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These Homemade Caramels are perfectly soft and chewy and easy to make with a few pantry ingredients. We love to gift them to friends and family.
Want more candy recipes? I love these Chocolate Turtles, Buckeyes, Homemade Almond Joys, Chocolate Fudge, and Rocky Road!
Why I love these caramels:
- Family Tradition – This is my Mom's homemade caramel recipe we've been making at Christmas time for decades. They were always our food gift for friends and neighbors during the holidays.
- Perfect – They really are soft, chewy, melt-in-your mouth delicious caramels! They truly couldn't be any better! This is a treasured family recipe.
- Easy – This easy caramel recipe only uses pantry ingredients and the steps are simple. But the magic is in the cooking process – it's important to not rush these! Read my tips below for the best caramels every time.
How to make Homemade Caramels:
Combine: Add butter, sugar, and karo syrup to a large heavy-bottom saucepan then stir over medium heat until mixture begins to boil, about 5-10 minutes.
Add Evaporated Milk: Gradually add the evaporated milk, one can at a time, taking about 12-15 minutes PER CAN, while stirring constantly. Make sure the mixture maintains a constant boil, otherwise your caramels can curdle.
Caramelize: Stir the mixture constantly, scraping the sides occasionally, until it reaches a firm ball stage. I don't rely on a candy thermometer. I use the ice water test: Drop a spoonful of the hot caramel into a cup of ice water then mold the caramel with your fingers into a ball. You will know the caramels are ready when they feel pretty firm and pliable. Remove from heat then stir in vanilla.
Cool: Pour caramels into prepared pan then refrigerate until cooled and hardened. (Best if you refrigerate them overnight, or for several hours. They will be easier to cut and wrap).
Cut: I like to use a stainless steel scraper to get perfectly even lines.
Wrap: The caramel will seem hard in the fridge after they're set, but they should be soft at room temperature. Cut soft caramels into small pieces then wrap like a tootsie roll in wax paper, if desired.
Tips for Perfect Caramels Every Time:
- SLOWLY stir in evaporated milk: This should take about 15 minutes per can, pouring in a little bit at a time (or warm your evaporated milk a little, to make the process faster). The caramel must maintain a constant boil the entire time.
- Maintain steady heat: Keep your burner/stove on medium heat to avoid any changes of temperature. Maintaining heat the same is why the milk gets added so slowly.
- Candy Thermometer vs Ice Water Test: I personally don't trust candy thermometers. Unless you take the time to calibrate yours, they can often be “off”. And depending on your location (altitude and humidity) 238°F may not be the perfect temperature for you. The best (and easiest) way I've found is using the ice water method. Drop a spoonful of the hot caramel into a cup of ice water then mold the caramel with your fingers into a ball. You will know the caramel candy recipe is ready when they feel pretty firm and pliable.
- Wrap them cold – I like to make them 24 hours ahead of time so they can get nice and cold in the fridge, making them easier to cut and wrap.
Make Ahead Instructions:
To Make Ahead: These easy homemade caramels will keep well in the fridge for several weeks. Take them out to come to room temperature for them to be soft and chewy.
More Caramel Recipes:
- Caramel Apples
- Caramel Popcorn
- Caramel Sauce
- Chocolate Covered Pretzel Rods
- Chocolate Covered Marshmallows
- Salted Chocolate and Caramel Pretzel Bars
Homemade Caramels
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, (2 sticks)
- 4 cups granulated sugar
- 2 cups light corn syrup
- 24 ounces evaporated milk*, (2 cans)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Line a 9×13” pan or jelly roll pan with parchment paper. (If you don't have parchment paper you can generously butter the pan.) Either size pan will work–9×13” will yield thicker caramels.
- Add 2 sticks butter, sugar, and karo syrup to a large heavy-bottom saucepan over medium heat. Stir over medium heat until mixture begins to boil, about 5-10 minutes.
- Gradually add the evaporated milk, one can at a time, taking about 12-15 minutes PER CAN to slowly add it, while stirring constantly. You want to make sure the mixture maintains a steady heat and constant boil (no drastic changes in temperature) otherwise your caramels can curdle.
- Stir the mixture constantly, scraping the sides occasionally until it reaches a firm ball stage (about 240-245 degrees F on a candy thermometer). It takes patience and time, but it's sooo worth it! (Also, I don't really trust or rely on a candy thermometer–I like to test it the old fashioned way. Drop a spoonful of hot caramel sauce into a cup of ice water and mold it with your fingers into a ball. When ready it will feel pretty firm and pliable, but still slightly sticky.)
- Once you reach 240-245 degrees F / or the firm ball stage, remove from heat. Stir in vanilla.
- Pour caramels into prepared pan. Refrigerate until cooled and hardened. (Best if you refrigerate them overnight, or for several hours. They will be easier to cut and wrap).
- The caramel will seem hard in the fridge after they're set, but they should be soft at room temperature. Cut caramel into small pieces and, if desired, wrap like a tootsie roll in wax paper.
Notes
- Candy Thermometer: I don't always trust candy thermometers, and depending on your location (altitude and humidity) temperature will vary. A good way to test them is the ice water method. Drop a spoonful of the hot caramel into a cup of ice water and mold the caramel with your fingers into a ball. The caramel should feel pretty firm but pliable in the ice water.
- Caramel is too soft after it has set up: It needed to cook longer. You can pour the whole batch back in to a pot and warm it up again!
- Caramel is too hard: it cooked for too long. Use the ice water method to avoid this.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I originally shared this recipe November 2017. Updated May 2020 and November 2023.
Great recipe!!! Mine was very sticky. Could not get them off the wax paper. How do I get them to not be sticky and not stick to my wax paper??
If they’re overly sticky they may have needed to cook a little longer.
Is there a way to extend their freshness time? Could I freeze them individually wrapped in wax paper in a zip lock bag and then defrost them before gifting them? Or what’s the best way to make them ahead of time!?
They will last for several weeks, stored in the fridge!
Made last Christmas and they were a hot, making them again! Follow instructions to a T, key is patience 😁
These are amazing. I started off with a pit that wasn’t big enough. Somehow, while stirring, my husband boiled water in a big pot to warm it. We were able to transfer it without changing the temp. These caramels are delicious!! Thank you. It took about an hour in all, to get them to the right temp.
This definitely took patience but they turned out beautifully. They are soft and delicious! I’m going to be giving these out to neighbors this Christmas. Thank you for sharing this reciepe!
I made these last year and they were amazing.
I made them a month ahead of time and stored them prewrapped in the freezer.
Out of all the goodies I made, these were the favourite ones. I have been asked to make them again, as they are an absolute necessity now.
Thanks for the great recipe
These were a complete fail. I don’t know what I did wrong but they curdled even though I kept it a boil. Also, they were way too soft even after refrigerating them for 24 hours. What did I do wrong?
Curdling happens with change in temperature, hot or cold. Either the heat was adjusted to much or the milk was added to quickly, or it wasn’t stirred constantly.
These look delicious! I was wondering if I could cut the recipe in half by dividing the ingredients by 2. Would that mess up the caramels or is it fine? Also, I’ll be using 2% evaporated milk, is that ok?
Hi, Although I haven’t used this recipe specifically, mine was handed down in the family and is nearly the same. I personally use Heavy Cream instead of evaporated milk and almost double the butter. I’ve had excellent and disastrous results over the years…the key is temperature. I also don’t bother with Candy Thermometers because it’s never consistent. Also, I’ve had best results with Jelly molds as opposed to parchment paper…easier to wrap for gifting. My caramels cook for about 30+ minutes at a constant boil before they are ready, but don’t walk away because they go from syrup to hard in a matter of about 5* F degrees.
What’s a jelly mold? Is your recipe posted anywhere? Thanks!
How do I store them – in refrigerator? How long can I store them? I want to make them a week or two before Christmas and give them for gifts. Thanks
Store them in them fridge, covered, for several weeks.
How long do they keep? I would love to make them ahead for Christmas platters!
They will keep in the fridge for several weeks! Enjoy!