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Food extracts are integral to so many different types of baked goods and desserts. The deep-rooted flavors that you’ve fallen in love with and the tastes you’ve come to adore are large because of flavorful food extracts.
Whether pure, artificial, or naturally occurring will depend on the food extract, but caramel is one of the most popular flavors around.
Caramel extract is a wonderful addition to any pantry, letting you whip up butterscotch cookies, chocolate chips, cinnamon rolls, sweet puddings, and countless other delectable desserts and baked goods.
Yet, despite just how crucial caramel is in the kitchen, many people still struggle to find caramel extract conveniently in local markets.
If you’re battling to find caramel extract in your local grocery store, don’t worry – we’ll be walking you through some easily available caramel extract alternatives that will give you a very similar result.
What Is A Caramel Extract?
A caramel extract is a food extract used to infuse flavor into desserts, baked goods, and other foods. The caramel flavor is extracted by steeping a large quantity of caramel in a strong solvent such as alcohol, ethanol, or even water or oil.
The demand for caramel extract is so high that both online and brick-and-mortar stores often fall short of stock.
This is because there are many applications, from chocolate chip cookies, butterscotch cookies, cinnamon rolls, and baked desserts to fresh fruit drips, fine sauces, fruit syrups, and all other types of frostings and toppings – caramel is one of the most used flavors around.
Best Caramel Extract Substitute
The next time you’re unable to find caramel extract turn to any one of these fine easy-to-find caramel extract substitutes.
1. Caramel Syrup
You’ll need to add two to three times the quantity of caramel syrup, and it’ll be much sweeter than an extract, but caramel syrup is a fantastic substitute for caramel extract. Please don’t overdo it, or the balance of liquid and solids will be wrong, ruining the texture of whatever you’re baking.
2. Caramel Liqueur
Liqueurs have a high concentration of alcohol which makes them similar in taste to extracts. So the presence of alcohol is the only reason that it’s our second recommendation.
Caramel liqueur and caramel extract can be substituted for each other in equal quantities. Most of the alcohol flavoring bakes away, making caramel liqueur a nearly identical match to a high-quality caramel extract flavor.
3. Caramel Sauce (Watered Down)
Caramel sauce is typically readily available and makes for a great alternative to caramel extract once watered down. However, just like caramel syrup, it’s much sweeter, so it should be used carefully.
It’s also much thicker, which is why you’ll need to thin it. It’ll take a little experimentation to find the right ratio of water to sauce, but too much or too little either way will do nothing other than changing the texture and sugariness of your baked goods.
4. Butter Extract
If you’ve got a celiac disease or are showing any signs of gluten intolerance, butter extract is one of the best substitutions for caramel extract available.
It’s gluten-free, sugar-free, and dairy-free – what could be healthier. Butter extract imitates the flavor of butter but doesn’t contain any animal products making it perfect for Vegans.
When substituting, expect a less intense flavor, swapping out the sweetness for creaminess. There’s no sweetness to butter extract, so keep this in mind and add a little extra sugar if necessary.
5. Vanilla Extract
You can expect to find vanilla extract in just about every grocery store. It’s one of the closest substitutes for caramel extract and an additive that’s generally in abundance affordably everywhere.
The sweet flavor notes will match the taste of caramel extract in your desserts or baked goods but remember that you need far less vanilla extract than your recipe calls for. Vanilla extract is much more intense, calling for no more than a teaspoon or two across most recipes.
6. Almond Extract
Almond extract is a fantastic substitute for caramel extract but, you need to remember that almond has a very prominent flavor. Strong, sweet, and carrying the unmistakable flavor of almonds, many find that they prefer almond extract over caramel completely.
Don’t forget that your dessert will be infused with the flavor of almonds replacing the toast taste of caramel, mimicking it only in sweetness.
7. Caramel Candy
Caramel candy is a great substitute for caramel extract, but it takes a little work before they’re ready to be cooked into your baked goods or desserts as flavor.
There are two ways to work with caramel candy directly as an alternative to extract. We’ll show you how to make your own caramel extract soon, but the easiest way to substitute in a hurry is to melt them.
Add your candies to a pot with just enough water to coat the bottom of your pan and melt them into a sauce over low heat while stirring frequently. You’ll need to add syrup to your dessert or other recipes quickly because it’ll recrystallize back to solid candy soon.
8. Golden Syrup
Golden syrup works well as a substitute but carries its own strong flavor. You’ll get the same rich sweetness, but the toastiness of caramel extract is lost. Be careful about adding too much golden syrup, or it’ll spoil the solidity of whatever dessert you’re making.
9. Fudge
Crush it to powder or melt it – fudge makes a great substitute for caramel extract. It’s much sweeter and can add a grainy, granulated texture to whatever you’re making if you add too much.
We recommend turning your fudge into a sauce by heating it in a pot with a little water. This makes it much easier to measure, pour, blend in and work with, in general.
10. Butterscotch Candy
Even though caramel and butterscotch are two completely different flavors, the rich sweetness combined with a toasty flavor often leads many to confuse the two.
If you don’t have another substitute available, melt some butterscotch candy and use it in the place of caramel extract. Alternatively, follow the upcoming instructions for making your own caramel extract but swap out the candies for butterscotch sweets instead.
Make Caramel Extract At Home
Create your own caramel extract by standing a few caramel candies in a glass or bowl of alcohol. A strong, clear spirit like vodka is best, but anything that’s at least 80 proof will do the job.
Next, place freshly made caramel or caramel candies into a sealable glass jar or mason and cover them with roughly three to four times the amount of alcohol.
Leave the mixture to stand for six weeks, opening the lid every few days. Next, decant into a new glass container, straining out the solid caramel using a coffee filter, cheesecloth, or strainer, and you’ve got homemade caramel extract.
Final Thoughts
Caramel extract is rich, sweet, and packed with flavor. There’s no perfect alternative to the distinctive taste of caramel, but each of the above-mentioned substitutes will come close. Which is your favorite?