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Amazing (and so easy!) Crock Pot Caramel Sauce

09/27/2013 By Charlene 80 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links, please see my disclosure policy.

Crock Pot Caramel Sauce (Just one ingredient and so easy to make!) This is amazing on french bread, sliced apples, drizzled on ice cream or eat it straight from the jar!



Have you ever had Dulce de Leche?  It is a heavenly sauce that is very similar to caramel except Dulce de Leche is made from milk and not sugar.

It is amazing on ice cream, with slices apples, graham crackers or cookies, drizzle it on warm apple pie…. really anything you put caramel on.

And you can make Dulce de Leche so easily and have a wonderful treat to eat with all those apples in season right now.  I’ll tell you, I eat this straight from the jar because it really is a creamy wonderful bite of heaven.

This makes the easiest little fall gift ever as you will see below, but here is the scoop.  All you need to do is either boil sweetened condensed milk over the stove for a few hours or just put it in the crock pot.  I prefer the crock pot so I don’t have to keep an eye on it.  You will get the same results either way.

Amazing (and so easy!) Crock Pot Caramel Sauce

So start out by buying Sweetened Condensed Milk in the baking aisle of your store.  It should be about $2.00.  Try to avoid the pop top can if you possibly can.  My favorite brand is Eagle though and I only find it in pop top.  Don’t get evaporated milk- make sure it is condensed milk.

This is what it looks like- I did nothing at all except open the can and pour it in the jar.  Screw the lid on tightly.  That is it.

Amazing (and so easy!) Crock Pot Caramel Sauce

I have been making this for a few years and it really can’t be any easier.

These are the steps that I take and in the end you will have a rich, creamy and wonderful sauce.

1. I prefer to open the condensed milk and empty the can into a mason jar.  You can leave it in the can to cook but I find it easier this way.  The beauty of the mason jar is that it is ready for gift giving literally straight from the crock pot.  You could make several of these at once and knock out several gifts in one shot.
2. If it is in a mason jar, seal the jar tightly and place in a crock pot upright.
3. If you leave it in the can, you want to line your crock pot with either foil or a crock pot cover or place a bowl or plate at the bottom.  This is just in case you have any rust issues with the can.
4. Next fill the crock completely with water until it is covering the milk.  If your milk is in a mason jar you don’t need to cover the jar, just where the milk line is.
5. Set the timer for low heat for 8 hours.  It is perfectly fine if you leave it in the crock for longer if your Crock Pot has a timer on it to shut off.  Sometimes mine goes off in the middle of the night and the crock pot shuts itself off and the caramel sauce is fine to sit in the warm bath for a few more hours.

After 8 hours go ahead and remove.

If your caramel is in a mason jar you can carefully remove the lid right away if you like (it will be hot so be careful!).  If it is in a can you want to let it cool for at least 2 hours.  I stopped leaving mine in the can when I opened the pop up can before it was cool enough and hot caramel sauce splashed everywhere (ouch!!).  If you do use a pop top can be really careful because there is a very small chance it could explode in the crock.  (I doubt it but you never know).

If you prefer to use the stove top just put your can in a large pot and boil for 3 hours.  Be very careful that you check all the time to make sure the water level stays completely covering the can.  I would avoid pop top cans on the stove top.  I think a mason jar would work but I have not personally tried it.

And now sit down and enjoy the wonderful fruits of your hard work!!  It is all ready to eat!

Oh and if you are a salted caramel sauce kind of person (and I am!!) just sprinkle a bit of sea salt on top.  My favorite is Himalayan Pink Sea Salt- you can get it at Target.

Amazing (and so easy!) Crock Pot Caramel Sauce

And look how easy this is as a gift?  Just pop in a basket with apples or with an apple pie and viola!  A wonderful, cheap and easy little gift idea!

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Slow Cooker Tagged With: crock pot caramel sauce, homemade caramel sauce, homemade dulce de leche

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Comments

  1. Charlene says

    11/04/2014 at 12:40 PM

    For those that found the texture too thick- that is actually what Dulce de Leche is supposed to be but if you want it thinner like a caramel sauce- the caramel was cooked for too long.

    I just made this for the zillionth time and tried it in my tiny, cheap Crock Pot and the caramel just wasn’t cooking fast enough. I transferred it to my better quality Crock Pot and then completely forgot it was in there :). It cooked about 2 hours longer than it should and the sauce was delicious but very thick. I am thinking that is likely what happened for some of you that got the flan texture- it cooked at too high of a temp and for too long. All Crock Pots are a little different so just take it out sooner next time.

  2. Nancy says

    11/19/2014 at 11:51 PM

    ? do you put the lid on the crockpot while simmering??

  3. Charlene says

    11/20/2014 at 10:44 AM

    Hi Nancy- yes keep the lid on.

  4. Lynsie says

    11/24/2014 at 10:33 AM

    This sounds great! How long does it stay good for?

  5. Charlene says

    11/24/2014 at 10:59 AM

    Hi Lynsie- it is sort of like jelly- it will last ages in the fridge. And even if you have it around a long time you can always toss it and make fresh- the condensed milk is so cheap and it really is so simple to do. 🙂

  6. Lisa says

    12/04/2014 at 6:50 AM

    should salt be added before or after cooking? can you use this in recipes? will it set up in baked items – like carmel cashew bars?

  7. Dawn says

    12/17/2014 at 3:19 PM

    I’m just finishing up a batch done in half pint jars and one can of SCM. It seems to be doing very well, and the color (I peeked) is a beautiful caramel color. I think doing this in jars on the stove top works very well.

  8. Carrie Lyn says

    12/21/2014 at 2:29 PM

    Hello! wonderfully easy! How much salt would I add to the mason jar if I wanted to do salted caramel?

  9. Charlene says

    12/21/2014 at 5:20 PM

    Carrie- in my experience salt overpowers really quickly. Add a smidge and keep adding until the flavor is right 🙂 A teaspoon would be too much in my opinion- try with a pinch from your fingers and see.

  10. Codi says

    12/23/2014 at 9:42 PM

    Did it have a smell? I think I have left mine in to long or maybe the can was bad but it smelled kinda like bad milk.

  11. Charlene says

    12/23/2014 at 10:37 PM

    Codi- absolutely not. Your can might have been bad. Did you check the expiration?

  12. Daryl says

    02/07/2015 at 8:48 AM

    Works great!! Keeps in fridge forever lol. Kids love it with fresh sliced apples and even good drizzled warm and let cool on cheese cakes.

  13. Charlene says

    02/07/2015 at 11:43 AM

    Oh yummy Daryl 🙂

  14. Ashley says

    08/11/2015 at 12:46 AM

    If you pull it from crock pot when done and leave lid on. Will it seal so that you don’t have to store in fridge if you give it as a gift

  15. Rebekah says

    10/18/2015 at 1:38 PM

    Can I cook it in the crock pot for 4 hours on high or does it need to cook on low heat?

  16. Charlene says

    10/18/2015 at 7:00 PM

    Rebekah– I think high is Ok just check it often. If it cooks too long it will be stiff like a creme brûlée and not the runnier consistency of caramel. It will still taste delicious but it will be thicker.

  17. Lillian Reese says

    11/16/2015 at 6:12 AM

    Does it taste like real caramel and can you can it to store up for later?

  18. Charlene says

    11/16/2015 at 8:04 AM

    Hi Lillian- yes it tastes like real caramel and it stores very well for a few weeks 🙂

  19. Nicole Visconti says

    11/25/2016 at 11:10 AM

    Do I need to store it in the refrigerator right away? I am making these as gifts

  20. Charlene says

    11/25/2016 at 11:13 AM

    Hi Nicole, Caramel will be fine out of the fridge for awhile. Enjoy!

  21. Patrizia Marziali says

    07/23/2017 at 2:24 PM

    Hi Charlene, did you ever try adding butter to it before cooking to make butter caramel, and if so, how was the consistency?

  22. Patrizia Marziali says

    07/23/2017 at 2:25 PM

    Hi Charlene, did you ever try adding butter to it before cooking to make butter caramel, and if so, did it work ok? how was the consistency?

  23. Charlene says

    07/23/2017 at 10:14 PM

    No I sure haven’t. That sounds delish though!

  24. deborah says

    10/14/2017 at 3:01 PM

    How high do you fill the mason jars

  25. Candace says

    12/05/2018 at 3:21 PM

    This.Is.Amazing!! Was looking for a simple gift for those “extras” that you always have during the holidays and will definitely be a repeat gift!

  26. Charlene says

    12/05/2018 at 7:33 PM

    Yeah! So glad to hear that Candace.

  27. Gayle Houser says

    02/25/2019 at 2:32 PM

    Just made this today. Wow!!! Can’t wait to eat it on ice cream.

  28. Charlene says

    02/26/2019 at 8:17 AM

    Oh yeah! Enjoy Gayle 🙂

  29. Teresa Teater says

    09/11/2019 at 10:39 PM

    Hi, looks so yummy. I want to actually can this for family as gifts. I’m guessing it will seal the lids as it cools, do you think that they will be ok on shelf ? Ty so much for sharing this with us

  30. Charlene says

    09/12/2019 at 9:09 AM

    Yes I think it should be fine shelf stable. Once you start eating it though, I would put it in the fridge. 🙂

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I'm Charlene- thank you for stopping by MY FRUGAL ADVENTURES! I am a Mom to two little girls living in gorgeous Northern California. This is a fun place to find simple & affordable inspiration for everything from gifts to home improvement to travel to children's crafts to what's for dinner tonight! READ MORE >>>

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