Sugar-Free Caramel

This sugar-free caramel recipe is the result of a happy accident. I actually have another go-to sugar-free caramel recipe but didn’t have the ingredients I needed, and all of the shops were closed, so I had to make do with what I had.

The result was the type of perfect caramel you find in a Twix bar or a chocolate caramel truffle. Sticky, gooey, and the kind that leaves cobweb-like strands trailing after everything it touches, including your fingers!

Simultaneously infuriating and delightful in equal measures.

What’s even better? It tastes exactly, and I mean exactly, like caramel. If you wrapped this up in a chocolate biscuit, I would swear I was eating a Twix.

A happy accident indeed.

My recipe is adapted from this wonderful keto recipe that I found. I’m using allulose, which is a natural sweetener found in nature, but most brands derive their allulose from corn, so try to go for non-GMO and organic as much as possible.

It tastes just like sugar, with no aftertaste, and behaves like sugar in that it browns, dissolves, etc., and is so far the best, most reliable, and healthiest sugar alternative I have found.

It has been shown not to spike blood sugar and suppresses insulin levels, which is why I like to use it, as balancing blood sugar is a huge part of managing my endo and inflammation levels.¹

So far, it doesn’t seem to have any negative impact on the gut, but it is a new sweetener, so I imagine we’ll discover more in the next few years. However, I certainly tolerate it better than any sugar and sugar alternatives, and I have SIBO and SIFO, so that’s saying something!²

While I’m all for a little real sugar here and there, I do like a sweet treat at the weekends and something like caramel is so high in sugar, it would very likely cause me an endo flare given that I am so sensitive to the inflammation peaks sugar can cause.

Now that being said, because of the oat milk, does have a moderate level of simple carbs, however, the fat from the butter should slow down the release of glucose into the bloodstream. You can always play around with the milk options to find one that suits you.

If you’re not sure why blood sugar can help manage endo symptoms, read my article on this here.

You can make this caramel vegan or if you can tolerate a little dairy, you could use organic grass-fed butter, which is higher in omega 3 fats than your standard butter from cows fed on grains, etc.³

This caramel, as I said, is thick and sticky, but if you want to make it runnier and more like a sauce, take it off the heat 5-10 minutes early and just follow the process outlined below.

Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 30 mins
Serves 4+

Ingredients

• 100 g granulated or powdered allulose
• 60 g good quality vegan butter, such as cultured cashew butter, or butter made with coconut oil and shea butter (avoid margarine, spreads, etc.) or grass-fed organic butter
• 100 ml oat milk (a creamier, barista version is preferable here)
• Teaspoon vanilla extract (pure, no added sugar or flavorings)

Instructions

1. Chop the butter into small chunks and add to a small saucepan, along with the allulose, and melt over low heat.
2. Stir occasionally as the butter and allulose melt, to combine.
3. After about five minutes, the mixture will begin to froth and foam, at this point, add the milk and vanilla extra.
4. The caramel will be a light, thin liquid but do not panic! It will thicken, with patience.
5. Heat over low-medium heat for 30 minutes, stirring frequently to avoid burning at the bottom.
6. The caramel is ready when it’s a rich amber color and will be the thickness of a caramel drizzle.
7. Take off the heat and continue stirring for 30 seconds or so as the mixture thickens and cools.