Vegan Soft & Chewy Caramels
These chewy vegan soft caramels melt in your mouth with buttery, golden sweetness — and there’s a bonus: you can reserve some of the mixture to make your own rich vegan caramel sauce. It’s a two-in-one recipe that’s surprisingly simple, pantry-friendly, and perfect for gifting or drizzling over desserts.
Ingredients
- 225 g vegan butter
- 710 mL oat evaporated milk 2 cans
- 4 cups 800 g white sugar
- 2 cups 480 mL glucose syrup or golden syrup
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- Flaky sea salt for finishing
Instructions
Prepare pan
- Line a 9 × 13-inch baking dish with parchment paper.
Start the caramel base
- In a heavy-bottomed pot, combine vegan butter, sugar, syrup, and salt. Heat gently, stirring until the sugar dissolves, then bring to a steady bubble.
Add the milk gradually
- Slowly add the oat evaporated milk about ¼ cup at a time, stirring constantly. Each can should take ~10 minutes to incorporate. Continue until both cans are fully added.
Reserve for sauce (optional)
- If making caramel sauce do this step, otherwise skip. Once all the milk is added and the mixture is smooth, carefully ladle off about ⅓ of the liquid into a heatproof jar or container. This will stay pourable once cooled slightly and can be used as a rich vegan caramel sauce. (Rewarm gently if needed for drizzling.) I keep the temperature around 105°C / 221°F at this stage.
Cook to caramel stage
- Keep cooking the remaining mixture, stirring constantly, until it reaches 115°C / 235°F (soft-ball stage). Have the stove on high and bring to a boil - it will be really bubbly and you should notice it getting nice and thick. This will probably take an additional 8 minutes to reach this heat.
Set the caramels
- Pour the hot caramel into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Let cool 2–3 hours until firm. You want to let them set enough so they are firm enough to cut but don't squish but not too firm that they are hard to cut through. Don't set in the fridge - leave out on the counter.
Finish
- Keep the baking paper underneath the caramel, otherwise the caramel will stick to the cutting board and it makes it difficult to remove. Slice them into squares and wrap in parchment. Store at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
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