Sweet, creamy and wonderfully decadent, this homemade dairy free caramel sauce is pure perfection! With no cooking required, it comes together in a blender or food processor in less than 10 minutes. Perfect for drizzling over just about anything, you won’t be able to resist this easy treat. Egg free, gluten free and vegan.

Are you ready for some seriously dreamy homemade dairy free caramel sauce?

Because today’s recipe is nothing short of pure perfection.

Creamy, silky and perfectly sweet (plus a touch salty if desired), it’s also incredibly easy to make with no cooking required.

Just a quick blend in a food processor or blender and you’re off to the races.

And as for how to put it to good use? There’s just so many different options:

• Drizzle over your favorite dairy free ice cream, brownies, cookies, cake…
• Add a dollop to your afternoon coffee.
• Use as a dip for fruit, graham crackers, pretzels…

Or just eat a big ol’ spoonful straight from the fridge. You really can’t go wrong. 

Tips & Tricks

1. If desired, you can swap out the dairy free butter for coconut oil. With that said, the butter really adds something here as far as the flavor goes. But the recipe will still work with coconut oil (just make sure that you’re using the kind that comes in jars and firms up – the ones that have been processed to stay in liquid form won’t behave in the same way).
2. If your maple syrup is cold, the caramel sauce will be slightly thicker right after blending (versus slightly thinner if it was at room temperature). It will be exactly the same after chilling in the fridge.
3. I would not recommend substituting the coconut sugar for something else – it really helps give the caramel sauce that slight tangy flavor. 
4. Along those lines, the oat milk has great richness and body that adds something to the caramel. I don’t know if it will be quite the same with a different dairy free milk. My guess is that full-fat canned coconut milk or a store-bought dairy free heavy cream substitute would be the best bet.
5. I mention this in the recipe itself, but the caramel gets thicker the longer it is chilled in the fridge. It will be more runny when first blended, thicker but still quite drizzle-able after 2 hours and then more firm over time (about 8 to 12 hours or longer). Let it sit on the counter to soften as needed before using.

Cashew Butter Substitutions

If you are unable to use cashew butter, the following are a few different alternatives:

• Creamy almond butter will give you a very similar flavor in the finished product. While we thought the caramel tested best with cashew butter, the almond butter is a pretty darn close substitute. 
• Creamy peanut butter also works great – just keep in mind that the sauce will have a peanut butter spin (it’s super delicious this way, just obviously not as classic in taste).
• If you are nut free, the recipe does work with sunflower seed butter. With that said, the finished product has that distinct sunbutter taste. Delicious but not really caramel-like in flavor.

For all of these options, I preferred the caramel sauce using natural almond butter (only ingredients almonds), natural peanut butter (only ingredients peanuts and salt) and natural sunflower butter (ingredients sunflower seeds, sugar and salt).

How To Store

Fridge: The caramel sauce will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Freezer: You can also freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. When ready to enjoy, thaw overnight in the fridge. If needed, give the sauce a good stir (or a quick whirl in a small blender or food processor) to smooth out the texture.

Additional Dairy Free Dessert Recipes:

• Dairy Free Fudge
• Dairy Free Truffles
• Dairy Free Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
• Dark Chocolate Fruit & Nut Clusters
• Dairy Free Rice Krispie Treats
• Dairy Free Fruit Dip

Did you make this recipe? Rate and review it down below! I’d love to hear from you.