Mmmm… Caramel Sauce. It’s one of those simple pleasures in life. Especially on top of a creamy scoop of (dairy-free) vanilla ice cream.

Yum yum yum. I can think of all sorts of things that would taste better with a drizzle of this rich caramel sauce; banana nice cream, oatmeal, dairy-free yogurt, homemade lattes, thick creamy vegan milkshakes… a spoon. Everything is better with caramel!

It’s true, I love caramel sauce. Even better when it’s made from wholesome, plant-based ingredients. Even more better when it’s made from ingredients that I almost always have on-hand in my pantry. Actually, this could get a little dangerous.

Don’t be intimidated by making your own caramel sauce. It’s so easy. Simply whisk the ingredients together, and cook over low heat for 1- 2 minutes. That’s it! It’s absolutely amazing immediately as a hot caramel sauce (caramel sundaes, anyone?), or you can store it in the fridge and it will thicken up to apple dipping texture. So many possibilities! (If you’re looking for a truly whole-food vegan caramel dip, be sure to check out my date-based and raw Best Healthy Caramel Dip Ever).

As always, let me know if you give this one a try, I’d love to hear how you liked it!

Easy Vegan Caramel Sauce (Only 4 Ingredients!)

Prep/cook time: 4 minutes

Makes 4 servings

• 1/4 cup almond or cashew milk
• 1/4 cup coconut sugar*
• 2 Tbsp natural nut butter (peanut butter, cashew butter, and tahini all work great**)
• 2 Tbsp unrefined virgin coconut oil
• Optional: pinch of sea salt, 1/4 tsp vanilla extract (not necessary but they punch up the flavor!)

Instructions:

1. Combine first 4 ingredients in a small pot and whisk very well, until smooth. Turn the heat on medium and continue whisking until the mixture starts bubbling. Turn the heat down to low (as low as your burner can go) and heat for 1-2 minutes until thickened, whisking constantly to avoid burning. Turn off the heat and add the optional salt and vanilla and whisk again. Pour into a small jar and store any unused portion in the refrigerator.

Notes:

* I’m pretty sure you could substitute vegan brown sugar for the coconut sugar, but I haven’t tried it.

** We loved the peanut butter version, which is shown in the pics, but cashew butter was also amazing. Using tahini will give it some bite, which I loved. A combination of half peanut butter or cashew butter + half tahini also resulted in a great tasting caramel sauce. I’m pretty certain almond butter would work well here too; if you try it be sure to let us know in the comments!