Caramel Apple Dip

This homemade caramel apple dip is made 100% from scratch with real caramelized sugar–no condensed milk or brown sugar shortcuts! It’s thick, glossy, and tastes so much better than the store-bought kind.

Homemade Caramel Dip

This caramel apple dip is perfect for when you’re craving one of those gourmet, old-fashioned caramel apples, but don’t want the hassle of making a whole batch. It’s a fun dessert dip that’s most commonly enjoyed in the fall, but now you can make it any time the caramel apple craving strikes!

What’s to love:

• No sweetened condensed milk or brown sugar shortcuts. Don’t get me wrong, those have a time and a place (hello, Millionaire’s shortbread)! However, for this recipe I wanted to deliver a real deal, true caramel.
• The lazy girl(/guy’s) guide to caramel apples. Have you ever made “real” caramel apples before? Honestly, they’re a pain in the butt. If you want the taste but could do without the fuss, this recipe is for you.
• Not just for apples! I include a few other dipping suggestions below, we love graham crackers!

Today’s recipe is quite similar to my caramel sauce, close enough that I almost didn’t post it, but after dipping nearly a bushel-worth of apple slices through it in the past month, I thought it was worth sharing on its own. It’s ever so slightly modified to be thicker and glossier, ideal for dipping rather than one for drizzling over ice cream or cheesecake, but the technique and the idea are the same.

It’s still not quite thick enough to make the old-fashioned caramel apples though; see the FAQ section below for more details.

What You Need

You can make homemade caramel dip with just 7 ingredients! Most of these will look familiar if you’ve made my caramel sauce (not be be confused with my quick & easy salted caramel sauce, which is a bit different).

• Sugar. Today’s recipe is a classic caramel, which means it starts with granulated sugar. We’ll cook this down until it caramelizes into a beautiful golden caramel dip that’s perfect for apple slices!
• Corn syrup. While not always necessary when making caramel, I add corn syrup to this caramel dip to prevent it from becoming grainy. Remember, this is NOT the same thing as high fructose corn syrup! Golden syrup will also work here.
• Water. A splash of water helps the sugar cook evenly and is helpful for preventing crystallization from occurring while the caramel cooks.
• Heavy cream. I add this at the end of the cooking process so the sugars have time to caramelize properly. Make sure your cream is at room temperature before you add it.
• Vanilla and salt. Along with some unsalted butter, these two ingredients enhance the flavor of the caramel. I do include instructions in the recipe notes below for adjusting the salt to make a salted caramel apple dip.

You will also need a candy thermometer and a pastry brush. A candy thermometer is essential for knowing when your caramel reaches the right temperature and, ultimately, the right consistency. A pastry brush is useful for brushing away any sugar crystals that form on the sides of the pot.

SAM’S TIP: This dip isn’t just for apples! We like to use it for graham crackers, pretzels or even sliced pears.

Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!

How to Make Caramel Apple Dip

1. Add the sugar, salt, water, and corn syrup to a saucepan over medium low heat and stir occasionally until the sugar dissolves. If sugar crystals form on the sides of the pot, use a damp pastry brush to brush them back into the pot.
2. Increase the heat to medium and continue stirring occasionally until the mixture starts to boil. Once boiling, keep cooking until it turns a caramel color and reaches 340F (171C).
3. Remove the pan from the heat and very carefully drizzle in the cream while stirring. This will cause the caramel to bubble and sputter, so be careful!
4. Add the butter one piece at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Let the caramel cool before serving.

SAM’S TIP: I recommend that you stop stirring once the mixture starts boiling to prevent sugar crystals from forming. The only exceptions to this rule would be if you have only a thin pan (not a heavy bottomed one), if you have struggled in the past with your caramel burning, or if you find that your stovetop heat is inconsistent. You are more likely to end up with some graininess this way, but you are also less likely to end up with burnt caramel, so the tradeoff is worth it in my opinion.

Frequently Asked Questions

What other fall recipes would you like to see? Let me know in the comments below!

Enjoy!

Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook

Caramel Apple Dip

This homemade caramel apple dip is made 100% from scratch with real caramelized sugar–no condensed milk or brown sugar shortcuts! It's thick, glossy, and tastes so much better than the store-bought kind.

5 from 6 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert, dip

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 9 servings (2 Tbsp per serving)

Calories: 169kcal

Author: Sam Merritt

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
• ▢ ¼ heaping teaspoon salt
• ▢ ¼ cup (60 ml) water
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons light corn syrup
• ▢ ½ cup (120 ml) heavy cream room temperature
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter cut into 2 pieces room temperature
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• ▢ Apple slices for dipping

Recommended Equipment

• ▢
  Small saucepan
• ▢
  Candy thermometer

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

• Combine sugar, salt, water, and corn syrup in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir occasionally until sugar is dissolved. If any sugar remains on the side of the pot, use a damp pastry brush to wash them down into the pot.
  1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar, ¼ heaping teaspoon salt, ¼ cup (60 ml) water, 2 Tablespoons light corn syrup
• Increase heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a boil.
• Once bubbling, allow mixture to cook until it begins to turn caramel in color and reaches 340F (171C).
• Immediately remove the pot from heat and, slowly, cautiously (because it will bubble a lot – don’t get splattered!), drizzle cream into the mixture while stirring.
  ½ cup (120 ml) heavy cream
• Once cream is fully incorporated, stir in butter one piece at a time until the mixture is smooth.
  2 Tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter cut into 2 pieces room temperature
• Stir in vanilla extract.
  1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• Allow caramel to cool before serving (it will thicken as it cools). We like to dip apple slices and graham crackers but you can really dip anything you’d like!
  Apple slices

Notes

Melted sugar is very hot, do not touch until the caramel has cooled!

Thermometer

The caramel is very shallow in the saucepan so take care that your candy thermometer is inserted into the liquid but not touching the bottom of the pan.

Salt

Use ¼ teaspoon salt for classic caramel dip, and ½ teaspoon salt for salted caramel dip.

Storage

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 169kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 0.4g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 8mg | Potassium: 15mg | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 272IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 0.03mg

Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.

Tried this recipe? Show me on Instagram!Mention @SugarSpun_Sam or tag #sugarspunrun!

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