4 Ingredient Soft Caramels

Name: Easy 4 Ingredient Soft Caramels (no candy thermometer required)
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 1 ½ sticks butter ((12 tablespoons)); ½ cup sugar; 3 tablespoons light corn syrup; 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk; optional: coarse sea salt, ½ teaspoon vanilla ((see note))

TiffanyPublished Feb 04, 2025

Jump to Recipe ▼

Reader Rating

Total Time 15

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

EASY 4 Ingredient Soft Caramels you can whip up in about 15 minutes. You don’t need a candy thermometer to make these caramels and they literally melt in your mouth!

Looking for more easy dessert recipes? I have you covered with my posts for Peanut Butter Fudge, No Bake Peanut Butter Bars, Easy Microwave Peanut Brittle, and 3 Ingredient Old Fashioned Potato Candy.

Why This Recipe Works

Old-fashioned flavor — People just LOVE my mom’s candy caramel recipe. Truly, it’s famous. And, while it’s delicious, it’s one of those recipes requires a candy thermometer, a giant pot, and a LOT of pot-stirring. As much as I adore those caramels, I tend to be a slightly less patient person than my mother and need something quick and easy that still delivers a big buttery caramel flavor. That’s where this recipe comes in. Big flavor, little work. I love it.

Easy — These homemade caramels seriously are so easy to make. They only require four ingredients (5 if you decide to go all-out and sprinkle on the sea salt) and you spend about 10 minutes stirring and keeping an eye on the stove pot.

No fancy gadgets — The best part is that NO fancy gadgets (namely, no candy thermometer) are needed. Do you have a saucepan, a can opener, and a spoon? Then you are good to go!

Delicious — Not only is this easy caramels recipe quick, but they are also soooooo melt-in-your-mouth yummy. BIG caramel flavor, with just a hint of sea salt (if you chose to add it). The hardest part is waiting for the caramel to cool before eating it!

Why This Recipe Works
Ingredients
Here’s How You Make It
Expert Tips & Tricks
Frequently Asked Questions
More Recipes for Caramel Lovers!
Easy 4 Ingredient Soft Caramels (no candy thermometer required) Recipe

Ingredients

Sugar — Use all-purpose, white sugar here for the best-tasting caramels.
Light Corn Syrup — Make sure you use light corn syrup because this type of corn syrup keeps the sugar from crystalizing as it cooks, ensuring a rich, chewy texture.
Sweetened Condensed Milk — This is the trick to easy caramels because the condensed milk easily caramelizes when put to heat and helps the caramels maintain smoothness and creaminess.
Coarse Sea Salt & Vanilla — Optional flavors you can add to the caramels but not necessary!

Here’s How You Make It

Combine the butter and sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir, stir, stir, till the butter is melted and the sugar has dissolved into the melted butter. They’ve become one.
Add the corn syrup and condensed milk to the butter/sugar mixture.
Allow the candy syrup to boil then decrease the heat and let it simmer for about 7-10 minutes or so.
Keep stirring till the caramels have reached a deep golden color.
Pour the caramels into a foil-lined 8×8 inch pan and let them cool completely. (Here’s where you’ll sprinkle them with coarse sea salt if you choose.)
When the candy has completely cooled, you can cut the caramels into squares and wrap them in wax paper.

soft caramels with sea salt wrapped in wax paper

Expert Tips & Tricks

This recipe creates roughly 20-30 caramels (depending on how large you cut them).
Store wrapped caramels in an airtight container at room temperature.
For additional richness and flavor, stir in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla after removing the caramel from the heat and before pouring it into your prepared pan.
Want to add a little salty zing to your caramel? Sprinkle coarse sea salt on top of them after you pour them into a pan to cool.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Wrap Homemade Caramels?

Once the caramels have cooled, you can cut them up and wrap in wax paper. I use wax paper because it will not stick to the caramels. Depending on what size you want to cut your candy you’ll want to cut squares or rectangles of wax paper the same shape as your caramels, and slightly larger (I give them about a half inch extra on each side).

Once you have all your wax paper cut, add a caramel to the center and roll the caramel up in it, then twist both ends tight to keep it secure.

What Looks Good With Caramel?

Want to use your homemade caramel for more than just individual candies? You could:

– Make caramel apples by dipping and twirling apples into the caramel while it is still warm in the pot (put the apples on a stick or use a fork inserted into the top of the apples before dipping).
– Don’t want whole caramel apples? Slice apples up and put them in concentric rings on a plate and drizzle warm caramel over the top of them. Bonus: Sprinkle chocolate chips on top of the warm caramel over the apples before it cools for an extra treat.
– Have an ice cream social and pour warm caramel over the top of ice cream sundaes.
– Dip pretzel sticks into the caramel and then roll in sprinkles or chocolate chips or crushed candy.
– Add caramel to brownie batter before or after baking.
– Add a little square of caramel into the middle of a chocolate chip cookie before baking.

partially eaten caramel candy stacked on more caramels

More Recipes for Caramel Lovers!

Did you make this recipe? FANTASTIC. Please rate the recipe below and be sure to tag me on social when you share a photo on social – I love seeing what you’re up to in the kitchen!

4.64 from 104 votes

Easy 4 Ingredient Soft Caramels (no candy thermometer required)

By Tiffany Azure

EASY soft caramels with just 4 ingredients. You can whip these up in about 15 minutes with NO candy thermometer and they literally melt in your mouth!

Prep: 5

Cook: 10

Total: 15

Servings: servings

Save Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe Print Recipe

Ingredients

▢ 1 ½ sticks butter , (12 tablespoons)
▢ ½ cup sugar
▢ 3 tablespoons light corn syrup
▢ 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
▢ optional: coarse sea salt, ½ teaspoon vanilla , (see note)

Instructions

In a medium sauce pan combine butter and sugar and stir over medium heat until melted. Stir in corn syrup and condensed milk.
Bring to a boil and then decrease to simmer 7-10 minutes or until mixture achieves deep golden color, stirring constantly. (*For lower altitudes, simmer time may need to be reduced 2-3 minutes, watch carefully for coloring and read note!)
Pour caramel into a foil-lined 8×8 inch pan and allow to cool completely. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt if desired.
When completely cooled, cut into squares and wrap in wax paper.

Notes

Step 2 – After bringing the mixture to a rapid boil (step 2), reduce the heat to medium heat. The caramel will continue to bubble from here on out. Keep stirring over medium heat for about 10 minutes or until your caramel reaches a deep golden color and the caramel starts to “pull away” from the edges of the pan. Also, if your butter starts to separate, remove from heat and whisk whisk whisk like crazy and it will come back together – then continue to whisk over heat until deep golden color is reached.

*Weather – If you aren’t familiar with candy making – it is commonly known that candy making can be temperamental due to location (altitude) and weather. That being said, I have personally never had an issue with this recipe, it always comes out perfectly!

Batch size – makes about 20-30 caramels (depending on how large you cut them)

*Cooling time – recipe prep time does not include cooling time which may be 1-2 hours

Add-ins – for additional richness and flavor, you can stir in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla after removing the caramel from the heat and before pouring it into your prepared pan. sprinkle coarse sea salt on top of caramels for a boost of rich salted caramel flavor!