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
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.
Questions & Reviews
I made this with waffles tonight and my kids are now calling it “mom’s magic syrup.”. It’s a hit around here!
Oh my word!!!!! I am making this in the morning for my kids for breakfast! How do you store leftovers? Not that I anticipate any leftovers!
Just pop it in the fridge 🙂
I almost laughed out loud when I saw that you have a 12 lb bag of baking soda! Awesome 🙂 Anyway, I’m making the caramel apple bread pudding with this tonight and cannot wait to try it!
I just made this yesterday and it turned out thin. Is it supposed to thicken on the stovetop or after removed from the heat? Not sure if I cooked it too long or not long enough…
If it’s thin, then chances are it was undercooked.
What role does the 2 Tablespoons of corn syrup play in this recipe? I try to avoid corn syrup and would not use the remainder of the bottle for any other recipe. Thanks!
Well, corn syrup is different chemically from high fructose corn syrup–Karo has been around way longer than HCFS. 🙂 That said, it’s used in candy making for stabilizing the final product. I’ve heard you can substitute honey, but I’ve never tried it, so I can’t say if it works or how it tastes.
This is the best syrup ever! My family won’t allow anything else on their pancakes anymore. I do change it up sometimes and add coconut extract in place of vanilla for an *amazing* coconut syrup. So good!!
i made a batch of this and it was *life changing* the morning that i made it… perfectly smooth and caramel… ly. we put it in the fridge and took it out tonight, heated it up on the stove and it was gritty. grainy. like the sugar crystals have separated out. have you ever had this happen? i’m thinking it means i didn’t cook it long enough… or is that normal and i should’ve just heated it longer? we don’t have a microwave, so that’s not an option…
Hmmm…I’m not sure what happened, but I’ve always reheated it in a microwave. Maybe try adding a little bit of water and heating it up very slowly? I wish I were Alton Brown sometimes. 🙂
Wow! This is crazy good! Will be making this again!
I rushed through reading the recipe for the caramel sauce and accidentally added the vanilla to the pot with the rest of the ingredients, what difference does that make? Thanks Girls~
I did the same thing, but it still tasted delicious. 🙂
This is soooooo goood. We had this for breakfast with the buttermilk pancakes and leftovers for lunch. Can I just say, I’m in Heaven!!