Easy Vanilla Butter Sauce Recipe

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With just 4 ingredients and under 10 minutes, this rich, buttery Vanilla Sauce will elevate any dessert from basic to extraordinary. Perfect over cakes, ice cream, or as the ultimate vanilla sauce for bread pudding, this dreamy sauce will make you the hero of every party. A total game-changer recipe!

One reader said: “I made this sauce today for my sourdough bread pudding, it was perfect and so easy. I plan on trying some of your other sauces, and especially the cranberry cake. I love all things cranberry. Thanks for the recipes. ~ Sandy

Silver spoon with creamy, thick vanilla sauce dripping into jar.

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Epic Vanilla Sauce

This Vanilla Butter Sauce is a true game-changer, and I’ve been head over heels for it for over twenty years! It all started with a MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) meeting where a simple pear cake, paired with this sauce, turned into a legendary dessert moment. Truly!

Picture a room full of moms, ready to dismiss the cake as boring, but instead falling silent in awe of this luscious sauce. By the end, we were all shamelessly licking our plates!

Here are the top 3 reasons you’ll love this Vanilla Butter Sauce:

Flavor Explosion: It transforms any dessert, from cakes to pies, into a gourmet treat with its rich, buttery vanilla goodness.
Versatile and Easy: This sauce is as versatile as it is delicious, and it can be drizzled over fruit, pancakes, cakes, bread pudding or even ice cream.
Tried and True: With over two decades of rave reviews from everyone who’s tasted it, this sauce is guaranteed to be a hit!

Need a dessert sauce that’s a guaranteed crowd-pleaser? This Vanilla Butter Sauce is your answer!

Simple Ingredients for Vanilla Sauce

Butter | Use real butter, remember if it’s soft coming out of the fridge it’s a blend, the results won’t be the same results.
Heavy Whipping Cream | Another must here, no fat-free stuff in this decadent vanilla sauce, uh-uh!
Sugar | I use all-natural cane sugar in my baking, but regular refined white sugar is fine, too.
Vanilla Extract | The good stuff, in fact, I encourage you to make your own homemade vanilla extract, try this bourbon vanilla too!

Get the full recipe in the recipe card below.

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Sauces can add so much moisture and flavor to baked goods; this vanilla sauce recipe is one you will want to keep handy; drizzle over pear bundt cake, Kentucky Butter cake, it takes this Cranberry Christmas cake over the top or this fan-favorite Cinnamon Swirl cake.

I made bread pudding for 100 for a senior lunch and made this sauce to go with it. The seniors said it was the best sauce they ever had. A keeper for sure!
Janet

How to make vanilla butter sauce

In a small heavy-bottomed sauce pan (I like this one), over medium-low heat, melt the butter, sugar, heavy whipping cream and vanilla. Stirring constantly, until the sugar is dissolved and has a syrup consistency.

That’s it! The butter sauce will thicken as it cools, so if you need it thicker, just make ahead and allow it to cool.

Fresh Tips

It should be thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.

Adding sugar to melting butter in small saucepan, adding heavy cream to saucepan for vanilla sauce.

Thick vanilla sauce in saucepan with wooden spoon stirring, second image of sauce coating back of wooden spoon.

Sauce is best served warm, it will thicken as it cools, so if you need it thicker, allow it to cool until desired consistency.

A spoon in pan filled with thick butter sauce.

What are the types of dessert sauces?

Here are 9 sauces you need to have the recipes for, these will serve you well to make a dessert a bit more fancy.

Hot Fudge Sauce | A classic sauce! My favorite of favorites, over ice cream there is nothing better! Use on Mud Pie, drizzle over half baked chocolate chip cookies or on this easy Fried Ice Cream cake and of course for the class Hot Fudge Sundae!
Salted Caramel Sauce | I’ve taken this one a step beyond and added a splash of bourbon, however; feel free to omit! Drizzle over Dutch Apple Pie, even in place of frosting these carrot cupcakes.
Crème Anglaise | A classic dessert sauce, it will elevate any dessert! I love it on this Chocolate Bread Pudding.
Easy Chocolate Ganache | An essential recipe in every bakers kitchen, keep it runny and use as a glaze on cakes or let it thicken up and slather between cookies, the sky is the limit with this amazing sauce.
Butterscotch Sauce | A sticky, sweet sauce with that classic butterscotch flavor.
Strawberry Sauce | Make this fresh strawberry syrup, in minutes! Pour over strawberry shortcake for wow!
Blueberry Sauce | Made with fresh blueberries, this sauce is amazing, if you are looking for a syrup, try this one!
Chocolate Shell | Yes, you can make this super simple chocolate shell, using a little coconut oil to help it firm up as soon as it hits the cold ice cream.
Praline Sauce | Pour over pumpkin pie, any vanilla based bundt cake or snack cake, or over vanilla ice cream.

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Storage Tips

Seal this sauce in an airtight jar or container and tuck in the back of your fridge. It will last up to 2 months, maybe longer, do the sniff test. 🙂

How to reheat vanilla sauce

When ready to rewarm your sauce and use, place the contents in a small saucepan and slowly bring to a simmer. Whisk in a splash of cream or a teaspoon of butter if needed.

Or you may microwave it, make sure it’s in a microwave-safe container and heat in 30-second intervals, stirring between each heating until hot.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you freeze vanilla sauce?

Yes, but honestly it will last in your fridge in a well-sealed jar for several months. Reheat when ready to use.

Why is sauce important in dessert?

The right sauce will enhance a dessert in both appearance of course added flavor. A sauce such as this vanilla butter sauce, can also add moisture to cakes and other baked goods.

How long will vanilla sauce last in the fridge?

Since this sauce has cream in it, I store it in the fridge. It will last in a well-sealed container for over a month, if not longer.

Vanilla sauce drizzled over pear bundt cake.

Best Containers for Storing Sauce

I love WeckJars, I get asked about these jars all the time. These heavy glass jars are sturdy enough to stand up to high-pressure canning, yet pretty enough to give as a gift, like this DIY Sugar Scrub. Here are a few of my favorites, I might have a bit of a fetish with jars!

Mini Tulip Jars | I use these for gifting from hand scrubs, to pumpkin pie spice to these pumpkin yogurts.
12.5 oz Tulip Jars | This is what I used in these pictures, a slightly larger jar perfect for gifting.

Variations

For a simple way to change up this sauce, you can use different types of vanilla or extracts, try these:

Bourbon Vanilla Extract
Almond extract | try this one by Rodelle, so pure and good.
Use Vanilla Bean Paste for those gorgeous little flecks of vanilla.
Try using a teaspoon of rum, whiskey or brandy, yum!
Try a teaspoon or two of your favorite liqueur or cordial.

Vanilla sauce being spooned onto pear bundt cake.

How to use Vanilla Sauce:

Pour over any cake, like the pear cake above; especially delicious on vanilla-based cakes, you can pour on hot, for a glaze that will sink in; making the cake incredibly moist, or wait and drizzle it on for serving.
Epic vanilla sauce for bread pudding or try over my friend Amy’s Sticky Toffee Pudding or this amazing Gingerbread Bundt Cake.
A little drizzle over this pumpkin spice cake would be dreamy!
Definitely over ice cream! It will harden slightly and get chewy, so delicious! Try it over my old-fashioned chocolate ice cream or easy vanilla ice cream.
Fruit | Keep it simple; vanilla sauce is terrific over fresh fruit.
Drizzle generously over this Chocolate Croissant bake for more of a dessert than a breakfast!

Vanilla butter sauce being poured over cranberry Christmas cake.

Try my other popular sauce recipes

More from The Fresh Cooky

Easy vanilla butter sauce in pitcher and pan behind and shown drizzling over a cake.

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Vanilla Sauce in pretty glass jar with silver spoon drizzling sauce with a dripping.

Vanilla sauce is ready in less than 10 minutes. While it might seem basic and simple, the flavor is out of this world. Use this vanilla sauce for bread pudding, bundt cakes, regular cakes and it's rather dreamy over ice cream.

4.80 from 39 votes

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Prep Time: 3

Cook Time: 5

Total Time: 8

Servings: serving (approx 2 tablespoons)

Calories: 251kcal

Author: Kathleen Pope

Equipment

Ingredients

▢ ½ cup butter use real butter, nothing soft coming out of the fridge
▢ ½ cup heavy whipping cream not fat-free, or heavy cream
▢ 1 cup granulated sugar I used all-natural cane sugar but you can use white granulated
▢ 1 ½-2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Optional

▢ ⅛ – ¼ teaspoon kosher salt or flaky sea salt, this can balance out the sweetness

US Customary – Metric