Five minutes, five ingredients and a blender are all you need for this vegan caramel sauce. No stovetop needed! Sweet, delicious and decadent, this is the perfect topping to wake up those taste buds on basically anything you want!
Caramel sauce brings me back to childhood, when I'd get so excited to ask for it as a topping on soft-serve and ice cream sundaes. The thick, sticky texture and sweet and buttery flavor is really like nothing else.
Traditional caramel sauce consists of refined sugar, butter and heavy cream, none of which I'm interested in nowadays as a health-conscious vegan. But that doesn't mean I can't satisfy my sweet tooth with a rich, golden brown caramel sauce for all my vegan dessert recipes!
Scrap the candy thermometer and simply grab a blender. This vegan caramel sauce recipe uses just 5 ingredients and is ready instantly. To make it more exciting, it's filled packed with nutrients thanks to dates, plant-based milk and coconut cream.
I love this sauce over smoothies, apple slices, desserts, yogurt and even oatmeal. The possibilities are endless, so make a batch today and then add caramel flavor to everything you eat!
Why You'll Love this Homemade Vegan Caramel Sauce
- Quick and easy recipe - ready in 5 minutes
- Rich, sweet and buttery flavor
- Thick, creamy and sticky texture
- Versatile
- Nutritious - uses natural ingredients
Ingredients in Vegan Caramel Sauce
This sauce is made with 5 simple ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen. You could have delicious vegan caramel to drizzle on your favorite desserts TONIGHT! See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for quantities.
- Almond milk - Use unsweetened plain almond milk (or any other plant-based milk). You can make your own or use your favorite brand from the grocery store.
- Medjool dates - Grab large, soft dates without a pit. Store them at room temperature for the best, creamiest results!
- Pure maple syrup - This is my favorite way to naturally sweeten recipes. It's free of refined sugar and made with pure maple straight from the tree!
- Coconut cream - This comes from full-fat coconut milk. Refrigerate a can of coconut milk overnight so it can get nice and chilled before you use it. This recipe uses just the solid white portion that rises to the top of the can and won't have a coconut flavor.
- Salt - Just a pinch of salt will do, but you can sample your sauce to see if you want a slightly saltier caramel.
How to Make Vegan Caramel Sauce
Are you ready for the best part of this recipe? No stovetop time! Add everything into the blender, then blend from low to high speed until it's smooth and creamy. That's it!
Store leftover sauce in an airtight container for up to a week.
Recipe Tips
Taste and adjust to your liking. This recipe is super easy to adjust given there is no cooking over heat. Feel free to add vanilla extract, more maple syrup or more salt and simply blend again or give it a good stir!
Adjust the consistency if desired. This sauce has a thicker consistency but you can easily make it more of a pourable consistency by adding more plant milk.
Don't throw out the liquid from the coconut milk can! You can save this to use in smoothies and popsicles to add delicious creaminess and flavor.
Serving Suggestions
My favorite way to enjoy this easy vegan caramel sauce is either as a dip or drizzled over raw apple slices. You would not believe how this makes sliced apples feel like a special occasion dessert!
Of course, there are also so many other vegan recipes that would be incredible with a drizzle of caramel...
Breakfast: Turn vanilla yogurt or vegan oatmeal into a sweet treat or serve with easy sautéed cinnamon apples.
Smoothies: Add as a topping for a healthy chocolate smoothie, vegan apple pie smoothie or vegan pumpkin pie smoothie!
Desserts: Vanilla vegan ice cream is the obvious choice, but also crisps such as apple, peach or blueberry and vegan apple bundt cake!
Warm and cozy drinks: Add a little more sweetness to blender vegan hot chocolate, a gingerbread steamer or vegan chai latte!
Health Benefits of Dates
Dates are one of nature's best sweeteners! They have a naturally juicy, caramel-like flavor and work wonders in this chocolate "caramel" apple recipe. From a health perspective, dates are full of amazing benefits. They contain loads of fiber which aids in weight loss, digestion, and heart health.
Dates are fat-free, sodium-free and cholesterol-free while also containing nutritious vitamins and minerals including zinc, potassium, copper, magnesium, manganese, vitamin B6, niacin, calcium, iron and vitamin K.
If your dates aren't soft you can soak them in boiling water for 30-60 minutes, then drain and rinse.
I love recipes like this in the summertime when I don't even want to think about turning the stove on, but it's just as good in the winter when you can add it to your favorite warm desserts.
This gluten-free vegan caramel sauce is also refined sugar-free and a paleo-friendly recipe. If you make it, I hope you'll leave a review below and tag me on Instagram so I can see your creations!
I also have a cookbook, Rock Your Blender, filled with really delicious smoothie recipes you won't find here on the blog. It's available as an instant download or a book on Amazon!
More Homemade Vegan Dessert Toppings
Easy 5-Minute Vegan Caramel Sauce
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 8 ounces (1 cup) 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Five minutes, five ingredients and a blender are all you need for this vegan caramel sauce. No stovetop needed! Sweet, delicious and decadent, this is the perfect topping to wake up those taste buds on basically anything you want!
Ingredients
- ¼ cup unsweetened, plain non-dairy milk (such as almond milk or oat milk)
- 8 large, soft, pitted Medjool dates (stored at room temperature) [measures ~ 1 ½ cups]
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons coconut cream (just the solid white portion from a can of full-fat coconut milk that has been refrigerated for 8 hours or overnight)
- ¾ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Blend all ingredients. Add all ingredients to a high speed blender and gradually blend from low to high speed. Leave on the highest speed for one minute until the mixture is perfectly smooth and creamy.
- Taste and adjust. Add more almond milk if needed for a thinner consistency. To get the caramel sauce perfectly smooth, scrape down the sides of your blender with a mini spatula and re-blend if needed.
- Enjoy! Use immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week or freeze for up to six months. Serve drizzled over your favorite vegan vanilla ice cream, apple crisp, sautéed cinnamon apples, apple pie, vanilla vegan yogurt, or overtop raw apple slices.
Notes
If your dates are not soft, you can soak them in boiling water for 30-60 minutes before using in this recipe (soak and rinse the dates after boiling). If your dates are fresh and stored at room temperature this should not be an issue.
- Prep Time: 5
- Category: Sauce
- Method: Blender
Lily says
Delicious healthier caramel sauce! Great as a topping on smoothies, in iced coffee, or if you’re like me by the spoonful 🙂
Elaine Gordon says
Thank you, Lily! Yes to all these suggestions! Spoonfuls of this caramel are calling my name today! 😉
Jeanne says
Caramel sauce is a great guilt free treat. Have it warm or chilled on waffles or dip apple slices in.
Elaine Gordon says
Thank you so much, Jeanne! I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed this one. Waffles sound fabulous with it! Wow! Best, Elaine