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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.
I made caramel at the fair in batches to dip 1 case of apples. You can use heavy glucose syrup, but I am not sure about the measurement. When you make a batch you really like, save some, and add 1 caramel to the butter when you melt it. Also, drizzle the milk down the side of the pan as you add it. This warms it a bit so it doesn’t drop the temperature as much. 20 minutes per can ofthe milk would not be unreasonable. Enjoy!
When you do the hard ball stage, should it feel like you want it to feel when it is finished? Or just that it can form a soft and pliable ball?
Hi Ina,
You are looking for a soft and pliable ball!
How long till it heats to 238?
This! This is exactly what I am looking for 🙂
One quick question though: Is the 24oz of evaporated milk including the cans or without (sorry, from Australia, we generally measure in ml)
Thank you!
Hi Melanie, yes, you will just want a total of 24 ounces of evaporated milk. Hope you enjoy them!
Without the can. Just use whatever measurement is on the can and convert it. You might even find the can already has the right amount already!
Every time someone incudes “butter” in a recipe, I have the same issue/problem…. there is more than one type of butter ! Do you use “salted” or “unsalted”. I really wish everyone would specify this when they post a recipe.
Hi there,
I understand how that can be frustrating :. Generally when a baking recipe uses butter and calls for salt, I assume they used unsalted butter. If I am planning to use salted butter, I just omit or lessen the amount of salt the recipe calls for. The caramels could also use unsalted butter – just add a pinch of salt. This method should help you in the future. You can use salted or unsalted recipe in almost any recipe using this practice.
Great recipe, thanks for sharing.
I heated the milk almost to boiling before adding it, hoping to be able to add it a little faster and it seems to work.
I did add it slowly but not as much as the recipe says.
As for the final temperature, gel point for marmalades is 8deg Farenheit (about 4C) above the boiling point of water at your altitude.
I thought something similar would work for caramel but it didn’t. The iced water method worked beatifully though.
Hi I am currently cooking these and the caramel is not forming to a ball, it’s just slightly getting thicker and it doesn’t reach anywhere above 222 degrees. Is there a way to help it get thicker?
I’m sorry you are having trouble with the temperature. The mixture itself will not form into a ball. When you do an ice water test (as described in the post), the caramels will form into a ball around 238 degrees).
Most likely the caramel just needs more time to cook!! Maintain a steady heat and continue cooking them!
I tried this recipe on Christmas Eve hoping to have some candies for relatives. Do t k is what I did wrong but it would not pass the hard ball/cold water test and never ‘set up’ – any ideas of how it failed?? I did exactly as instructed. ?
Hi Susan, I’m sorry you had troubles. I have never had that problem. If you maintain everything over medium heat during cooking, the whole mixture should get hotter and hotter. The caramels will either be too hard if you cook it too long, or too soft if you don’t cook them long enough.
I am in love with these caramels, they take practice though. The first time I did these they were too soft and sticky, second time I cook them too long and they were as hard as rocks. Third time was a charm though and they turned out perfect! Such a great and classic Christmas gift/treat to give friends, families and neighbors. I made them with my daughter, we had a lot of fun together so I am planning on making this a new tradition of ours. I would like to see a video of you actually doing the ice test though Lauren, I did it a few times but I don’t know if I left it in the water long enough for it to pull into a ball. how long do you leave the tablespoon of caramel in the ice water? Anyway, these caramels are amazing, my absolute favorite, like most of the other recipes on this blog!
Hi Heather! I’m so happy that you like the caramels. The video is a great idea, I will have to do that.
I put a lot of ice in my water cup so that when I add a spoonful of caramel, it cools instantly. I can usually tell how done it is within 10 seconds or so of molding it in my fingers. I look for it to be a pretty firm ball, but still pliable inside the ice water.
I added the evaporated milk slowly but probably 5 min per can instead of 15 … even though the mixture stayed boiling the whole time, it still curdled. Added pinch baking soda and popping it into freezer a bit to firm up for dipping pretzels. Still delicious. I’ll have to try again another day and be more patient! Waiting on caramel is the hardest bc it tastes SO good!