Shop
My
Custom
Sugar Free Caramel Syrup That Tastes Like the Real Deal
I could literally eat this sugar free caramel syrup off a spoon. I’ve made it for dozens of uses over the years, from components of other low carb recipes to using it as a topping. And every time, my favorite part is scraping the remnants from the pan. In fact, I love it so much that I even featured it in my Easy Keto Carboholics’ Cookbook. Here’s why this sugar free caramel sauce is so special:
- Ooey, gooey texture with rich, buttery caramel flavor – If you’ve made sugar free caramel with alternative sweeteners before, you might have experienced a gritty texture or dryness. Not this one. My recipe caramelizes just like sugar, giving you that gooey, golden taste and texture that sugary versions have.
- Just 4 (clean) ingredients – No fillers, sucralose, artificial sweeteners, thickeners, or mystery preservatives. Plus, it’s zero net carbs per serving.
- Adjustable consistency – It thickens naturally as it cools, so you can drizzle it thin and warm as syrup into on hot drinks (like bulletproof coffee) or let it set into a thicker sauce for keto desserts.
If you’re ready to level up your sweets without refined sugar, make this sugar free caramel sauce with me! And grab a spoon, because it’s that good.
Reader Review
“It’s been 25 years since I tasted caramel. I just made the second batch, and it’s everything I remember! Mrs. Krampf, thank you for helping me cope with diabetes and eating gluten-free. Thank you for Besti. I bought one of your cookbooks (of course, it’s the one with the sugar free caramel recipe). I’m enjoying not having to gear the recipes to my diet. Again, Mrs. Krampf, thank you for all you do.” –Donna
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here I explain the best ingredients for my sugar free caramel sauce recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.
- Heavy Cream – Caramel really needs the fat and consistency of heavy cream, so don’t try to sub in milk (dairy or non-dairy) because it just won’t thicken. If you’re dairy-free, full-fat coconut cream does work.
- Besti Brown Monk Fruit Allulose Blend – I went with the brown version because it mimics brown sugar so well and gives a warm, molasses-like taste. I’ve also made this many times with powdered Besti and even granulated once — they both dissolve and caramelize beautifully, just like sugar does.
IMPORTANT: If you want to use another sweetener, beware…
Most other sweeteners (including erythritol, and virtually every brand of “monk fruit” or “stevia” which all use erythritol as a filler) won’t caramelize properly. They also crystallize as they cool, leaving you with a gritty texture instead of that gooey, silky sauce. If you’re curious to experiment anyway, check my sweetener conversion chart so you can swap the amounts correctly.
- Butter – I use this grass-fed salted butter, but you can use unsalted and add a pinch of salt.
- Vanilla Extract – I like this brand.
Free Printable: Low Carb & Keto Food List
Get It Now
How To Make Sugar Free Caramel Sauce
I have step-by-step photos here to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card.
- Melt the butter and sweetener. Heat the butter and Besti Brown together in a large saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture turns golden brown.
- Stir in the cream. Continue cooking until the color deepens and the sauce coats the back of a spoon. (If you use regular powdered Besti instead of brown, you’ll notice it turns ivory first, which is essentially sugar free condensed milk — keep going and it’ll become caramel!)
- Add vanilla. Remove the sugar free caramel syrup from the heat. Whisk in the vanilla extract for that final layer of richness.
Pour the syrup into a jar. (I use these jars, pictured below.) It’ll thicken as it cools, so just wait a bit if you prefer a thicker sugar free caramel sauce.
My Tips For The Best Texture
- Use a large pan. The larger the surface area of your pan, the faster your sauce will caramelize and thicken. I used a large saucepan above, but I often grab my large skillet to make the process even faster.
- Use the right sweetener. I typically recommend Besti in all my recipes, but it’s more crucial for some than others. This sugar free caramel syrup recipe is one where it makes a huge difference. You won’t get the same smooth, gooey texture using another sweetener.
- Be careful not to overheat. If the heat is too high, your sauce will “split”, meaning you’ll have oil separated from the other ingredients. If this happens, sometimes I’m able to bring it back together in a blender.
- Add vanilla only after removing from heat. If you add it while cooking, some of it will evaporate, reducing its flavor.
- Let it cool a bit before judging thickness. Caramel always looks thinner when it’s hot, but it naturally thickens as it cools. If you judge too soon, you might overcook it, so only cook until it coats the back of a spoon.
- What do I do if my sugar free caramel sauce is too thin or too thick? If it’s too thin, just simmer a little longer. If it’s too thick, stir in a splash of cream.
- Feel free to double or triple the recipe, but it’ll take longer. I’ve done this many times, but in that case I definitely recommend a skillet over a saucepan, to speed things along.
Sugar Free Caramel Syrup & Sauce
By
My 10-minute sugar free caramel syrup and sauce is gooey, sweet, and tastes like the real deal. Perfect for coffee and desserts!
Instructions
[ See step photos See my tips ]Tap on the times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer.
-
Melt the butter and Besti Brown together in a large saucepan over low heat. Once melted, cook for about 3 to 4 more minutes, stirring occasionally, until color turns more golden brown. (Watch it carefully to avoid burning.)
-
Stir in the cream. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 7 to 10 minutes, continuing to stir occasionally, until the mixture is a dark caramel color and coats the back of a spoon.
-
Remove sugar-free caramel syrup from heat. Whisk in the vanilla extract.
-
The sauce will thicken more as it cools from hot to warm.
Did you make it? Leave a review or tag me @wholesomeyum on Instagram!
Maya’s Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 tablespoon
- Tips: Check out my recipe tips above to help you make your sugar free caramel as quickly as possible, with the best texture and flavor.
- Storage: I keep mine in a glass jar like this in the fridge. When I made a double batch, it stayed good for a couple of weeks without any issues.
- Reheat: Sugar free caramel syrup does firm up in the fridge. All you need to do is warm it slowly on the stove over low heat, stirring until it’s gooey again.
- Freeze: You can freeze it in an airtight container. When you’re ready, thaw in the fridge or on the counter, and reheat gently.
📖 Want more recipes like this? Find this one and many more in my Easy Keto Carboholics’ Cookbook here.
I provide nutrition facts as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see my nutrition policy.
Add Your Notes Your Notes
Try More Of My Recipes
© Copyright Maya Krampf for Wholesome Yum. Please DO NOT SCREENSHOT OR COPY/PASTE recipes to social media or websites. We’d LOVE for you to share a link with photo instead.
Sugar Free Caramel Syrup
Ways To Use It
I’ve found so many ways to use this sugar free caramel syrup, from quick breakfasts to desserts and even drinks:
- Dipping & Topping – I love sugar free caramel sauce as a dip for keto churros or low carb fruit. I’ve also poured it over keto cheesecake and apple pie more times than I can count. You can even layer it with my sugar-free chocolate syrup!
- Breakfast – When I want to make mornings feel special, I drizzle it over low carb French toast or swirl it onto warm keto cinnamon rolls. It’s also amazing in the keto monkey bread from my Easy Keto Carboholics’ Cookbook.
- Ice Cream – Nothing beats a scoop of classic keto ice cream with a sugar free caramel drizzle. Or try my almond milk ice cream for a lighter option.
- Coffee – Swirl it into your glass before making iced coffee, or over sugar free whipped cream over hot or cold drinks. Feels like a coffee shop treat!
398 Comments
Piper
0I have made this recipe so many times since I found it I can make it without even looking it up. It is absolutely delicious and turns out perfect every time.
Leigh-Anne Cox
0Amazing!! And so easy!
Eric
0Thank you so much for sharing this. I have a question about this sauce.
Can I use it to make turtles? Will this become soft and chewy?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Eric, I haven’t tried that but I’m sure you can! It gets a bit less gooey when it’s fully cooled but still has the same flavor.
Richy
0Just tried this and it takes a LOT longer to cook than suggested, but it did come out DELICIOUS. But here’s my question. In the nutrition section, you show a serving has 0 carbs. How can that be when the sweetener you suggest has 8 carbs in one teaspoon according to the nutrition info on the back of the bag. You’re showing 3 tablespoons. There are three teaspoons in a tablespoon so that would be a total of 9 teaspoons of sweetener X 8 carbs = 72 carbs. So, wouldn’t a 1/12th serving has 6 carbs? Thanks.
Wholesome Yum
0Hi Richy, the carbs in this sweetener do not affect blood sugar like other carbohydrates, so we do not include them in the carb count.
Jeanie
0The BEST caramel sauce I have ever tasted. I made it exactly as described and then added 1 tsp caramel flavoring. OMG over the top YUM!!!
Treva Cofer
0Oh my gosh! I don’t know what I did wrong but it turned out so cool in the end.
My version clumped up as I was stirring it the last bit of 7 minutes…. so I poured it into cup to see if I could blend it back together. I got excited when it turned back into a smooth caramel brown sauce. Only to come back a few seconds later to brown settled on the bottom with a golden (butter?) layer on top?
I was about to toss it when I read in the comments that maybe one guy cooked it too high or too little? I went to poor it back into the pan and the butter layer (?) poorer out then the brown bottom plopped into the middle of the pan in a circle (it looked like a weird egg)… that’s when I got brave and tasted it…. and it was also then That I realized the brown WAS caramel!! Ohhhh…
So I pulled it out of all of the (what I’m assuming is accidental ghee?) and put it into a silicone ice cube tray… they were little caramel chews in minutes!!
I still don’t know what I did wrong… but I’m gonna keep trying until I get the sauce right since the flavor is mind-blowing! Hope you can help me figure where I went wrong, if not I’m gonna keep on keepin’, and wanna thank you for this sugar-free delight!!!
Ellen
0Hi all. I just made this and I love it. I use Pyure and my caramel came out very smooth. I tripled the recipe and reduced the Pyure to 7 Tbsp in the butter. At the end, I used about another teaspoon with vanilla. I also used half&half as I was out of heavy cream. I just low-boiled it until it turned a golden color. Tastes great!
AJ
0So yummy! I only used half the amount of sugar and I found it made for a more buttery caramel. Used this sauce in a copycat Starbucks frappe recipe and it came out really well!
Elaine
0Hi Maya, I’m dying to make this tonight – I love all your recipes so easy but super tasty…. a question…. could this sauce be used in a keto version of sticky toffee pudding and how can I make it stickier!! 🙂
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Elaine, I haven’t tried it in a pudding like that. It might work, just not sure. It’s pretty sticky when warm/hot. Let me know how it goes if you try it.
Emily
0What is the conversion if using Swerve instead of the Sukrin? I’m so excited to try this!!!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Emily, It would be the same.
Douggie
0Hi, can granulated stevia be used and if so how much, and will it alter the texture?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Douggie, I recommend either powdered or liquid sweetener for caramel sauce, as granulated can be grainy.
Samantha
0Great carmel sauce! I made half batch, and used over my mug cake, and did some over pecans that are setting up well! I did make the mistake of putting the hot carmel over refrigerated cake so it crystallized a bit but that was my impatience lol
Petra Anthoniussen
0The best caramel sauce receipe ever. Thank you so much.
Tahira
0Can I use Stevia ?
Wholesome Yum L
0Hi Tahira, yes, another granular sweetener should work. Check this chart to figure the correct amount.
Krystal
0I found this recipe by accident. OMG! Amazing. I used monk fruit and it tastes great.
B
0Ok. So I was nervous to try it because my stove is a little wonky. I used monk fruit -gold and it worked pretty well. Like the taste was perfect. Amazing! I couldn’t stop licking the spoons. I didn’t get the rich brown color though it was a light brown/tan. I think I need to cook it a little linger in the beginning. I used it as a layer in some “ candy bars”, but when it set it wasn’t like chewy caramel. It didn’t actually freeze solid. It was kind of like cream cheese icing/ fudge consistency. And while it took a long time to thicken like 20+ minutes. Any suggestions on getting a chewier caramel candy consistency? It did start to separate a little. But I think that’s because within 30 minutes I didn’t let its let cool at room temp before putting in the fridge then taking it out and heating it in a warm water bath.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0If it didn’t freeze solid and was light in color, that means it needed to cook for longer. Separation can happen from sudden temperature changes.
Lisa
0It tasted wonderful but I used Swerve and Coconut milk from a can and it didn’t set?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Lisa, By “didn’t set”, I assume you mean it didn’t thicken? If so, that means it needed to cook for longer. It will vary widely by the size of your pan. The larger your pan, the less time needed to thicken.
New2keto2
0Great flavor! I substituted Swerve granulated sweetener for the Sukrin Gold. The texture was smooth and creamy as long as it was hot. As it cooled it became slightly grainy, but reheating works great. Lovely caramel sauce!
Carole Barnes
0Could you use light cream or fat free half and half instead of the heavy cream?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Carole, I haven’t tried it, but don’t think so – it wouldn’t thicken.
Marci
0A recipe I used for homemade caramel years ago I just browned regular white granulated sugar. So I would use granulated sugar, melt it on low til it browned the added in cream and vanilla and simmered and then added a couple teaspoons of butter at end.
So my question is do you know if can I use granulated Monk Fruit and brown it inplace of regular sugar?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Marci, In general you can replace it as I did in this recipe, but monk fruit likely won’t brown on its own the way sugar does. Hope you’ll try the recipe as written – I do know this one works.