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Easy Coconut Caramel Sauce
5 from 129 votes

Easy Coconut Caramel Sauce

This Easy Coconut Caramel Sauce is made with gula melaka (palm sugar), coconut milk, and water, simmered to a desired syrup consistency. The sauce has a rich, caramel flavor with a subtle coconut undertone, enhanced optionally by pandan leaves. It can be sweetened to taste and seasoned with a pinch of salt to balance the flavors.

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
1 hr
Calories: 33 kcal
Course: Dessert, Breakfast, Snacks
Cuisine: Asian, Fusion, Malaysian, Singaporean

Ingredients

  • 7 Units gula melaka Substitute: brown sugar, date sugar, coconut sugar, white sugar and molasses etc This recipe is in ratio form, so you could make this 7 spoonfuls or 7 cups of gula melaka, just adjust the rest of the ingredients accordingly!
  • 3 Units coconut milk If you only have coconut cream, see the recipe post for how to turn it into coconut milk.
  • 2 Units water
  • salt Just a pinch if using as a flavor enhancer or more if making salted coconut caramel, to taste
  • pandan leaves If using pandan leaves, bruise and tie into a knot (to make it easier to fish out later, optional

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Break the gula melaka into smaller pieces. You can cut it or grate it. Sometimes when I'm lazy I just briefly pound it so it breaks into 2-3 smaller pieces. Obviously they're not as small as if I had cut or grated, so you need to work extra hard stirring here!
  2. Add all the ingredients to the pot except the salt.
  3. Turn the heat to medium and bring the pot to a boil- do use a pot that is much bigger than you need so the vegan coconut caramel sauce won't overflow and burn you!
  4. Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down low so the sauce is at a simmer and stir till everything is dissolved. Stir every now and then to make sure no palm sugar sticks to the bottom of the pot and burns.
  5. The time you leave the syrup simmering for depends on how thick a coconut caramel syrup you want, your palm sugar (as each batch differs), how fat your coconut milk is, how much sauce you're making and the type of stove you use! The thicker you want it, the longer you leave it on for but you will need to stir continuously towards the end as the coconut caramel burns easily once it thickens up. (For a point of reference, I leave mine for 1-1.5 hours on an induction stove and 30-45 minutes on a gas stove when making 2 Cups of coconut caramel.)
  6. Once happy, fish out the pandan and toss it (if using). Switch off the stove, stir in the salt (if using), remove the pot from the heat, stir and let the coconut caramel cool down. (If you're tasting, remember to let the sauce cool before trying! Keep out of reach of pets and children so they don't hurt themselves!)
  7. After cooling, pour it into an air-tight glass jar and put it in the chiller. Make sure to stir this dairy-free caramel before each use!

Notes

  • The coconut caramel sauce becomes very hot during cooking; handle with care to avoid burns.
  • Store the sauce in the refrigerator, where it keeps for 2 to 3 weeks.
  • If the sauce hardens, reheat gently with about ΒΌ cup water and stir until smooth to restore sauce consistency.

Nutrition Information

Calories 33kcal (2%) Carbohydrates 7g (2%) Protein 0.1g (0%) Fat 1g (2%) Saturated Fat 1g (5%) Polyunsaturated Fat 0.01g (0%) Monounsaturated Fat 0.03g (0%) Sodium 2mg (0%) Potassium 16mg (0%) Sugar 7g (14%) Vitamin C 0.03mg (0%) Calcium 6mg (1%) Iron 0.2mg (1%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 1 Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 33

% Daily Value*

Calories 33kcal 2%
Carbohydrates 7g 2%
Protein 0.1g 0%
Fat 1g 2%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.01g 0%
Monounsaturated Fat 0.03g 0%
Sodium 2mg 0%
Potassium 16mg 0%
Sugar 7g 14%
Vitamin C 0.03mg 0%
Calcium 6mg 1%
Iron 0.2mg 1%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.