These microwave caramels are easy to make in one bowl in 6 minutes with no candy thermometer! Soft, chewy and buttery homemade caramel candies are a holiday favorite.
I love pretty much any dessert that has caramel like this microwave caramel corn, caramel brownies and caramel apple pie bars.
Table of Contents
6-Minute Microwave Caramels
Microwave caramels are soft, chewy and super easy to make! I seriously love how these homemade caramels taste with a delicious soft, chewy flavor. At the holidays, everyone always wants this candy recipe, my Christmas crack recipe and chocolate turtles!
These easy caramels made in the microwave are pretty close to my grandma’s homemade caramel candy recipe but much easier to make. I still love making those every year, but they take quite a bit of time (and stirring), so it is nice to have this recipe on hand for for a quick treat.
Ingredients
There’s only 6 basic ingredients in these caramels from condensed milk, I bet you have most of these already in your pantry.
- Butter: You can use salted butter or unsalted butter. You can always add in a pinch of salt if you prefer saltier caramels.
- Sweetened condensed milk: This adds a sweet taste and a creamy consistency. You can find this in a can on the shelf in the baking aisle.
- Karo syrup: The light corn syrup works best. It has a more mellow flavor than the dark (which has a similar flavor to molasses).
- Sugar: Use granulated white sugar for this recipe (light brown sugar will give it a butterscotch taste).
- Pure vanilla extract: A little goes a long way to add a big boost of flavor.
How to Make Microwave Caramels
You seriously won’t believe how easy these soft caramel candies are to make! It’s done in one bowl in your microwave.
- Melt butter in a large microwave-safe bowl. Then you’ll add the sugar, corn syrup and sweetened condensed milk and stir until smooth.
- Place in the microwave and cook for six minutes, stirring caramel mixture halfway in between.
- Allow to set and then slice and wrap in wax paper. Place in fridge to set faster if needed.
Helpful Tips
- Test the caramel by dipping a spoon in the caramel and then dipping in cold ice water. If it comes out the caramel texture (soft ball stage), it’s ready. Then pour it in your dish and allow to set. If it’s too soft, microwave another 30 seconds.
- I love using a plastic knife to cut the caramels. I’ve tried fancy knives and for some reason the plastic knives work better.
- Once the caramels are cut make sure to wrap them in your wax paper squares and then place in an airtight container to prevent the homemade candy from drying out.
- If you’re adding nuts, make sure to add right away before batch of caramel starts to harden.
- Dip in chocolate similar to my homemade toffee or drizzle melted chocolate over top with a little sea salt for a more gourmet caramel.
How to Store Microwave Caramels
After the caramel has set, use a plastic knife to cut them into pieces. Then wrap each piece in wax paper so that they don’t stick. They will stay soft for about 2 to 3 weeks.
More candy recipes to make for holiday treats include Twix cookie bars, buckeyes and divinity candy.
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Microwave Caramel Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light corn syrup
- ½ cup sweetened condensed milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of sea salt
Optional: 1/4 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Prep. Line an 8×8″ pan with parchment paper. Run a stick of butter over the top to prevent the caramels from sticking. Set aside.
- Microwave. Melt 1/4 cup butter in a large 8-cup microwave-safe bowl. Add 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup corn syrup and 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk and stir until smooth. Place in the microwave and cook for six minutes, stirring halfway in between.
- Test. To test if the caramel is ready, place a spoon into the caramel and then dip into a cup of cold ice water. If it resembles a soft ball (the texture you’d want your caramels to be), then it’s ready. If it’s still too soft, cook for an additional 30 seconds at a time. It should be about 240°F.
- Add vanilla, pour in pan. Remove bowl from microwave and stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla and a pinch of sea salt. Add pecans if desired. Pour caramel into prepared pan and allow to set. Sprinkle with sea salt if desired. You may place in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to cool them quicker.
- Cut into pieces. Cut with a plastic knife and then wrap in wax paper to prevent the caramels from sticking. Enjoy! :)
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Categorized as: American, Candy + Fudge, Christmas, Desserts, No-Bake, Vegetarian
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
Easiest but most delicious caramels ever! This is my go-to since I don’t have a candy thermometer. They turn out perfect every time!
Yay! So glad you enjoyed the microwave caramels!
Super easy, very tasty!
I love this recipe it’s easy and delicious
Ah I’m so glad to hear! Thanks for your review :)
Wonderful caramel candy. Making again for my christmas
I’m so glad you enjoyed the caramels :)
Love to Microwave all candies,especially brittles and carmels like this add the pecans delicious!
So delicious!
It’s tastes delicious however, mine turned out stiff and hard to chew how do I fix this?
I’m sorry about that! Glad they still taste good :) Your microwave may cook at a higher power. You can warm them up slightly before eating to soften them. Next time I’d try checking a minute or two earlier.
So early on you say to use salted butter because you like the taste, however the recipe calls for unsalted and there is a note to use unsalted because it splatters less. Which do you actually recommend?
Woops! We’ve updated the recipe to include unsalted butter, but forgot to update the copy in the post. I prefer unsalted!
I have a question about the recipe. It says it makes one 8 x 8 pan with 48 pieces. That seemed like a lot from one small pan. Later in the recipe, it says pour caramels into prepared pans…how many pans does it take. Thank you.
Woops that was a typo, thank you for catching. You just need one 8×8″ pan :)
I made this today and I followed the recipe exactly as written. They are sticking like crazy!! When they are cold they are the right consistency. When I try to cut them up to put them in the wax paper, they get way too soft and stick to my hands, the paper, etc… The flavor is wonderful but they’re a mess to try to eat and prepare. I was planning to give these to people but I don’t want to now. Do you know what I might have done wrong? Maybe I didn’t cook them long enough? :-(
Hi Wendy! I would recommend cooking a little longer!
I’m not sure what I’ve done wrong, but this bubbled all over my microwave and I lost a bunch of the “caramel” 🤦🏻♀️ Super thin caramel now. Letting it set but so nervous for how this will turn out for me! Any idea what I did to cause the bubble over? The bowl seemed plenty large!
The caramel definitely bubbles up quite a bit, so I’m guessing your bowl was too small. I always use at least an 8 cup bowl, but often use larger! Sorry you had a mess. I hope it turned out well for you still!
The recipe calls for sugar. Does it mean brown sugar?
white granulated sugar :)
These are the creamiest, easiest caramels!! They make the perfect gift & great for cookie plates, to add something different.
All I can say is WHOA! We made these yesterday and they are crazy delicious!
How cute are these caramels! Looks so tasty!
can you dip these in chocolate for “chocolate caramels”?
I haven’t tried it but I think it should work great! :)
First time ever, that I have made something so quickly, that tasted so yummy! I made them for “Gal Pal night.” It’s a once a month girls get together that we have in the winter. A nice excuse to go out for a break in the cold and snow… and we leave the guys at home ! Anyway, it’s not for a couple of days but I wanted a head start on making the goodies that I’m bringing. We hold it at a women’s boutique clothing store at night when it’s closed. We all chat. Shop, try things on….eat, drink wine or fancy coffee or hot chocolate. There a a couple of gals who set up tables and sell makeup jewelry, lotions, etc. Then we each have a great time and at the close of the evening, we each take home a plate of goodies. I know your caramels will be s massive hit. Well, my husband smelled them, saw them, ate them, and took the rest to work with him tonight!!!! Anyway, I am going to make another batch for the gals.
I’m so glad they turned out well for you! Thanks for leaving a comment and review Deb. :)
Just tried these today, but unfortunately mine turned out super sticky that when I tried to wrap them, they just stuck to the paper. Any suggestions to what I’ve done wrong? Thank you
Hi Claudia! I would recommend cooking the caramel longer. Did you test the caramel with the spoon and ice water?
How many days in advance can i make this and still be fresh tasting? I am looking forward to trying this recipe!
Hi Karon! They will last a few weeks in the refrigerator.