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
I enjoy giving precise details in my recipe posts to lead my readers through any questions. If you’re just here for the printable recipe, use the Jump to Recipe to head straight there!
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!
Why you’ll Love This Bread Pudding 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.
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.
Sauce is best served warm, it will thicken as it cools, so if you need it thicker, allow it to cool until desired consistency.
Bread Pudding Sauce 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.
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!
How to Store Bread Pudding Sauce
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 Sauce For Bread Pudding
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.
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, but honestly it will last in your fridge in a well-sealed jar for several months. Reheat when ready to use.
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.
Try my other popular sauce recipes
- Best Hibachi Sauce Recipe (Yum Yum Sauce)
- Easy Secret Smashburger Sauce Recipe
- Best Homemade Italian Marinara Sauce Recipe or my Grandpa Frank’s Spaghetti Sauce
More from The Fresh Cooky
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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
Instructions
- In a small heavy-bottomed sauce pan, over medium-low heat, melt the butter, sugar, heavy whipping cream, and vanilla.½ cup butter, ½ cup heavy whipping cream, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1 ½-2 teaspoons vanilla extract, ⅛ – ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Stir constantly until the sugar is dissolved and has a syrup consistency. It should coat the back of a 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.
Notes
STORAGE
Since this sauce has cream in it, I store it in the fridge. It will last in a well-sealed container for 1-2 months, if not longer. It may be frozen as well. If your sauce crystalizes at all, just place desired amount in a small saucepan, reheat over low heat, whisking constantly until warm and sugars have dissolved. If necessary, whisk in a teaspoon of cream or butter.VARIATIONS
- 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.
Ways 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.
- This vanilla sauce is incredible for bread pudding, or try over my friend Amy’s Sticky Toffee Pudding.
- A little drizzle over this pumpkin spice cake would be dreamy!
- Definitely over ice cream! Any and all kinds, it will harden slightly and get chewy, so delicious!
- Fruit | Keep it simple, vanilla sauce is amazing over fresh fruit.
- Drizzle generously over this Chocolate Croissant bake for more of a dessert than a breakfast!
Nutrition
Martha Daughtry
After reading all about the recipe, I absolutely had to make it for a bread pudding I had made. Unfortunately, I was out of whipping cream. But not wanting to go to the store, I decided to substitute evaporated milk. You heard me right! Evaporated milk! I’ll just state that the finished product was unbelievably tasty, so I can’t imagine how it could taste any better with whipping cream. However, the next time, (and there will be a next time) I will use the required whipping cream. If it’s that much better than evaporated milk, I may have to bathe in it!
Lick the plate-able!! I love that you used evaporated milk! Great for other readers, but heavy cream — yummilicious!
Marsha Arnott
Is salted or unsalted butter used? Looking forward to making this to go over a crustless apple pie for this weekend family dinner.
Hi Marsha, thanks for asking, I use salted in butter in the majority of my baking because that’s what I usually have on hand, so either work, if you using unsalted butter, add a touch more salt to the recipe. Hope you love it, sounds dreamy with your crustless apple pie! Drooling!
Kathy
My sauce turned out grainy. Didn’t know how to solve, any suggestions?
Flavor was fabulous and so easy. Thank you
Hi Kathy, I’m so sorry it turned out grainy. But glad you still liked it! Typically this is caused from your sugar crystalizing, try these tips: Reheat it gently on low and add a teaspoon of cream at a time while you stir slowly over low heat. This should bring it all back together.
Steve Alvarez
Served this with my Bread Pudding that I usually serve with a caramel sauce. This Vanilla Sauce really gave it a whole new taste, a real game changer. I will make it again!
So happy to hear that Steve!! Thank you for your kind comment!