Name: Homemade Caramel with Sweetened Condensed Milk (Sauce or Bars)
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: ½ cup unsalted butter (113 g); 1 cup dark brown sugar, packed (200 g); 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk (396 g); ¼ cup light corn syrup (85 g); 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (5 ml); ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, optional (1.5 g)

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This Homemade Caramel with Sweetened Condensed Milk is a buttery brown sugar caramel you make in one saucepan in about 25 minutes. Take it off the heat at 218°F for a thick, pourable caramel sauce, or keep cooking to 228°F for a caramel layer that sets firm enough to slice on dessert bars.

Spoon lifting thick homemade caramel with sweetened condensed milk out of a glass jar by Tessie's Table.

Need both? Pour off the sauce at 218°F, then put the pan back on the heat and cook the rest to 228°F. In Ireland, caramel over shortbread with a layer of chocolate on top is sold everywhere as caramel squares, and the 228°F caramel is the layer you want for bars like that. It’s the caramel in my Salted Caramel Pecan Bars. The sauce is great spooned over my Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars in place of store-bought caramel.

Why You’ll Love This Caramel with Sweetened Condensed Milk

One batch, two uses: Stop at 218°F for caramel sauce, keep going to 228°F for a bar layer, or split the pan and make both.
No melting sugar on its own: Everything goes into the pan at the start, so you’re not standing over plain sugar trying to catch it before it burns.
Two numbers to watch: A candy thermometer tells you exactly when to take it off the heat, so you know how it will set before it cools.
Made for bars: The 228°F caramel pours straight over a baked shortbread base and slices once it’s chilled. My Salted Caramel Pecan Bars show you the whole thing, base and all.

Salted caramel pecan bars on a shortbread base drizzled with homemade caramel, with a jar of caramel sauce behind by Tessie's Table.

The Best Caramel with Sweetened Condensed Milk for Fall Baking, Thanksgiving, and Holiday Gifts

Make a jar of the sauce for apple slices and warm pie when apples are in season, pour the 228°F caramel over shortbread for a tray of bars to bring to Thanksgiving, and fill small jars with sauce to give away at Christmas.

Planning the dessert table? My Easy Thanksgiving Desserts roundup has plenty more to bake. For the holidays, my Easy Christmas Desserts roundup is full of ideas.

Ingredients Needed for Caramel with Sweetened Condensed Milk

Unsalted butter: Half a cup. It melts in with everything else and gives the caramel its buttery flavor.
Dark brown sugar: One cup, packed. Dark brown sugar gives the caramel its deep color and flavor.
Sweetened condensed milk: One 14 ounce can. This is what makes the caramel thick and creamy.
Light corn syrup: A quarter cup. It helps keep the caramel smooth.
Vanilla extract: One teaspoon. It goes in at the start with everything else.
Fine sea salt (optional): A quarter teaspoon. Add it if you want salted caramel.

Labeled ingredients for caramel with sweetened condensed milk including vanilla, butter, light corn syrup, a can of sweetened condensed milk and dark brown sugar by Tessie's Table.

How to Make Caramel with Sweetened Condensed Milk

**For more detailed instructions, please refer to the printable recipe card below.**

Add the butter, dark brown sugar, sweetened condensed milk, corn syrup, vanilla and salt to a heavy-bottomed saucepan.
Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the butter has melted and the mixture is smooth. Turn the heat up to medium and bring it to a gentle boil.

Three step collage showing butter, brown sugar and sweetened condensed milk in a saucepan, the smooth melted caramel with a thermometer, and caramel sauce being poured into a glass jar by Tessie's Table.

Keep stirring the whole time, scraping the bottom and sides of the pan so the caramel doesn’t burn. For a pourable caramel sauce, take it off the heat at 218°F, pour it into a heatproof jar and let it cool before covering.
For a firm caramel layer for bars, keep cooking to 228°F and pour it straight over your baked shortbread or other base before it starts to set. Let it cool for about 30 minutes, then chill for at least 2½ hours. Want both? Pour off the sauce at 218°F, then put the pan back on the heat and cook the rest to 228°F.

Variations

Salted caramel: Add the optional fine sea salt, or sprinkle flaky sea salt over the caramel layer once it’s poured over your bars.
Pecan caramel bars: Top the 228°F caramel layer with pecans. My Salted Caramel Pecan Bars are the recipe to follow.
Chocolate topped bars: Spread melted chocolate over the set caramel layer for bars like the Irish caramel squares.
Banoffee bars: Top the set caramel layer with sliced banana and whipped cream.
Cinnamon caramel: Stir a pinch of ground cinnamon in with the vanilla for a fall flavor.

Homemade caramel with sweetened condensed milk being poured from a saucepan over a shortbread base in a lined square pan by Tessie's Table.

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Serving Suggestions for Homemade Caramel Sauce

Over ice cream: Warm the sauce and spoon it over a bowl of vanilla ice cream.
With apple pie: Drizzle it over a warm slice of my Easy Apple Pie.
On banana bread: Use it in place of the store-bought caramel on my Caramel Pecan Banana Bread.
In your coffee: Stir a spoonful into hot coffee, or drizzle it into my Tres Leches Iced Latte.
With apple slices: Set out a jar of warm sauce with sliced apples for dipping.

Homemade caramel sauce being poured from a glass jar over a loaf of caramel pecan banana bread by Tessie's Table. — Photo Credit: Tessie’s Table.

How to Store Caramel with Sweetened Condensed Milk

How should I store homemade caramel sauce?
Let the sauce cool before you cover it. It’s fine in a covered jar on the counter for up to 2 days, or keep it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. It thickens as it cools and gets much firmer in the fridge, so warm it in the microwave in short bursts, stirring in between, until it pours again.
Can I freeze homemade caramel sauce?
Yes. Freeze it in a freezer-safe container with a little room at the top for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the fridge overnight, then warm it until it pours.
How should I store caramel bars?
Keep the bars covered in the fridge for up to a week.
Can I make caramel bars ahead of time?
Yes. Pour the caramel over the base a full day ahead and keep the bars in the pan in the fridge until you’re ready to cut them.
Can I freeze caramel bars?
Yes. Cut the bars first, layer them between sheets of parchment in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw them in the fridge overnight.

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Homemade caramel with sweetened condensed milk Pinterest pin showing thick caramel sauce in a glass jar and caramel poured over shortbread bars by Tessie's Table.

Tips for Making Caramel with Sweetened Condensed Milk

Use a heavy-bottomed saucepan: A thick base heats more evenly, which helps stop the condensed milk scorching on the bottom.
Stir the whole time: Keep the spatula moving and scrape the bottom and corners of the pan, especially once it starts to boil.
Watch the thermometer: Clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pan with the tip in the caramel, not touching the bottom. A few degrees is the difference between sauce and bars.
Have your base ready: The 228°F caramel needs to go straight onto the base before it starts to set, so have your baked shortbread waiting in the pan before you start.
Pack the brown sugar: Press it firmly into the measuring cup so you get the full cup.

Close up of thick homemade caramel sauce being poured into a glass jar by Tessie's Table.

More Caramel Ideas

Looking for more meal inspiration?

Need dinner sorted for the week? My Monthly Meal Plan for November 2026 has a full month of easy dinners planned out for you. If you love brown sugar desserts, my Butterscotch Pecan Fudge is another one to make for the holidays.

Homemade caramel sauce being drizzled from a spoon over a banoffee shortbread bar topped with whipped cream and chocolate curls by Tessie's Table.

Caramel with Sweetened Condensed Milk FAQ

Do I need a candy thermometer?
I use one every time. This caramel has two set points, 218°F for sauce and 228°F for bars, and a few degrees changes how it sets, so a thermometer is the easiest way to get the one you want.
What is the difference between 218°F and 228°F caramel?
At 218°F the caramel is thick but still pourable once it cools, so it’s your caramel sauce. At 228°F it cooks a little longer and sets firm enough to slice once it’s chilled on a bar base.
Can I make caramel sauce and caramel bars from one batch?
Yes. Pour off as much sauce as you need into a heatproof jar when the caramel reaches 218°F. Put the pan back on the heat and cook the rest to 228°F, then pour it over your base.
Why do I have to stir the whole time?
Sweetened condensed milk catches on the bottom of the pan easily. Stirring and scraping the bottom and sides the whole time keeps it from burning.
Is this the same as dulce de leche?
No. Dulce de leche is milk and sugar, often a can of sweetened condensed milk on its own, cooked slowly until thick. This caramel adds butter, dark brown sugar and corn syrup and is cooked to a set temperature.
Can I use light brown sugar?
I make it with dark brown sugar, which gives the caramel its deep color. I haven’t tested it with light brown sugar.
Why are my bars too soft?
The caramel most likely didn’t reach 228°F. Make sure the thermometer tip is in the caramel and not touching the pan, and give the bars the full chill time before you cut them.

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Homemade Caramel with Sweetened Condensed Milk (Sauce or Bars)

Buttery homemade caramel made with sweetened condensed milk and dark brown sugar. Cook it to 218°F for a pourable caramel sauce, or to 228°F for a firm, sliceable caramel layer for dessert bars.

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Prep Time 5

Cook Time 20

Total Time 25

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings tablespoons

Calories 99 kcal

Equipment

Heavy-bottomed saucepan
Candy thermometer
Silicone spatula
Heatproof jar

Video

Ingredients

½ cup unsalted butter 113 g
1 cup dark brown sugar, packed 200 g
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk 396 g
¼ cup light corn syrup 85 g
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 5 ml
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, optional 1.5 g

Instructions

Add the butter, dark brown sugar, sweetened condensed milk, corn syrup, vanilla extract, and fine sea salt to a heavy-bottomed saucepan.
Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the butter has melted and the mixture is smooth.
Increase the heat to medium and bring the caramel to a gentle boil.
Continue cooking and stirring constantly, scraping along the bottom and sides of the saucepan so the caramel does not burn. This takes 15 to 20 minutes in total.
For a pourable caramel sauce, remove the caramel from the heat when it reaches 218°F and transfer it to a heatproof jar.
For a firm caramel layer that holds its shape when sliced, continue cooking until it reaches 228°F.
If you need both from one batch, remove the amount you need for the sauce when the mixture reaches 218°F and transfer it to a heatproof jar. Return the remaining caramel to the heat and continue cooking until it reaches 228°F.
Immediately pour the 228°F caramel over your baked shortbread or other dessert base before it begins to set. Let it cool for about 30 minutes, then refrigerate for at least 2½ hours, until the caramel is firm.
Let the caramel sauce cool before covering and storing. It thickens as it cools and becomes much firmer in the refrigerator. Warm it in the microwave in short bursts, stirring in between, until pourable.

Notes

218°F: thick but pourable caramel sauce.

228°F: firm, sliceable caramel layer for bars.

Thermometer: keep the tip in the caramel without touching the bottom of the pan.

Bars: one batch makes the caramel layer for my Salted Caramel Pecan Bars.

Storage: keep the sauce covered on the counter for up to 2 days or in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, and warm it to pour. Freeze the sauce for up to 3 months. Keep bars covered in the fridge for up to a week, or freeze cut bars between parchment for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Calories: 99kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 1gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 12mgSodium: 20mgPotassium: 56mgSugar: 15gVitamin A: 122IUVitamin C: 0.3mgCalcium: 42mgIron: 0.1mg

Keyword brown sugar caramel, caramel for bars, caramel sauce with sweetened condensed milk, caramel with sweetened condensed milk, homemade caramel

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