These 6-Ingredient Easy Homemade Caramels are positively irresistible. If you’re looking for a delicious homemade caramel recipe without corn syrup or heavy cream, this recipe ticks all the right boxes.

Agave for the win in this recipe for 6-Ingredient Easy Homemade Caramels

A bright work surface is covered with 6-Ingredient Easy Homemade Caramels in various stages of completion. This image shows a closeup of the caramels finished in toasted sesame seeds. — Caramels finished with toasted sesame seeds

There’s a lot of conflicting information and opinion on whether agave nectar is a good substitute sweetener. Although it has a lower Glycemic Index (think in terms of how quickly and how much will a food raise blood glucose levels), it is still higher in fructose than many other sweeteners. The higher the fructose level, the greater the impact to our metabolism. The liver has to work harder to process the sugars and research has linked long-term overuse to chronic diseases such as obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

High fructose corn syrup is everywhere. Pick up any processed food at the grocery store – from juice, to cereal, even sauces – and you’ll find it listed in the ingredients. As the name implies, it’s high in fructose – which can trigger a host of problems for the body.

In an article published by Healthline, Joe Leech, MS provides an easy to digest (small pun intended) overview of how agave compares to other sweeteners. It’s clearly not a perfect natural substitute, but as with most foods, in moderation, it has its place in the baking world. In this recipe for 6-Ingredient Easy Homemade Caramels I call for using Agave nectar as an invert sweetener.

So why do you need a fructose sweetener at all for making caramel?

A bright work surface is covered with 6-Ingredient Easy Homemade Caramels in various stages of completion. This image shows a closeup of the plain caramels. — Ready to be cut and wrapped

Have you ever tried to make homemade caramel, only to have it seize up into a grainy mess? Granulated sugar is made up of sucrose molecules. Think of sucrose as the shy, tight-knit group of introverts that like to stick close to each other at a party. They hang out in their own little corner next to the food and never mingle. They’re wonderfully sweet, but when the heat’s turned up, they have trouble mixing. When sugar is cooked, the sucrose is prone to crystallization. It doesn’t want to mix with the other ingredients.

Invert sweeteners (sweeteners that contain both glucose and fructose) are the extroverts of the baking world. They are the glue that brings everyone together. They know everyone and can make connections easily. Invert sweeteners stabilize the sugar granules and gently encourage them to spread out and mix it up. They say to the sugar, “Hey! Have you met my friends vanilla and evaporated milk over there? I think you’d get along really well. Let me introduce you…” Invert sweeteners bring everything together and keep things smooth n this easy homemade caramels recipe.

Agave is an invert sweetener that brings its own unique flavor to these 6-Ingredient Easy Homemade Caramels. It has some personality. I’m not opposed to using corn syrup in my baking. I think there’s a place for it. However, if you’re looking for caramel recipes without corm syrup, give this one a try. In terms of building layers of flavor, I prefer to use agave nectar in this recipe for 6-Ingredient Easy Homemade Caramels.

Evaporated milk makes these caramels irresistibly creamy without the extra fat

I recently went through some old recipe books I have from the 1940s and 50s. While doing this, I noticed a few common ingredients in many of the recipes. At the top of the list was evaporated milk – which was apparently used in just about everything back then. I think they were definitely on to something here.

In my recipe for Easy Brown Sugar Love Cupcakes, I use evaporated milk to build caramel flavor as well. Evaporated milk (not to be confused with sweetened condensed milk) is milk that has been heated until approximately 60% of its original water content has evaporated off. What remains is a thicker, creamier, more flavorful version of its former self.

Evaporated milk also contains less fat than heavy cream, so these candies gain that rich, creamy texture we all crave in a good caramel, without the added fat. This is a definite bonus in my book. If that allows me to eat an extra one or two of these 6-Ingredient Easy Homemade Caramels in good conscience, then I’m all in!

6-Ingredient Easy Homemade Caramels

Recipe by Maria Ostrander Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Intermediate

Servings

pieces

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Cooling time

hours

Finishing time

minutes

A delicious homemade caramel recipe without corn syrup or heavy cream.

Ingredients

Prepare the caramels
One stick (1/2 cup) European Style butter, unsalted
2 cups white granulated sugar
1 cup light agave nectar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. kosher salt
One 12 oz. can Evaporated Milk (not sweetened condensed milk)
Finishing the caramels
80 4-inch x 4-inch squares of parchment paper or ready-made candy wrappers
Optional – Toasted sesame seeds, dried rose petals. You will need approximately 1 Tbsp. to finish one caramel row.

Directions

Prepare the caramels
Prepare a 12-inch x 9-inch baking pan by spraying it with nonstick spray and lining the bottom of the pan with parchment paper cut to fit. Spray the top of the parchment paper as well and set aside.
In a 5-quart, heavy-bottom sauce pot (or larger) combine the butter, sugar, agave nectar, vanilla and salt.
Over medium heat, stir the mixture continually until it has dissolved and reached the temperature of 248 degrees F.
Once the sugar mixture has reached 248 degrees, gradually add the evaporated milk a little at a time. The mixture will bubble up considerably and the temperature will drop between additions. Continue stirring. As the temperature increases again, the mixture will bubble less, thicken and the color will get darker.
Once all the milk has been added, continue to stir until the temperature reaches 250 degrees F and the mixture is a rich, golden brown color.
Carefully pour the finished caramel into the prepared pan and allow to cool at room temperature for 4 hours. This time will allow the caramel to set properly.
Finish the caramels
Once firm, turn the caramel out on a lightly greased cutting board and cut into 12 one-inch strips. Roll and shape as desired.
Optional – you can roll the finished caramels in toasted sesame seeds, dried rose petals, ground nuts or coconut if desired.
Wrap the cut caramels in papers. Finished caramels will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two weeks. You can also freeze them for up to one month.

Notes

Safety first: Always use extreme caution when working with hot sugar mixtures, which can cause severe burns. Make sure your work area is clear, always wear shoes in the kitchen and tell extra bodies to stay out of the room while you work.
Tips for cutting caramels: Run your knife under hot water and wipe off the blade between cuts. This will help keep the caramel from sticking between cuts. You can also lightly spray your work surface with a nonstick spray.