Chewy and soft pomegranate caramels are made with homemade pomegranate molasses and have a delightfully sweet and tangy flavor. These would make a perfect gift or holiday treat!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
Texture - ultra chewy, soft caramels! Store them in the fridge for a slightly harder version, or at room temperature for a very soft version.
Flavor - tangy, sweet, and deep pomegranate molasses flavor. It's a nice twist on a classic chewy caramel.
Gifting - these pomegranate caramels are the perfect gift for housewarmings and holidays. These would be a particularly great option for Rosh Hashanah, as pomegranates are symbolic of the Jewish holiday! They'd be great alongside my chocolate caramel marshmallow bars or biscoff truffles, too.
These pomegranate caramels follow the method of the apple cider caramels from Smitten Kitchen, which are some of my favorite treats of all time!
Jump to:
Ingredients
- Pomegranate juice. Use 100% pure pomegranate juice (Pom Wonderful is found at most grocery stores these days) or blend up your own juice using fresh pomegranates. Be sure to check the label to be sure there are no extra sugars or additives. Alternatively, use store-bought pomegranate molasses and just heat it up in the pot before adding the sugars, cream and butter.
- Unsalted butter. At room temperature and cut into tablespoon pieces.
- Sugars. Both light brown and granulated sugars are used.
- Heavy whipping cream.
- Vanilla. Use vanilla paste or vanilla extract.
- Flaky sea salt. I don't recommend skipping this! I use Maldon flakes and it really helps to balance out the sweetness of the caramels.
See recipe card for full ingredients list and quantities.
How to Make Homemade Pomegranate Juice
If you are unable to obtain 100% pure pomegranate juice, you can make your own from whole pomegranates, or pomegranate seeds (arils).
- Remove the top circle of the pomegranate with a paring knife.
- Run a knife from the top of the pomegranate to the bottom in 4-5 places along the soft spots of the fruit.
- Pull the pomegranate apart in quadrants.
- Remove the arils and add them to a food processor or blender.
- Pulverize until broken down, then pass the mixture through a fine mesh sieve to extract all of the juices.
To get the amount of juice you'll need for this recipe, you will need to de-seed about 8 pomegranates.
Variations
Try adding any of the following onto the tops of the caramel once it's been poured in the pan and has set for about 5-10 minutes.
- Chopped almonds
- Chopped pistachios
- Pomegranate seeds
- Drizzled chocolate (add this once the caramel is fully set and cool)
💌 Save This Recipe
Send this recipe directly to your inbox and stay up to date with new recipes!
How to Make This Recipe
One: Bring the pomegranate juice to a boil, then reduce it to a simmer and cook it down until it becomes a syrupy molasses consistency and yields about ½ cup.
Two: Add in the butter, sugars, and heavy cream and mix it together to melt, then place it back on the heat.
Hot tip! The pomegranate reduction gets rather foamy towards the end. Take it off the heat to check the consistency, then put it back on if it needs more time to reduce.
Three: Cook the mixture until it reaches 250℉ on a candy thermometer. It will be bubbling at this point.
Four: Stir in the vanilla, flaky salt, and red food coloring, then pour the hot pomegranate caramel into the prepared pan.
Five: Refrigerate for two hours until set, then grease the blade of a sharp knife with neutral oil and cut the caramels into bite-sized pieces.
Six: Wrap each individual caramel in a 4x4" square of wax paper and twist the edges, then enjoy or gift them to a loved one!
Hot tip! Cut the caramels while they are cold from the fridge & separate them so they aren't touching. Otherwise, they'll get stuck together.
The Best Way to Wrap Homemade Caramels
There are a few options to wrap the pomegranate caramels. These are listed in order of personal preference, and all should be cut into a 4x4" square:
- wax paper
- cellophane
- cellophane or wax paper + colored foil (this is great for holidays!)
- parchment paper
Expert Tips
- Keep an eye on the pomegranate juice when reducing it. Having the heat too high can burn the molasses towards the end and then it will not taste good.
- Without using food coloring, the pomegranate caramels will be brown. Use as much or as little color as you'd like to get the hue you want.
- For slightly thicker caramels, use a 9x5" loaf pan. For slightly thinner caramels (and more caramels) use an 8x8" square pan. I like to use pans with straight sides for the nicest-looking caramels.
- Don't skip lining the pan with parchment paper! This is necessary to pull the caramel block out of the pan to cut them.
- Be sure to separate the caramels after each cut and don't allow them to touch as they will stick back together.
- It's easiest to wrap the caramels on the counter or a flat surface.
Recipe FAQs
The only difference between a soft, chewy caramel and a hard crack caramel is the temperature to which it is cooked. A chewy caramel is cooked to roughly 250℉ and a hard caramel is cooked to closer to 300℉
This is likely because the caramel was not cooked for long enough. Even if the caramel is set, they can be added back to a saucepan and cooked again, ensuring that the temperature reaches 250-252℉, then added back into the pan to set.
Absolutely! Follow all of the same steps, but cook the caramel to 230℉ rather than 250℉ to get a drizzling consistency rather than a chewy caramel consistency.
Storage
Store the wrapped caramels at room temperature for two weeks, or in the fridge for up to one month. The caramels can also be wrapped and frozen in an airtight container for two months and thawed at room temperature.
More Recipe Gift Ideas
Did you make this recipe? Share it with us! Tag @thecozyplum on Instagram & Facebook and leave a five star rating ⭐️ below!
📖Recipe
Pomegranate Caramels
Equipment
- medium or large saucepan a heavy bottomed pot is best
- wax paper for wrapping the caramels
Ingredients
- 4 cups pure pomegranate juice 945ml
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature, cut into tablespoon pieces (113g)
- 1 cup granulated sugar 200g
- ½ cup light brown sugar 100g
- ⅓ cup heavy whipping cream 80ml
- 2 teaspoons vanilla paste or extract
- 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt
- red food coloring optional
Instructions
- Bring the pomegranate juice to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for about one hour, occasionally scraping down the sides.
- While the pomegranate juice is reducing, prepare the rest of your ingredients. Also, grease an 8x8" pan or loaf pan and add two strips of parchment paper to completely cover the bottom of the pan and sides. Additionally, cut 32 pieces of wax paper into roughly 4-inch squares.
- Cook down the juice until it turns into a slightly thick and syrup-like consistency and yields about ½ cup (just eyeball it). Swipe your finger across a rubber spatula to feel the consistency of the reduction.
- Once the juice has reduced, add the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and heavy cream and stir to combine.½ cup unsalted butter, 1 cup granulated sugar, ½ cup light brown sugar, ⅓ cup heavy whipping cream
- Turn the heat to medium and allow the mixture to come to 255-260℉, stirring it occasionally.
- Once the caramel reaches temperature, remove it from the heat and stir in vanilla and salt. If using red food coloring, add in a small amount at a time and stir it in until the desired color is reached.2 teaspoons vanilla paste or extract, 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt
- Pour the caramel into the prepared pan, and place into the fridge (uncovered) for about two hours.
- Once the caramel has solidified, carefully coat the blade of a sharp chef's knife with neutral oil and cut into the desired sizes. Add a swipe of oil to the blade in between each cut.
- Separate the caramels immediately (keeping them on parchment paper) so they don't stick together, then wrap each caramel individually in wax paper.
Tarah and Kaitlyn :) says
This was so fun to make! They’re absolutely delicious. We also made a version with some extra vanilla extract and a little almond extract, and subbed the pomegranate juice for cherry! Both versions came out great. We have never made caramels before, and it’s great that we started with these! Yum 🙂
Callan Wenner says
This made me SO happy! Especially to hear that these were your first caramels - so fun. I love the idea of the cherry juice...I'm definitely going to try that with a touch of almond extract. Thanks for the awesome idea!
Umer says
These came out great, just curious what are some other fruits I could try this with?
Callan Wenner says
Woo! Great news. I've only ever tried them with apple cider but have plans to try pear juice and passionfruit juice. Whatever you decide to try, just make sure it's 100% juice (not from concentrate) so you can get the proper reduction!
Shay says
Super yummy recipe but I just can't get it to set. To be fair I don't have a candy thermometer so it's probably a me issue. I used Pomegranate molasses as a starting point. The first batch was in the fridge overnight and was still super sticky so I put it back in the pot and boiled it again to hopefully bring it to temperature. It's been in the fridge now for almost 2 hours and is the same texture. Again, the stuff I'm tasting off the spatula is super yummy so it's a shame I won't be able to hand these out for the holiday like I planned. I'll try again in the future though! ☺️
Callan Wenner says
Hi Shay - a thermometer is always recommended for candy making, as it's super important to reach the correct temperature. On some stovetops, it can take close to 20 minutes of bubbling time to reach the right temp! If you do try again in the future, I'd suggest grabbing a thermometer - most are about $10 and will last you years!! Appreciate you trying the recipe!
Virginia says
Hi Callan! Love all your recipes!
I liked the pomegranate caramels - but they were just a bit bitter. Perhaps I reduced the juice too long?
Got me wondering if this can be made with pomegranate molasses - which is easy to get where I live and less expensive than the juice.
Most importantly, I want to share that I made the caramels using apple cider and they are fantastic! Same quantities and method. Give them a try.
Hmmm - what juice to try next??
Callan Wenner says
Hi Virginia, if the caramels were bitter, you're correct that you went too far (or too quickly) on the reduction. And yes, you can use pomegranate molasses in the future and skip the reduction step all together if that's easier for you! These caramels were based off of an apple cider caramel recipe (a classic) which is how these came about. I wanted to try a more unique version!
Aubrey says
These were delightful! I was nervous about making caramel but they turned out very well. Thanks for the clear instructions!
M Riley says
Hi! I really want to make these but it's getting late. Is it okay for the caramel to chill in the frigde overnight or can it only be for 1 hour?
Callan Wenner says
Hi so sorry I was sleeping when this came through! The caramels just need to chill at a minimum of 1 hour - they can remain in the fridge for weeks (before or after cutting). I hope you just left them in there to deal with today 😉
nathalie says
hi! I’m attempting these caramels right now and though my pomegranate juice has definitely reduced in size, it’s not thickening. I’ve cooked it on the stove top for a bit over an hour. Do you happen to have a solution to this or is the juice just not right? Thank you so much!
Callan Wenner says
Nathalie - I'm so sorry I'm just seeing this (probably too late). It won't necessarily thicken, but will definitely become more sticky and syrup like (if it was completely cool, it would get super thick, it's more difficult to tell when it's hot). If you swipe your finger through the reduction on a rubber spatula, it will leave a clean trace but the syrup will still be stuck to the spatula. If you used 100% pure pomegranate juice, that is correct. On some stovetops, the process can take close to an hour! Let me know if you finished and how they turned out!
lily says
can i use pomegranate juice from concentrate? nobody carries pure juice where i am nor the actual fruit.
Callan Wenner says
Hi Lily - I haven't tried it with a juice concentrate and my fear is that it won't have enough natural sugars to produce the correct reduction and overall flavor. You could try it with other pure juice for a different flavor profile or go for apple cider. You are welcome to try it with the concentration - I just can't speak on whether it would produce a good final result!
Danielle says
If I have a bottled pomegranate molasses with nothing added in, can I just start from there and put a half cup into a pot and heat while adding the remaining ingredients?
Callan Wenner says
Danielle- that's exactly right!
Shawna says
Just made this and my caramels are as hard as a rock!
Callan Wenner says
Hi Shawna, so sorry to hear this! If this happens, it's because the caramel was either cooked too quickly to the temperature, or was overcooked.
Virginia says
Mine were very hard out of the fridge but softened at room temp.
Racheal Moore says
How do you know if you’ve burned the pomegranate juice during reduction?
Callan Wenner says
It will smell quite acrid and turn almost black instead of brown! Also, if you taste a tiny amount it will taste super bitter.
Joel says
I made these and they were very good, though a lot sourer than I expected (a pleasant sour candy sour), thought that may be because I used store bought pomegranate molasses (1/2 a cup), so if I make these in the future I might play with the ratios. I don’t have a candy thermometer (a me problem, not a problem with the recipe) so used the cold water method and it took two tries to get it right, as the first time I let them go a little too far. One important thing is that I cooled them in the fridge, and when I took them out they were rock-hard but they eventually softened up enough to cut and now they’re soft werther’s texture, so don’t get scared if this happens to you… not all hope is lost! Thanks so much for the fabulous recipe, I never considered making caramels out of other types of syrups and now my eyes have been opened to a whole world of possibilities!
Callan Wenner says
Joel - thanks so much for this thorough review! It's always helpful to hear about other's experiences and tips for making the recipe. Apple cider is another super delicious option for these caramels - give that a try this fall!
Brooke says
Hi! Would pomegranate molasses work in place of reducing your own pomegranate juice?
Callan Wenner says
Hi Brooke, while I haven't tried it, I would imagine it would be a fine substitute and the process would be exactly the same. Just be sure to get it nice and hot, first. Let me know if you try it!
Michelle says
I am confused by which pan to put the hot caramel in to? There is mention of a loaf pan and also an 8x8
Callan Wenner says
Hi Michelle, you can use either pan. A loaf pan will produce thicker (but fewer quantity) caramels, an 8x8" pan will produce thinner (but higher quantity) caramels.
Andrea says
Hi Callan,
I just tried out this recipe. Unfortunately after having it in the fridge for the night it still did not solidify enough to cut it. Do you maybe have a clue why?
Thanks and greetings from Vienna (Austria)
Callan Wenner says
Hi Andrea, it may be that the pomegranate juice wasn't reduced enough, or the caramel needed a slightly longer cook time. I've heard this same problem from a few others at this point. You can add the caramel you have back into the pot and cook it again, trying for a higher temperature (try closer to 255-260F) and then pour it back in to set!
I'm going to re-test this a few times so I can provide a range of cook times to see where the sticking point could be!