This thick caramel macaron filling is easy to make and only uses 6 ingredients! It’s rich, buttery, and the perfect, thick consistency for piping.

How to Make This Thick Caramel Macaron Filling

To make sure this caramel macaron filling turns out as amazing as possible, let’s walk through each step together.

Or if you’re more of a visual learner I’ve also included a video of the process below.

The first step is to heat the sweetened condensed milk, butter, brown sugar, and light corn syrup over medium heat in a heavy saucepan.  

Stir frequently and let the mixture come to a gentle boil. Once this happens, turn the heat down to let the caramel simmer.

Continue to stir frequently until the mixture thickens and becomes a medium caramel color (about 10 minutes).  Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract and fine salt.

Pour into a separate container, then set aside to cool to room temperature. If you make this in advance, cover the bowl and store it at room temperature overnight or in the fridge for up to a week.

This is what my caramel looks like once it cools to room temperature.

If you refrigerate the caramel, heat it in the microwave in short 15-second intervals until it reaches room temperature and is a more workable consistency.

You can also remove the caramel from the fridge and set it out for an hour or two until it comes to room temperature.

Substitutions & Swaps

Below are some swaps and substitutions that can be made in this recipe.

• Sweetened Condensed Milk – This is a MUST in this recipe! Evaporated milk cannot be used in its place.
• Light Brown Sugar – This recipe turns out best with light brown sugar. Dark brown sugar contains more molasses, which can throw off the consistency of the caramel.
• Light Corn Syrup – Using a bit of corn syrup in the caramel gives it a glossy, silky smooth consistency. I don’t recommend skipping it!
• Vanilla Extract – A bit of vanilla extract helps enhance the flavor of this filling, but if you don’t have any on hand you can omit it.
• Fine Salt – I like to use fine salt (like table salt), but you can also use kosher or sea salt if needed. Feel free to adjust the amount of salt to your preference.

How Much Caramel Does This Recipe Make?

This recipe makes about 2 cups of caramel filling. This is enough to generously fill about 30 macarons.

You can double or triple this recipe to fill more macarons if needed, but it will need more time to come to room temperature and thicken.

For reference, I usually pipe my macarons with a diameter of 1 1/2 inches, so they’re about the size of a standard macaron.

Making This Caramel Macaron Filling in Advance & Storage Tips

This caramel be made up to a week in advance and I usually make it the night before and store it in an airtight container or in a bowl sealed tightly with plastic wrap.

If you make it in advance and it’s a little bit too cold/firm to pipe, let it sit at room temperature until it softens.

Macarons filled with this caramel filling should mature for a few hours or overnight in the fridge before being eaten. This gives them time to develop the best texture and taste.

Refrigerate desserts with this caramel filling for up to a week in an airtight container.

Freeze desserts with this filling for up to a month in an airtight container.

Let Me Know What You Think!

If you try this caramel macaron filling, I’d love to hear what you think of it! Please leave a rating and comment below.

Don’t forget to tag me @chelsweets and #chelsweets if you share on social media! I love seeing your delicious creations.

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