Updated in 2022! I wasn’t a chocolate sauce kid, but caramel won me over every time. Caramel is blissful for dipping apples, drizzling over desserts, and swirling into ice cream. But most brands of caramel sauce contain dairy, usually in the form of butter, condensed milk, or cream. Fortunately, there has been a mini boom in dairy-free caramel sauce! I’ve rounded up all of these dairy-free products for you, followed by several vegan caramel sauce recipes.
Important Allergen Note: Any allergen information included in this post is from the manufacturer but does not indicate risk or safety of this product for someone’s food allergy. “May contain” type statements are completely voluntary. All products should be considered at risk for potential allergen cross-contamination as there is no such thing as a risk-free environment. Always contact the company to ensure their allergen processes are safe enough for your needs. Also, consult the actual packaging before consumption as the ingredients or labeling may have changed. This dairy-free caramels post is for informational purposes only and should not replace your own due diligence.
The Best Dairy-Free Caramel Sauce Brands You Can Buy
This covers rich dairy-free caramel sauce products intended for desserts. If you would like to discover some dairy-free caramel syrups (for drinks), see my Guide to Coffee House Syrups. If you prefer homemade, see my Dairy-Free Caramel Sauce Recipes below. And if you are looking for candies, see my Dairy-Free Caramels Guide. But stay here if you want to discover some decadent dairy-free toppings that are ready made for dipping and drizzling.
Bloom Hand Crafted Coconut Milk Caramel Sauce
Flavor fans will love that this Portland, Oregon brand comes in Vanilla, Sea Salt, Cardamom, and Ancho Chili. They also offer big gallon-size tubs and squeeze bottles on Amazon.
Ingredients: cane sugar, coconut cream, water, contains less than 2%: sea salt, double fold vanilla extract (water, alcohol, organic vanilla bean extractives), sunflower lecithin, citric acid.
Hey Boo Dairy-Free Coconut Caramel Sauce
Hey Boo specializes in coconut jams, so it comes as no surprise that they would venture into coconut caramel sauce territory. They reportedly run a peanut-free facility, but they do package ghee, which is a dairy product.
Ingredients: coconut milk, organic sugar, tapioca syrup, inverted sugar, sea salt, cream of tartar. Contains nuts (coconut).
Kernel Season’s Caramel Drizzle Brittle
It’s made for popcorn, but a lot of readers are loving this caramel sauce in drinks and other recipes. Note that the chocolate drizzle is not dairy-free.
Ingredients: pure cane sugar, corn syrup, water, caramel flavor, caramel color, modified corn starch, salt, potassium sorbate (preserves shelf life).
Mr. Dewie’s Caramel Sauce
This pure, simple, organic vegan sauce is definitely coconut forward, with a natural creamy caramel flavor.
Ingredients: organic coconut cream, organic coconut palm sugar, tapioca syrup, kosher salt.
Nature’s Charm Coconut Caramel Sauce
This is straight up caramel luxury, and it comes in Classic and Salted varieties.
Ingredients: coconut milk (coconut cream, filtered water), cane sugar, coconut sugar, sea salt, natural vegan flavor, calcium carbonate.
Date Lady Caramel Sauce
They have changed the formula of this date-sweetened caramel sauce since I first tried it. It now has a few more ingredients, like pectin to thicken it and baobab powder because … well I have no idea why.
Ingredients: organic date syrup, organic coconut cream (coconut, water), organic coconut oil, vanilla extract, organic baobab powder, pectin, sea salt.
Walden Farms Caramel Syrup
Calorie-free caramel? Yes, it’s also top allergen-free and comes in both syrup and dip versions.
Ingredients: purified water, vegetable fiber, cellulose gel, sucralose, xanthan gum, salt, food color, caramel flavor, natural flavors, lactic acid, potassium sorbate, sodium benzoate, beta carotene, FD&C yellow #6, FD&C yellow #5, vanilla flavor. *contains trace calories
Sweet Apricity Sea Salted Caramel Sauce
This is an AIP compliant and paleo-friendly caramel sauce. Take note, it’s dairy-free, but not vegan.
Ingredients: organic honey, organic coconut palm sugar, coconut cream, organic coconut oil, sea salt.
BioVegan Karamell Dessert Sauce
This is a UK brand of coconut milk caramel that’s in a clever squirt bottle! Some small retailers have periodically imported it to the U.S., but it’s mostly available in Europe.
Ingredients: raw cane sugar *, caramel * (24%) (cane sugar *, water, tapioca starch *, thickener: xanthan gum), glucose syrup *, coconut milk * (15%), water, waxy maize starch, thickener: guar gum *. *from controlled organic cultivation. May contain traces of almonds, mustard and soy.
Daffy Farms Wicked Dark Non-Dairy Caramel Syrup
This syrup is thick like a sauce, and it was created by a caramel apple company. It’s also made simple with sugars and water, so there are no added allergens of any kind and it is coconut-free.
Ingredients: cane sugar, tapioca syrup, water.
Tribe Sea Salt Caramel Hummus
It might not be quite as drizzly, but this caramel hummus has it’s place with desserts. It’s also a healthier option that can be enjoyed as a rich topping.
Ingredients: cooked chickpeas (chickpeas, water), sunflower oil, sugar, rice milk powder (rice, salt, sunflower oil), light brown sugar (cane sugar, cane syrups), tahini (ground sesame), sea salt, natural flavor, vanilla extract, nisin (added to preserve freshness), caramelized sugar. contains: sesame.
La Vida Vegan Protein Caramel
This is more of a functional spread that’s high in protein, lower in sugars, palm oil free, and coconut free. The company is European, so you can find this brand in the UK and some other EU countries. But it’s also available in Canada.
Ingredients: sunflower oil*, rice protein concentrate* 22.5%, dried glucose syrup*, inulin powder*, rice syrup powder*, low fat cocoa powder* 5%, cocoa butter*, emulsifier: lecithin*, caramel* 0.5% (sugar*, water), caramel flavouring*, bourbon vanilla powder*. * = verified organically grown.
AvenueSweets Update
They no longer make their small jars of dairy-free caramel sauce, but if you have a large quantity need, they do sell a gallon size of it direct.
The Best Vegan & Dairy-Free Caramel Sauce Recipes
- Classic Vegan Caramel Sauce – This allergy-friendly recipe is also nut-free, soy-free, and coconut-free!
- Two-Ingredient Date Caramel Sauce – It doesn’t get much simpler than this.
- Healthy Caramel Sauce – This is a three-ingredient sauce that’s nut-free, coconut-free, allergy-friendly, vegan, and oh-so-easy.
- Vegan Salted Caramel Sauce – Make use of leftover dairy-free creamer with this silky sauce.
- Brown Sugar Coconut Caramel Sauce – This is a lightly salted dairy-free caramel sauce with a rich flavor.
- Buttery Dairy-Free Caramel Sauce – Pure sugar and buttery spread meld as they cook for an indulgent topping.
- Dairy-Free Mezcal Caramel Sauce – This is a rich, four-ingredient sauce spiked with tequila.
