How to Freeze Caramel

Co-authored by Jessica Gibson

Last Updated: May 27, 2020 References Tested

It is possible to have too much caramel, in which case your freezer is your best friend. Instead of trying to add caramel to every dessert you make, stick the extra sauce or candies in the freezer. Later, you can take out as much caramel as you need and defrost it in the fridge until it's soft. Then, eat the candies or warm the sauce in the microwave.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Freezing Caramel Sauce

1
Transfer the sauce to a freezer-safe airtight container. Spoon your homemade or storebought caramel sauce into a rigid plastic or glass container that's safe to put in the freezer. Leave at least ¹⁄₂ inch (1.3 cm) of space at the top of the container so the sauce has room to expand as it freezes.^{[1]
X
Research source}
- If you're spooning hot, homemade caramel sauce into the container, use caution since the caramel may sputter and burn you.
2
Refrigerate the uncovered homemade caramel sauce until it's cool. If you've just made homemade caramel sauce, it's probably still very hot. Put the container of sauce into the fridge with the lid off, so steam can escape. Chill the sauce until it's about room temperature.^{[2]
X
Research source}
- If you put the hot caramel directly into the freezer, the heat from the sauce may thaw the other food in your freezer.
- If you're using a jar of storebought sauce, you can skip this step.
Advertisement
3
Put the lid on the container and label it. Take your caramel sauce out of the fridge and put a lid on it so the container is airtight. Then, stick a label on the container and write "caramel sauce" with the date.^{[3]
X
Research source}
- It's always a good idea to label food before you freeze it so you can remember what's in the containers and you know when you need to use or discard the food.
4
Freeze the caramel sauce for up to 2 months. If you used a lot of sugar in your sauce, it will probably stay soft. You might notice that storebought caramel sauce hardens in the freezer if it doesn't contain as much sugar. This is because sugar prevents the water in the caramel from hardening in the freezer.^{[4]
X
Research source}
5
Defrost the caramel sauce in the fridge overnight. When you're ready to enjoy your caramel sauce, take the container out of the freezer. For the best texture, stick the container in the fridge the day before you want to use the sauce so it can slowly thaw.^{[5]
X
Research source}
- If you're in more of a hurry and have sauce that didn't harden all the way, spoon some of the chilled sauce into a microwave-safe dish and microwave it in 20-second increments until it's hot.
Tip: Don't take the container right out of the freezer and stick it in the microwave unless the container is freezer-safe and microwave-safe. Keep in mind that if you heat up the entire container of sauce, you should use it all instead of sticking it back into the freezer.
6
Heat the caramel sauce in double boiler until it's pourable. When you're ready to serve the caramel sauce, pour a few inches of water into a saucepan and simmer it over medium heat. Then, put the caramel into another pan and set it onto the saucepan with the simmering water. Stir the caramel sauce frequently as it warms up and turn off the heat once the sauce is hot.^{[6]
X
Research source}
- Again, you could warm the sauce in a microwave-safe dish. Heat the caramel sauce in 20-second increments until it's smooth and pourable.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Storing Wrapped Caramel Candies in the Freezer

1
Put wrapped caramel candies into a freezer-safe container. Get out a rigid airtight container or a heavy-duty freezer bag and fill it with caramel candies. Put the lid on the container or seal the bag shut. Then, write the date on the outside of the container.^{[7]
X
Research source}
- If you're in a hurry, it's fine to toss a package of caramel candies directly into the freezer since the bag is sealed.
Tip: If you want to freeze homemade caramel candies, wrap them individually in waxed paper before you freeze them. This prevents them from sticking together.
2
Place the container in the freezer and store the caramels for up to 1 year. Caramels freeze really well since they don't develop freezer-burn like a lot of foods. For the best texture, use the caramels within a year.^{[8]
X
Research source}
- You can safely freeze the caramels for more than a year, but the texture might change.
3
Thaw the frozen caramels at room temperature for a few hours. When you're ready to enjoy the caramel, take as many candies out of the freezer as you want and set them on the counter. It should take 1 to 2 hours for the caramels to soften up enough for you to eat them.
- Since most caramels are stored at room temperature, it's fine to leave them out even longer than this.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Freezing Other Caramel Foods

1
Toss a package of caramel dip in the freezer for up to 2 months. Since storebought caramel apple dip already has headspace in the package, you don't need to put it in a different container. Just freeze the whole package until you're ready to use the dip. To thaw it, put the container into the fridge the night before you want to serve it.^{[9]
X
Research source}
- If you've already opened the package and spooned some of the dip out, just put the lid on the package and freeze it. However, if you opened the package and dipped food into the caramel, don't freeze the leftovers since you've introduced bacteria into it.
- If you'd like to warm up the dip, spoon some of the thawed caramel dip into a microwave-safe dish and microwave it in 10-second increments till it's as hot as you want.
2
Store frosted caramel cake in the freezer up to a month. If you want to make a delicious caramel cake in advance or you have leftovers that you don't want to toss, set the cake on a sheet and put it in the freezer. Chill the cake for at least 4 hours so it hardens. Then, take it out and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. Cover the cake with aluminum foil and label it before you stick it back in the freezer.^{[10]
X
Research source}
- Freezing the cake before you wrap it prevents the plastic wrap from getting stuck in the frosting.
- If you want to freeze unfrosted caramel cakes, wrap the cake layers with plastic wrap and freeze them for up to 3 months.
3
Freeze caramel corn in an airtight container for up to 1 year. Save this sweet popcorn in the freezer so you can eat it at a moment's notice. Place homemade or storebought caramel corn into an airtight freezer bag and squeeze the excess air out. Then, seal the bag and label it before you put it in the freezer.^{[11]
X
Research source}
- When you're ready to eat the caramel corn, take the bag out and let it sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes or until the caramel corn is thawed.
Tip: If the caramel corn is soft or soggy once you've taken it out of the freezer, spread it on a baking sheet and warm it in a 250 °F (121 °C) oven until it's warm and crisp. Stir it every 10 minutes as it heats so it becomes crispy on all sides.