Are you looking for a fantastic chewy caramel recipe without corn syrup? Well, you’ve come to the right place. It can be disheartening when you want to make caramels but find that nearly every recipe out there calls for some kind of invert sugar.
Though this syrup can really help with preventing crystals from forming when cooking a caramel, it isn’t actually a necessary ingredient to make a killer caramel — in fact, it isn’t even a traditional ingredient!
In Tbilisi, Georgia – where I was living when I developed this recipe – corn syrup isn’t even available and I would have to special order it from abroad in order to have it. This was frustrating at one point when I was making a caramel for a recipe and continually had problems with it crystalizing and seizing.
Rather than giving up, I set my mind to figuring out just how to make caramel without using any corn syrup or cream of tartar and through a bit of trial and error, I’ve developed it.
How to Make Caramel Without Corn Syrup
The reason corn syrup is an ingredient that features so heavily in caramel recipes is that it helps prevent the sugar from crystalising and your caramel from seizing.
Sugar crystals are the bane of any caramel’s existence and will ruin your caramel in an instant, so it makes sense that cooks over the years have devised some shortcuts to prevent this from happening. It’s the same reason why you will find cream of tartar in so many recipes, as well — the acidity prevents crystals from forming.
But the good news is, you absolutely can successfully execute a caramel recipe without using corn syrup. It just takes a little extra attentiveness and no half measures – you have to watch that caramel like a hawk while also making sure not to do anything that will result in crystals forming!
And once you get the technique down, you can make any caramel-based candy without corn syrup – like caramel apples, peanut brittle or caramel corn! It’s also the same method as in my candy strawberry and candy apple recipes.
Keep in mind that this recipe uses a wet caramel method, as opposed to the dry caramel method I use in my caramel sauce recipe.
First things first, however, you need to prepare your mold where your caramels will cool down. I recommend using a 22x11cm (8.5×4.5in) loaf pan for this. In order to easily release the caramels once they’ve cooled down, I fashion a bit of a parchment sling in the pan.
Grease your loaf pan with butter or cooking spray. Then cut two pieces of parchment so that they are the same width as the long side of the pan and the short side of the pan but longer than the sides so you can use it as a handle.
Lay these into the pan so that they’re overlapping, and then brush them with more butter or cooking spray. Set the pan aside until needed.
To begin, pour your heavy cream into a small saucepan and add your butter. Melt the butter into the cream, remove from the heat, pour into a jug and set aside (but keep it close to the stove!) until needed.
Now, you need to actually make the caramel that is the basis of these chewy caramel candies. This is where you can easily mess up if you do not heed my advice.
In a medium saucepan over low heat, add your sugar and 60ml of water (1/4 cup). Stirring constantly with a heatproof silicone spatula, gently dissolve the sugar.
This is the absolute most crucial step to the caramel recipe without condensed milk or corn syrup, you MUST ensure that all of the sugar is dissolved before it comes up to a boil.
This will take a bit of time but do no rush it or your caramel will be ruined. This is the same thing you must do when making the syrup for my marshmallow recipe but his is not something you need to worry about if you’re making a candy like fudge.
If you’re concerned that the sugar syrup is coming up to a boil too quickly (before the sugar is completely dissolved), you can periodically remove it from the heat every so often
Once your sugar is dissolved, bring the mixture to a gentle boil. AS SOON as the mixture has started to boil, stop stirring. Remove your spatula and brush down the sides of the pan with some water to wash off any sugar that has begun to crystalise on the sides of the pot. Increase the heat to medium and allow to bubble.
This is where your patience will be tested. The sugar can take a while to caramelise (much like caramelising onions for French onion soup!) but once it begins taking on even a shade of colour, it can go from pale to burned in a flash. So make sure to monitor the mixture intensively, just DO NOT stir it — this will cause it to crystalise!
After about 10-15 minutes (but it could be sooner depending on a number of factors), you will notice your caramel begin to take on a honey colour. Keep an extra attentive eye on the caramel at this point. In the next few minutes, you will notice it beginning to darken in colour.
As soon as you see the caramel reach a dark amber colour with the slightest whisps of smoke emerging from the top, turn off the heat. If you want to know how to make caramel without a candy thermometer, then just rely on these visual indicators – I never use a thermometer for this stage.
Now, pour in your cream and butter mixture while stirring constantly with the same heatproof spatula. It will sputter and foam up a lot, so do not be alarmed. Then, add your salt.
Keep stirring and return to the heat. At a medium flame, cook the caramel (stirring constantly now!) until it reaches 120°C (250°F), this will take about 5-10 more minutes.
If you don’t have a thermometer, keep a dish of cold water nearby and drop a spoonful of the caramel in there. This will cause it to instantly harden and you can gauge the consistency.
We’re cooking the caramels to what is referred to as the firm ball stage. This means that when dropped in water, the syrup will form a ball that won’t flatten when you pick it up but it is still very malleable.
Once you reach this stage, remove your caramel from the heat and immediately pour it into your prepared loaf pan. Set aside in a cool place and allow the caramels to cool for at least 2 hours (or overnight) until the caramels are completely cooled through and firm.
Using the sling, pull the caramels from the pan once they’re cooled and remove the parchment paper. Using a sharp knife, cut the caramels into 16 even squares and sprinkle with a generous dusting of a flaky sea salt like Maldon or fleur de sel.
You can then wrap the caramels individually in wax paper or store them in an airtight container. Enjoy!
Chewy Salted Caramel Without Corn Syrup
Ingredients
- 120 ml (½ cup) heavy cream
- 100 g (7 tbsp) unsalted butter
- 200 g (1 cup) sugar
- 8 g (1 tsp) salt
- Flaky sea salt for garnish
Instructions
- Brush a 22x11cm (8.5×4.55in) loaf pan with melted butter or spray with cooking spray. Cut two pieces of parchment to fit the length of both sides of the pan. Place them in the pan, overlapping, so they form a sling. Brush these with butter or cooking spray as well. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter into the heavy cream. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- In a medium saucepan over very low heat, pour 60ml (1/4 cup) of water over the sugar. Stirring constantly, slowly dissolve the sugar in the water, ensuring that the sugar is completely dissolved before it comes to a boil.
- Once the sugar is dissolved, wash down the sides of the pot with a pastry brush dipped in water to prevent any sugar from crystallizing.
- Once the mixture has come to a boil, stop stirring and allow to boil until the sugar mixture reaches a deep amber colour and an instant-read thermometer registers at 175°C (350°F). Do not stir the mixture at all once it has come to a boil.
- Turn off the heat and, stirring constantly, pour in the butter and cream mixture along with the salt. It will sputter, foam and steam at this point so do not be alarmed. Stir until well combined and return the heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture reaches 120°C (250°F).
- Remove from the heat and pour into prepared loaf pan. Allow to cool until completely cooled and set, at least 3 hours and up to overnight.
- Once cooled, remove from the pan and, using a sharp knife, cut into 16 equal pieces. Garnish with flaky salt and serve.
Video
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Nutritional information is automatically generated and provided as guidance only. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
As you can see, it is completely possible to make delicious chewy salted caramels without corn syrup. In fact, once you get the hang of it, you will be able to make these in your sleep.
Have you been looking for a caramel recipe without corn syrup? Have any questions? Let me know in the comments!
I added a little lemon juice in the beginning to prevent crystalization from occurring. At the end I added some vanilla extract, as well. I love the consistency of the caramel though. Thank you for sharing!
Happy this worked well for you!
Love this recipe! Def goiing in my recipe box 😉
Happy to hear it!
Can I use coconut cream instead of dairy? I don’t use dairy
You will have the same results if you use the same amount by weight of full-fat coconut milk for the cream and coconut oil for the butter 🙂 It will give it a really nice coconut flavour, as well! Hope the recipe works out well for you!
Love this recipe. First time we made it they turned out perfect. We made it again last night and after they cooked for a few hours they seemed perfect again. Silky smooth. Today though, they are really grainy. Any ideas? Thank you!
I’m glad you like this recipe! I’m not sure exactly what could be happening – my only thought is that the syrup was slightly crystallised before adding the cream mixture.
It never hardened
I’m sorry you had some trouble – did you cook it to 120°C (250°F) after adding the cream and butter? Because it really should have set if it was cooked to this temperature.
is there a way to make it without corn syrup but with condensed milk?
This recipe isn’t suited for using condensed milk 🙂
Recipe was fantastic. One question: could I substitute unrefined sugar (canela, jaggery, piloncillo, etc…) for the white sugar?
Happy you liked the recipe! I’ve not tried this with unrefined sugar, however, if you use a thermometer and do not rely on the visual indicators of the caramel, I think it could be successful. I would be interested in hearing the results if you do try this!
I would really recommend not to add the water until you add you’re cream and butter, I added the water with the sugar and it just became a clumpy mess, i had to restart this whole recipe which was really annoying.. I’d recommend letting the sugar melt on its own, it take a bit less time and doesn’t clump as much as adding the water when the sugar is dry.
The reason your caramel crystallised (ie. turned into a clumpy mess) is that your sugar was not fully dissolved before the mixture came up to a boil. I don’t typically recommend using the “dry caramel” method for a chewy caramel like this (ie. not adding water at the beginning and just allowing the to melt and caramelise) as it is much easier to burn and gives you far less control. If you do use this method, however, then omit the water entirely and simply add the cream and butter.
When I made this, it came out harder, more like a werther’s. I used a thermometer during the cooking process. I’m not sure what I did wrong. Was hoping for the chewy goodness of caramel candies. They were still delicious though!
Harder means it got hotter. It depends where you are sometimes. For my area near sea level, the right temp to bring the caramel back up to is 253f – 255 after adding the cream and sugar.
if you got a harder candy bring it up to less temp and see what works for you in your area.
Good rule of thumb, is if you are closer to sea level, you will be on the higher end of the candy stage range, and if you are higher altitude you will want lower temps.
Thank you so much! I made it again tonight but only brought it up to 240°F and it was so much better!
I’m happy that this worked out for you! I’ve never lived at a high altitude so never took adjusting temperatures to account for that into consideration. I’m happy that you were able to find the answers you needed!
Glad to help!
But props to Maggie or i wouldn’t have learned it 🙂
Maggie make some strawberry licorice for me please!
Noted! 🙂
What would be the best way to make a caramel sauce out of this? Add the cream and butter and then bring it up to like 240f?
I’ve not made a caramel sauce using this particular method, however, I wouldn’t put it back on the heat after incorporating the butter and cream. I follow a similar process in my miso caramel sauce if you’re interested.
I did like you suggested and just did not put the caramel back on the stove after adding the butter and cream. Made wonderful caramel sauce!
Sounds great!
Could I use this for millionaire shortbread? Does it turn out pretty much the same consistency as caramel made with corn syrup?
Yes, it should work fine! The lack of corn syrup has nothing to do with the final consistency – that has all to do with the temperature you cook the caramel to after adding the cream, etc 🙂
Also, using the principles I learned from you in this recipe, I was able to make wonderful lolipops with no corn syrup.
Any chance you would make some licorice? Id love to learn that 🙂
I love to hear it! Once you master how to do it, the options really are endless with candy making. Not sure if I’ll do a licorice recipe in the future – I’m one of those who can’t stand it!
I dont mean black licorice, i mean like strawberry or cherry 🙂
I’ll keep it in mind 🙂
You are awesome, thank you for this, works wonderfully. I use a portable induction cook-top and this process is full-proof. I set the temp to 150F , knowing that it cannot come to a boil at this temp it is perfect for dissolving the sugar initially. Then i crank it up to 350F and have never had a failed batch. Thank you again! 🙂
I am so happy you’ve had such success with this recipe! Induction really is amazing for anything that needs specific temperatures 🙂
I am shocked that you think you can’t get corn syrup or cream if tartar in Georgia. Are we talking about Georgia, USA? And that you have to order it from abroad?! How do you make your pecan pie? Corn syrup is a naturally produced product. It is not high fructose corn syrup. I’m not saying that it’s healthy but we’re talking desserts here😆. My southern family has been using Karo brand corn syrup all my life and I’m 70.
At the time I wrote this recipe, I was living in Tbilisi which is the capital of the Republic of Georgia (not the USA). Corn syrup is not something that’s easily found outside of North America 🙂
If I added pecans when I add the vanilla, do you think I could use a scoop and make these into chewy pralines?
I haven’t tried putting nuts in this so I’m not sure how it would turn our 🙂 Hope all goes well for you!
Hi there! Thanks so much for this. The amounts and temps worked perfectly 👍👍 You’re the best.
Couldn’t do the sugar melting with water, so I melted it the way I do for other stuff. Just melted it dry and started stirring when it started melting. It still worked and made the best caramel ever! My family thanks you.
The second time, I doubled it and mixed in a bunch of nuts and pretzels before pouring it, then put chocolate disks on top to melt and cover the top and harden up as everything cooled. It was enough to fill 3 mini loaf pans, btw.
Thanks again.
Happy this worked well for you! The nut and pretzel additions sound delicious 🙂
Did you add the 1/4 c water after the sugar dissolved?
TY, Maggie
I’m making chocolate thumbprint Xmas cookies with caramel cubes softened and pressed into the impression.I wasn’t able to find caramels at the grocers. I recall making all sorts of candy as a child with my mom, and homemade is much better. I have all the ingredients in stock.
I hope that I get it on the first try,made it as you have directed. Maybe a dash of vanilla.
Hope it all goes well, Kate!
Help! Never made caramels before. The syrup water is crystallized on top after following the above instructions. I did not stir it, I washed down the sides as instructed.
Your sugar was not completely dissolved before the syrup came to a boil. It’s essential that everything is completely dissolved, otherwise it can cause a chain reaction of crystallisation and you will need to start over.
Hi Maggie, I have not tried your recipe yet but I am going to today. I was wondering why only 1 cup of sugar is used and 1/2 cup of heavy cream? I’ve been using a recipe that uses 1.5 cups of sugar and 1/4 cup of cream. I’m really wondering why the ratio of sugar and cream are so very different, can you answer please?
Hi Sharon, I haven’t tested recipes with the ratios you’re describing, however, this recipe works well with the quantities that I have listed here if you follow the instructions.
Could this be made with half and half, also known as blend or 10% cream?
Looks like a yummy recipe.
Anna
I’ve not tested this recipe with half & half but I do think it should work fine 🙂
I made this recipe times 6 last night (so yes it can be at least doubled or tripled lol) and it turned out beautifully! Followed the recipe except I did add vanilla in with the salt.. I used a 6 quart heavy bottomed stock pot and a 9×16” cake pan to pour it in to. It has set up overnight just fine, now to cut and wrap them-so yummy, thank you for the recipe!!
Got them all wrapped up today-lovely texture, tastes fabulous, great recipe!
Well, something definitely went wrong somewhere. My candy thermometer was set to beep at me at 320F or something- it was definitely lower than what you had. But at roughly 300F or so the syrup at the center of the pan started to look worryingly dark and it smelled like it was starting to burn. The edges also managed to grow about an inch of crystal when I wasn’t looking. I put the cream/butter in and used a whisk to stir it while it tried to get back up to temp. Miraculously, the crystals dissolved back into the rest of the candy.
While I was stirring, I didn’t fully trust the thermometer, so I tested a dollop and found it harder than I wanted. I poured it into my molds before it got to the recommended temperature. They’re still resting.
I tested a bit of caramel that didn’t make it into the mold. So far it doesn’t taste burned…
Still, I’m not sure how my thermometer managed to be off by THAT much. I’ve used it to make candy before without issue. Maybe the crystalization interfered with the convection process so that the syrup in the middle stayed put and burned? I’m pretty darned sure it wasn’t the saucepan, I used enameled cast iron- it doesn’t get a lot more “heavy bottomed” than that.
I attempted this as a “get well soon” gift for my mom. She broke her arm this week and was pretty miserable. Caramel is her favorite I think. Hopefully this doesn’t wind up being a “rip your fillings out” candy.
My first speculation is that there were some undissolved sugar crystals in your syrup after it came up to a boil along with some hot spots in your pan that cause some scorching and uneven cooking. Cast iron retains heat incredibly well but it doesn’t actually heat that evenly, so this may have been where an issue arose. This isn’t really a “set it and forget it” type of recipe and needs constant vigilance and observation – especially in the initial caramelisation phase. In fact, I don’t even use a thermometer in that initial stage and rely solely on the visual indicators.
I hope that the end result turned out alright and sorry for your troubles with the recipe!
Could I use sucralose or stevia instead of sugar to make this recipe sugar free?
No, unfortunately you need to use real sugar in order to make caramel.
That’s my question as well. I have found that allulose is great for ice cream since it does not get rock hard like the sugar alcohols that I otherwise use. Of course, the sweetness of allulose is a little less than table sugar so would need some adjustment. I think I will try it sometime.
I just tried a second batch, keeping the heat very low with a very gentle boil, waiting for the sugar and water mix temp to get to 350. It has gotten to 280, but now the mixture is crystallized sugar despite me not stirring at all. I didn’t stir while dissolving the sugar and I didn’t stir while waiting for it to come to temp. I might be feeling a little bit frustrated, but am still interested in what went wrong.
It sounds as if either your sugar was not completely dissolved when the mixture came to boil or there was some crystallization on the sides of the pan than fell into the syrup and caused your entire batch to crystallise. I know this can be frustrating but I promise it gets super easy once you get the hang of it and know what to look for 🙂
I tried to get the melted sugar and water up to 350 as directed, but the mixture burned. What is wrong?
At 175C/350F the syrup should not be burned, but rather at a medium-amber stage. I’m wondering if your thermometer is not calibrated properly? In the initial phase of caramelising the sugar syrup, it may be best to rely on the visual indicators rather that a temperature reading.
I have condensed milk but no corn syrup. Do I need to adjust the sugar if I use condensed milk? And does it matter if my butter has salt?
I’ve never tested this recipe with condensed milk so I can’t say how it will work out – I would suggest following this recipe as written and not using the condensed milk 🙂
A learning curve because everyone’s stove heats a little differently. I noticed yours was gas, mines electric probably not as consistent as gas, but once you figure out what works ,it’s a game changer. Smaller pan stopped my crystallization issue and I skipped the pastry brush method the next time and it worked out just fine, I even had some crystals on the side but didn’t have any issues. Thank you so much for sharing ,many compliments !,,
I’m so glad this worked out well for you! I have an electric stove now and it is a bit different than my previous gas one, but every stove is different and it is definitely impossible to account for all of the variables. I’ve also made caramels on an induction stove and it took a fraction of the time of both gas & electric! Thanks again for your kind words 🙂
Can I use brown sugar for this recipe? And skip the browning of the sugar and just make sure it dissolves and doesn’t burn?
No, this recipe won’t work with brown sugar. You need to take the time to caramelise the (white) sugar in order for these to turn out properly.
Just made these, still cooling on the counter…it was really easy, I noticed some crystals on side of pot during sugar boiling and continued to wash sides of pot with brush and water, didn’t see any crystals in end product but we will see once they have cooled.
I plan to use these for salted caramel thumbprint cookies. Thank you for all the tips!
So happy this worked out well for you, Mary!
Thank you, thank you, thank you!! It’s already hard to avoid corn syrup in the USA because it’s added to everything here (government subsidizes corn production.) I very fondly remember making caramels often as a child with my grandma and it has always been my favorite treat. I’m so happy you shared a way to do it without corn syrup and also explained the chemistry behind it. Thank you so much!
Thanks so much for your kind words, Amber!! I’m so happy you liked this recipe 🙂
I’m excited to try these! I was delighted to find a recipe that doesn’t use corn syrup…thankyou so much!
Hope you enjoy, Naomi!
Thank you for the recipe, I will make it again. I love it and so others that I shared with. I only let it cool for 2 hours and cut it if not it will be too hard.
So glad you enjoyed it!
The recipe I currently make uses corn syrup and sweetened condensed milk as well as half pound of butter salt & vanilla. I would like to not use corn syrup. I will have to make a batch and see if my customers would like the change.
These are fantastic! I used the caramel for Sweet Georgia Browns with pecans on the bottom and chocolate on the top. They were a huge hit with my family!
So happy you liked the recipe, Heather! Your Sweet Georgian Browns sound delicious 🙂
All caramel cooks who describe the candy process warn (like your life depended upon it) against sugar crystalizing. They say this happens because sugar particles remain on the sides of pan. I’ve never seen any recipe that suggests what would seem to me a simple solution: once the sugar is dissolved, carefully pour it to another clean pan that has no lingering sugar on it and continue the process to a bubbling state. Wouldn’t that solve the age old problem?
Any kind of agitation of the sugar syrup (once the sugar is dissolved) could also promote crystallisation, so pouring the syrup into another pan isn’t a solution, unfortunately. It’s the same reason why you should not stir the syrup once the sugar has dissolved, either.
I’ve made these caramels several times now and they’re delicious but I believe there’s a mistake in the recipe. It says to cook the sugar to a deep amber color and remove from heat when it reaches 320 F. The sugar doesn’t turn amber at all, in my experience, until it reaches 335 degrees and deep amber at about 350. I verified this with two different thermometers. When I made it and cooked the sugar/water mixture to 320 F, the resulting caramels were way too blond and bland. If I’m incorrect, please let me know. I’ve never had altitude temperature issues here in St. Louis so I know that’s not the issue.
Looking forward to trying this recipe. Thanks for posting it! I love the taste of pure caramel, without corn syrup, vanilla, or even much butter/cream, really — but in order to make the texture more manageable, this looks like a winner.
Hope it works out great for you!
You really should add vanilla as thee last step. Most people would call for 1tsp for this recipe, I used 2 when I made it last week . I then dipped them in chocolate and I used just a basic grinder size for my salt. It was a hit. Hands down the most popular thing I made.
Glad it worked out for you, Tracey!
Can this be doubled or tripled?
I’ve not doubled it myself, but it should work out just fine. I would recommend using a bigger dish as a mold, however.
I doubled this recipe and split it between two loaf pans because my 8×8 wasn’t available. I’m currently trying a quadruple batch that I plan on pouring into a 9×13!
This recipe looks awesome! I am so glad to know I can make caramel naturally without corn syrup! Could I (After the caramel cooled) did these in melted chocolate? would that mess up anything?
Thanks!
Hi Therese, I’ve never done it but I don’t see any reason why you shouldn’t be able to dip them in chocolate afterwords 🙂