My Paleo Homemade Caramel brought back a family favorite. Caramel is one of our family’s favorite ice cream toppings. But, so many of the store bought caramels had dairy or a looong list of ingredients. This easy homemade sauce only has THREE ingredients! It’s not hard to get behind a treat like this one.

Why We Love this Paleo Homemade Caramel

I mean, this had me at three ingredients. So many store bought treats have an ingredient list a mile love. I love that this dessert topping is made with only 3 whole food ingredients. It uses coconut cream, coconut sugar, and vanilla. That’s it! Thus, this sauce is gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and vegan.

I love how simple it is to make. No blending, no candy thermometer, and only takes 15 minutes to prep. The hardest part about it is just making sure you patiently continue to stir during the entire 10 minutes of cooking so it won’t burn. We usually rotate a few kids for that job! 

NOTE: Right after cooking, this caramel will be delicious but thin. It has to thicken in the fridge for at least 6 hours before it will have a nice thick caramel consistency.

What is Coconut Cream?

I get a lot of questions about coconut cream. Coconut cream is similar to coconut milk but is much thicker and four times richer. Make sure to use canned coconut cream in this recipe. We need that richness to make a thick ice cream. Using coconut milk (even just the solid part of coconut milk) will result in an ice cream that will never get thick. 

Also, note that in this Paleo Homemade Caramel recipe you only used the solid part of the coconut cream. I keep my coconut cream in the fridge, especially in the warmer months of the year. Chilled coconut cream means the rich healthy fats will solidify, making it easier to scoop out. (Note, the thick solid part shouldn’t be icy – that means you stored it in too cold a part of the fridge and will result in a chunky consistency. I usually keep mine in the door of my fridge). What you scoop out and use for this recipe should be thick, solid, and white (see ingredient photo below). The remaining more opaque liquid you don’t use, and can save for smoothies.

As this recipe only has 3 ingredients, getting the coconut cream right is essential. I prefer the Thai Kitchen brand for great consistency, which I get cheapest at Walmart. Some canned coconut creams have a weird chunky texture out of the can, but this one is always just right for me.

Ways we Love to Eat this Paleo Homemade Caramel

I mean, you are more than welcome to just eat it with a spoon ; ). But, here are some other ideas:

• On top of my Vanilla or Chocolate Paleo Ice Cream
• To make one of our favorites: Paleo Chocolate Caramel Cookie Bars
• For my Loaded Caramel Apples (a delicious Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory copycat!)

Ingredients

Like I said, only 3 simple ingredients to make this Paleo Homemade Caramel:

• Canned Coconut Cream – See above notes to make sure you get this one right!
• Coconut sugar – I get my coconut sugar most affordably from the bulk bins at Winco. When I buy it online, here (1.5 pounds) or here (5lbs, cheaper but in bulk) are the one I get from Amazon.
• Vanilla – We often can’t afford pure vanilla extract, though that’s ideal. If it’s not accessible to you, vanilla extract is fine.