Butter Rum Sauce is a buttery caramel-like-sauce that has a lovely flavor from the dark rum. Don’t worry it doesn’t taste like a cocktail as the liquor will boil out during cooking. It is made with 5 simple ingredients – butter, brown sugar, sugar, cream, and dark rum.
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It is perfect drizzled over apple spice cake, apple crostata, brownies, apple nachos, bread pudding, pancakes or just ice cream! And if I’m being honest I have been spotted eating it by the spoonful (it’s REALLY good!).
Ingredients & Supplies
You don’t need much to make this butter rum sauce recipe, just 5 ingredients:
- saucepan
- 1 stick of butter (preferably salted)
- brown sugar
- granulated sugar
- heavy whipping cream
- dark rum
Dark Rum
When you buy dark rum (or look through your liquor cabinet), you want to make sure you get “dark rum”. It will literally be darker in color, like a caramel color. Definitely do not use the clear rum, it will not have the right flavors for this recipe. Dark rum is aged and the molasses flavors are enhanced.
If dark rum is not something you would normally keep in the house or would use for cocktails, you can absolutely buy an airplane sized bottle of dark rum! They are usually kept up by the registers at the liquor store.
Rum Extract
If you prefer to not use alcohol you can absolutely sub 1 teaspoon rum extract for the dark rum.
How to Make Butter Rum Sauce
There is not much to making this Butter Rum Sauce. Just add all the ingredients to a saucepan over medium heat. Let it all melt together and then let it simmer for about 2-3 minutes.
Remove it from the heat and let it cool. It will thicken more as it cools.
If you like a stronger rum/alcohol flavor you can wait and add the rum in the last 30 second of simmering the sauce. But, be careful that it doesn’t boil up on you!
Storing
Store your cooled butter rum sauce in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. I like to store mine in a mason jar with a lid.
Reheating
To reheat the sauce just portion out how much you want to use into a saucepan and place over low heat for about 5 minutes (less if you only have 1 or two portions), stirring occasionally, until it is the right consistency for drizzling!
Other Recipes Using Dark Rum
If you have purchased a bottle of dark rum and now are thinking what am I going to do with this… her are a few recipes you can make to use it up!
Cocktails:
- Ina Gartens Dark Rum Southside
- Spruce Eats Dark and Stormy
- or just a really good Rum & Coke (Cuba Libre)
Food:
Butter Rum Sauce
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon dark rum - up to 2 tablespoon for stronger flavor. (could sub 1 teaspoon rum extract if you prefer to not use alcohol)
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer for 2-3 minutes until slightly thickened and coats a spoon.
- TIP: for a stronger rum/liquor flavor wait and add the rum in the last 30 seconds of simmering. But be careful if it boils up.
- Remove from the heat. Let it cool for about 30 minutes, it will thicken more as it cools.
Storing
- Store any unused (and cooled) butter rum sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. A mason jar works nicely!
Reheating
- To reheat the butter rum sauce right out of the fridge place it in a saucepan over low heat for about 5 minutes (less if you are only warming 1 or 2 portions), stirring occasionally. Once it has darkened in color and is the right consistency pull it from the heat.
Serving
- This butter rum sauce is amazing drizzled over spiced apple cake, apple crostata, apple nachos, or over ice cream!
Cathy
Could you swirl this throughout a homemade rum-raisin ice cream? Or does it get too hard when cooled?
Susie Weinrich
It might crystalize a bit if you put it in the freezer. But it would make a GREAT topping on rum raisin ice cream.
Penny Kolesar
AMAZING! I wonder if it can be pressure canned (with rum extract) and be given as gifts?
Susie Weinrich
I have not tried that, my only concern would be the butter content.
SRMiller
So easy to make and delicious! Put over pound cake. 🙂
Janice Keene
So yummy and easy to make! I had to make two batches so there would be extras for ice cream.
Sue
So easy and decadent ❤️
Donna
I am so excited that I have found this Rum Sauce recipe for our Christmas Pudding. I have been looking for this recipe for many years as it reminds me of the Rum sauce my Mom use to make every Christmas. Thank You.
J Duncan
Did I miss something? There is an amount for the butter and nothing else. What kind of recipe is that?
Susie Weinrich
There should be measurements for everything. Make sure you are looking in the recipe card …
½ cup butter
▢½ cup granulated sugar
▢½ cup brown sugar
▢½ cup heavy whipping cream
▢1 tablespoon dark rum up to 2 tablespoon for stronger flavor.
Laurie
Can you use 10% cream instead of heavy cream?
Susie Weinrich
I have not tested that so I cannot tell you 100%. Heavy cream has around 36% milk fat, so Im not sure a 10% will react the same in the recipe.
Patricia
Can you bottle (can) this for storage?
Susie Weinrich
I am not sure about this. I do not do any canning or preserving.
Anthony
Excellent sauce for ice cream, and it is really quick to put it together.
Kavinda Ekanayake
Every thing good. I like it .thanks
Mike
DELICIOUS and so quick and easy to make! THANK YOU
Judi Stillar
This is now my favourite caramel sauce. So good on sticky toffee pudding. Thank you for sharing.
Ronda Nguyen
This is delicious and easy to make.
Dianne H
Delicious. I wanted a butter rum sauce for creme brulee bread pudding. This was easy to whip up and tastes great. I did double the rum though for a nice “rummy” flavor.
Susie Weinrich
Crème Brulee Bread Pudding sounds AMAZING!!!!
Darlene
Great flavor! Awesome to use in place of maple syrup. I love it on my Pannekoekens.
Citrus
This rum sauce is deliscious, and not overly sweet!!!