Easy Butterscotch Sauce Recipe (2024)

This post may contain paid links. If you make a purchase through links on our site, we may earn a commission.

Jump to Recipe Jump to Video

Bring your best homemade desserts to a whole new level of delicious with our easy butterscotch sauce recipe! With just 4 ingredients and 4 minutes of cook time, this will be your new favorite easy gourmet dessert topping. Trust me!

Simple homemade butterscotch sauce made with butter, brown sugar, and cream is the best for topping ice cream, pies, galettes, and even pound cake. It’s so easy to make and delicious!

Easy Butterscotch Sauce Recipe (1)
Jump to:
  • Best Butterscotch Sauce Recipe
  • What is butterscotch?
  • Butterscotch vs. Caramel
  • Butterscotch Ingredients
  • How to Make Butterscotch Sauce
  • Do I need to refrigerate butterscotch syrup?
  • How long will butterscotch sauce keep?
  • Can this dessert sauce be frozen?
  • Uses for Butterscotch Sauce
  • 📋 Recipe
  • 💬 Reviews

Best Butterscotch Sauce Recipe

I first fell in love with butterscotch when my grandma introduced me to hard butterscotch candies as a child. Is it a requirement for all grandparents to have butterscotch candies hidden around their home to bribe grandchildren with? I think so.

Over the years, my obsession with butterscotch caught up with my love for cooking… and I found out how EASY it is to make butterscotch sauce from scratch!

It’s a great way to get your sweet tooth fix. Make this easy butterscotch sauce recipe at home, and you’ll want to top every dessert with it. And I mean EVERY dessert. It only takes 4 minutes and 4 ingredients to make, and it tastes unbelievably good, so why not?

I made this tonight and it’s ahhhmazing!! Fast, easy and incredibly delicious! Thanks so much for the recipe, I’ll never buy the stuff in the jars again! (That was a lot of exclamation points…it’s THAT good!)

Jennifer

What is butterscotch?

To put it simply, butterscotch is a confection you make by melting butter with brown sugar.

Any butterscotch recipe sauce can include extra ingredients, like heavy cream, corn syrup, salt, and more, but the base is always butter and brown sugar.

Butterscotch vs. Caramel

The difference between butterscotch and caramel is that caramel sauce uses granulated sugar while butterscotch sauce uses brown sugar.

Using brown sugar allows for a richer, sweeter flavor than caramel. It’s much like if you use brown sugar in place of granulated sugar when you’re making cookies. The result is gooey and decadent.

Easy Butterscotch Sauce Recipe (2)

In some cases, you can use butterscotch and caramel sauce in place of the other. But once you learn how to make butterscotch sauce as easily as this quick butterscotch sauce recipe, there’s no reason to turn to anything else!

Sorry caramel, but butterscotch sauce will always be my favorite!

Butterscotch Ingredients

  • butter
  • brown sugar
  • heavy cream
  • pinch sea salt

How to Make Butterscotch Sauce

  1. Combine 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, ⅓ cup light brown sugar, and ⅓ cup heavy cream in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.
  2. Stir until the butter melts and the ingredients fully combine.
  3. Turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer for 4 minutes.
  4. Remove from the heat and add a pinch of sea salt.
Easy Butterscotch Sauce Recipe (3)

Let your homemade butterscotch sauce cool a few minutes before serving, and enjoy!

I tried it! It came out delicious, so easy it is definitely a keeper!

Karen on Pinterest

Do I need to refrigerate butterscotch syrup?

Because our butterscotch recipe includes heavy cream, it should be refrigerated. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge.

Easy Butterscotch Sauce Recipe (4)

When I tell you this is better than the store bought snickers one! Amazing!

Heidi on Pinterest

How long will butterscotch sauce keep?

Store it properly in the fridge, and butterscotch sauce will last up to a month.

But trust me – it won’t last that long! It’s too delicious! When you’re ready to enjoy it, warm it up in a microwave-safe dish.

Easy Butterscotch Sauce Recipe (5)

Can this dessert sauce be frozen?

Yes. You can freeze butterscotch sauce. Here are some tips:

  • TIP #1: The heavy cream in the sauce will expand when frozen, so don’t use a glass container to store it in the freezer.
  • TIP #2: You can’t go from frozen to eating. You’ll need to thaw the sauce first, then reheat it.

Uses for Butterscotch Sauce

This won’t come as any surprise, but I think the best way to use up your butterscotch sauce is in an ice cream sundae.

You can also use it as a topping when decorating cakes or cupcakes. Mix it into a buttercream batter to make butterscotch buttercream, or eat it as is on fresh fruit! Butterscotch sauce is delicious for an apple dump cake, apple crisp, or even caramel apple empanadas.

This sauce is out-of-this-world delicious, with pumpkin crunch cake. Yum! I also love it on Banana Bread Waffles and Pumpkin Waffles for brunch!

Easy Butterscotch Sauce Recipe (6)

You can even dip the rim of an apple pie sangria in this butterscotch sauce and boy oh boy, will that sangria taste amazing!

Love making your own sauces at home? We do, too. Try one of our favorite dessert sauces, strawberry sauce, next! It’s amazing in our strawberry swirl cheesecake. And if you love cream cheese, my Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe is a must!

We’d love to know what you think of this butterscotch sauce recipe. Let us know if you try it out in the comments below! You can visit our 📌 on Pinterest too, and leave a comment with a photo of your favorite dessert to eat with this butterscotch sauce.

📋 Recipe

Easy Butterscotch Sauce Recipe (7)

Butterscotch Sauce Recipe

Isabel Laessig

Try homemade butterscotch sauce made with butter, brown sugar, and cream, on your favorite desserts! This butterscotch sauce recipe is simple and delicious.

4.67 from 27 votes

Print Recipe

Prep Time 1 minute min

Cook Time 4 minutes mins

Total Time 5 minutes mins

Course Sauce

Cuisine American

Servings 1 cup

Calories 756 kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsps.
  • cup
  • cup
  • pinch

Cooking Conversions

See our Cooking Conversions Chart for help converting measurements!

Instructions

  • Combine butter, brown sugar and heavy cream in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir until the butter has melted and the ingredients are fully combined.

  • Turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer for four minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the salt.

  • Let cool before serving.

Video

Notes

TIP:You can freeze this butterscotch sauce recipe to use for later! The heavy cream in the sauce will expand when frozen, so don’t use a glass container to store it in the freezer. Keep in mind, you can’t go from frozen to eating. You’ll need to thaw the sauce first, then reheat it. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 756kcalCarbohydrates: 74gProtein: 1gFat: 52gSaturated Fat: 32gCholesterol: 169mgSodium: 53mgPotassium: 157mgSugar: 71gVitamin A: 1875IUCalcium: 113mgIron: 0.5mg

Keyword Butterscotch Sauce, Butterscotch Sauce Recipe, Butterscotch topping, sauce recipe

Did you try this recipe?Tag on social and leave a comment below!

Easy Butterscotch Sauce Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is butterscotch sauce made of? ›

Ingredients for Butterscotch Sauce

A traditional butterscotch sauce recipe requires only three main ingredients: brown sugar, butter, and heavy cream. That's it! We also add in a little vanilla and salt to boost the flavor.

Why is my butterscotch sauce not thickening? ›

Why won't my butterscotch sauce thicken? Once your sauce comes to a bubbling simmer let it cook for 3 full minutes without touching it. If you don't cook the sauce enough it won't thicken. If you cook it for too long, or at a full boil, then it will thicken too much and be more like butterscotch candy.

Is butterscotch sauce the same as caramel sauce? ›

Butterscotch vs Caramel

The difference between butterscotch and caramel is that caramel is made with white granulated sugar and cooked to 340 degrees Fahrenheit, whereas butterscotch is made with brown sugar and cooked to 289 degrees Fahrenheit.

What makes butterscotch taste like butterscotch? ›

The flavor of butterscotch is characterized by a mixture of browned butter, caramelized sugar + molasses (or dark brown sugar in modern versions) and salt. The flavor of caramel is characterized by caramelized sugar independent of molasses, butter or even salt.

What is the main ingredient in butterscotch? ›

Butterscotch is a type of confectionery whose primary ingredients are brown sugar and butter. Some recipes include corn syrup, cream, vanilla, and salt. The earliest known recipes, in mid-19th century Yorkshire, used treacle (molasses) in place of, or in addition to, sugar.

Is butterscotch just vanilla and caramel? ›

They also use butter, vanilla, and heavy whipping cream, but it's the sugar that differentiates these two from caramel. While caramel uses white sugar, both butterscotch and toffee use brown sugar.

Why is my butterscotch sauce grainy? ›

Troubleshooting Butterscotch Sauce

Grainy Texture: If your sauce has a grainy texture, it may be due to the crystallization of the sugar. To prevent this, make sure there are no sugar crystals on the sides of the pan before starting. In addition, avoid stirring the mixture once it begins to boil.

How do I make my sauce thicker and creamier? ›

The most readily available sauce-thickener is flour. For a too-thin sauce, try adding a slurry (equal parts flour and water, whisked together) or beurre manie (equal parts softened butter and flour, kneaded together to form a paste)—both are ideal thickeners for rich and creamy sauces, such as steak sauce recipes.

Why is the butter separating from my caramel sauce? ›

When the sauce cools it should remain amalgamated. If the butterfat separates out then usually this is due to the mixture being either heated or cooled too quickly, which "shocks" the mixture and causes the fat to separate out.

What flavor is closest to butterscotch? ›

Similar to caramel, butterscotch is made by heating sugar. The main difference between the two is that butterscotch uses brown sugar instead of white.

Is dulce de leche caramel or butterscotch? ›

While it is often likened to caramel, dulce de leche possesses its own unique flavor profile produced by the Maillard reaction, a chemical reaction and transformation of sugars and proteins via heat. Caramelization does not actually take place when you make dulce de leche.

What flavors does butterscotch go with? ›

But chefs and home cooks know that using fresh ingredients in from-scratch recipes make butterscotch desserts delicious, even chic. In the kitchen, FOBs (friends of butterscotch) include apples, pecans, cream, nutmeg, cloves, cardamom, chocolate, dessert sherry, rum and Scotch whisky.

What is the cheese that tastes like butterscotch? ›

Gjetost, (aka Brunost, which is Norwegian for Brown Cheese), is sweet like butterscotch with a dense and rich texture. It's fudge-like, caramelized, and decadent, making it a great breakfast or dessert cheese. Gjetost is best served in thin slices along with fresh fruit.

What is the crunchy thing in butterscotch cake? ›

Is it caramel-coated cashew/almonds or is it something else? It is not any coated dry fruit but it is hardened sugar,corn syrup along with few other ingredients then dropped with teaspoon to made chocolate chips like candies. These candies are also available in market like chocolate chips.

What fruit tastes like butterscotch? ›

The unfamiliar wanderer might mistake a whole lúcuma (Pouteria lucuma) for an avocado while exploring the temperate regions of Peru. But beneath the hard, green exterior, the beholder will discover a vibrant yellow, fleshy fruit. Tasters liken its flavor to caramel, butterscotch, and sweet potato.

What kind of alcohol is butterscotch? ›

Sweet liqueurs flavored with butterscotch, best known as butterscotch schnapps, are often made with a mixture of butter and brown sugar, though some use artificial flavors. Either way, they're designed to taste just like butterscotch caramels and used to create deliciously sweet co*cktails and shots.

What is the crunchy stuff in butterscotch? ›

It is not any coated dry fruit but it is hardened sugar,corn syrup along with few other ingredients then dropped with teaspoon to made chocolate chips like candies. These candies are also available in market like chocolate chips.

Why does butterscotch taste different than caramel? ›

The main difference between caramel and butterscotch is that caramel is made by heating white, granulated sugar to various stages, while butterscotch is made with brown sugar and butter, which gives it a deeper, more rounded flavor, thanks to the butter and molasses.

How was butterscotch originally made? ›

The original recipes for butterscotch used a similar method of caramelizing sugar, but also added the butter and molasses as essential ingredients.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Lakeisha Bayer VM

Last Updated:

Views: 6107

Rating: 4.9 / 5 (49 voted)

Reviews: 88% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Lakeisha Bayer VM

Birthday: 1997-10-17

Address: Suite 835 34136 Adrian Mountains, Floydton, UT 81036

Phone: +3571527672278

Job: Manufacturing Agent

Hobby: Skimboarding, Photography, Roller skating, Knife making, Paintball, Embroidery, Gunsmithing

Introduction: My name is Lakeisha Bayer VM, I am a brainy, kind, enchanting, healthy, lovely, clean, witty person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.