic sugars are vegan!
**If you can't find pumpkin pie spice, you can make it yourself.
***If there's only one thing you take away from this post, it should be this mantra: No matter how much I love caramel, I will never, ever stick my finger into the mixture, nor will I spoon some of the mixture out and stick it into my mouth-hole. Melted sugar is crazy hot. So once the whole recipe is said and done, you should absolutely wait a full 30 minutes to an hour before trying it. It'll be hard. It'll be tough. But if you value your finger tips and/or tongue, you will not touch it until it is cool. Capiche?
Recipe slightly adapted from the Sally's Baking Addiction Cookbook (page 91).
That looks AMAZING!! Can’t wait to try it! Do you think it would work with organic coconut sugar?
Thanks so much, Sil! Unfortunately, I’ve had trouble melting coconut sugar in the past. You can definitely try it though! Maybe a water-based caramel method would work better with coconut sugar. Let me know if you give it a try!
This looks sooooooooooooo good. I’m not a coffee girl, but I aaaam a hot chocolate girl – and this would totes be so good in that, too, I think.