How to Make Caramel Pie Recipes (2024)

  1. Painless Cooking
  2. Pies
  3. Caramel Pies

Like most pies, if you are learning how to make caramel pie recipes you can use almost any type of crust. Because caramel flavor is usually very light, it will blend with almost all pie crust recipes.

How to Make Caramel Pie Recipes (1)How to Make Caramel Pie Recipes

The filling for caramel pies can be made with many different ingredients. Quite often you will find recipes that have fillings made with milk, light cream and heavy creams. Some are made with canned milk and creams. Ones made with canned evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk are usually richer in taste but very delicious.

When you learn how to make caramel pie recipes you will also come across recipes which use other liquids. Water, juices and liquids like coffee are sometimes used to make the filling. Often milks and creams are also used along with these liquids. Even without “the milks” the fillings can be made rich and tasty with ingredients like cream cheese, sour cream and butter.

Where do we get the “caramel flavor”? When I think when I learned how to make caramel pie recipes I only thought about using brown sugar and butter. Since then I have learned that other ingredients can be used. Most of my recipes do have brown sugar in them; both dark and light brown. Caramel candy is another very popular ingredient to be used in caramel pies. I have been surprised to see how many caramel pies, as well as other recipes are flavored with caramel ice cream topping.

Another popular ingredient you will find listed in caramel pie recipes is caramel chips. I have had many of these which add a lot of flavor but I have also had some which are not so good. Unlike the chocolate chips, I have found some of the caramel bits do not have much flavor only sweetness. Like most pies, toppings can range from crumbs, nut, meringue, whipped topping or can be served without topping. If you like apples, you will love the pie with caramel and nuts used for the topping. This is even better topped with a scoop of ice cream!

If you are learning how to make caramel pie recipes you might like to try the following crust recipes.

HOW TO MAKE CARAMEL PIE RECIPE

How to Make Caramel Pie Recipes (2)Caramel Pie Recipes

Learn how to make caramel pie recipes with a canned milk.

  • 4 Beaten egg yolks
  • 2 Cups brown sugar
  • 1 Cup canned condensed milk
  • 1 Cup warm water
  • 2 Tablespoons flour
  • 2 Tablespoons butter
  • 2 Teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 Baked pie shell

Combine all ingredients in large saucepan; mix well to blend.

Cook mixture stirring constantly over medium heat until thickened.

Dump mixture into baked pie shell; top with meringue and bake at 350F degrees until lightly browned.

NOTE: You can use the same recipe for meringue as below.

GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST RECIPE

When you learn how to make caramel pie recipes you can use this recipe for graham cracker crusts.

  • 1 ¼ Cups fine graham cracker crumbs (18 square crackers)
  • ¼ Cup sugar
  • 6 Tablespoons melted butter

COMBINE ALL ingredients and mix well; press into bottom and sides of 9 inch pie shell.

Bake at 375F degrees for 6 to 9 minutes until edges are slightly browned; cool.

NEVER FAIL PIE CRUST RECIPE

When you learn how to make caramel pie recipes use this never fail pie crust recipe.

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 Teaspoon salt
  • 1 Cup solid shortening
  • 1 Tablespoon vinegar
  • 1/3 cup milk

COMBINE flour and salt; cut shortening into flour mixture.

Combine vinegar and milk; immediately stir into flour mixture.

Turn out onto floured surface and work until smooth; divide dough in half.

MAKES a double crust or 2 single crust.

CARAMEL MERINGUE PIE RECIPE

  • 2 Cups sugar divided
  • 1/3 Cup flour
  • Pinch salt
  • 2 Cups milk
  • 5 Beaten egg yolks
  • 2 Tablespoons butter
  • 1 Teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 Baked pastry shell (9 inches)

Combine and blend 1 cup sugar, flour, salt, milk and beaten egg yolks.

Cook over medium heat stirring constantly until mixture is hot.

Sprinkle remaining 1 cup of sugar in heavy skillet over medium heat.

Cook and stir sugar until it is melted and turns golden brown.

Gradually add melted sugar to hot custard mixture stirring constantly.

Continue cooking and stirring until custard comes to a boil and thickens.

Stir in the butter and vanilla; set off heat.

Prepare meringue; spoon custard into baked pastry shell and top with meringue.

HOW TO MAKE MERINGUE

If you are learning how to make caramel pie recipes, you might like to try this meringue recipe.

  • 4 to 6 Egg whites
  • ½ to ¾ Teaspoons cream of tartar
  • ½ Cup sugar
  • ½ Teaspoon vanilla

COMBINE whites and cream of tartar in a large mixing bowl; beat on high speed until foamy.

Add sugar 1 tablespoon at a time beating on high until stiff peaks form and sugar dissolves (About 4 minutes)

Beat in vanilla; spread over hot filling and bake on 350F DEGREES until meringue is light brown.

CARAMEL PUMPKIN CUSTARD PIE RECIPE with pecan topping

  • 1 unbaked pastry shell
  • 2 ½ Cups canned pumpkin puree
  • ¼ Cup milk
  • 2 Beaten eggs
  • 1 Cup sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon flour
  • ¼ Teaspoon salt
  • ½ Teaspoon lemon extract
  • ½ Teaspoon vanilla
  • ½ Tablespoon melted butter

Topping

  • 1 Cup chopped pecans
  • ¼ cup melted butter
  • 1 Cup brown sugar

Preheat oven to 425F degrees.

Combine and mix pumpkin, milk, eggs, sugar, flour, salt, flavorings and butter; pour into unbaked pie shell.

Bake at 425F degrees for 10 minutes; REDUCE HEAT to 350F degrees and bake 40 minutes longer.

TO MAKE TOPPING combine and mix pecans, melted butter and brown sugar.

Sprinkle topping over top of pie; place UNDER BROILER until topping is caramelized (It will bubble).

Cool to room temperature; store in refrigerator. Serves 6-8.

CHOCOLATE CARAMEL PIE RECIPE

  • 1 Envelope unflavored Gelatin
  • ¼ cup cold water
  • 1 ¾ cups heavy whipping cream divided
  • 1 Bag (6 ounces) semi sweet chocolate chips
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1 Teaspoon vanilla
  • 22 Candy caramels
  • 2 Tablespoons butter
  • Baked chocolate pecan crust (9 inch) (Recipe below)

Sprinkle gelatin over water in a small saucepan; let stand 1 minute.

Stir gelatin over low heat until completely dissolved; stir in 1 cup of the cream.

Bring gelatin mixture just to a boil; remove from heat and stir in chocolate chips until melted.

Beat or process in blender the chocolate mixture, remaining 1 cup of cream, eggs and vanilla until blended.

Place bowl in refrigerator until thickened about 15 minutes.

Combine caramels, ¼ cup cream and butter; heat and stir until caramels are melted.

Pour caramel mixture into baked crust; cool 10 minutes.

Take gelatin mixture from refrigerator and beat or whisk until smooth.

Pour mixture into crust and chill until firm; garnish with additional whipped cream.

CHOCOLATE PECAN PIE CRUST RECIPE

  • 1 Box chocolate cookie wafers
  • ¾ Cup finely chopped peanuts
  • ½ Cup melted butter

COMBINE AND BLEND 2 cups of wafer crumbs, pecans and butter; press into bottom and sides of 9 inch pie plate.

Bake at 350F degrees for 10 minutes; cool.

COFFEE CREAM PIE RECIPE

Learn how to make caramel pie recipes that use a graham cracker crust and is made with coffee.

  • 1 Baked graham cracker crust (9 inch)
  • 28 Candy caramels
  • 1 Cup milk
  • 1 Envelope unflavored gelatin
  • ½ Cup strong coffee cooled
  • 1/8 Teaspoon salt
  • 1 Cup heavy whipping cream
  • ½ Cup toasted chopped pecans

Heat caramels and milk in a heavy saucepan over low heat until caramels melt; stir frequently.

Soften gelatin in coffee; add gelatin to caramel mixture stirring until gelatin is dissolved and blended.

Stir in salt; chill mixture to the consistency of corn syrup stirring occasionally.

NOTE: Watch closely; caramels set up mixture quickly.

When gelatin in partially set (consistency of unbeaten egg whites) fold in stiffly beaten whipped cream.

Fold in nuts; chill until mixture mounds when spooned.

Turn mixture into prepared crust; chill several hours before serving.

APPLE PECAN PIE with caramel sauce

Learn how to make caramel pie recipes with apples and pecans.

  • Dough for double crust
  • ¼ Cup chopped pecans

Filling

  • 6 Cups peeled sliced apples
  • ¾ Cup sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons flour
  • 1 Teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 Tablespoon lemon juice

Glaze

  • 1/3 cup caramel ice cream topping
  • ¼ Cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 425F degrees.

Roll half of dough and line a 9 inch pie plate; sprinkle bottom with ¼ cup pecans.

TO MAKE FILLING combine apples, sugar, cinnamon and lemon juice; toss to coat.

Spoon apple mixture into pie shell; top with rolled remaining pie dough.

Trim dough around edges, crimp edges; cut slits in top for steam vents.

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes until crust is golden brown and apples are tender.

Drizzle caramel topping over pie; sprinkle top with ¼ Cup chopped pecans.

Serve warm; 8 servings. (Great topped with ice cream!)

CARAMEL CUSTARD PIE RECIPE

  • ¾ cup sugar
  • ¾ cup brown sugar
  • 2 Rounded tablespoons flour
  • ½ Teaspoon salt
  • 2 Cups scalded milk
  • 2 Cups scalded cream
  • 4 Beaten eggs
  • ½ Teaspoon maple flavoring
  • ½ Teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 Unbaked pie shells

Preheat oven to 375F degrees.

Combine and mix together sugars, flour, salt, scalded milk and cream, beaten eggs, maple and vanilla.

Pour into pie shells; bake 10 minutes at 375F degrees.

REDUCE HEAT TO 350F degrees; bake until centers are set.

CARAMEL NUT PIE RECIPE

  • 1 Baked pie shell (9 inch)

Nut Filling

  • ½ Pound caramel candies
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 1 Cup chopped walnuts

Caramel Cream Filling

  • 1 Cup brown sugar
  • ¼ cup cornstarch
  • 1 ½ Cups milk
  • 2 Beaten egg yolks
  • 1 Tablespoon butter
  • 2 Egg whites
  • 2 Tablespoons sugar
  • ¾ Cup sour cream

TO ASSEMBLE PIE combine in top of double boiler unwrapped caramel candies and milk.

Heat mixture over boiling water stirring constantly until caramels melt.

Remove mixture from heat and stir in chopped nuts; spread in bottom of baked pie shell and COOL.

TO MAKE CARAMEL CREAM combine brown sugar and cornstarch in saucepan.

Gradually stir milk into brown sugar mixture; blend in beaten egg YOLKS.

Cook and stir constantly over medium heat until thickened; beat in butter, cover and cool.

Beat egg WHITES until frothy; gradually add sugar beating until stiff peaks form.

Fold in sour cream; fold mixture into cooked filling and pour into prepared pie shell.

Chill several hours before serving.

How to Make Caramel Pie Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What are the two methods for making caramel? ›

Wet caramel is made by combining sugar and a liquid and cooking them together, while dry caramel is made from just sugar, heated in a dry pan until it liquefies and browns.

How to make caramel without crystallizing? ›

The idea is to lower the PH. you can also use a small pinch of citric acid or cream of tartar if you have. lemon juice won't work as it will turn bitter as the sugar cooks. Alternatively, an invert sugar such as corn syrup or golden syrup will work beautifully.

Which method is quickest in caramel making? ›

For the "dry" caramel method, you simply heat the sugar in an empty pan until melted and caramelized. It's quick and direct, but the risk is that some parts of the sugar melt faster than others, and can burn before the rest had made it even to light amber.

What thickens caramel? ›

For each cup (240 mL) of caramel sauce that you need to thicken, run 1 tbsp (14.7 mL) of cold water into a measuring cup, and slowly stir in 1 tbsp of cornstarch. Pour the cornstarch mixture into your pot caramel sauce, and stir constantly. Keep the sauce on low heat until it begins to thicken.

What is the formula for caramel? ›

Explanation: The typical formula for caramels is C24H36O18 , so the elements of water have been removed from the sucrose.

Is white or brown sugar better for caramel? ›

Sugar Note: Most chefs say that only granulated sugar can be successfully caramelized; other sugars — such as brown sugar and unrefined sugar such as cane sugar — contain impurities that can inhibit caramelization. It's those impurities that can burn before the sugar has time to caramelize.

How many parts of sugar and water to make caramel? ›

The main ingredient for making a caramel is sugar. A liquid caramel can be made using any quantity of sugar or water just as long as it follows the ratio of 2 parts sugar: 1 part water.

Why chill a pie before baking? ›

Once the dough is shaped and crimped, the last thing you want to do bake it right away. Chilling the shaped pie allows the aforementioned gluten to relax and the butter to get nice and cold again, both of which help your pie hold its shape better once it's in the oven.

What is the cardinal rule of pie dough making? ›

The cardinal rules of pie dough: Keep it cold, work fast, and don't overwork your dough.

What is the best temperature to bake a pie? ›

No soggy bottom pie crust Not nessary to blind bake! Just bake a filled pie at 425° for the first 15 min to set the crust then reduce temperature to 350° for the rest of the time.

Why is my homemade caramel so hard? ›

This is usually caused by sugar crystals stuck to the side of the pan that didn't get fully dissolved. It only takes one to set off a chain reaction, and before you know it you have crunchy caramel.

Why put lemon juice in caramel? ›

The acidic nature of lemon juice prevents the formation of sugar crystals. Just a small squeeze of lemon juice added to the sugar as it melts can make a big difference in the outcome of your caramel.

Why did my caramel harden when I added butter? ›

If too many bits of sugar get stuck to the side of the pan, they will harden and can cause the caramel to seize or become gritty or grainy when you add in the butter and/or the cream. Prevent this by gently swirling the sugar around as it melts, while holding the pan's handle, instead of using a utensil to stir it.

Should you stir caramel when making it? ›

Do not stir, but instead swirl and shake the pan to distribute the caramelized sugar in and around the unmelted sugar and to promote even browning. Watch it carefully to make sure it doesn't burn. The caramel is done when it's a deep amber color and all sugar lumps have dissolved.

What enhances caramel flavor? ›

Here are the foods you should consider pairing with caramel for maximum flavor.
  • Apples. This pairing is very well known. ...
  • Coffee. The acidity of coffee is leveled out by the addition of sweet caramel. ...
  • Chocolate. Candy bars, anyone? ...
  • Ginger.
Dec 27, 2019

How do you keep caramel from seizing when adding cream? ›

If too many bits of sugar get stuck to the side of the pan, they will harden and can cause the caramel to seize or become gritty or grainy when you add in the butter and/or the cream. Prevent this by gently swirling the sugar around as it melts, while holding the pan's handle, instead of using a utensil to stir it.

Why is caramel so hard to make? ›

You make caramel by melting sugar, and thin pots heat unevenly. This can cause portions of the sugar to burn before the rest of it has melted. Instead, choose a sturdy, heavy-bottomed metal pot (like stainless steel) with tall sides.

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