Everyone needs a good caramel in their life, right? This is my new favourite keto caramel sauce recipe. It’s made with allulose, which is hands down the best sweetener for caramel. This dairy-free, low carb caramel sauce is so smooth, it will blow your mind.
Homemade caramel sauce is one of those things that make life just... better. You can pour it over keto pancakes or low carb waffles. You can drizzle it over sugar free ice cream and sugar free cheesecake. And you can simply add a teaspoon to your morning yoghurt.
I love caramel so much that this is the second caramel recipe I'm posting on my website. The first one is this sugar-free caramel sauce, which is super easy and delicious. It uses this sugar free fibre syrup (affiliate link) as a sweetener.
I like the taste and texture of fibre syrups and tolerate them well. However, some people experience raised blood sugar levels with them.
That's why I wanted to experiment with another sweetener to make a proper keto caramel sauce.
Allulose exceeded my expectations! This sauce is just 1.7 grams of net carbs per tablespoon. Plus, it is super smooth.
Ingredients
You only need 4 ingredients for the recipe:
Coconut cream - This is the firm part from a can of coconut milk. Simply put a can of coconut milk in the fridge. This will cause the liquid to separate from the cream and you can scoop it out. For a dairy version, use heavy cream or double cream.
Coconut oil - Helps to thicken the caramel. For a version with dairy, use butter.
Allulose - This sugar substitute is zero calorie and zero carb. It does not re-crystallise like erythritol based sweeteners. This means extra smooth caramel! Allulose is easily available in the US. In the UK and elsewhere you can buy it online. I got mine on luckyvitamin.com.
Vanilla extract - Make sure it is sugar free.
Optional: Add a pinch of sea salt for salted caramel sauce.
Instructions
(This section contains step by step instructions and photos that show how to make this recipe. Find the recipe card with ingredient amounts and nutritional information at the bottom of the post.)
It couldn't be easier to make a keto caramel sauce. Here are the basic steps:
Step 1: Add all the ingredients to a saucepan and melt over medium heat until bubbles start to appear.
Step 2: Reduce to a low heat. Let the caramel simmer and stir regularly with a ballon whisk. It is ready once it has thickened slightly and coats the back of a spoon.
Step 3: Fill into a jar.
Top tip
Just like with regular caramel, the consistency and colour of sugar-free caramel depends on the cooking length.
- Runny, spoonable and lighter caramel takes around 5 - 7 minutes.
- Thicker, darker caramel takes 7 - 10 minutes.
Just keep in mind that it continues to thicken as it cools to room temperature.
FAQ
Yes. Bocha Sweet or xylitol are also good for caramel, although allulose does give the smoothest result. The next best option are powdered erythritol based sweeteners. Go for a brown sugar replacement like Swerve gold or a golden monk fruit sweetener blend such as Lakanto gold for that caramel taste. You'll have to powder it before using. It will re-crystallise a little once the caramel cools.
Allulose is a "single sugar", just like glucose or fructose. However, its structure is different, which means it cannot be absorbed by our bodies. Therefore, it does not raise blood sugar or insulin levels.
Allulose caramelises, browns and dissolves just like sugar. You'll have no issues with re-crystallisation if you use allulose in keto caramel.
Yes. Replace the coconut cream with heavy whipping cream and use 3 tablespoons of butter instead of the coconut oil. The recipe steps remain the same. The nutrition changes to 1.5g net carbs and 127 calories per serving.
If you overheat caramel, it can split and the oil separates. To fix it, simply pour the caramel into a large bowl and let it cool slightly. Then whisk it rigorously to re-incorporate the oil.
Hard caramel softens and becomes spoonable when you reheat it in the microwave or on the stovetop. Warming also makes erythritol based caramel smooth again.
Dairy-free caramel is lighter in colour because coconut oil does not darken like butter. To make this recipe darker, add ½ teaspoon of blackstrap molasses. This increases the carb count by a little, but it's still low carb.
Variations
Making caramel fudge or candy: Whisking ¼ teaspoon of xanthan gum into the sauce at the end of cooking makes the recipe set harder. This way, you can use it to make fudge or caramel candy.
Storage
Refrigerator: Keto caramel sauce keeps fresh in the fridge for several weeks. Simply reheat it before using.
Freezer: You can also freeze it. Defrost it overnight.
Keto desserts with caramel
- Easy Low Carb Keto Caramel Slice
- Keto Flan - Creme Caramel
- Caramel Swirl Keto Brownies
- Salted Caramel Cheesecake Fat Bombs
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Recipe
Keto Caramel Sauce
from Sugar Free LondonerNote: The servings slider only changes the first amount in each line and not any subsequent amounts. Please make your own calculations where necessary. ***As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- ¼-1/2 cup granulated allulose 50-100g, to taste ***see notes
- ½ cup coconut cream 120ml (the thick part from a can of coconut milk)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Salted caramel
- pinch of sea salt
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to a saucepan. Melt on a medium/ low heat until bubbles start to appear.
- Reduce to a simmer and cook for 5 - 8 minutes, stirring regularly with a balloon whisk, until slightly thick and the caramel coats the back of a spoon.
- When the caramel is to your liking (bearing in mind it will thicken more as it cools) take it off the heat and fill into a jar.
Notes
Nutrition
This post contains affiliate links. If you click on one of these links and purchase a product, I may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting Sugar Free Londoner.
Laney
This is A-mazing, I almost immediately started dipping jicama sticks into the warm caramel and also added pecan butter, when I realized cool down would be much longer than I thought!
I’m eating the jicama dipped in caramel again after cooling off in the fridge and it’s delicious!
I love how you use allulose in this instead of erythritol (so sick of seeing Lakanto and Swerve in every other recipe) it makes me feel bloated and causes me to gain weight due to digestive inflammation.
Many thanks for this quick and easy to make recipe! I’ll be using it the rest of my life. ❤️
Ruth
Here in Canada we cannot purchase allulose, therefore I used an erythritol and monk fruit blend in a powdered state. It never really thickened up like the photo and separated quite a bit. I used an immersion blender to blend them together and put in a jar in the fridge. Turns out I made fudge! Yum! So, I heated it up to a liquid state again and added pecans and dropped by spoonful on to silplat. Yay! PRALINES! Absolutely delicious! I then bought granular golden erythritol and made the recipe again. This time, however, I added 1 tsp. Vodka to see if it would work chemically to dissolve the sugar alcohols and keep it from recrystalizing. The recipe behaved as before, and once the pralines were totally cooled (freezer), they are smoooth…no grains. The only thing with the golden erythritol (Swerve) is that it does leave a slight cooling feeling, probably from the absence of monk fruit like the usual blend I use. However, being able to eat a couple of my favourite candies is wonderful!
Katrin Nürnberger
Hi Ruth, thanks so much for telling us.... This is so interesting!!!
Kari
Hey Ruth Try Bocha Sweet I know they ship internationally and will be caramel! But your pralines sound amazing too!
Kukys
Hi!! Can I use liquid stevia?
Katrin Nürnberger
That is a good question. I have not tried it. I think it is possible, but it may end up more liquid than my version as it's not using the fibre syrup. But it will thicken - that's what happens when you cook down and reduce coconut milk.
Maris
Hi! I have líquid allulose, I use it to make ice cream, can I use this liquid allulose?
Katrin Nürnberger
I have never used liquid allulose, but it sounds perfect for this recipe.
Claudia
Hi can i substitute allulose with allulose syrup instead?
Katrin Nürnberger
I have never used it, but I am inclined to say yes 🙂
Addie
Hello, Katrin - in your recipe you use granulated allulose, but in a query from a reader about substituting Swerve you said to make sure it's powdered?
Katrin Nürnberger
Hi Addie, if you use an erythritol based sweetener you must choose the powdered version to make sure it's as smooth as possible. This is because it has a tendency to re-crystallise. Allulose melts nicely, therefore there's no issue with it in caramel sauce.
J. Trunkey
I'm in America.I wonder about using erythritol. I know it's a popular sweetener. But this is the definition I found on Dictionary.com:
erythritol
/ ɪˈrɪθ rɪˌtɔl, -ˌtɒl /
noun Chemistry, Pharmacology.
a white, crystalline, water-soluble, sweet-tasting, tetrahydroxyl compound, C4H10O4, related to the carbohydrates, obtained from certain lichens and used for coronary vasodilation and in the treatment of hypertension.
Does this mean erythritol is good for your arteries or bad?
Katrin Nürnberger
I am not a scientist. But if it says erythritol is used for the treatment of hypertension that sounds like it's actually making it better.
Maria fuentes
It’s amazing just a couple of questions how can I change the color to a darker one ? How ca n I make it thicker? What can I add to it to preserve it of shel at room temperature?
Katrin Nürnberger
Hi Maria, if you want it thicker just cook it for longer to let more liquid evaporate. This would also make the colour slightly darker. Adding a spoonful of blackstrap molasses would also add a deeper colour and still keep it keto.
I would always keep it in the fridge 🙂
Ann Dossey
Would Swerve work in place of allulose?
While not new to LC and Keto cooking I don't wish to have 5 different keto friendly sweeteners on hand.
Katrin Nürnberger
I haven't tried Swerve. But I think it works similarly to erythritol. Make sure it's powdered. And if it's granulated, powder it in a food processor before using. You may get some re-crystallisation as it cools, but heating it up should solve that.
Jo
So in love with this caramel. It turned out so well and love the top tip on how to warm cooled caramel. Genius!
David F
Hi Katrin,
Love the emails. I'm in the US and cannot get allulose yet; However, I was wondering whether it causes gastric distress like other sweeteners. Once available I would love to try it and this recipe.
Thanks for your time.
Katrin Nürnberger
Hi David, it supposedly does not, and I'm fine with it. However, I think we're all different and if most people can tolerate it, that still does not mean your body may like it. I'd always go slow with new sweeteners, especially if you're sensitive to some.
Marcella Rice
Amazon has it
Katrin Nürnberger
Hi Pamela, are you talking about pure monkfruit? The only monkfruit products I have used are mixed with erythritol, like the Lakanto products. I'm not sure what the conversion would be with pure monkfruit as it's much more concentrated. But my recipes can be converted 1:1 with sugar, so if you have a ratio you can just use that 🙂
Patti Weyers
Do you think Bocha Sweet would work ok? Thanks!!
Katrin Nürnberger
I've never tried this sweetener, so I'm not sure how it behaves in liquids. You'd have to do a test run - let me know here if you do! It helps other readers and is much appreciated.
Patti Weyers
Thanks!! I know this is a highly recommended sweetener to use when making ice cream so that it doesn't get so hard.
Katrin Nürnberger
Yes, I can imagine it would be good for ice cream. I tried to use it in my sugar free custard, and that did not turn out as well as with erythritol, it was much softer. It's good for cakes that are supposed to be soft. Probably not cookies or anything that is better with a crunch.
Jane Chambers
Allulose sweetner - The link takes you through to the 'everyday Erythritol and stevia' sweetner and not allulose? I understood from a recent enquiry to a UK supplier of sweeteners that it isn't cleared for use here, by the relevant health authorities. So, is it available in the UK? If not, why is it included in your recipe which is by your very blog name, a UK based blog albeit not exclusively for the UK? Thanks
Katrin Nürnberger
HI Jane, the link for the UK shop that sells allulose is https://mydiet-shop.co.uk/198-allulose - this is what I linked in the post (it's currently out of stock by the way but they replenish regularly). If you are in the UK and you click on the link I've given for Amazon US, you get whatever Amazon will offer you if they don't carry that same product instead.
I'm not sure what you mean about my blog name?
Julia
Unfortunately Allulose is not allowed to be sold in Australia as yet, as far as I can ascertain.
What would you suggest as an up to date alternative, Katrin?
My other half loves caramel sauce, but I have never actually made it; as I do not wish to use a lot of honey or other sugars.
Your input would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
Katrin Nürnberger
Hi Julia, You can absolutely use erythritol in this caramel, which I have done until discovered allulose. You will get a little re-crystallisation if you store it in the fridge. Normally this happens around the edges. The bulk of it stays pretty smooth though. Plus, if you warm it up again, this disappears.
The other option is to use a sugar free syrup, which I have done in the other recipe I linked to in the post.
Nicola
Hi Katrin, thanks for the recipes. I have just received my allulose order from amazon UK and wanted to know if I can use this, where your recipes state that granulated or powdered sweetener is used? I realise that this is quite a new product and therefore your recipes won't have this ingredient included. Many thanks
Katrin Nürnberger
Allulose is good for anything where you want a soft result. So, use it in jams, sauces or cakes that taste good moist. Use erythritol in anything you want crunchy, such as cookies, and firm, such as my sugar free vanilla custard