Easy Microwave Caramels Recipe (2024)

These buttery, soft caramel candies are made in the microwave. These homemade caramels are incredibly rich in flavor, and they practically melt-in-your-mouth. Microwave caramels are one of the simplest ways to make homemade candy.

Easy Microwave Caramel Candies

Soft, buttery caramels that have hints of rich vanilla and sea salt are surprisingly easy to make from scratch.

I was going through old files and notebooks the other day, and I stumbled across my home economics recipes from seventh grade. I attended a smaller school, and we did not have access to a kitchen. Home economics class was particularly challenging for my teacher, as any cooking we had to do was in a microwave and on a hot plate sitting on a folding table in the corner of the classroom.

Bless her soul and her creativity, because she really did not have a lot to work with in our classroom. But, she taught us thirteen year olds a real game changer—one I had forgotten about until my recent dig through the past—microwave caramel candy.

Honestly, it’s the easiest caramel recipe ever. If a bunch of rowdy junior high schoolers can make homemade caramel in the microwave without setting off the smoke detector, then it’s truly a foolproof recipe.

These caramel candies are perfectly soft with the tiniest bit of chewiness, and they remind me of the buttery caramel candies from an old-fashioned candy store.Whether you’re making them for a holiday season (like Christmas or Valentine’s Day) or any day of the year, this easy recipe is sure to be a hit! Seriously, they’re melt-in-your-mouth caramels and they’re pretty much the best thing ever.

Why This Easy Microwave Caramels Recipe Works:

• Microwave: Microwave caramel is a total game changer, because it takes a lot of the intimidating candy making steps out of the process. The microwave does all of the work, and it makes the best buttery caramel candy.
• Flavor: This recipe uses more brown sugar than granulated sugar, which gives the caramel a deeper molasses flavor. It enhances the caramel notes, giving it such a rich and intense flavor. Such a perfect recipe!
• Preference: One of the best parts of this homemade caramel candy recipe is that you can make these really soft and melt-in-your-mouth, or you can make them slightly chewier and harder. Basically, you cook the caramel in the microwave for less time if you want ultra soft caramels, and you cook it for longer if you want the harder, chewy caramels.

Ingredients:

Homemade caramels only takes a few ingredients, and most of the ingredients are probably pantry staples.Such a simple recipe with simple ingredients.

• Unsalted Butter: Use unsalted butter because salted butter will splatter more than unsalted butter.
• Brown Sugar: More brown sugar is used than white sugar, because brown sugar has a richer flavor. In this recipe it yields a deeply caramel candy flavor. You can use either light brown sugar or dark brown sugar. I prefer to use dark brown sugar in my homemade microwave caramels.
• Granulated sugar
• Corn Syrup: Karo corn syrup is a must in making homemade caramel candies, because the corn syrup keeps the sugar from crystalizing as it cooks in the microwave. It helps create a very smooth caramel. I use light corn syrup specifically.
• Sweetened Condensed Milk
• Salt
• Vanilla Extract
• Sea Salt: I like to sprinkle sea salt on top of the caramel, because the salt not only enhances the caramel flavor, it also helps cut through the sweetness of the candy.

How To Make Caramel In The Microwave:

Making caramel candies in the microwave is incredibly simple and practically foolproof. This is an overview, so scroll to the recipe card below for specific details on how to make caramel with condensed milk in microwave.

• Step 1: Melt the unsalted butter in a large microwave-safe bowl.
• Step 2: Add in the brown sugar, white sugar, corn syrup, sweetened condensed milk, and salt to the melted butter. Stir until combined.
• Step 3: Cook the caramel in the microwave in 3 minute increments, stirring after each hit in the microwave.
• Step 4: For a buttery soft caramel consistency, I cooked mine in the microwave for 9 minutes and 30 seconds (I have a 1200 watt microwave for reference) in 3 minute intervals. For slightly harder caramel, you can cook the caramel for another minute or so.
  • The cooking time will vary on your microwave.
  • Err on the side of caution, and cook for less time, then do a soft-ball test in cold water. Drop some caramel into a cup of cold water and let it sit for a minute or so. When you touch it, it should be pliable and roll into a ball.
  • For caramel, you generally want it to reach somewhere between 238-242 degrees Fahrenheit. If the caramel reaches the soft ball stage, it’s somewhere within that range of degrees.
• Step 5: Add in the vanilla extract and stir until smooth.
• Step 6: Pour into a parchment lined 9×9 baking dish.Sprinkle with a little sea salt, if desired.
• Step 7: Allow to cool in the fridge for a few hours or overnight. Then cut into squares or logs with a sharp knife, and wrap in parchment paper or wax paper, if desired.

Storage Tips:

• Room Temperature: You can store microwave caramel at room temperature in an airtight container. It will remain a very soft and chewy caramel candy.
  • You can cut the caramels into squares and store them in an airtight container as is. Or, you can wrap them in parchment paper and store them in an airtight container.
  • I like to wrap them in parchment paper and then store them in a jar.
• Fridge: You can also store easy caramel candy in the fridge. The caramel candies will still be very soft, but they will be a bit firmer.

Best Tools For Making Homemade Caramel Candies:

• Hot Pad: Even though this is an easy recipe and the microwave does most of the work, it is still caramel. The hot caramel mixture can burn you if you are not careful, so hot pads are a must when dealing with the caramel and the glass bowl.
• Glass Bowl: In my experience, a glass bowl works best for making caramel.
• Sharp Knife: Once the caramels have set, use a sharp knife and a cutting board to cut them in your desired shapes.
• Candy Thermometer: You do not need a candy thermometer if you use the soft-ball test, but a candy thermometer can tell you the exact temperature you’re looking for, which does take a bit of the guess-work out of it.

Other homemade candy recipes to try next:

• Easy Chocolate Fudge
• Cracker Toffee
• Peppermint Oreo Bark
• Oreo Toffee Bark
• Rolo Pretzel Bites

Other Caramel Recipes To Try Next:

• Caramel Cheesecake Recipe
• Caramel Stuffed Apples
• Caramel Apple Crumb Bars

Tips and Tricks:

• Parchment Paper: Line the baking dish with parchment paper before you begin cooking the caramel candies. Once the caramel is cooked, it will start to set up quickly so you want to get it in the pan as quickly as possible.
  • If you don’t have parchment paper, you can butter your baking dish very well.
• Soft-Ball Stage Test: If you don’t have a candy thermometer, you can do a soft-ball test in cold water (aka the cold water test). When you think your caramel might be done, drop a bit into a glass of cold water. If it is pliable and chewy, and you are able to form it into a ball, then it’s ready.
• Sea Salt: I like to sprinkle coarse sea salt on top of the microwave caramel candies. The sea salt flakes pair so well with the sweetness of the caramels. It helps cut through the sweet flavor.
• Add-Ins: You can add in chopped nuts, if you’d like. You can either sprinkle them on top of the caramel, or you can mix the nuts into the caramel when you add in the vanilla extract.
• Chocolate: Also, you can dip caramel in melted chocolate if you’d like. You can use semi sweet chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, and milk chocolate. Dark chocolate is my favorite, especially if I add on flaked sea salt.

Here are some other decadent dessert recipes to try next:

Chocolate Fudge Cake

Espresso Cheesecake