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 this Buckeye Recipe, 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
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Recipe
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
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I originally shared this recipe November 2017. Updated May 2020 and November 2023.
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Oh my gosh.. I cannot tell you how much I love these. I only made half the recipe because I just needed a few and oh man.. so amazing. I will never buy store bought caramels again.
First time I have every made caramels. They turned out great! Made them into small squares and dipped in dark chocolate and sprinkled with sea salt. Gave them as Christmas gifts. Got high marks from all the neighbors.
Great suggestion, Sheila…I am going to try the dipped chocolate and sea salt next time I make these!
This year was my second time making these caramels. I’d forgotten just how much time these take (I’m not very patient lol), but man is it worth it! Great recipe, don’t rush the process! After cooking, I poured the caramel into a 13×9 casserole dish with parchment paper. After about 4 hours or so they were hardened enough to cut, but overnight is better if you can. From one recipe, I ended up with roughly 200 caramels about 3/4 inch by 3/4 inch. 100% recommend topping with some flaky sea salt! These will likely be a Christmas time tradition in our house 🙂
I have made these caramels a few times and everyone loves them..
I want to make this caramel and use it to make Turtles. Assuming I follow the recipe precisely, will this work for making almond turtles? My son hates pecans.
They taste incredible! Took longer than an hour to cook .. perhaps because i don’t have a gas stove – I have a flat top stove and hard to get temp steady … but I was patient !
Could I make a 1/2 batch of this.
Yes, I think that would be fine.
No bueno. The directions said to keep the mixture @ a boil for 5-10 minutes plus another 12-15 minutes at a constant boil while you slowly add the milk. It was way too much heat. My mixture turned the color of used motor oil by the time I had finished adding the milk. The whole batch had to go in the trash. I’ve made well over 1,000 recipes over the last 50 years and believe that this is my first TOTAL failure. Don’t get me wrong, some recipes are ~ meh, but burnt and ruined? This is a first. If anybody else ventures to try this, I would suggest using a very, very low heat while you add the milk.
I think you misread the recipe. You’re supposed to bring to a boil and immediately start adding the milk while boiling. I’ve followed the directions as listed and they are a beautiful caramel color and smell divine.
Hi Tim, I think you added the milk way to fast. You bring contents to a boil then slowly adding just a little bit of milk to the mixture keeping the sauce at a boil. Each can should take 15-20 to slowly add. This recipe is fantastic and delicious. I highly suggest you try this again.
Everyone else seems to have a great outcome (including me) so maybe in this case it’s you not the recipe!
Tell me about dipping these in pretzels and chocolate. How do you do it?
These are amazing! They turned out perfectly and all four of my kids love them. Thank-you so much for this wonderful and easy to follow recipe.