Lick-The-Spoon Coffee Caramel Sauce (Sugar-Free, Low-Carb, Keto, Gluten-Free, Vegan Option)
#SugarFreeSeptember: 30 days of sugar-free recipes
A creamy, thick, sugar-free coffee caramel sauce recipe perfect for all of the caramel macchiato lovers out there! This caramel sauce combines the classic sweet and slightly burnt flavour of caramel with the fruity roasted flavour of coffee for a delicious drizzle or drink flavouring. The best part? It’s low-carb, keto, gluten-free, and has a totally vegan variation!
Caramel: a sweet, salty, syrupy treat - as delicious as it is, it’s basically made from pure sugar. How can it ever be made sugar-free? It literally makes no sense!
But it’s totally possible!
Cuz m’recipe for day 21 of my sugar-free September challenge, where I share sugar-free recipe versions of everyone’s favorite food while also eating no-sugar myself the whole month, is a sugar free caramel recipe (with a coffee twist, more on that soon!)… delicious and nutritious!
It’s my Sugar Free Coffee Caramel recipe, but you won’t believe there is no sugar in it!
My no-sugar-added coffee caramel is absolutely yummy! It has a smoky coffee flavor and a sweet, chewy, soft, and almost toasted creamy taste, this is absolutely a coffee and caramel fan’s dream!
Why add coffee to caramel?
As you may know, I have really good chocolate and plain sugar free pancake recipes, and usually I'll top these pancakes, depending on how I feel, with my sugar free ketchup, sugar free chocolate spread, Lakanto maple syrup, or a homemade caramel sauce.
My mum was actually the main inspiration for having caramel on pancakes. I had some leftover from a bake once a while back and she decided to have it on her pancakes... it’s been a family hit ever since!
And so where does my sugar-free coffee caramel come in?
Well, I am in love with the flavor of coffee… I can’t get enough of it. You know what I mean: that flowery, nutty, smoky, herby, toasty, sweet yet bitter, energy boosting, hot (or cold) cup of coffee in your hand, nothing beats that feel right?!
And, you see around Christmas like three years ago, I was a hanging with my sister in the kitchen while she prepped our dinner salad, and as we chatted we talked about what we should have for dessert. She told me that she thought fudge would be nice.
What kind of fudge I asked?!
She thought about it, and told me that she wanted both my caramel and coffee fudges. Then she joked about loving the idea of those two yummy flavors being combined. I snapped my fingers with the idea, and said why don’t I try making a coffee caramel fudge? I mean, I love the Starbucks frappe!
Eventually this love led me to experiment when making caramel, and 2 or so months ago my coffee caramel syrup was born! I don’t know why it took me almost 3 whole years to think of adding coffee to the actual syrup, but man, it was worth the wait.
It’s tastes like a slightly stronger flavor of caramel machiatto… yumm-ay!
And this is the story of why today’s recipe is for Sugar-Free Coffee Caramel - I can’t wait to top my pancakes of Saturday with this stuff.
I've missed that caramel and coffee flavor… and I can’t believe I no longer have to wait for cheat days to have it, cause I've made it SUGAR FREE…. YIPPEE!
Best of all, it’s not just runny sweetness (you know what I’m talking about) - this caramel is just as thick and gooey sugar-free as it is with the sugar!
There are two versions of this recipe - one with dairy and one without for my vegans out there! Both versions are just as tasty and thick, so you really can’t go wrong. ‘Nough talking, let’s cook!
With all of that said, here’s your recipe!
Sugar-Free Thick Coffee Caramel Sauce (Low-Carb, Keto, Gluten-Free, Vegan Option)
Isabelle McKenzie | Sept 21st 2019
- prep time: 3 mins
- cook time: 10 mins
- total time: 13 mins
Servings: 16
INGREDIENTS:
For the regular caramel:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsbp instant coffee
5 tbsp Lakanto or Swerve Sweetener (granulated)
1/2 tsp sea salt
For the vegan caramel:
1 cup coconut cream
1/2 tsbp instant coffee
1/2 cup dates
3/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
HOW TO MAKE IT:
For regular caramel:
Warm cream in a microwave for 1-2 minutes, or until steaming. Whisk in instant coffee and set aside.
Melt butter in a heavy bottomed medium saucepan. Add sweetener and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown.
Add the cream and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce to simmer and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until thickened, stirring occasionally. It should be a deep caramel brown, and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and add salt.
For vegan caramel:
Blend together dates and water until smooth.
Pour into a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, and add the rest of the ingredients - except for the salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
Whisk the mixture once every minutes, and after 5 minutes, and then do the ‘soft-ball’ test. Take a small drop of the sauce and plop it into a glass or bowl of ice cold water. If the mixture turns into a soft ball, then your sauce is done. If not, continue cooking and doing a soft ball test in 2 minute intervals, up to about 10 minutes.
Remove from heat and pour in salt.
Nutrition (non vegan):
- Serving: 1 tbsp
- Fat: 8.5g
- Calories: 91
Nutrition (vegan):
- Serving: 1 tbsp
- Fat: 3.6g
- Calories: 50
If you give this recipe a go, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram @itsisabellem and using hashtag #sugarfreeseptember
Happy cooking!
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