When you hear Buttermilk Syrup, you still probably think about maple syrup. This syrup is amazing because it can be used similar to a maple syrup on breakfast recipes from pancakes to waffles to crepes, but it’s also my go-to caramel sauce for desserts like ice cream and cheesecake and makes an incredible gift, all wrapped up in a cute mason jar. The flavor is incredibly well rounded and it lends itself well to so many different uses. It’s also a great use for leftover buttermilk, if you bought a container for a single recipe (like my Buttermilk Ranch Dressing) and now don’t know what to do with the rest! Once you learn how easy this is to make, it will become a household staple!
Ingredient and Equipment List
- Buttermilk – I don’t recommend buttermilk substitutes in this recipe, and I haven’t tried it with powdered buttermilk. I like to use real buttermilk, though low or full fat is just fine.
- Butter – I use real, salted, butter. If you use unsalted butter, you’ll want to add a little extra salt to the sauce to balance out the flavor.
- Sugar – Use regular white granulated sugar.
- Corn Syrup – Corn syrup is an important ingredient because it prevents the sauce from crystallizing.
- Baking Soda – Baking soda is important because it reacts with the acidic ingredients and helps with the sauce’s texture.
- Vanilla – Vanilla adds flavor to the finished caramel sauce.
Instructions
- Combine buttermilk, butter, sugar, corn syrup, and baking soda in a large pot.
- Heat and stir to combine all ingredients and then bring to a low simmer.
- Continue to simmer until the mixture turns deep golden in color.
- Let cool to warm and stir to smooth.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge. You can heat in the microwave to warm up.
Your sauce will probably start to get a little grainy and crystallize before it goes bad. Eat up up in 3-4 days for best results.
No, this recipe is not designed for canning. If you gift it in a mason jar, make sure the recipient knows to just keep it in the fridge. TIP: Sometimes after this sauce sits unused for a day or two, it will get a little crystallized (but still tastes amazing!) Testers have found adding an extra tablespoon or so of corn syrup helps with this. If you plan to gift this buttermilk caramel, you may want to try that.
Buttermilk Syrup
- Total Time: 15
- Yield: About 2 cups sauce
Description
Your newest go-to sauce and syrup for…well, everything.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 1 1/2 cup sugar
- 8 Tablespoons (1 stick) real butter
- 2 tablespoons corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Combine buttermilk, sugar, butter, corn syrup, and baking soda in a LARGE pot. Like one you’d make soup in. Yes, you’ll have way more pot than ingredients but this will boil all over your newly-cleaned stove if you put it in a smaller saucepan.
- Bring ingredients to a boil and reduce heat to low (as long as it’s still bubbling, you’re okay). Cook, stirring very frequently, for 8-9 minutes. You’re basically making candy here and candy-making requires constant vigilance.
- When it’s done, it should take on a golden-brown color. Remove from heat and add vanilla.
- There will be foam on top. As it cools a little, just keep stirring and the foam will subside.
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 10
- Category: Condiments
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Questions & Reviews
This has become a main staple in our home. We can’t get enough of this AMAZING syrup! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I’m curious though, how was the french toast in the picture prepared because it looks amazing as well.
I love love love this recipe! I’ve put it on cinnamon rolls as well as our pancakes.
The last time I made it I happened to get a whim and with the addition of two ingredients, turned it into Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel Fudge Sauce. I shared it on my blog today and left y’all some link love/credit for the recipe: http://www.thefrontierkitchen.com/2011/04/that-girl-is-so-dangerous.html
Delicious and easy! BUT you obviously have never had pure maple syrup from Highland Conty, Virginia- yes Virginia. My family is hard put to decide between SCRUMPTIOUS maple syrup and this equally SCRUMPTIOUS syrup! Thanks for the fabulous recipe!
Joelle–I’m not sure. If it were un-cooked, then you could–honey can be a good substitute. But when you get into candy making, things get tricky. The good news is that while you don’t want to go drinking it or anything, it’s *not* high fructose corn syrup in its evil, naked form–it’s just a pantry ingredient that’s been around for 100+ years.
Would it work with honey instead of corn syrup? I try to stay away from corn syrup, and most recipes can have honey substituted for the syrup, but I’ve never tried it in anything candy-like. Thoughts?
I had a banana chocolate chip loaf cooling and thought a caramel sauce would go nicely with it..then thought I have an almost full container of buttermilk sitting in the fridge then found your blog. Now I am waiting patiently for this sauce to cool (I have burnt my finger already)…it is scrumptious and fast to make! Love it and will be keeping the recipe close at hand…Thank you!
oh this is bad (in a good way)I tasted it straight from the pot and now I have to stop!!!
Okay this sounds delish, I'm going to have to try…I will say the 12lb. bag of baking soda in the ingredients shot had me going for a little. =)
My daughter-in-law had us over for Christmas breakfast. She made this syrup to put over German pancakes. It was really good. She loves your site and uses it all the time.
Thank you for this yummy recipe. It is delicious. I made this for neighbor gifts and paired it with your hot fudge sauce. Your blog is new to me and is fast becoming a favorite.
Loralee- we're not canning experts so we really don't know, sorry!
Thank you so much for sharing these wonderful sounding recipes. Your directions make everything sound pretty easy, easy for a wanna-be cook like me! Anyway, I'd love to be able to 'can' this to give as shelf stable gifts (so I can make it earlier and have it still be good for my far-away family. Is that doable, and would you have specifics?
Loralee
Teresa–Yep, it'll get a little solid in the fridge. Just nuke it in the microwave for about a minute and it will be back to normal! 🙂
I made this and it is delicious, the only problem I have is after I stored it in the fridge it became solid(ish) Did I do something wrong? Can I fix it? Help!
Q: "does it get somewhat solid and do you store it in the fridge and take scoops of it as you walk by?"
A: YES! lol It doesn't get quite as solid as the chocolate, but it's perfect for spooning every time you open the fridge door.
Is this stuff similar to the hot fudge? Like does it get somewhat solid and do you store it in the frig and take scoops of it as you walk by LOL??? I'm thinking of making the hot fudge for my mom, but my husband likes caramel… should I make this or just switch out flavored chocolate chips in the hot fudge recipe????
Natalie–You can definitely double the recipe; I'm nervous about doing more than that just because I'm afraid that you might run the risk of boiling over even the biggest pans that most people have in their collections. But that would make quite a few gifts right there!
Hope that helps! 🙂
Holy cow. This is amazing. Saw your Pizzookies (sp???) recipe featuring this sauce and thought, why not! I did use powdered buttermilk and it worked great! Planning on whipping up a batch (or 5) for little gifts for neighbors. Thanks! Think I could make a few batches at once or should I play it save and do one at a time? Thanks Ladies! You ROCK!! Making your "fancy" magic cookie bars tomorrow night for a RS cookie swap. Very excited.
Thanks a ton! I'm going to make a (double or triple) batch of this and pair it with a pancake or waffle in a jar recipe for gifts for Christmas Eve with our family….then they all have breakfast ready-made for Christmas morning. The best will be my hubby though. I plan to bust out the waffle iron and the griddle Christmas morning so he can have waffles and buttermilk pancakes with this syrup (he ADORES caramel!). I'm such a non-cook, but breakfast is the one thing I do really well.
Just have to say that i'm eating this syrup right now on a bowl of caramel tracks icecream and I feel like I died and went to heaven. I'm a huge caramel fan but man, this stuff is something else! I've ben meaning to make it for a while and I'm glad I did! Thanks for sharing!
I've had a similar recipe that I've used for…wow, more years than I like to recall! It was from my ex's father; he called it Mr. Butterworth's Syrup! I love my pure maple syrup but I admit some deja vu feeling now; this and his recipe for buttermilk pancakes (still my favorite) are so good together!
Wish you allowed Name/Url; I don't really have a blogspot or wordpress.com website!
Ginnette–You *could* use it as a filling, but it will soak into the bread and cake. So if that's what you're after, go for it! If you want something where you can detect a distinct difference, you might want to try something else.
As far as sugar crystals go, that just happens sometimes with stuff like this. You can try re-heating it a little more with a touch of water or maybe try cooking it for 1-2 minutes shorter next time.
Hope that helps!
Hello, I made this caramel with milk and viniger (to substitute the buttermilk because i dont have it in my country) and it was great!! I have never tasted a caramel so so good!
I have a question, Can i use it for filling cupcakes or cake?
And another question, i made it today and left it in the refrigarator and next morning i felt the sugar beads, why do i think that happended?
Because it's candy and adding liquor can be tricky, I'm not sure how to go about adding rum, but you COULD add rum flavoring with/instead of the vanilla. Just start with a teaspoon and go from there.
Hope that helps!
Could you add Rum to make a "Rum Sauce"? And if so, how much would I add?
Ginny–It should be good for up to about 2 weeks in a covered container. If it lasts that long. 🙂
Katie, I know, right?? Like pure caramel evilness in a jar!!
Ok, this is not a syrup…no where near syrup. This is pure caramel sauce….its the best thing ever! I tried some Hershey's caramel sauce I had in the fridge and its so gross compared to this. It was just so sugary and well just not good! I will never buy store caramel sauce ever again. Love this!
I just found your website and love all the resipes!!
How long do you think this syrup would be good for in the fridge?
itsewyou8–If it came out thin and mealy, it definitely didn't turn out right. It should be thick and smooth, like caramel sauce only yummier. I'm sorry it didn't work out, though!!
This didn't turn out the way I had hoped. I wanted a buttermilk caramel for a brownie topping, b/c buttermilk was what I had in the refrigerator. But I was hoping for a nice thick sauce, it was not. I tried may things to save it…I did the unthinkable and use cornstarch. Bad idea! Now it's kind of mealy. I added extra sugar and butter…and some salt. All caramel needs salt. I'm going to use it. The flavor is good, I hope nobody notices the mealy texture.
This is my first time reading your blog. Very nice, I'll continue to follow you. Thanks!
This is a great recipe. I even made it VEGAN and it was amazing. Just made my own buttermilk using soy milk with some lemon and then used Earth Balance non dairy/non hydrogenated butter. So yummy!