Vanilla Bourbon Caramel Sauce (The Best!)

Silky smooth Bourbon Caramel Sauce is so easy to make. This recipe for homemade caramel sauce is over the top good thanks to the addition of a little bit of vanilla and bourbon. If you’re thinking about homemade gifting, consider this Caramel Sauce with Vanilla and Bourbon recipe!

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Making This Bourbon Caramel Sauce

We spent so much time finishing things around the house and landscaping the backyard. Now that we are done, Kevin and I are both like “ok, we’re ready for summer to start!” We’ve only been on the boat twice this summer, and sadly summer is very quickly coming to a close.

Part of me is really looking forward to getting back in to a better work/life balance and routine since I’ll have more uninterrupted time during the day while the kids are at school. But, I think we feel a little bit like we didn’t have enough fun this summer. Luckily, we still have vacation to look forward to before school is officially back in session.

One thing we did this summer that was simple, but new, and everyone loved was to make this bourbon caramel sauce. We made this homemade caramel sauce recipe SO MANY times this summer!

I have made caramel candies quite a bit, but until this summer I’ve never made my own caramel sauce. I have definitely been missing out. It tastes amazing, plus I had no idea how easy it is to make.

Unlike when you’re making caramels, like this Gingerbread Caramel Recipe, you don’t have to use a candy thermometer when making caramel sauce — at least not in this recipe. I’m not sure if that is true for all of them.

Because I don’t have to use a candy thermometer, that also means that I don’t need to make any high altitude adjustments to the recipe and that keeps it super simple.

Tools Needed to Make this Caramel Sauce

Here are my recommended kitchen tools to use while making this simple recipe for Bourbon Caramel Sauce. If you frequently cook or bake, you probably have most of them, if not all of them, in your kitchen already:

• Heavy Saucepan – to cook the bourbon caramel sauce recipe. Make sure it is a larger saucepan so you don’t have to worry about overflow. However, don’t use a stockpot.
• Measuring Cups and Measuring Spoons – to measure all of the ingredients.
• Wooden Spoon or Heatproof Spatula – to stir the caramel recipe while it cooks.

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Bourbon Caramel Sauce Ingredients

This bourbon caramel sauce recipe has really simple ingredients.

• Granulated sugar
• Butter
• Heavy cream
• Vanilla extract
• Bourbon
• Sea salt

Can I Omit the Bourbon?

The bourbon can be omitted if you do not have any and the recipe can be made as is without additional alterations.

However, I highly recommend adding the bourbon if you have some on hand because the addition of bourbon gives it a richer flavor. The alcohol burns off, leaving the flavor and not much added liquid.

How to Make Caramel Sauce

Making caramel sauce at home is actually so easy, it just requires a little patience. You’ll first need to add the sugar to a medium-sized saucepan and heat it over medium-high heat. Watch it closely — you want it to fully melt and turn golden brown.

Once the sugar is golden in color, add the butter, vanilla, and bourbon. (The mixture will bubble up, so be careful!). Remove the saucepan from the heat and slowly stir in the heavy cream and sea salt.

Let the bourbon caramel sauce cool to room temperature before using. Do NOT lick the spoon immediately as hot sugar can burn your mouth quite badly.

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Tips for Making the Best Caramel Sauce

If you have vanilla beans on hand you can easily make Vanilla Scented Sugar and use that in place of the plain granulated sugar the recipe calls for. (This means you could also omit the vanilla extract as well!).

Beyond that, you really shouldn’t substitute any of the ingredients in this bourbon caramel sauce recipe. The heavy cream and butter are both musts. If you substitute them, I can’t guarantee that your homemade caramel sauce will turn out right.

Also, I know teacher gifts and holiday gifts are probably the last thing on anyone’s mind right now. But, it is definitely worth mentioning that this bourbon caramel sauce would be a super easy and GREAT idea for homemade gifting.

Ways to Use this Recipe for Bourbon Caramel Sauce

The uses for this homemade caramel sauce are endless, but here are a few of our favorite ways to use this recipe for Caramel Sauce.

The kids would probably tell you that their favorite way is to just lick it off a spoon. Seriously, I can’t tell you how many times this summer I have been asked “Can I have a caramel spoon?”

Um, WHAT? (Meanwhile I’m doing this myself as soon as their back is turned!)

Use Bourbon Caramel Sauce as an Ice Cream Topping

This has been our main go-to use of this amazing easy caramel sauce. Our current favorite easy dessert is vanilla ice cream topped with this caramel sauce…it is insanely good.

You can also serve brownies in a bowl with vanilla ice cream and caramel. It’s the perfect sauce for a brownie sundae!

Make Caramel Brownies using Homemade Caramel Sauce

Swirl a bit of this Caramel Sauce into the top of the batter for my Simplest Homemade Fudgy Brownies. This is already the best ever homemade brownie recipe, but just think about it with caramel added to it!

Drizzle this Bourbon Caramel Sauce Over Parfaits

Add caramel as a layer in your next parfait. Healthier Chocolate Parfaits and Chocolate Chip Cookie Pudding Parfaits are both awesome candidates for the addition of caramel.

Use Homemade Caramel Sauce as a Cheesecake Topping

We celebrated our 1-year anniversary last weekend with a party with friends and family. It was so much fun. A lot of work, since we’re crazy enough to make almost all the food ourselves, but so fun.

Sadly, I didn’t take any photos but you can read a little bit about it on my Instagram in some of the most recent posts and in my comments on this one.

One of the recipes on the dessert table were tons of individual cheesecakes that my friend and old neighbor made to help me out. I originally was going to make this recipe and top all of the cheesecakes with a little pool of bourbon caramel sauce, but I ran out of time. We sampled the cheesecakes prior to the party, so I know it is super delicious.

Caramel Sauce Goes Great with Apple Desserts

Caramel and apple are flavor companions. There are so many apple desserts that you could add just a drizzle of caramel to upon serving.

Try these: 100% Whole Grain Apple Crumble Pizza and Browned Butter Bourbon Apple Crisp. Or you could even just serve it in a little bowl with some apple slices for dipping.

Use this Bourbon Caramel Sauce to Make a DIY Starbucks Treat

My friend Rachael has a great DIY Cold Brew Coffee tutorial. How good would some of this homemade caramel sauce be if it was swirled into a cup?

Don’t drink coffee? Try it with hot cocoa instead with a mug of Caramel Hot Chocolate as a treat this winter.

How to Store Caramel Sauce

You can store this bourbon caramel sauce in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 14 days. After the caramel has chilled in the refrigerator, you will need to reheat it to make it pourable consistency again. 

This can be done by transferring the amount that will be used to a microwave-safe bowl and microwaving on 50% power in 15 to 20 seconds intervals. Make sure you remove the lid from your sealed container before microwaving it.

Alternatively, you can warm it in a saucepan over low heat on the stove.

Try this Homemade Bourbon Caramel Sauce!

Next time you’re looking for a simple recipe for homemade caramel sauce, give this Caramel Sauce with Vanilla and Bourbon a try! Did you think it was so much better than anything you can buy in the grocery store? Leave a comment below and give it a review for others to see what you thought of this sweet sauce.

On Instagram? Share your photo and tag me with @goodlifeeats and #goodlifeeatsrecipes. I’d love to see your photo of this caramel bourbon sauce!

Click HERE to save this recipe for Bourbon Caramel Sauce!

More Homemade Dessert Toppings:

This Blueberry Lemon Sauce tastes delicious spooned over ice cream, cheesecake, yogurt, and more!

Homemade Chocolate Ganache can be used as fondue, as a frosting for cakes and brownies, or chilled and eaten like fudge. Careful, this stuff is addicting!

My kids love this Cinnamon Brown Sugar Peach Syrup. We enjoy this over pancakes and waffles, frozen treats, and in iced tea.

We like to use this Homemade Magic Shell as an ice cream topping, but you can also use it as a dipping chocolate for pretzels, ice cream cones, and pretty much anything else you’d like coated in chocolate.

If you love caramel sauce recipes, you’ll might also love my Pumpkin Spice Salted Caramel Sauce as well. It’s also incredibly easy to make, and tastes just like fall!

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Have you ever made caramel sauce with bourbon?