This easy Keto Sugar Free Caramel Syrup and Sauce is a workhorse in the kitchen. Made in less than 15 minutes, this versatile sauce is perfect for mixing into coffee drinks and making salted caramel desserts.
We're suckers for a good caramel and our sugar free caramel syrup does not disappoint. We've made plenty of recipes before with a version of this keto caramel sauce, like our Keto Magic Bars, but it was time that this caramel had its very own dedicated post.
This also means that this caramel recipe has been tested so many times that it's practically foolproof. We've tried all sorts of sweeteners, different kinds of milk, and different kinds of butter. We know what works best and what doesn't. We hope that this caramel becomes a sweet staple in your kitchen as it has ours.
Let's get to the specifics!
Ingredients in Sugar Free Caramel Syrup
You only need a few simple ingredients for this one-pot keto caramel. These are the ingredients that we've found work best after testing this recipe 20+ times. All of the versions were delicious but not all of them kept well.
Erythritol tends to crystalize in the refrigerator and we wanted to keep the caramel sauce, well, saucy and also smooth. We give substitutions below but do note that the end product will be either slightly or vastly different.
Coconut milk - full-fat canned coconut milk
Vegan butter - we use Miyokos unsalted butter
Allulose - we've found that allulose is the perfect low-carb sweetener for caramel sauce. In the past, we've used granulated erythritol, brown erythritol, monk fruit, and coconut sugar (although the coconut sugar is not low-carb).
Brown erythritol - just a pinch for added color, it also gives the caramel a luscious brown sugar flavor
Vanilla extract - pure vanilla extract is best, bonus points if it's bourbon vanilla 😍
Sea salt - not table salt, please
How to make Keto Caramel
Depending on how long you cook the caramel, you can control the viscosity from a liquid that's great for making caramel-flavored drinks to a thicker sauce for drizzling over ice cream to a very thick caramel used for making candies and desserts. As we said, super versatile.
This may just be the easiest caramel to make too. All you need is a heavy-bottomed pot. We love this 2.5-quart cast-iron saucepot. Cast-iron sauce pots are rare and we couldn't justify a $200+ pot from a higher-end cast-iron maker but we stumbled across this one on Amazon and we love it!
Here's how to make sugar-free caramel syrup:
- Place all of the ingredients in a 2.5-quart heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil while whisking occasionally. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer while stirring frequently.
- Depending on how thick you want your caramel to be, cook until the mixture is caramel colored and resembles one of the following states:
- For a thin caramel syrup - cook until the sauce barely coats the back of a spoon and easily drips off. The sauce will be lighter in color. You're aiming for a consistency of coffee syrup, the kind they have at coffee shops.
- For a thicker caramel sauce - cook until a medium golden color forms and the sauce coats the back of a spoon without easily dripping off. It should look glassy.
- For a very thick caramel - for making harder candies and desserts - cook until a darker amber color forms and the caramel pulls away from the sides of the pot when stirred. It should coat the back of a spoon in a thick coat.
***The caramel sauce will thicken even more when it cools so be careful not to overcook. If you do overcook it, you can still save it as long as it's not burnt. To save a caramel that's too thick, bring it back to a simmer over medium heat and add a bit more coconut milk. That should do the trick.
Sugar-free sweetener options
Granulated Erythritol - works great if you're using the entire batch immediately while warm. Otherwise, the caramel will crystalize when cooled.
Brown Erythritol - the same as above, the flavor and consistency are fantastic while warm but it will get very grainy when cooled.
Granulated Allulose - a straight-up replacement for regular white sugar. It gets sticky just like sugar and doesn't crystalize so you can serve the caramel cold or refrigerate it until ready to use.
Monk Fruit - we aren't super fans, maybe it's just us, but we don't care for monk fruit in any recipes.
Ingredient Substiutions
Coconut milk substitutions
- heavy cream - if you're not plant-based, heavy cream works well in this recipe.
- nut milk - works well but the fat isn't high enough to create a really rich caramel. It will work in a pinch.
Vegan butter substitutions
- coconut oil - we don't recommend coconut oil as it's a little too greasy and tends to separate.
- regular butter - if you're not plant-based, regular butter works just fine
Allulose substitutions
See the section above about different sweetener options.
Recipes that use this sugar free caramel syrup
- Keto Magic Bars
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Layer Bars
- Keto Turtle Candy
- Keto Peppermint Patties
- Salted Caramel Chai Pumpkin Cake
Sugar Free Caramel Sauce
Ingredients
- ½ cup full-fat canned coconut milk
- ½ cup unsalted dairy-free butter we use Miyokos, or regular butter if not dairy-free
- ½ cup granulated allulose
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Pinch of sea salt
Instructions
- Place all of the ingredients in a 2.5-quart heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil while whisking occasionally.
- Once boiling, reduce to a simmer while stirring frequently.
- Depending on how thick you want your caramel to be, cook until the mixture is caramel colored and resembles one of the following states:
For a thin caramel syrup
- Cook until the sauce barely coats the back of a spoon and easily drips off. The sauce will be lighter in color. You're aiming for a consistency of coffee syrup, the kind they have at coffee shops.
For a thicker caramel sauce
- Cook until a medium golden color forms and the sauce coats the back of a spoon without easily dripping off. It should look glassy.
For a very thick caramel
- For making harder candies and desserts - cook until a darker amber color forms and the caramel pulls away from the sides of the pot when stirred. It should coat the back of a spoon in a thick coat.
donna gill says
I'm looking at recipes for gifting. Would this sauce keep unrefrigerated several days for shipping? Thanks!
Cast Iron Keto says
Hi Donna, we can't advise on whether shipping would be advisable as we've never tried it. Sorry, we're not much help.
Granee says
I made this with the granulated erythritol brown sugar and it’s delicious. I use this on my keto cinnamon rolls and your original recipe for everything else I want a sweetness on. Thank you
Granee says
I meant to say monk fruit allulose in my prior comment.
Taylor says
Tastes delicious! Although how is it best stored? I made an ice coffee with it and the smart balance butter I used separated in my coiffed and made me drink sips of butter and left a thick residue from the caramel in the cup. Did I do something wrong, any recommendations?
Taylor says
Would there be a reason the butter separates when cold? I put it in ice coffee And it separated to a buttery mess