Name: Vegan Caramel Recipe (Paleo, Dairy-Free)
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 2 cups coconut cream (hardened white cream on top of chilled can only ); 2 + 1/4 cup coconut sugar; 1 tsp salt

Thick, creamy vegan caramel recipe made with only 3 ingredients: coconut cream, coconut sugar, and a pinch of salt! Drizzle it on ice cream and brownies, or eat it straight up with a spoon (I won’t judge you).

I could call this ‘coconut caramel’ because it’s made almost entirely out of coconut cream and coconut sugar – but that would be confusing because it doesn’t taste all that much like coconut. It just tastes like the best caramel you’ve ever had, that just happens to be made with super wholesome ingridients.

Jump to Recipe

This was the best mistake I’ve ever made. I set out to make vegan toffee. I kept checking the sauce to see if it was ready, but then finally I tried it and realized I had created the perfect vegan caramel recipe!

Ingredients (only 3!):

The perfect vegan caramel recipe with only 3 ingredients!

Coconut cream: You’ll want to use the hardened white cream that settles to the top of the can. You do this by chilling a can of coconut cream overnight. Be warned that brand matters a lot with coconut cream though in both taste and consistency. As much as I love anything made by Trader Joes, their coconut cream seems to have a high oil content. Because of this, a layer of oil forms above the white cream that makes it hard to work with and also can create a greasy flavor in your cooking.

Coconut sugar: This is an unrefined sweetener made from the nectar of coconut. It has a deeper taste than white refined cane sugar, with notes of caramel that make it perfect for this recipe!

Salt: Not required, but I think salt contrasts the sweetness of this caramel and brings out a delicious flavor. If you’re trying to watch your salt or aren’t into the sweet and salty combo, feel free to leave it out.

Vegan Caramel Recipe:

First you’ll start off by using a can of chilled coconut cream (I like to keep a couple cans in my fridge for when I need them). As I mentioned earlier, make sure you use a good brand!

Gently scrape the hardened coconut cream off the top of the chilled coconut cream and place it into a medium–sized sauce pan.

Then add in the coconut sugar and salt.

3 ingredient paleo / vegan caramel recipe

Stir the ingredients together in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until melted together, stirring frequently.

Once it starts to bubble / boil (about 8 minutes or so) begin to stir constantly over the same heat until it thickens significantly (about 7-10 more minutes).

*See notes below if you want to make a thinner vegan caramel sauce.

Delicious vegan caramel sauce. It's naturally sweetened and made using coconut cream.

How to Enjoy Vegan Caramel:

This vegan caramel recipe is great on literally everything. How I like to enjoy it:

As as “frosting” for brownies

Drizzled on coconut milk ice cream / nice cream

In vegan milk shakes

As a dip for apple slices

DIY caramel machiato

As a drizzle on banana or apple pancakes

Delicious vegan caramel recipe. Made with coconut cream and coconut sugar. Paleo and dairy free.

Substitutions/ Additions

There’s so much you can do with this caramel. You could add vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste (PS Trader Joes just came out its own vanilla bean paste). You could also try ground lavender or experiment with different types of salt like fleur de sel, Maldon, sea, and pink Himalayan salt.

Coconut Milk: If you only have coconut milk, it too will form a hardened cream when chilled overnight, which you are welcome to use. However, the only difference between coconut milk and coconut cream is the degree to which it’s watered down- so you might need to open another can if that’s all you have on hand.

Thick, creamy, stretchy vegan caramel. Paleo friendly and dairy-free.

Can I make this into a thinner vegan caramel Sauce?

This recipe makes a thick vegan / paleo caramel. However, if you want a vegan caramel sauce that’s perfect in iced coffee for example, simply take the caramel off the burner sooner (about 5 minutes after it starts to boil). As the sugar and coconut cream cook together, water evaporates creating a thicker caramel consistency. The less time you cook it for, the less water evaporates and the thinner your caramel will be.

As always I’d love to hear your feedback on this recipe, please leave a comment below with suggestions, compliments or tips! I always love seeing your creations too, so tag me on insta @wholesomehedonista and let me see your photos!

Print Recipe

4.78 from 9 votes

Vegan Caramel Recipe (Paleo, Dairy-Free)

Thick creamy vegan caramel recipe made with only 3 ingredients! Coconut cream, coconut sugar, and a pinch of salt! Drizzle it on ice cream, use it to top brownies or eat it straight up with a spoon (I won’t judge you).

Prep Time5 mins

Cook Time15 mins

Total Time20 mins

Course: Dessert

Keyword: dairy-free, naturally-sweetened, paleo, refined-sugar-free, vegan, whole30, wholesome

Servings: cups

Calories: 126kcal

Equipment

Saucepan

Ingredients

2 cups coconut cream hardened white cream on top of chilled can only
2 + 1/4 cup coconut sugar
1 tsp salt

Instructions

Place coconut cream*(see notes below), coconut sugar, and salt in a medium sized saucepan over medium high heat.
Cook until all ingredients are melted together and mixture starts to bubble/boil, stirring frequently, for about 6-8 minutes.
As soon as mixture starts to boil, continue to cook, stirring CONSTANTLY, until caramel thickens significantly. About 5-10 minutes* (see notes below).

Notes

*For this recipe use the hardened white cream at the top of a chilled/unshaken can of coconut cream. Reserve the liquid to use in smoothies.

*The cook time suggested in this recipe will yield a thick caramel sauce. If you want a thinner sauce to use in iced-coffee for example, take the mixture off the heat 2-5 minutes after it boils.

Nutrition