This salted caramels recipe yields decadent homemade chewy caramel candy that’s rich and buttery with a hint of vanilla; and it’s easier to make than you might think! It’s a beautiful, festive homemade gift or party treat for the holidays or any time of year.
Get ready for your new favorite candy!
These soft little caramels are rich and flavorful with the perfect texture.
They’re rich and buttery, and subtly scented with vanilla. And they have a sweet, nuanced caramel flavor that’s enhanced by crunchy sea salt flakes.
Fleur de sel caramels are chewy, but they don’t stick to your teeth the way store-bought soft caramel candy has the tendency to do.
These candies are the perfect Halloween indulgence for adults. Additionally, around the holidays they make great party treats, or a lovely homemade gift in a festive tin or vintage jar.
Tips for Success at Making the Best Homemade Chewy Salted Caramels
- Read the whole recipe through before starting. Measure out all your ingredients, and get out all the equipment you’ll need. Once you get started, the steps happen quickly and you making sure you’re prepared will help you avoid any mishaps. Set yourself up for success!
- Use an instant-read thermometer, which you can get very affordably on Amazon.
- Stir strategically to help prevent crystallization. When you’re cooking the sugar, corn syrup, and water, you can give the sugar a quick stir at the beginning, but avoid touching the spoon to the sides of the pot. Once the mixture is boiling, you can swirl the pot, but don’t stir.
How to Make This Salted Caramels Recipe
Ingredients
- Vegetable oil – for oiling the parchment paper in the pan to make double sure that the caramel doesn’t stick
- Heavy whipping cream – should have 36 to 40% fat
- Unsalted butter – along with the heavy whipping cream, this adds richness and buttery flavor to our chewy caramel candy
- Vanilla extract – for flavor and aroma
- Salt – to enhance the caramel flavor
- Granulated sugar – this is the base of our caramel; as it “burns” the caramel forms
- Corn syrup – this invert sugar helps prevent sugar crystallization, which can cause grainy caramel
- Water – to slow the caramelization process a bit so it doesn’t happen too fast
- Flaky sea salt – for sprinkling on top; this not only pulls out the flavor notes of the caramel and adds balance to the sweetness, but it also adds a pop of crunchy texture
How to Make Salted Caramel Candy
- Stir together the cream, butter, vanilla, and salt to a small to medium-sized pot over medium-low heat. Once it starts steaming, turn the heat down to very low to keep it warm for now.
- Add the sugar, corn syrup, and water to a medium-sized pot over medium heat.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, and then continue cooking until it turns a warm golden amber color and reaches 320F on an instant-read candy thermometer.
- Immediately pour the warm cream mixture into the sugar mixture. Be careful, it will bubble up. Give it a stir, and continue cooking until it reaches 240 to 245F on an instant-read thermometer.
- Carefully pour the hot caramel into the prepared pan. Cool to room temperature, and then refrigerate until the caramel is chilled enough to cut, about 3 hours.
- Cut the caramel into 24 pieces and sprinkle a little flaky sea salt on top of each piece. Wrap the salted caramels in parchment paper.
Storage
You can store wrapped homemade salted caramel candy at room temperature for up to 2 weeks (keep it in a cool, dry place, such as your pantry). Or you can keep them in the fridge for up to 4 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Salted Caramels FAQs
Why Do You Add Salt to Caramel?
Salt enhances the flavor of the ingredients it’s paired with. Here, it makes the caramel taste even more intense, and also helps to balance the sweetness.
What Does Corn Syrup Do in Caramel?
Corn syrup is known as an invert sugar that helps prevent sugar from crystalizing in caramel. Sugar crystallization can lead to a grainy, gritty texture instead of a smooth caramel.
Can I Make Soft and Chewy Caramel Without Corn Syrup?
Yes! There are tons of recipes that make chewy, soft caramel candy without corn syrup as an ingredient. Their ingredient list and method are developed specifically to work without corn syrup.
However, this salted caramels recipe was developed using corn syrup. I don’t recommend skipping the corn syrup here, as you will likely need to experiment with adding another interfering agent to replace the corn syrup to prevent the sugar from crystallizing.
If you’re interested in caramel without corn syrup, check out my soft and chewy gingerbread caramel candy recipe and my easy butterscotch sauce recipe. I use cream of tartar to help prevent sugar crystallization in both of those recipes.
What Should I Wrap Chewy Caramels In?
Wax paper and parchment paper both work well for wrapping chewy caramels. You can also use cellophane candy wrappers, which are available on Amazon.
More Decadent Homemade Candy Recipes to Make
- Chocolate Covered Sponge Candy
- Soft and Chewy Gingerbread Caramel Candy
- Crispy Toasted Puffed Quinoa Dark Chocolate Candy Bars
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xoxo, Faith
Salted Caramels Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- Vegetable oil for the pan
- 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup corn syrup
- 1/4 cup water
- Flaky sea salt for topping
Instructions
- Line an 8 by 8-inch pan with 2 pieces of parchment paper so it hangs over all 4 sides (so you can easily lift out the caramel later). Lightly brush the parchment paper with vegetable oil.
- Stir together the cream, butter, vanilla, and salt to a small to medium-sized pot over medium-low heat. Once it starts steaming, turn the heat down to very low to keep it warm for now.
- Add the sugar, corn syrup, and water to a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, and then continue cooking until it turns a warm golden amber color and reaches 320F on an instant-read candy thermometer.
- Immediately pour the warm cream mixture into the sugar mixture. Be careful, it will bubble up. Give it a stir, and continue cooking until it reaches 240 to 245F on an instant-read thermometer.
- Carefully pour the hot caramel into the prepared pan. Cool to room temperature, and then refrigerate until the caramel is chilled enough to cut, about 3 hours.
- Cut the caramel into 24 pieces and sprinkle a little flaky sea salt on top of each piece.
- Wrap the salted caramels in parchment paper or cellophane candy wrappers.
Faith’s Tips
- Recipe Yield and Serving Size: You can cut the caramel into smaller or larger pieces if you like. I find that 24 pieces yields decently sized caramels without being too big. The nutrition information for this recipe was calculated based on cutting the caramel into 24 pieces.
- To Help Prevent Crystallization: When you’re cooking the sugar, corn syrup, and water, you can give the sugar a quick stir at the beginning, but avoid touching the spoon to the sides of the pot. Once the mixture is boiling, you can swirl the pot, but don’t stir.
- Storage: You can store wrapped homemade salted caramel candy at room temperature for up to 2 weeks (keep it in a cool, dry place, such as your pantry). Or you can keep them in the fridge for up to 4 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
- What Should I Wrap Chewy Caramels In? Wax paper and parchment paper both work well for wrapping chewy caramels. You can also use cellophane candy wrappers, which are available on Amazon.
Nutrition
This post was first published on An Edible Mosaic on October 18, 2010. I updated it with more information on December 6, 2022.
I’m Faith Gorsky, the writer, cook, and photographer behind An Edible Mosaic. My goal is to inspire you to get in the kitchen and try something new! Feel free to 
These are perfect salted caramels, and absolutely addictive!!
Made these today and they are delicious! Have you ever doubled the recipe to make a larger amount?
Brie, I’m so glad you liked them! No, I’ve never doubled the recipe…let me know how it goes if you try it!
These look really good! But do you know of a way to make them without corn syrup? I don’t use it for health reasons.
Mariah, I haven’t tried making them without corn syrup. If you do a search on Google for “caramel recipe without corn syrup” you should find several recipes that come up. Good luck!
Faith…with all the catching up I have on your blog…I’m sure smiling upon these caramels, especially with ‘la fleur de sel’.
I’ll have to make sure friends come over when these are made so that I don’t become addicted ;o)
Ciao,
Claudia
I love salted caramel and these look fabulous.
I’d love for you to submit one of your beautiful photos, and a link to your post, to my new food photo gallery showcasing beautiful baking and desserts.
These salted caramels do look perfect and I can’t think of a better use of fleur de sel:)
I bet the fleur de sel put these caramels over the top in flavor. Ooh, la, la.
Sam
A lovely treat for my kids. Thanks for sharing, Faith.
i’ve always wanted to make caramels. salted sound even better. i may try it!
ou ahhhhhh! fresh caramels!!! I never tried them fresh before :( would love to one day though! I miss those soft caramel candies – where they stick to your teeth!!
Have a great day!
jen
Mmmmm, I love sweet and salty. I’ve never tried making caramels, I wonder if I could make them work with golden syrup in lieu of corn syrup…
I’ve made caramel and butterscotch sauces but never took it a step further and made caramel candies. I need to make some…what’s a few more degrees, right?!
~ingrid
Your caramels look amazing! I am totally trying your recipe. I have made caramels a bunch of times and they never come out so perfect and sliceable.
Oh I wish I could have one of these! Love salted caramels. I’ve made caramels but never salted ones. I will be giving these a try.
love love salted caramels!
I have always had such a hard time making caramel…so I very much appreciated your tips. I’m in need of something sweet like this…homemade caramel sounds just about perfect right now. Thank you again for your kind words/thoughts on my blog.
Homemade caramels are fabulous. Great job on the photos.
Mimi
Homemade sweets are the best! They love great – well done :-)
I just knew this was Ina’s basic salted caramel recipe, Faith. I’ve been dying to try these. Not sure how they will hold up in Florida’s humidity. My mouth is watering…you’ve done great photo-instructions!
Wow! These are wonderful little beauties. :-) Thank you for the tips you included. I’ve never made candy before so I love getting ideas on how to do it RIGHT. :-)
I love the tips you give in this post they are very helpful. And these little treats are divine.
Your caramels look wonderful. And the step-by-step advice you give is so helpful. I loved being able to see the color, and also the temperature it should reach. Okay, maybe I really will give it a try!
May I suggest that you hold a contest of some sort and give these away to one lucky winner – who of course would be me?
Oh yum, salted caramels sound so delectable.
Faith, Thank you so much for posting this recipe! You have no idea, I have been looking for a good Caramel with Fleur Del Sel recipe for awhile. I Love caramels & yours look delicious!
Beautiful candy, Faith! These should be in a magazine! You did a great job!
You and your homemade candy continue to make my mouth water! These sound fantastic!
These intimidate me, but I want to try them! I’m making your California Pizza Kitchen-Style BBQ pizza on Thursday night, I’m so excited! And I know my hubby is, too…I’ve been talking about it forever!!! :)
After making caramel macchiato cupcakes with a hint of sea salt, salted caramel is my new favorite thing! These look fantastic. I would love to see them on my Christmas cookie tray. Or in my halloween basket.
These are just too good. I love salt and caramel. I had seen a chocolate salted caramel in Gourmet and got the company to product place them for a movie I was doing.. the crew ate them all up the minute we were done shooting… they were just great!!! I can’t wait to try these… simple and good!
homemade candies? Impressive!!! :D
I love salted caramels. I wish I had the means to make them, my kitchen here is tiny and not very well equipped…
Those look like fun little treats!
Oh, these look HEAVENLY!!! I simply must find some fleur de sel–I’ve seen these caramels on foodgawker and have been jonesing for them for almost a year. You just made it 10X worse!! aaaack!
These are absolutely stunning. I am very impressed. I make salted caramel chocolates every Christmas, but these look gorgeous as they are. YUMMMM!
Thank you!
Valerie
I tell ya, I was not wild for caramels until people started sprinkling that little bit of sea salt on them. It makes all the difference in the world. Now, I’m hooked on them. ;)
Faith, your caramels look perfect! I used a recipe I was given and they just wouldn’t set. I was so upset. I should try yours! :D
I haven’t made caramels before but I might just have to try! Those look very tasty!
I’m so impressed that you made caramels! I bet they’re delicious. :)
Perfect caramels without a need to visit the dentist – love it! Great idea to make little bite-sized pieces.
Beautiful caramel! I love how you show the necklace to share about the caramel colour. I sure need that…haha
Wow, what a great treat for the Halloween…love the idea of some salt to cut the “too sweet” feeling :-)
I am most envious of your caramel stash right now! They look sublime – can’t wait to make them as a sweet Christmas treat :)
I have never attempted caramel, although I have always wanted to…
salted caramel is my favorite, and yours looks gorgeous!
Your caramels are perfect. I’ve had my struggles with making caramel, so I really admire someone who can do it well.
Salted Carmel candy awesome. I wish i could be in your neighborhood.
They look perfect!
I love caramels!
I love those! So irresistible.
Cheers,
Rosa