Easy Vegan Caramel Sauce
10-minutes is all it takes to make this 4-ingredient Vegan Caramel Sauce that is delicious on desserts, ice cream, apple slices, and anything else you might think of!
This is such a simple dessert that can have so many uses. Just recently, I made Vegan Caramel Apples using it, and they were absolutely amazing! For the apples, I made it a little thicker so it would stick to the apples well but, it’s so versatile, you can make it thick, thin, or somewhere in between.
You’ll love this sticky sweet caramel sauce because it’s:
- Easy and delicious
- Free of syrup and refined sugars
- Made with healthy dates
- Oil-free
- Dairy-free
- Gluten-free
- Vegan
All of the ingredients used are wholesome and much lower in fat than the traditional version. Made with dates, vanilla, sea salt, and plant milk, this vegan caramel sauce is going to knock your socks off. The recipe is adapted from the Eating Bird Food website.
Type of dates to use
My favorite dates to use are Medjool dates. They are very large and are the most common type used in cooking and baking. They are chewy, moist, and sweet and have wrinkled skin that indicates they are dried. These are the ones I used for this recipe and many others like Stuffed Dates.
Nutritionally, dates are high in fiber, iron, potassium, and B vitamins. They have 2 grams of protein in a little over 3 ounces.
How do you make vegan caramel sauce?
The recipe card at the bottom of the page has the full list of ingredients with measurements and instructions.
Remove the pits from each of the dates. Then, add all of the ingredients–dates, vanilla, sea salt, and plant milk–to your high-power blender. My personal favorite and the only brand I use is Vitamix because it can blend anything I throw in it to perfection.
Blend the ingredients until nice and smooth. Add more plant milk 1-2 tablespoons at a time if needed to help the blending process.
Tips & Suggestions:
- Dates- Medjool dates are recommended over other types of dates such as Deglet Noor varieties because they have a soft, chewy, caramel-like texture.
- Consistency- One of the best things about this recipe is that by making adjustments to the amount of plant milk used, you can easily change the consistency for different uses. To make an extra-special treat for the kids, add less milk to keep it thick and make these fabulous Vegan Caramel Apples.
Want to be able to drizzle it over Vanilla Cake or Nice Cream? EASY! Add a little more milk to make the consistency more liquidy to flow right over all those desserts.
More recipes that could use a little vegan caramel
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Easy Vegan Caramel Sauce (4-Ingredients)
Ingredients
- 20 mejool dates pitted
- 1/4 cup plant milk almond, soy, etc
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Remove the pits from each of the dates.
- Then, add all of the ingredients–dates, vanilla, sea salt, and plant milk–to your high-power blender. My personal favorite and the only brand I use is Vitamix because it can blend anything I throw in it to perfection.
- Blend the ingredients until nice and smooth. Add more plant milk 1-2 tablespoons at a time if needed to help the blending process.
Video
Notes
- Medjool dates are recommended over other types of dates such as Deglet Noor varieties because they have a soft, chewy, caramel-like texture.
- One of the best things about this recipe is that by making adjustments to the amount of plant milk used, you can easily change the consistency for different uses. To make an extra-special treat for the kids, add less milk to keep it thick and make these fabulous Vegan Caramel Apples.
Nutrition
Disclaimer
To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
About Terri Edwards
Hi guys! I am the content creator behind EatPlant-Based and a licensed Food for Life instructor with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. I am passionate about sharing healthy recipes and tips to empower others to get healthy. I’m so glad you’re here! Read More…
Can this caramel sauce be used as a substitution for sugar in a recipe? And, if so, how?
Karen- Hmmm, that I’m not sure about. I guess it’s possible depending on the recipe you’re using. If you give it a try, I would love to hear about how it goes.
How long will this keep refrigerated?
Hi Mishele- I would think it should keep for about 5-7 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Can this be warmed in the microwave before serving?
Hi Kathy- Yes, the caramel sauce should do just fine when heating, and any leftovers will last in the refrigerator in an airtight container for at least a week. I hope that you enjoy the recipe and find some yummy ways to use it.
I just made this and it’s delicious!I have never used dates in cooking so I didn’t know what to expect.Dipping my apple in it and really satisfies my sweet tooth.
Karla- YES! That’s great to hear. Dates are a great way too sweeten so many recipes. So glad that you liked this!