The Best Store-Bought Caramel Sauce, According to a Baking Pro

Caramel is easily one of my favorite flavors, especially during the fall and winter months. I love the sweet, dark, sugary notes and depth of flavor of a rich caramel sauce. It also has the perfect texture for dipping, mixing, and drizzling.

While you can certainly make caramel sauce at home, grabbing a jar at the store is a great option. There are multiple brands to choose from. Torani or Ghirardelli caramel sauces are ideal for making coffee drinks. For a thicker sauce that’s just as delicious as it is versatile, I’m a fan of Mrs. Richardson’s Caramel Sauce.

Why I Love Mrs. Richardson’s Caramel Sauce

When it comes to using caramel sauce in more ways than one, it needs to have the ideal texture. Some store-bought caramel sauces are a bit too runny. While they are tasty, the texture makes it only possible to use them with coffee or drizzled over ice cream.

This jarred caramel sauce from Mrs. Richardson’s is thick enough for a wide range of applications. The thicker texture allows me to add them into a caramel swirl cheesecake, as a filling for chocolate cupcakes, drizzled over a Dutch apple pie, and so many other uses.

I love that this jarred caramel sauce isn’t overpowering or too sweet. It has a nice caramelized flavor with buttery notes, making it a well-rounded option. That way, it can serve as a wonderful complement for sweeter desserts or for something semi-tart that needs a bit of sweetness drizzled over top.

The 16.6-ounce jars of caramel sauce can be found at major retailers, including Walmart, Safeway, and Target, for $5 to $6.

How To Use Caramel Sauce

A jar of caramel sauce can enhance a long list of desserts, drinks, and breakfasts. Use it to line a mug before making a homemade latte or stir a spoonful into your coffee with milk.

Apples with caramel is my go-to pairing, whether I’m dipping apple slices in caramel sauce for a quick pick-me-up, making caramel apple nachos for a weeknight dessert, or drizzling it over top as a garnish for apple upside-down cake, slices of apple pie, or apple crisp with vanilla ice cream.

The combination of caramel sauce and flaky sea salt can be used as a quick hack for making sweet and salty caramel brownies. You can also try drizzling it over a Snickers salad, or put the finishing touch on a serving of warm bread pudding. There are endless possibilities to enhance desserts further with a spoonful or two from the jar.