Miso Caramel Sauce (Printable)

A rich caramel blend featuring white miso for a sweet and umami depth, ideal for drizzling or dipping.

# Components:

→ Caramel Base

01 - 1 cup granulated sugar
02 - 1/4 cup water
03 - 3/4 cup heavy cream, room temperature

→ Flavorings

04 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes
05 - 2 tablespoons white miso paste
06 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
07 - Pinch of sea salt

# Directions:

01 - In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine sugar and water. Stir gently to moisten all sugar crystals evenly.
02 - Place saucepan over medium heat and cook without stirring until mixture reaches deep amber color, approximately 7 to 9 minutes. Monitor closely to prevent burning.
03 - Remove from heat and carefully whisk in heavy cream. Mixture will bubble vigorously; add cream slowly while standing back for safety.
04 - Add butter cubes to hot caramel, whisking continuously until completely melted and smooth.
05 - Whisk in white miso paste until fully incorporated. Stir in vanilla extract and sea salt to taste.
06 - Allow sauce to cool slightly before using. Sauce will thicken further as temperature decreases.
07 - Transfer to airtight container and refrigerate up to 2 weeks. Rewarm gently over low heat before serving.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It tastes like you spent hours perfecting it when the whole thing takes barely 15 minutes from start to finish.
  • White miso adds this subtle savory depth that makes people pause mid-bite and ask what you did differently.
  • One batch lasts two weeks in the fridge, so you can drizzle it on everything without guilt.
02 -
  • The hardest part is not stirring the sugar while it caramelizes—I learned this by creating a grainy disaster that couldn't be saved, so trust the process and keep your whisk to yourself.
  • Room-temperature cream is non-negotiable; cold cream causes the caramel to seize into hard clumps that no amount of whisking will fix.
  • Taste the miso level as it cools because you can't undo adding too much, but you can always add more in the next batch.
03 -
  • Keep your cream and butter at room temperature before you start cooking—this small detail prevents the caramel from seizing or becoming grainy.
  • Use a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan specifically; thin pans heat unevenly and thin-bottomed pans heat too fast, both leading to burned sugar instead of caramel.
  • If you accidentally burn the sugar, just throw it out and start fresh rather than trying to rescue it—one batch is quicker than fixing a mistake.
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