Dunkin’ Donuts is known for its wide variety of donuts, coffee drinks, and other baked goods. One of the most popular additions to Dunkin’ drinks and baked goods is the sweet, sticky caramel sauce. This caramel sauce adds a delicious hint of sweetness and pairs perfectly with Dunkin’ iced and hot coffee drinks, lattes, frozen coffees, donuts, muffins, and more. But what exactly is in Dunkin’s famous caramel sauce? What ingredients and process go into making this top-secret Dunkin’ recipe? This article will uncover everything you need to know about the type of caramel sauce used by Dunkin’ Donuts locations across the country.
What is Caramel Sauce?
Before diving into the specifics of Dunkin’s own caramel sauce recipe, it helps to understand exactly what caramel sauce is. Caramel sauce has a rich, buttery, slightly burnt sugar flavor. It has a smooth, thick, and sticky texture. Caramel sauce is made by cooking sugar at high temperatures until the sugars caramelize, creating that characteristic sweet and nutty taste.
Traditional caramel sauce recipes require cooking sugar with some type of fat, like butter, cream, or milk. The fat helps prevent the sugars from crystallizing and adds smoothness. Recipes can also include other ingredients like corn syrup, vanilla, salt, and cream to enhance flavor and texture. Caramel sauce can be customized in many ways, altering ingredients and cooking times to create different consistencies and flavors.
How is Dunkin’s Caramel Sauce Made?
As a popular nationwide coffee and donut chain, Dunkin’ needs to make caramel sauce in large quantities for use across all its locations. But what exactly goes into a Dunkin caramel sauce recipe?
Dunkin’, like many large food chains, keeps the exact details of its caramel sauce recipe a closely guarded secret. The ingredients and preparation process for Dunkin’s caramel sauce are proprietary information. However, some clues can be gathered based on Dunkin’s published allergen information and through tasting and analyzing the sauce’s flavor profile.
Potential Ingredients
Based on available information, these are the likely main ingredients used in Dunkin’s caramel sauce:
- Sugar – Granulated white cane sugar is likely the primary ingredient, providing the caramelized sweetness.
- Corn syrup – Help control sugar crystallization.
- Butter or butter oil – Adds rich, buttery flavor.
- Cream – For smooth, creamy texture.
- Vanilla extract – Enhances flavor
- Salt – Balances sweetness and accentuates flavors.
Dunkin’s caramel sauce is made without milk or egg ingredients based on their allergen information. It is unclear if Dunkin uses real butter or artificial butter oil/flavoring, but the rich taste certainly suggests some type of butter content. The exact amounts and proportions of the ingredient are unknown.
Preparation Process
Though the full preparation details are secret, Dunkin’ likely uses a process similar to traditional caramel sauce recipes. This likely involves:
- Cooking white granulated cane sugar on medium-high heat until melted and caramelized to a golden brown color.
- Gradually adding corn syrup while stirring continuously to prevent crystallization and burning.
- Stirring in butter/butter oil, cream, vanilla, and salt once the desired caramel color is reached.
- Continuing to cook the mixture, stirring frequently, until it reaches the ideal thickness, taste and consistency.
- Cooling the caramel sauce before bottling or using.
The caramelization of the sugar gives Dunkin’s sauce its iconic flavor and color. Dunkin’ likely uses commercial-grade equipment to make large batches of caramel sauce at a time. The sauce may be packaged and distributed to locations or made fresh on-site.
Flavor Profile of Dunkin’s Caramel Sauce
What exactly does Dunkin’s caramel sauce taste like? Here is a breakdown of the sauce’s distinctive flavor notes:
- Appearance: Glossy, smooth and creamy golden brown color
- Aroma: Sweet, buttery, warm vanilla
- Taste: Rich butterscotch-like caramelized sugar flavor, hint of saltiness and vanilla
- Texture: Thick, sticky, and smooth
- Mouthfeel: Coats the mouth, silky
- Sweetness: Just the right balance of sweetness without being overly sugary
Dunkin’s proprietary caramel sauce recipe creates the iconic sweet, buttery, vanilla-laced caramel flavor their customers know and love. It provides the ideal amount of sugary indulgence without overpowering the taste of the coffee and donuts it accompanies.
Uses for Dunkin’s Caramel Sauce
Dunkin’ Donuts offers several menu items featuring their signature caramel sauce:
Coffee Drinks
- Iced or hot caramel coffee
- Iced or hot caramel macchiato
- Caramel iced lattes
- Caramel flavored hot lattes
- Caramel swirl iced coffees
- Caramel hot chocolate
The caramel sauce can be added to any hot or iced coffee beverage for a touch of sweetness. It mixes well with espresso shots, milk foam, whipped cream, chocolate flavors, and other coffee customizations.
Frozen Drinks
- Caramel iced coffees
- Caramel Coolattas – blended iced coffee drinks
- Caramel frozen chocolate
Dunkin’s caramel sauce takes their frozen coffee blends to the next level by adding creamy sweetness that perfectly balances out the ice-cold drink.
Baked Goods
- Caramel donut glaze or drizzle
- Caramel muffin topping
The caramel sauce can be used to add a touch of sweetness and flavor enhancement to Dunkin’s signature donuts, muffins, and other baked items. It pairs especially well with chocolate and nut flavors.
Other
- Caramel sundae topping
- Caramel Popcorn
- Caramel to add to cream cheese spreads
Dunkin’s caramel sauce isn’t just for coffee – it can also be used to customize or dip into a variety of desserts, snacks and treats!
How to Make Homemade Dunkin-Style Caramel Sauce
While nothing can exactly replicate Dunkin’s secret proprietary caramel recipe, you can come close to making a homemade version at home. Here is a recipe for DIY caramel sauce inspired by Dunkin’s:
Ingredients:
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup light corn syrup
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions:
- Combine sugar, water and corn syrup in a medium saucepan. Heat on medium, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves.
- Increase heat to medium-high. Cook, without stirring, until mixture comes to a gentle boil. Continue cooking until it turns deep golden brown, about 5-7 minutes.
- Remove from heat. Very slowly and carefully stir in heavy cream – mixture will vigorously bubble up. Stir until smooth.
- Add butter, vanilla extract and salt. Stir until butter is fully melted and incorporated.
- Let caramel sauce cool for about 30 minutes before using. It will thicken as it cools.
- Store cooled caramel sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
This easy homemade caramel sauce captures the signature flavors of Dunkin’s caramel. Use it to customize your home coffee drinks, swirl it into ice cream, drizzle it over donuts, or enjoy it with fruit dips.
Where to Buy Dunkin’s Caramel Sauce
Unfortunately, Dunkin’ does not bottle and sell their caramel sauce for retail purchase. Because it is a proprietary recipe, the only place you can get real Dunkin’ caramel sauce is directly from their restaurants. You can, however, purchase ready-made caramel sauces from grocery stores that try to imitate the Dunkin’ flavor profile. Smucker’s and Torani both make coffeehouse-style caramel sauce that comes close to Dunkin’s. Checking your local stores or online retailers will give you some caramel sauce options for enjoying the Dunkin’ flavor at home.
Conclusion
Dunkin’ Donuts has mastered the ideal recipe for coffeehouse-style caramel sauce. With its irresistible flavor and versatility, this top-secret caramel adds the perfect touch of indulgence to drinks, baked goods and treats. Though the exact recipe remains hidden, sleuthing reveals Dunkin’ likely uses a traditional technique and ingredients like sugar, corn syrup, butter, cream, vanilla and salt. While you unfortunately can’t buy Dunkin’s exact pre-made caramel sauce, you can recreate a close home-style version to get your fix of this coffeehouse treat! So try your hand at making this Dunkin’-inspired caramel sauce and enjoy coffee, donuts, ice cream and more just like your favorite coffee shop.
