This is the recipe for How to Make Sugar Free Caramel Sauce (2024)

Published: · Modified: by thesugarfreediva. · This post may contain affiliate or amazon links.

A sugar free caramel sauce alternative for dips, desserts and more.

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If you are like me, then you may have wondered How to Make Sugar Free Caramel Sauce.
There really are certain things that taste so much better with some caramel sauce on top. For example, caramel sauce on top of ice cream. My favorite could be apple slices dipped in caramel.

How to Make Sugar Free Caramel Sauce

I remember the days of making caramel apples every fall season.
We would have to unwrap every individual caramel candy, eating one here and there. Then we would have to melt the candies on the stove which always seemed to end in one kind of a mess or another. Eating those caramel apples always gave me a sticky face as well.

One day, when my kids were young, a friend introduced me to an caramel dip.
I was in shock that this product even existed and I had no idea about it too. That caramel dip put an end to the caramel messes of my childhood for good. It also spared me the messes that could have happened had I actually made home made caramel apples with my kids.

The problem with caramel anything is that they have so much sugar in them.

That sticky mess from my childhood was caused by the sugar in the caramels that we spent forever unwrapping for melting. As an adult, I have little desire to revisit the whole caramel idea. However, making caramel sauce without all of the sugar seems like a good idea to me as an adult.

For this recipe, we will need a granular sugar alternative.
A granular Swerve is one example of a granular sweetener. You can find a selection of granular sugar alternatives on Amazon. Before trying a new granular sugar alternative, please remember to read the label to ensure that there has not been any sugar added to it. You can learn more about sugar alternatives here.

You will also need a brown sugar alternative.

Some people will use molasses as an alternative however, molasses does have sugar in it even though it is digested slower than regular sugar. Another brown sugar alternative that you can use is coconut palm sugar. I like to use coconut palm sugar when I bake cookies. I have read that coconut palm sugar has a relatively low Glycemic Index count and that it may slow down the glucose absorption. However, there has been some skepticism on the use of coconut palm sugar recently when it comes to effects on blood sugar. You can read more about it here. You can find brown sugar alternatives such as Surkin Gold. You can also find coconut palm sugar online.


Lastly, you may need xanthan gum for this recipe.

I know, xanthan gum may sound like something that we should not eat. However, xanthan gum is added to many recipes that you may have eaten in the past. We use it as a stabilizer, emulsifier, thickener, and/or suspending agent. Xanthan gum is found in salad dressing for example. I add it to bread when I am using gluten free flour to make up for the gluten not being there to help hold everything together. In this recipe we will add the xanthan gum if you are not going to use a heavy cream (using milk instead) You can buy xantham gum online.

The recipe for How to Make Sugar Free Caramel Sauce

What you will need to make this recipe.

  • Butter (unsalted preferred)- 1 stick.
  • Granular sugar alternative- ⅓rd cup + 1 tablespoon. See post for granular sugar alternatives.
  • Brown Sugar Alternative- 2 tablespoons equivalent to brown sugar. See post for details and learn more about sugar alternatives here.
  • Heavy Cream- ½ cup. A substitute for this can be to use 3 parts milk to 1 part butter. While a thicker cream will help the consistency and rich taste of this, using a milk will yield a less fat intensive result. If you are using milk instead of heavy cream add ¼ teaspoon of xanthan gum to help thicken your sauce. Read about using Greek Yogurt here.
  • Salt- pinch.
  • Vanilla Extract- 1 teaspoon (helps with the taste).
  • Water- 2 tablespoons, additional as needed.

How to make sugar free caramel sauce.

  • Preheat your saucepan on medium heat. I like to spray mine with nonstick before I start just to help with the clean up process later on.
  • Next, you can add your butter to the saucepan. When your butter is somewhat melted, stir in your sugar alternatives (both the granular and the brown alternatives). You should stir this while your mixture blends together as you do not want it to burn. When your mixture begins to show bubbles (about 4-5 minutes), you can remove this from the heat.
  • Whisk in your heavy cream into the saucepan and then your xanthan gum and the salt.
  • After you are done mixing in the ingredients in the last step, you can return your saucepan to the medium heat. When it begins to bubble again, remove it from the heat and stir in the water and the vanilla extract.
  • Allow your caramel sauce to cool before you serve it. If it seems to be too thick, add a bit of water a teaspoon at a time, stirring after each addition.

This is the recipe for How to Make Sugar Free Caramel Sauce (3)

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4.22 from 93 votes

How to Make Sugar Free Caramel Sauce

A sugar free caramel sauce alternative for dips, desserts and more.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Total Time10 minutes mins

Ingredients

  • Butter unsalted preferred- 1 stick.
  • Granular sugar alternative- ⅓rd cup + 1 tablespoon. See post for granular sugar alternatives.
  • Brown Sugar Alternative- 2 tablespoons equivalent to brown sugar. See post for details and learn more about sugar alternatives here.
  • Heavy Cream- ½ cup. A substitute for this can be to use 3 parts milk to 1 part butter. While a thicker cream will help the consistency and rich taste of this using a milk will yield a less fat intensive result. Read about using Greek Yogurt here. If using milk add ¼ teaspoon of xanthan gum to help thicken the sauce.
  • Salt- pinch.
  • Vanilla Extract- 1 teaspoon helps with the taste.
  • Water- 2 tablespoons additional as needed.

Instructions

  • Preheat a saucepan on medium heat. I like to spray mine with nonstick before I start just to help with the clean up process later on.

  • Add the butter to the saucepan and when it is somewhat melted, add the sugar alternatives (both the granular and the brown alternatives). Stir while this mixture blends together as you do not want it to burn. When it begins to show bubbles (about 4-5 minutes), remove this from the heat.

  • Whisk in the heavy cream and then xanthan gum and the salt.

  • Return the saucepan to the medium heat and when it begins to bubble again, remove it from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.

  • Allow this to cool before serving

Recipe Notes

See post for details about ingredients and substitutes.

most recently updated:

November 3, 2017

*About Sugar Alternatives

Specific sugar alternatives are not given in the recipes presented on this site. Only suggestions are given as to the 'kind' of alternative to use. It is up to you to select the alternative to use that suits your needs best. If the recipe is heated or cooked, it is best to use an alternative that can be heated or cooked with for best results. This site does not endorse any specific ingredients,

*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This means that the links on this website, and specifically on this post, that lead to other sites may be affiliate links.
Please note: Nutritional data has been calculated using a tool that comes with this recipe card and not by me. This means that Nutritional Information is only an estimate and can vary especially with ingredients that you use. The accuracy of this tool may differ from other tools as expected. Also note that there is no instructional value to the video that may be attached to this recipe. It is only there for visual pleasure. For more information about the images in this recipe, please refer the the recipe instructions. Thank you!

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This is the recipe for How to Make Sugar Free Caramel Sauce (2024)

FAQs

What is sugar free caramel made of? ›

While traditional caramel is made with corn syrup and granulated white sugar, this sugar free caramel candy is made with a natural sugar free sweetener called Allulose.

What sugar substitute will caramelize? ›

Furthermore, unlike natural sweeteners such as stevia and monk fruit, Swerve is ideal for baking, as it caramelizes and holds its shape like sugar.

What are the ingredients in Torani sugar free caramel sauce? ›

Water, Vegetable Glycerine, Polydextrose, Maltodextrin, Heavy Cream, Butter, Modified Food Starch, Natural Flavors, Salt, Caramel Color, Soy Lecithin, and Diglycerides,Potassium Sorbate (to preserve freshness),Carrageenan Gum, Xanthan Gum, Pectin, Sucralose.

How does sugar free caramel taste? ›

SUGAR FREE CLASSIC CARAMEL SYRUP: Buttery & rich, with a sharp, dark caramel taste & a subtle fruity finish. Perfect for beverages & great as a dessert topping! SUGAR FREE CLASSIC CARAMEL SYRUP: Buttery & rich, with a sharp, dark caramel taste & a subtle fruity finish.

Does Splenda caramelize like sugar? ›

When heating Splenda Sugar Blend on its own in order to melt or caramelize, it will dissolve more readily with the addition of a small amount of water. Saucepan caramelization happens more quickly with this product compared to regular sugar, so watch the process carefully to prevent overheating or burning.

Will monk fruit caramelize like sugar? ›

Unlike options containing sugar alcohols (like erythritol), monk fruit sugar with allulose and pure allulose can dissolve, brown, and caramelize like sugar. And of course, they taste and bake like sugar, too.

How much liquid monk fruit to replace sugar? ›

If you are looking to convert sugar to our SweetLeaf® Liquid Monk Fruit Drops, you're in luck. A swap for these drops looks something like this: a recipe using 1 tablespoon of sugar would use 15 drops of liquid monk fruit sweetener.

How to caramelize fruit without sugar? ›

The best way to cook apples for caramelization without sugar is to sauté them in a skillet with a small amount of butter or coconut oil over medium heat. This allows the natural sugars in the apples to caramelize and develop a rich, golden-brown color.

Does stevia raise blood sugar? ›

Stevia contains high quantities of diterpene glycosides, which cannot be broken down or absorbed by the digestive tract. Therefore, intake of stevia sweetener does not affect the blood glucose level.

What is the healthiest sugar substitute? ›

5 Natural Sweeteners That Are Good for Your Health
  1. Stevia. Stevia is a very popular low calorie sweetener. ...
  2. Erythritol. Erythritol is another low calorie sweetener. ...
  3. Xylitol. Xylitol is a sugar alcohol with a sweetness similar to that of sugar. ...
  4. Yacon syrup. Yacon syrup is another unique sweetener. ...
  5. Monk fruit sweetener.

Does stevia caramelize like sugar? ›

Since stevia does not caramelize like sugar, a little sugar is needed to develop browning. Sugar also helps with the crisp texture of many baked goods such as cookies. For yeast-raised baked goods, such as bread, stevia cannot be used as substitute for the small amount of sugar needed to activate the yeast.

Is sugar free caramel syrup still sweet? ›

Monin Sugar Free Caramel Syrup features the sweet, buttery, confectionery taste for lattes, frozen treats, whipped cream and unique cocktails. Monin Sugar Free Caramel Syrup adds rich, smooth sweetness to lattes, cappuccinos, unique cocktails and desserts.

Is Torani sugar free syrup really sugar free? ›

I would highly recommend this product. I got introduced to Lattes when living in Seattle for two years and because of my frequency of visits to Starbucks, I soon found the ounces were creeping up on my waistline! So, I switched to the Torani Sugar-Free Syrup and it is the best sugar-free syrup I have yet experienced.

Is Torani really sugar free? ›

Perfect for our health conscious customers, we sweeten our Sugar Free syrups with Splenda® to ensure that you can enjoy delicious flavor calorie free.

Does sugar free caramel have aspartame? ›

The primary sugar substitute used is Isomalt and the artificial sweetener used is Acesulfame – K (ace-k). The acesulfame K does not contain aspartame. There is no aspartame in Werther's Original Sugar Free Caramels.

Does Sugar Free Caramel have carbs? ›

Torani Sugar Free Caramel Sauce (30 ml) contains 19g total carbs, 14g net carbs, 2g fat, 0g protein, and 80 calories.

Does Starbucks use sugar free caramel? ›

The ingredients in Starbucks caramel syrup are “sugar, water, natural flavor, citric acid, potassium sorbate (preservative).” They do make a sugar-free version, though, which would be “fake,” since it doesn't use sugar. Starbucks doesn't use the sugar-free syrup unless you specifically ask them to.

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