Rum Caramel Sauce
Homemade caramel sauce is not as daunting as it sounds. Water, sugar, butter and cream make a pretty good caramel, but the addition of your favorite rum makes it amazing! Trust me. You can enjoy this easy rum caramel sauce over a scoop of ice cream, a piece of pie, some bread pudding or anything else you think of. If you make a big batch, it is also the perfect gift. Just put some in a cute little jar and you’re all set.
We love this rum caramel sauce over coconut bread pudding, you can find my recipe for it here.
This rum caramel sauce is quick and easy to make..no kidding here. It is silky and smooth, sweet and tastes amazing. The hint (or more) of rum makes it taste absolutely divine. It is rich and buttery with a balance of sweet and salty too. If you want a really salted caramel, just add a bit more salt. That’s the nice thing about this easy caramel sauce, it is easily adapted to your desired taste. Salty vs. no salt, heavy on the rum, or just a bit! It’s totally up to you. If you want a boozy sauce, go ahead.
Making this caramel is easy and requires just a few tools and ingredients that you likely have on hand.
The tools you need for Rum Caramel Sauce:
Well, I recommend a heavy bottomed pot, preferably copper, but any heavy bottomed pot will do. It needs to be larger than you might think just because the sauce will bubble up when you add the butter and the cream. So to prevent the dreaded overflow, use a pot larger than you think you will need. It’s still only one pot to wash in the end!
Measuring cups and spoons of course are essential as well as a heat resistant spoon or spatula for stirring the caramel.
A jar or other small container to store the caramel in once it has cooled.
What you need for Rum Caramel Sauce:
- Granulated Sugar
- Water
- Butter
- Heavy Cream
- Rum (or rum extract if you want no alcohol)
- vanilla extract
- Salt
Whether you choose to make a real rum caramel sauce with your favorite rum or rum extract is up to you. If you do use alcohol, make sure to use a Dark or gold rum, not white rum. The deep flavor of darker rums is perfect in this sauce as they already have a caramel undertone. You can use a spiced rum as well, keeping in mind, it will alter the flavor slightly.
Easy Rum Caramel Sauce
Equipment
- 1 Heavy bottomed pot I prefer to use a copper pot for even heating, but any heavy bottomed pot should work fine
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup water
- ¼ cup butter
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1-2 Tbsp Rum (your favorite) * if you want no alcohol use rum extract
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt *if you want a salty caramel increase to ½-1 tsp
Instructions
- In a heavy bottomed pot (I use copper), combine the sugar and water
- Heat over medium heat until sugar is dissolved, stir to combine
- Bring the sugar and water to a boil, stirring occasionally as needed to ensure the caramel browns evenly. Continue cooking until the sugar turns a deep golden brown caramel color. Do not take off the heat too soon or your caramel will be runny. It needs to brown.
- Once brown, remove from the heat immediately and carefully add the butter, stir.
- Once the butter is mixed in completely, add in the heavy cream and stir until it is incorporated. The caramel may thicken and appear lumpy/clumpy but continue to stir and it should go smooth again.
- Add in the Rum (as much as you feel necessary, 1-2 Tbsp)
- Add in the vanilla and salt, stir to combine
- Let the sauce cool for a few minutes then transfer to a jar or other storage container.
- Caramel can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.