Homemade Caramel Sauce with Bone Broth
This Homemade Caramel Sauce with Bone Broth swaps heavy whipping cream for real bone broth, creating a rich, glossy caramel with deeper flavor and a subtle savory balance. It’s a from-scratch caramel that’s smoother, less cloying, and made with simple, real ingredients.
If you love caramel as much as I do, be sure to check out other caramel recipes like Homemade Chewy Chocolate Caramel Candy, Gingerbread Caramel Sauce, Chocolate Olive Oil Caramel, Homemade Chewy Coffee Caramel Candies, or Caramel Lollipops.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Recipe Name: Homemade Caramel Sauce with Bone Broth
- Ready In: 15 minutes
- Makes: 6 ounces
- Main Ingredients: cane sugar, salted butter, beef bone broth
- Flavor Profile: Slightly salty umami flavor, lighter flavor than traditional caramel sauce, not heavy
- Dietary Info: gluten free, no heavy whipping cream
- Difficulty: Medium
- Why You’ll Love It: Homemade caramel sauce without cream, no thermometer needed!
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- No Heavy Whipping Cream: Bone broth replaces cream for a lighter, more balanced caramel. So, if you are looking for caramel without cream, you’ll love this recipe!
- Richer, Deeper Flavor: The subtle savory notes help cut sweetness and enhance the caramelized sugar creating an umami caramel!
- Made from Scratch: Simple ingredients, no corn syrup, no artificial flavors. This bone broth caramel is a simple caramel sauce recipe with just 3 organic ingredients.
- No Thermometer: I use the old school method of dry burning sugar (not the wet method), so no instant read thermometer is needed to make this bone broth caramel.
- Silky, Glossy Texture: Proper technique creates a smooth, spoonable caramel that sets beautifully. This caramel sauce without heavy cream tastes just like nostalgia, no cream needed.
- Versatile: Drizzle on top of cupcakes, cakes, ice cream, stir into coffee, or use as a dipping sauce for apples.
- Unexpected but Approachable: A unique twist that still tastes familiar and comforting. This healthier caramel sauce is sure to become a favorite!
- Real-Ingredient Focused: Fits naturally into a clean-ingredient, homemade kitchen.
If you follow along, you know I only like making Homemade True Caramel from scratch. And, with this Homemade Caramel Sauce with Bone Broth, I use my same technique of dry burning the sugar to create a homemade caramel sauce. But, instead of adding heavy whipping cream, like my classic, I use bone broth instead!
I love creating bone broth dessert recipes as it allows you to reap all the benefits of bone broth, while enjoying a sweet treat. It’s really a win-win! This homemade caramel sauce checks all the boxes for a sweet dessert sauce with a savory caramel sauce flair that you won’t be able to stop eating!
If you are looking for more bone broth dessert recipes, check out some of my other favorites like Organic Brownies with Bone Broth, Bone Broth Chocolate Milkshake, or Chocolate Protein Pudding With Bone Broth.
Ingredients
- Cane Sugar: I use organic cane sugar for the best true caramel flavor. Organic cane sugar is less processed than granulated white sugar. This is why it’s a darker color and already has a much better and deeper flavor, so it makes the best caramel.
- Butter: Make sure to use a sweet cream butter with ~80% butterfat. Do not use a European style butter or butter with higher butterfat as this can cause your caramel to burn. I learned this when testing the Best Salted Butter for Baking, read more about that there!
- Bone Broth: I’m using Kettle and Fire Beef Bone Broth here which is my favorite when baking or making sweet desserts with bone broth as it’s a more neutral flavor than their chicken (in my opinion). Just be sure to use a plain chicken or beef bone broth and don’t use a flavored one, such as turmeric or mushroom. I have not tested this with different brands of bone broth.
*For a full list of ingredients and measurements, visit the recipe card below.
Baker’s Tips
- Always use a scale for the best results, especially when making a true caramel like this where the ratios really matter.
- Make sure to use a sweet cream butter, stay way from European style butter or high butterfat butters to prevent caramel from burning.
- Use a high heat spatula to prevent your spatula from warping, burning, or even melting a piece off into the caramel (yep, it’s happened to me). If you don't have a high heat spatula, use a whisk.
- Depending on your range, you may want to be on a low heat or medium heat. The trick with caramel is you want the heat to be high enough to melt and caramelize the sugar, but low enough so it doesn't burn. This temperature can vary, depending on how powerful your range is. I have a gas range, so I cook more towards low, but at my bakery where we had electric, I always made this on medium.
- If you want a salted caramel, add a little sea salt to your liking and stir it up before refrigerating.
- The caramel sauce will lighten in color and thicken as it cools. So, I like to let it chill in the fridge overnight before using it.
- Store in a glass jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
How to Make Homemade Caramel Sauce with Bone Broth
- Add the sugar to a 3-quart saucepan. Put over low/medium heat. Depending on your stove you may need to be lower or higher as you want the heat hot enough to melt and caramelize sugar, but low enough not to burn.
- The sugar will begin to melt and you'll see sugar crystals and chunks forming first. The it will melt completely. Melt the sugar completely until there are no chunks.
- Add in the butter and stir to combine completely, be careful because steam will rise up. Be sure to stir consistently to prevent burning.
- Once the butter is melted completely, add in the bone broth. Add a little at a time, as steam will rise up.
- Continue slowly adding the bone broth until it’s completely combined. Remove the caramel from the heat.
- Transfer to a glass jar and refrigerate for overnight. The caramel will lighten in color and thicken as it cools.
How to Use
- Use in place of traditional caramel sauce in my Caramel Hot Cocoa, or add it into Bone Broth Hot Cocoa!
- Try it on top of your favorite ice cream like Cookies and Cream Coffee Ice Cream, Organic Rocky Road Ice Cream, or Salted Caramel No Churn Ice Cream.
- Use it for coffee sweetener, which is a favorite way of ours to use this! Replace the blueberry syrup in my Iced Blueberry Latte for this for a delicious iced caramel latte.
- Drizzle it on top of waffles like Eggless Apple Cinnamon Waffles, Homemade Malted Milk Waffles, Eggless Sourdough Waffles, or Eggless Banana Waffles.
- Use instead of maple syrup for Homemade Buttermilk Pancakes.
- Use it in place of true caramel sauce on any recipe like Salted Caramel Cake With Buttercream Frosting, Caramel Pumpkin Spice Snack Cake, or Caramel Chocolate Oreo Icebox Cake.
- I love this as a dipping sauce for apples or pears!
Recipe FAQ's
No. When used correctly, bone broth adds depth and balance without making the caramel taste savory or meaty. The flavor is subtle and enhances the caramel rather than competing with it.
Bone broth provides liquid and body while reducing heaviness and sweetness. It also creates a more complex flavor profile compared to traditional cream-based caramel.
Use plain beef or chicken bone broth. Stay away from flavored varieties like turmeric ginger, or mushroom flavored ones. A neutral broth works best so the caramel flavor stays front and center.
If you don’t have bone broth, then head over to my Homemade True Caramel recipe for a more classic caramel sauce that uses heavy whipping cream. The ratios are a bit different when using cream versus bone broths, so it’s not an easy swap here.
No, because we are using butter. If you want to use a vegan butter, you can do that.
Yes. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator perfectly pourable caramel. If you want it warm, you can rewarm gently in the microwave before using. It will stay good in the fridge for up to 2 weeks (if it lasts that long!).
It’s still sweet, but more balanced. Think classic caramel with a subtle savory edge, not a salty or savory sauce.
Yes, you can if you want, but I do not think this bone broth caramel needs it. If you want to add vanilla, add it after the caramel has been removed from the heat and after it sat for 5 minutes. This helps the mixture to cool a little so the vanilla just doesn't burn off. I'd start with 1 teaspoon and taste to your liking.
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Homemade Caramel Sauce with Bone Broth
Equipment
- Digital Food Scale
- 3-Quart Pot
- High Heat Spatula
Ingredients
- 170 grams sugar
- 57 grams salted butter
- ½ cup beef bone broth
Instructions
- Add the sugar to a 3-quart saucepan. Put over low/medium heat. Depending on your stove you may need to be lower or higher as you want the heat hot enough to melt and caramelize sugar, but low enough not to burn.
- The sugar will begin to melt and you'll see sugar crystals and chunks forming first. The it will melt completely. Melt the sugar completely until there are no chunks.
- Add in the butter and stir to combine completely, be careful because steam will rise up. Be sure to stir consistently to prevent burning.
- Once the butter is melted completely, add in the bone broth. Add a little at a time, as steam will rise up. Continue slowly adding the bone broth until it’s completely combined. Remove the caramel from the heat.
- Transfer to a glass jar and refrigerate for overnight. The caramel will lighten in color and thicken as it cools.
- Store in a glass container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Video
Notes
- Always use a scale for the best results, especially when making a true caramel like this where the ratios really matter.
- Make sure to use a sweet cream butter, stay way from European style butter or high butterfat butters to prevent caramel from burning.
- Use a high heat spatula to prevent your spatula from warping, burning, or even melting a piece off into the caramel (yep, it’s happened to me). If you don't have a high heat spatula, use a whisk.
- Depending on your range, you may want to be on a low heat or medium heat. The trick with caramel is you want the heat to be high enough to melt and caramelize the sugar, but low enough so it doesn't burn. This temperature can vary, depending on how powerful your range is. I have a gas range, so I cook more towards low, but at my bakery where we had electric, I always made this on medium.
- If you want a salted caramel, add a little sea salt to your liking and stir it up before refrigerating.
- The caramel sauce will lighten in color and thicken as it cools. So, I like to let it chill in the fridge overnight before using it.
- Store in a glass jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Nutrition
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My newest favorite caramel sauce! This is so light, slightly salty, and so delicious. It’s perfect for apple dipping, coffee, and hot chocolate!