Sugar-Free Caramel Sauce Recipe

Here's a recipe for sweet and salty low-carb sugar-free caramel sauce with only 1 gram total carbohydrate per tablespoon. And, there's no sugar alcohol or fiber sweetener! Perfect for dessert!

Article Index

• Ingredients Needed For Sugar-Free Caramel Sauce
• How To Make Sugar-Free Caramel Sauce
• Frequently Asked Questions About Keto Caramel Sauce
• More Low-Carb Sauces & Toppings
• Recipe

I've always been a lover of butterscotch and caramel. But, being packed full of sugar, they are not allowed on a low-carb diet. That is, if you don't have a keto-friendly version like this one!

Both butterscotch and caramel typically require a heavy dose of sugars and/or sweeteners for the taste to be right. When I made my sugar-free butterscotch pudding, the erythritol crystallized after refrigerating. So I hope to rework that recipe using liquid sweetener.

I'm recently have been moving away from using erythritol and fiber sweeteners. Instead, I've stocked up on both liquid and powder concentrated forms of monk fruit and stevia!

For monk fruit, I've been using this liquid and this powder. And for stevia, I mainly use this vanilla liquid stevia and this stevia powder.

As for this specific sugar-free caramel sauce, I opted to use liquid sweeteners.

I seem to be sensitive to both erythritol and fiber-based sweeteners, which is the main reason I avoid them. But, they also have carbs that are often subtracted for net carbs.

This sugar-free caramel recipe is going to taste amazing (without hurting your daily carb count)!

Ingredients Needed For Sugar-Free Caramel Sauce

There are only four simple ingredients in this sweet dessert sauce.

Butter

Whenever you make this caramel sauce, use unsalted butter. You should only use salted butter if you are wanting a salted caramel sauce.

Heavy Cream

The heavy cream is what will give it a rich taste and creamy texture. You only need about ¼ a cup.

Almond Butter

You should use unsalted almond butter as well. If you use salted almond butter, it will make the caramel sauce taste salty.

Monk Fruit Sweetener

For the best results, I suggest using Lakanto Liquid Monk Fruit Sweetener in vanilla. You honestly don't need much of it.

I used about ⅛th of a teaspoon, but you can add more if you want it a little sweeter.

Please note: Check out the recipe card at the bottom for a full list of ingredients used to make this low-carb recipe.

Quick Tips:  

• I prefer using salted butter and unsalted almond butter to give the sauce a buttery salted caramel taste.
• It’s best to use a light-colored pan so you can watch the color of the sauce and simmer it just until it turns golden brown.
• Use the sauce right away. As it cools down, it will begin to harden again.

How To Make Sugar-Free Caramel Sauce

All the exact steps are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. First, here are a few more tips and some step-by-step pictures.

Melt The Butter

You are going to make this entire recipe in a saucepan. Start out by melting the butter. Keep heating it until it turns golden brown and foamy.

Add Heavy Cream And Almond Butter

Then, add the heavy cream and almond butter and keep stirring it into the browned butter. Turn the heat down and continue to stir until it thickens up really nicely.

Remove From Heat & Stir In Sweetener

Finally, take it off the heat source and add the sweetener drops (you don't need very many). Taste it and add more if you want it to taste sweeter.

How To Use The Caramel Sauce

There are so many different low-carb desserts that will taste even better with this sauce. Add it on top of your favorite keto ice cream or drizzle it over a low-carb mug cake. Any chocolate dessert will taste even better with this sweet caramel sauce!

Sometimes, I'll just enjoy eating it right off the spoon.

When I put the leftover sauce in the refrigerator, it did harden up but was still easily scooped from the jar. I think this sugar-free caramel sauce would make a good filling for low-carb candies, too!

Frequently Asked Questions About Keto Caramel Sauce

Before I share the entire recipe, here are some questions people often ask about it.

Can you use erythritol instead of monk fruit sweetener?

I do not recommend using erythritol instead of monk fruit sweetener in a low-carb caramel sauce.

Erythritol can crystallize and make the product crunchy. Definitely not something I want in a dessert sauce!

What is the purpose of almond butter?

Not only does the almond butter add color, but it also thickens the sugar-free caramel sauce. At first, I tried two tablespoons, but that was too much. So, I reduced it to only 1 tablespoon, which was perfect.

How do you make this paleo?

For those on a paleo diet, I bet the butter could be replaced with ghee, and coconut cream could be used in place of heavy cream. I want to give that a try the next time I make this sauce, which will likely be very soon.

Should I use salted butter or unsalted butter?

That depends on whether you want it to taste salty or not. I used salted butter and it came out with a nice taste that was a cross between butterscotch and salted caramel.

Does the sauce harden when it gets cold?

The sauce does harden up when it gets cold. I served it over some low-carb vanilla ice cream and it got thick like fudge. And, the taste was amazing.

I got inspiration from a browned butter salted caramel sauce at The Chunky Chef to make my sauce. The idea to add almond butter came from the vegan caramel sauce found at Pinch of Yum!

Some may argue that keto dieters don't need sweets. But I enjoy them, so I don't want to give them up completely. However, I want to be smart about the ingredients I use to make them.

More Low-Carb Sauces & Toppings

If you enjoyed this low-carb caramel sauce, here are some more keto-friendly sauces and toppings you will enjoy next. They are some of our most popular recipes.

• Sugar-Free Raspberry Jam tastes amazing as a dip or on top of your favorite low-carb muffin.
• Keto Maple Syrup is the perfect thing for your protein pancakes or to top some chaffles.
• Low-Carb Peanut Butter Sauce is a delicious ice cream topping and has a wonderful nutty taste.
• Sugar-Free Cranberry Blueberry Sauce is a yummy combination of bright fruit flavors.
• Easy Hot Fudge Sauce is a cinch to make and only has 2g net carbs in each serving.

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Recipe

First published on June 2, 2017. Updated on May 27, 2021, with new images and additional recipe information.