Name: Easy Homemade Caramel Sauce with Coconut Milk and Honey (Sugar-Free!)
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 1
Ingredients: 1/3 cup cream skimmed from the top of full-fat coconut milk; 1/4 cup organic honey; 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter; 1/2 tsp. sea salt; 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

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Easy Homemade Caramel Sauce with Coconut Milk and Honey is a delicious sugar-free homemade caramel syrup that complements a wide variety of desserts, muffins, smoothies, and milkshakes. An easy homemade caramel sauce recipe that keeps well for weeks in the fridge.

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Sugar-Free Homemade Caramel Sauce

Homemade caramel sauce: Delicious. Perfectly flavored. No preservatives…

…and sugar free?

Yes! You do not need to use brown sugar or white sugar to create a delicious homemade recipe for caramel sauce!

This recipe is the proof.

Caramel Sauce Recipe with Coconut Milk

For years, I heard about using a can of sweetened condensed milk for a fast homemade caramel sauce.

But sweetened condensed milk isn’t my ideal healthyalternative to store-bought caramel sauce–mostly because refined sugar still holds a prominent place in the ingredients.

So discovering how to make homemade caramel sauce with coconut milk and honey (and no sugar) amazed me and revolutionized our healthy desserts.

Our family now loves to use this healthy homemade caramel sauce as a topping for drinks (like milkshakes and hot chocolate) and our favorite Easy Healthy Greek Yogurt Pumpkin Muffins.

How to Make Caramel Sauce with Honey

So how do you make sugar-free homemade caramel sauce with honey?

First, of course, you need a milk base. (For this recipe, we use coconut milk.)

Second, you do need a sweetener.

But why not use a natural sweetener rather than a refined one? Honey fits the bill perfectly!

In this recipe for sugar-free homemade caramel sauce, we boil these ingredients together for a few minutes to create a thick, caramel-flavored sauce.

It’s perfect on top of homemade muffins, milkshakes, pies, and hot chocolate.

How to Make Caramel Sauce without Sweetened Condensed Milk

As I mentioned before, recipes for homemade caramel sauce from scratch often require the use of sweetened condensed milk.

While my husband definitely does not have anything against sweetened condensed milk (though I can’t say the same about myself), the idea of a recipe “from scratch” for me usually does not include this ingredient.

Instead of opening a can of sweetened condensed milk, then, we simply use the cream skimmed from the top of coconut milk.

In coconut milk, the cream and water naturally separate. So to get just the cream, we do not shake the can of coconut milk but instead let it sit for awhile (at room temperature or in the refrigerator) to allow for this natural separation.

Then we use a spoon to scoop the cream off the top and measure it for use in this recipe.

How to Make Caramel Sauce with Coconut Milk

The next steps in the process of making homemade caramel sauce without sugar are to mix the coconut milk with butter and salt and then to simmer these ingredients together on the stovetop until thickened.

And we can’t forget the vanilla flavoring!

We add pure vanilla extract after we have removed the caramel sauce from the heat. The extract adds both flavor and a bit more color.

Vegan Caramel Sauce Recipe

This recipe for homemade caramel sauce relies on coconut milk and honey for sweetness.

Some vegans are fine with eating honey, as an insect product rather than an animal product.

However, others prefer to completely avoid all honey.

Either way, you can transform this recipe into a vegan caramel sauce recipe simply by trading the honey for maple syrup.

Favorite Ways to Use Caramel Sauce

If you are like my husband and don’t need anything to eat with caramel sauce, great! But if you are looking for recipes to use with this caramel sauce, here are some of our family favorites:

Use as a layer in Healthy Cookie Dough Bars.
Drizzle over Healthy Double Chocolate Walnut Brownies.
Top Easy Healthy Greek Yogurt Pumpkin Muffins with Easy Homemade Maple Vanilla Whipped Cream (Without Sugar) and then drizzle this homemade coconut milk caramel sauce on top.
Glaze Gluten-Free No Bake Apple Pie Bars.
Dip Sugar-Free Monkey Tails in this caramel sauce before (or after) dipping in melted chocolate.
Use as a topping for a Healthy Pumpkin Protein Smoothie or a Gingerbread Electrolyte Smoothie.
Top No-Bake Gingerbread Cream Pie with this yummy homemade caramel sauce.
Use as an ice cream topping (extra-good on top of our favorite Monster Cookie Dough Ice Cream).

Ingredients and Measurements for Coconut Milk Caramel Sauce

1/3 cup cream skimmed from the top of full-fat coconut milk
1/4 cup organic honey
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

How to Make Homemade Caramel Sauce with Honey

Step One: Add the coconut milk, honey, butter, and sea salt to a small saucepan.

Step Two: Over low heat, bring the coconut milk mixture to a boil. Continue to simmer for 8 minutes. The sauce should thicken and will darken slightly but should not be a dark caramel color.

Step Three: Remove from the heat. Stir in vanilla extract. The color of the sauce should darken but will be lighter than store-bought caramel sauce.

Step Four: Use immediately for best results or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

How to Store Homemade Caramel Sauce

Homemade caramel sauce is best used immediately after cooking it. (And this small-batch recipe for homemade caramel sauce is the perfect portion size for that!)

However, if you need to make it ahead or store leftovers for later, you can store homemade caramel sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Can You Store Homemade Caramel Sauce at Room Temperature?

While we have stored this healthy caramel sauce recipe on the countertop for extended periods of time, the best way to store it is in an airtight container in the refrigerator. This prevents fast mold growth.

However, refrigerating the sauce does mean that it will harden. To use the sauce, you will need to warm it up in the microwave (not preferable) or on the stovetop (much better).

More Delicious Dessert Recipes to Try

Want more delicious recipe inspiration? Try these next:

Easy Homemade Caramel Sauce with Coconut Milk and Honey Recipe Card