Creamy and dreamy homemade caramel sauce made from sweetened condensed milk in your crockpot! A truly simple and easy caramel sauce recipe made with just ONE ingredient, AKA dulce de leche...
You are simply not going to believe how simple this caramel sauce recipe is! Granted it's not as simple as opening a bottle of store-bought caramel sauce...
But I took a look at the ingredients on one of those bottles recently and found no less than 20 ingredients, including more high fructose corn syrup and sugar than milk + a myriad of dyes and preservatives. Blech!
In contrast, this homemade caramel sauce (also known as dulce de leche) requires just one ingredient - sweetened condensed milk! I was happy to see that the brand that I chose contains only milk and sugar, so that's a far cry from any store-bought caramel sauce I've seen.
Slow Cooker Caramel Sauce
But the very best part about this easy caramel sauce recipe is that it doesn't require you to stand over the stove for long periods of time. I make it right in my slow cooker, which allows it to cook at a low temperature for a long period of time - meaning there's virtually no chance of burning it.
Some of you may have made homemade caramel sauce in the past using a similar method where you boiled an unopened can of sweetened condensed milk on the stovetop. Please, I beg you, don't do this again!
Not only is it very difficult to tell when the caramel is finished cooking, but it's also extremely dangerous because the cans can explode. Not to mention there are surely numerous chemicals leaching from the can into your cooked caramel...
Sweetened Milk Caramel Sauce
Instead, transfer the sweetened condensed milk into several clean jelly jars, place a lid on them, and tighten the bands down well. I filled my jars up to the 6-oz. line to allow for expansion during cooking. As these jars are made to withstand the home canning process, they're much safer, and they allow you to visually check the caramel for doneness.
Place the jars in your slow cooker and then fill the slow cooker up with water to about one inch above the top of the lids. Place the lid on your slow cooker and cook on low for 7.5-8 hours, making sure not to let the water drop below the lid level. I didn't need to add water at any point, but I'd still recommend checking for safety's sake.
After the caramel sauce has cooked for about 7 hours, you'll want to check it periodically to see if its reached your desired doneness. You should be able to do this just by looking through the slow cooker lid so that you don't let the heat escape.
When the crockpot caramel turns a rich golden color, it's time to remove the jars from the water. Allow them to cool at room temperature for about 20 minutes.
Note that you may hear the lids sealing themselves as the caramel cools, but they are not sufficiently processed for long term pantry shelf storage.
Unopened jars of crockpot caramel sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for several months. Opened jars should be used within two weeks, but it's pretty much a given that they'll be gone long before then!
Smooth Sweetened Milk Caramel
For best consistency, you'll want to bring the sweetened milk caramel to room temperature before serving. To speed up the process, you can microwave it for 30 second intervals. Stir the sauce well and repeat until it's warmed to your liking.
The caramel may seem a little chunky when a jar is first opened. No worries - it's still absolutely delicious! I have NO problem scarfing it down with some of the beautiful seasonal apples available right now.
But if you want a silky smooth homemade caramel sauce, the solution is simple. After warming the sauce, use a mini whisk to stir it briskly until any lumps are gone.
Printable Recipe ↓
Sweetened Milk Caramel Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 (14-ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk
- cold water
Instructions
- Fill each jelly jar up to the 6-oz. line with the sweetened condensed milk. Three cans of sweetened condensed milk should fill about 5 jars. Place a lid on each jar and tighten the band down well.
- Place the jars inside the slow cooker and pour water in to about 1" above the top of the jars.
- Cover and cook on low for 7.5-8 hours, checking occasionally to see if more water needs to be added. Do not let the water drop below the lid level.
- Carefully remove the jars from the slow cooker and enjoy! The caramel may be a tad chunky and is perfectly delicious as is, but if you prefer a creamier caramel, simple whisk it until it's silky smooth.
- Store in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature or heat until warm before serving.
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Besides drizzling it over ice cream, another option for using this caramel sauce up is this to-die-for caramel frosting. Spread over a fresh apple cake, it's totally decadent and amazing!
I'd love to see how your homemade caramel sauce turns out... Tag me @Unsophisticook on Instagram or use the hashtag #Unsophisticook so I can check it out. Enjoy!
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