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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.
This is my FAVORITE carmel from the very first time I made it!
Question though. I have under cooked it. It’s on pans, because I doubled it, and isnt setting up. I was a little impatient. What can I do to get it a little firmer?
Hi Rashell, thanks so much! My best advice, if you’re willing to be patient with it, is to scoop all of it back into a pan, slowly bring it back to a boil, and cook it a tad longer.
Otherwise, you can refrigerate them and serve them cold/firmer.
After many, MANY failed attempts at making homemade caramels I had given up for a few years but forgot to buy caramels for my Christmas baking so I decide to give it one more try. I followed this recipe to a tee (except I halved it) and they turned out beautiful. Yay! I used most in my Twix squares and made salted caramels with the rest. Both were awesome! Just a note too Karo syrup is also called light corn syrup for those that were having trouble finding it.
Hi Tasha, thank you so much for sharing! I’m so happy you tried again! Those treats sound amazing. Thanks for taking the time to comment with your experience. I hope you get a chance to try more of my recipes 🙂
Kate,
My family has been making these caramels for 3 generations. It’s always a big event to make the caramels before Christmas (One night of stirring a double batch and one night of wrapping). It is worth all the trouble because everyone loves these caramels.
Things I have learned: the slower you cook the caramel the better it tastes. Browning the butter adds a nice nutty note to the candy. Our recipe calls for adding 1/4 of the milk to the butter/sugar mixture from the start and we’ve never had a curdling problem adding the rest (slowly, but more like a minute per can). We also add chopped roasted pecans at the end. Yum!!
I tried this version as well, browning the butter and adding some evaporated milk to the butter/sugar …. turned out exceptionally well, though I did take forever adding the rest of the milk.
Great recipe! I used heavy whipping cream and like you said…slooooowwwww and stiirrrrrrr. Wait for that amber color and the thickness of the caramel sauce. I used both thermometer and ice water. Thanks for including that tip. Never heard of it and it worked amazing! i used several thermometers i had around and the newest one we had did say the correct temp. I sprinkled my with sea salt, threw them in some dollar store tins with a bow and they will make a perfect gift for my daughter’s teachers, neighbors and maillady! Thanks again and Merry Christmas!
Thanks Kate! So happy you loved them! Thanks for taking the time to comment.
These are AMAZING! I love caramels and I was dying to find one. The only thing was there are some black spots in the caramel mixture, I think it might be from the vanilla.
Also, do you know if “tastesbetterfromscratch” has any fudge recipes?
Thank you for a wonderful Christmastime dessert! 🙂
Thanks Madeline! So happy you liked them! The black spots in the caramel would most likely be from scraping bits from the bottom of the pan that were getting overcooked. Next time just make sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the pans really well as you go 🙂
I do have two fudge recipes I LOVE. The first is this perfect chocolate fudge https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/perfect-chocolate-fudge/ and the other is Rocky road fudge https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/rocky-road-fudge/
I dont want to make hard toffee caramel; I want it thick and gooey to go on top of a bed of digestive biscuits/graham crackers, to be the crumbly base for banoffee pie. It has to be firm enough to support the sliced bananas & double whipped cream.Any help out there Good People regarding cooking times ? Thanks in advance. Dave.
Hi Dave, I would cook it until the “soft ball stage” (about 235 degrees F on a candy thermometer) instead of the hard ball stage, and that should be the consistency you’re looking for.
I’m wondering if it is possible to make a half batch..
Sure! Just make sure to cut all of the ingredients exactly in half. I’d pour it into a 9×13” pan for thin caramels or a 9×9 or 8×8 pan for thicker. 🙂
Giving these a try today – never made them before, but I’ll let you know how it worked!
I tried these Friday night and they turned out amazing! I have to admit, though, I didn’t realize this was going to be a solid 2 hour investment. I wouldn’t have done it at Grandma and Grandpa’s if I knew that!
I used this recipe to make carmels for the first time ever and everyone who tasted them went nuts over them. I’m making some today (for Easter!) This time I’m going to dip some of them in chocolate. I highly recommend you line the entire jelly roll pan with parchment paper ( including up and over the sides) … when it has firmed up, you pick it up and lay on flat, hard cutting surface. I cut it with a pizza cutter … Not the roller kind, but the curved blade type).
So happy to hear that! Thanks for sharing!