Easy Butterscotch Sauce Recipe (2024)

This post may contain paid links. If you make a purchase through links on our site, we may earn a commission.

Jump to Recipe Jump to Video

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, too.

One of my most favorite recipes to make with butterscotch syrup is pumpkin cobbler with spiced butter toffee. It is out-of-this-world delicious, trust me! Or even 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.

4.67 from 27 votes

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.
  • cup
  • cup
  • pinch

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

Did you try this recipe?Tag on social and leave a comment below!

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's the difference between caramel and butterscotch sauce? ›

At its simplest, caramel is sugar that's heated and melted until it's brown but not burned. Water can be used to thin it, or to make soft caramel, cream or milk is added. Butterscotch at its most basic is a mixture of brown sugar and butter, melted and cooked together. Cream is typically added.

Is butterscotch just vanilla and caramel? ›

What Is Butterscotch? Like caramel, butterscotch is a cooked sugar. The main distinction is that butterscotch is made with brown sugar instead of white sugar. The traditional butterscotch recipe calls for butter to be melted with brown sugar to start.

Is butterscotch just butter and scotch? ›

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 makes butterscotch taste like butterscotch? ›

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 traditional butterscotch? ›

What Is Butterscotch? Butterscotch is butter and brown sugar that has been slowly heated together to create a soft-crack candy. Just like caramel, the brown sugar molecules break down and, thanks to the addition of molasses in the sugar, caramelize into a richer, deeper flavor than classic caramel.

Does dulce de leche taste like butterscotch? ›

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. Once you've adjusted your palate to the difference, dulce le leche becomes more identifiable.

Can I substitute butterscotch for caramel? ›

Caramel and butterscotch have a lot in common, like the general method you can use to make each one. But the biggest difference is the sugar used to start. To make butterscotch instead, simply replace the white sugar in the recipe with an equal amount of brown sugar.

How is caramel sauce made from scratch? ›

Combine brown sugar, butter, and milk in a saucepan and bring ingredients to a boil. Remove thickened mixture from heat before adding (optional) vanilla extract. Let the caramel cool slightly before using. The result is an impossibly rich sauce that is guaranteed to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Why do they call it butterscotch? ›

butterscotch, usually hard candy made by boiling brown sugar and butter and sometimes corn syrup together in water. The derivation of the name is disputed as to whether it denotes the candy's origin in Scotland or an original ingredient of “scotched,” or scorched, butter.

What the heck is butterscotch? ›

And, to be accurate, it is a indeed a hard candy made by boiling brown or white sugar together with butter. The derivation is in dispute as to whether its title denotes its Scottish origins or "scotched" (scorched) butter. Butterscotch is a nice alternative to chocolate.

Why does butterscotch taste so good? ›

The original recipes for butterscotch used a similar method of caramelizing sugar, but also added the butter and molasses as essential ingredients. Modern techniques for butterscotch use brown sugar and butter as the foundation for the deliciously distinct flavor.

How to thicken butterscotch sauce? ›

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. If it's too thick, gradually add a bit more cream until it reaches the desired consistency.

Is Carmel the same as 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. The ingredients are also combined in a slightly different order for butterscotch: your start out by melting butter with brown sugar.

Did butterscotch candies used to be made with actual scotch? ›

The difference between Butterscotch, Caramel and Toffee

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.

What is butterscotch made by? ›

butterscotch, usually hard candy made by boiling brown sugar and butter and sometimes corn syrup together in water. The derivation of the name is disputed as to whether it denotes the candy's origin in Scotland or an original ingredient of “scotched,” or scorched, butter.

What is in butterscotch natural flavor? ›

Butterscotch Type, Natural Flavor Blend contains propylene glycol, ethyl alcohol, water and natural flavor. This extract is gluten and sugar-free. For Baked Goods and other Food Applications.

What is butterscotch liqueur made of? ›

What Is Butterscotch Schnapps Made From? A butterscotch liqueur is made by mixing butter and brown sugar with a neutral base spirit. Some, however, will use a butterscotch extract for flavoring and add a sweetener to the liquor; these ingredients may be natural or artificial.

What is the origin of butterscotch sauce? ›

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

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Duncan Muller

Last Updated:

Views: 5538

Rating: 4.9 / 5 (59 voted)

Reviews: 82% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Duncan Muller

Birthday: 1997-01-13

Address: Apt. 505 914 Phillip Crossroad, O'Konborough, NV 62411

Phone: +8555305800947

Job: Construction Agent

Hobby: Shopping, Table tennis, Snowboarding, Rafting, Motor sports, Homebrewing, Taxidermy

Introduction: My name is Duncan Muller, I am a enchanting, good, gentle, modern, tasty, nice, elegant person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.