Miso Caramel (3 Ways)

This Miso Caramel gives salted caramel a run for its money. It’s rich and buttery, layered with umami, and works in a variety of desserts (or even straight on the spoon). This post teaches you three different methods, and I promise one of them is completely foolproof.

Wet VS Dry Caramel

Wet caramel is cooked with water, while dry caramel is cooked without it. The methods are a bit different, and it’s ultimately down to personal preference.

In my opinion dry caramel is more beginner friendly as it’s less prone to crystallisation, which is the formation of hard sugar crystals. Wet caramel, however, has a slightly silkier texture and gives you finer control of the colour while cooking.

	Ingredients (basic)	Method (simplified)	Notes	Taste + Texture
Wet Miso Caramel	– sugar – water – double cream  – miso – butter	– combine sugar and water + cook – add cream/miso and mix – add butter and mix	– colour is easier to control – takes more time – more prone to crystallisation – best to use a pot	– slightly more delicate flavour – silky texture
Dry Miso Caramel	– sugar – double cream – miso – butter	– heat sugar in pan and wait till it caramelises – mix in cream and miso – stir in butter	– less prone to crystallisation – best to use frying pan – less steps involved	– slightly more intense flavour  – fudgey texture

Important Notes

• Use stainless steel. Sugar gets very hot and can damage non-stick coating. It’s also much easier to judge the colour of caramel on a light surface.
• Use a shallow and wide pan for dry caramel. A wider surface area allows the sugar to caramelise more evenly.
• Use a pot with tall sides for wet caramel. This allows for better heat distribution and prevents overspill since wet caramel significantly bubbles up.
• Do not move/touch/stir too soon. Disturbing the sugar before the caramelisation happens can result in crystallisation – the enemy of smooth caramel.
• Be careful. Melted sugar is dangerously hot so please take care when handling it. It will be very painful if you get it on your skin (trust me). 

What Colour Should My Caramel Be?

This is completely up to you. Light caramel is sweet and delicate, while dark caramel is rich and slightly bitter. I personally prefer my caramel on the darker side for added depth and complexity.

Method 1 – Cheat Miso Caramel

I’ll get right to it – just buy store-bought caramel and mix in the miso. Is it better than homemade caramel? that’s subjective. If it works for you, go for it!

Ingredients

• 1 cup store-bought caramel (approx 235ml)
• 1-2 tbsp white miso (20-30g)

Method

1. Heat 1 cup of caramel until it is a runny consistency. Use a microwave or stovetop.

2) Add 1 tbsp of white miso to the caramel give it a good mix. Taste test and add more if you want a stronger miso flavour.

3) Heat the miso caramel again to fully incorporate the ingredients and let it cool before refrigerating. 

Method 2 – Dry Miso Caramel

Ingredients

• 1 cup (200g) white caster sugar
• 1/2 cup (120ml) double cream
• 2 tbsp (40g) white miso
• 80g unsalted butter (chopped into 6 pieces)

Method

1. Measure ingredients, gather the utensils and a stainless steel pan. Gently incorporate miso and double cream together and heat in microwave before adding to the caramel.

2) Spread sugar evenly on the pan and cook on a medium heat. Do not disturb the sugar until the next step.

3) Mix the sugar once you start seeing patches of deep golden brown and keep mixing until it is your desired colour (see notes on colour in table of contents).

4) Kill the heat and gradually add the double cream and miso mixture whilst stirring constantly.

5) Gradually stir in the butter.

6) Transfer to a heatproof container and refrigerate.

Method 3 – Wet Miso Caramel

Ingredients

• 1 cup (200g) white caster sugar
• 1/4 cup (60ml ) water
• 1/2 cup (120ml) double cream
• 2 tbsp (40g) white miso
• 80g unsalted butter (divided into 6 pieces)

Method

1. Gather the utentils, stainless steel pot and measure out the ingredients. Carefully mix together the miso and double cream and heat in a microwave before adding to the pot.

2) Add the sugar and water to the pot and gently mix. To prevent crystallisation, make sure there are no sugar granules on the sides of the pot (you can see what I mean in the photo below). Use a pastry brush with some water to push all the sugar back into the mixture.

3) You want clean edges like this before cooking the caramel.

4) Heat on a medium-high heat and do not stir or move the pot until the mixture starts turning a golden brown.

5) Swirl the pot to spread the colour and cook until desired shade (see notes on colour in the table of contents).

6) Take the pan off the heat and slowly incorporate the hot miso-cream mixture whilst mixing continuously.

7) Add the butter in stages whilst stirring constantly to incorporate it.

8) Transfer to a heatproof container, and enjoy!

Recipes Using Miso Caramel

I ended up with 6 tubs of miso caramel in the process of developing this recipe so there will be some caramely recipes coming up soon. I love to incorporate it into banana bread or these Miso Caramel Puff Pastry Twists.