Easy Butterscotch Sauce Recipe (2024)

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Bring your best homemade desserts to a whole new level of delicious with our easy butterscotch sauce recipe! With just 4 ingredients and 4 minutes of cook time, this will be your new favorite easy gourmet dessert topping. Trust me!

Simple homemade butterscotch sauce made with butter, brown sugar, and cream is the best for topping ice cream, pies, galettes, and even pound cake. It’s so easy to make and delicious!

Easy Butterscotch Sauce Recipe (1)
Jump to:
  • Best Butterscotch Sauce Recipe
  • What is butterscotch?
  • Butterscotch vs. Caramel
  • Butterscotch Ingredients
  • How to Make Butterscotch Sauce
  • Do I need to refrigerate butterscotch syrup?
  • How long will butterscotch sauce keep?
  • Can this dessert sauce be frozen?
  • Uses for Butterscotch Sauce
  • Recipe
  • Reviews

Best Butterscotch Sauce Recipe

I first fell in love with butterscotch when my grandma introduced me to hard butterscotch candies as a child. Is it a requirement for all grandparents to have butterscotch candies hidden around their home to bribe grandchildren with? I think so.

Over the years, my obsession with butterscotch caught up with my love for cooking… and I found out how EASY it is to make butterscotch sauce from scratch!

It’s a great way to get your sweet tooth fix. Make this easy butterscotch sauce recipe at home, and you’ll want to top every dessert with it. And I mean EVERY dessert. It only takes 4 minutes and 4 ingredients to make, and it tastes unbelievably good, so why not?

I made this tonight and it’s ahhhmazing!! Fast, easy and incredibly delicious! Thanks so much for the recipe, I’ll never buy the stuff in the jars again! (That was a lot of exclamation points…it’s THAT good!)

Jennifer

What is butterscotch?

To put it simply, butterscotch is a confection you make by melting butter with brown sugar.

Any butterscotch recipe sauce can include extra ingredients, like heavy cream, corn syrup, salt, and more, but the base is always butter and brown sugar.

Butterscotch vs. Caramel

The difference between butterscotch and caramel is that caramel sauce uses granulated sugar while butterscotch sauce uses brown sugar.

Using brown sugar allows for a richer, sweeter flavor than caramel. It’s much like if you use brown sugar in place of granulated sugar when you’re making cookies. The result is gooey and decadent.

Easy Butterscotch Sauce Recipe (2)

In some cases, you can use butterscotch and caramel sauce in place of the other. But once you learn how to make butterscotch sauce as easily as this quick butterscotch sauce recipe, there’s no reason to turn to anything else!

Sorry caramel, but butterscotch sauce will always be my favorite!

Butterscotch Ingredients

  • butter
  • brown sugar
  • heavy cream
  • pinch sea salt

How to Make Butterscotch Sauce

  1. Combine 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, ⅓ cup light brown sugar, and ⅓ cup heavy cream in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.
  2. Stir until the butter melts and the ingredients fully combine.
  3. Turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer for 4 minutes.
  4. Remove from the heat and add a pinch of sea salt.
Easy Butterscotch Sauce Recipe (3)

Let your homemade butterscotch sauce cool a few minutes before serving, and enjoy!

I tried it! It came out delicious, so easy it is definitely a keeper!

Karen on Pinterest

Do I need to refrigerate butterscotch syrup?

Because our butterscotch recipe includes heavy cream, it should be refrigerated. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge.

Easy Butterscotch Sauce Recipe (4)

When I tell you this is better than the store bought snickers one! Amazing!

Heidi on Pinterest

How long will butterscotch sauce keep?

Store it properly in the fridge, and butterscotch sauce will last up to a month.

But trust me – it won’t last that long! It’s too delicious! When you’re ready to enjoy it, warm it up in a microwave-safe dish.

Easy Butterscotch Sauce Recipe (5)

Can this dessert sauce be frozen?

Yes. You can freeze butterscotch sauce. Here are some tips:

  • TIP #1: The heavy cream in the sauce will expand when frozen, so don’t use a glass container to store it in the freezer.
  • TIP #2: You can’t go from frozen to eating. You’ll need to thaw the sauce first, then reheat it.

Uses for Butterscotch Sauce

This won’t come as any surprise, but I think the best way to use up your butterscotch sauce is in an ice cream sundae.

You can also use it as a topping when decorating cakes or cupcakes. Mix it into a buttercream batter to make butterscotch buttercream, or eat it as is on fresh fruit! Butterscotch sauce is delicious for an apple dump cake, apple crisp, or even caramel apple empanadas.

This sauce is out-of-this-world delicious, with pumpkin crunch cake. Yum! I also love it on Banana Bread Waffles and Pumpkin Waffles for brunch!

Easy Butterscotch Sauce Recipe (6)

You can even dip the rim of an apple pie sangria in this butterscotch sauce and boy oh boy, will that sangria taste amazing!

Love making your own sauces at home? We do, too. Try one of our favorite dessert sauces, strawberry sauce, next! It’s amazing in our strawberry swirl cheesecake. And if you love cream cheese, my Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe is a must!

We’d love to know what you think of this butterscotch sauce recipe. Let us know if you try it out in the comments below! You can visit our 📌 on Pinterest too, and leave a comment with a photo of your favorite dessert to eat with this butterscotch sauce.

Recipe

Easy Butterscotch Sauce Recipe (7)

Butterscotch Sauce Recipe

Isabel Laessig

Try homemade butterscotch sauce made with butter, brown sugar, and cream, on your favorite desserts! This butterscotch sauce recipe is simple and delicious.

4.65 from 28 votes

Print Recipe

Prep Time 1 minute min

Cook Time 4 minutes mins

Total Time 5 minutes mins

Course Sauce

Cuisine American

Servings 1 cup

Calories 756 kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsps. unsalted butter
  • cup light brown sugar
  • cup heavy cream
  • pinch sea salt

Cooking Conversions

See our Cooking Conversions Chart for help converting measurements!

Instructions

  • Combine butter, brown sugar and heavy cream in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir until the butter has melted and the ingredients are fully combined.

  • Turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer for four minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the salt.

  • Let cool before serving.

Video

Notes

TIP:You can freeze this butterscotch sauce recipe to use for later! The heavy cream in the sauce will expand when frozen, so don’t use a glass container to store it in the freezer. Keep in mind, you can’t go from frozen to eating. You’ll need to thaw the sauce first, then reheat it. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 756kcalCarbohydrates: 74gProtein: 1gFat: 52gSaturated Fat: 32gCholesterol: 169mgSodium: 53mgPotassium: 157mgSugar: 71gVitamin A: 1875IUCalcium: 113mgIron: 0.5mg

Keyword Butterscotch Sauce, Butterscotch Sauce Recipe, Butterscotch topping, sauce recipe

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Easy Butterscotch Sauce Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is butterscotch sauce made of? ›

Ingredients for Butterscotch Sauce

A traditional butterscotch sauce recipe requires only three main ingredients: brown sugar, butter, and heavy cream. That's it! We also add in a little vanilla and salt to boost the flavor.

What is the difference between caramel and butterscotch sauce? ›

The difference between butterscotch and caramel is that caramel is made with white granulated sugar and cooked to 340 degrees Fahrenheit, whereas butterscotch is made with brown sugar and cooked to 289 degrees Fahrenheit.

Is butterscotch just vanilla and caramel? ›

Butter scotch is bit harder and as suggested by name is made by brown sugar and butter whereas caramel is softer and made by white granulated sugar with either milk/whipped cream or butter with pinch of vanilla.

How do you thicken butterscotch sauce? ›

Remember, the butterscotch sauce will continue to thicken even after it's removed from the heat. If the sauce cools down and you still find it to be too thin, then it's undercooked. You can place it back on the heat for a bit to let it thicken up even more.

What's the difference between butterscotch and scotch? ›

Butterscotch, on the other hand, is made with brown sugar instead. Butterscotch originally was just a hard candy. The suffix “scotch” is not related to alcohol, but to the method of cutting. Hard candy is difficult to break into clean pieces, so the candy is “scotched” (scored) to make it easy to cut later.

Is butterscotch made of butter and scotch? ›

No. The "scotch" part of butterscotch refers to the candy being poured out onto a flat surface, then scored (scotched) in a crisscross pattern to make little rectangular or triangular pieces. It's mainly made of brown sugar, butter and/or cream, vanilla, and sometimes a small bit of salt.

What flavor is closest to butterscotch? ›

Similar to caramel, butterscotch is made by heating sugar. The main difference between the two is that butterscotch uses brown sugar instead of white.

Does dulce de leche taste like butterscotch? ›

Thick, smooth and boasting an intense butterscotch flavour, dulce de leche is the queen of caramel sauces.

Is dulce de leche caramel or butterscotch? ›

Caramelization does not actually take place when you make dulce de leche. Instead, thanks to the Maillard reaction, we get a lovely, nutty, mellow flavor akin to toffee or butterscotch. This is due to the browning of the lactose and lysine in the milk.

Can you substitute caramel for butterscotch? ›

Caramel and butterscotch are made differently; caramel is a “ mix of white granulated sugar, heavy whipping cream, butter and a small amount of vanilla.” Butterscotch ingredients are “ brown sugar" ( originally butterscotch was a hard candy). I don't think you are able to interchange the two flavours in recipes.

What the heck is butterscotch? ›

Butterscotch is a type of confectionery whose primary ingredients are brown sugar and butter. Some recipes include corn syrup, cream, vanilla, and salt. The earliest known recipes, in mid-19th century Yorkshire, used treacle (molasses) in place of, or in addition to, sugar.

What flavors mix with butterscotch? ›

In the kitchen, FOBs (friends of butterscotch) include apples, pecans, cream, nutmeg, cloves, cardamom, chocolate, dessert sherry, rum and Scotch whisky. Here are some simple ways to showcase its flavor: Make butterscotch sundaes. Add a little Scotch or rum to warm butterscotch sauce.

Why is butterscotch so expensive? ›

Its ingredients, butter and sugar are relatively expensive for candy.

Why is my butterscotch sauce grainy? ›

Troubleshooting Butterscotch Sauce

Grainy Texture: If your sauce has a grainy texture, it may be due to the crystallization of the sugar. To prevent this, make sure there are no sugar crystals on the sides of the pan before starting. In addition, avoid stirring the mixture once it begins to boil.

Can you make butterscotch sauce in advance? ›

Storage: The butterscotch sauce (and variation) will keep in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Is butterscotch just caramel? ›

Similar to caramel, butterscotch is made by heating sugar. The main difference between the two is that butterscotch uses brown sugar instead of white. The ingredients are also combined in a slightly different order for butterscotch: your start out by melting butter with brown sugar.

What does butterscotch sauce taste like? ›

The primary taste of butterscotch comes from its main ingredient, brown sugar, which imparts a deep, caramel-like sweetness. This sweetness is characterised by notes of toffee and a hint of molasses, a complexity due to the molasses content in brown sugar.

What is the origin of butterscotch sauce? ›

Origin. Butterscotch is claimed to have been first named in 1817 in Doncaster, England by Samuel Parkinson.

Does butterscotch taste like Scotch? ›

In some cases, those barrels may impart a set of rich caramel, or dried fruit, or vanilla, or butter, and other flavors, and sometimes they may be perceived as butterscotch. The appearance of the word scotch within butterscotch is coincidence. Cheers!

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