Vietnamese Caramel Sauce (Nuoc Mau)

Course: Seasoning

Cuisine: Vietnamese

Cook Time: 10

Total Time: 10

Servings: servings

Calories: 46kcal

Author: Quynh Nguyen

Nước màu, or Vietnamese caramel sauce, is a deep, smoky-sweet syrup made by slowly cooking sugar until it turns into a rich amber color. It’s used to add color, depth, and umami to savory Vietnamese dishes like thit kho (braised pork and eggs). Just sugar and water, no fancy ingredients—yet it brings a deep, complex flavor that’s key to many Vietnamese comfort food recipes.

Print Recipe

Ingredients

4 tablespoons white granulated sugar
⅓ cup water

Instructions

Add sugar to a dry pan: Start with ½ cup of sugar in a small, light-colored saucepan over medium heat. Let it melt—no stirring at first.
Watch it change: As it melts, it’ll go from clear to golden to amber. Swirl the pan gently if needed. Stir only once the sugar is mostly liquid to help it cook evenly.
Stop the cooking: Once it reaches a deep amber (right before it starts to smell burnt), remove it from the heat and slowly add ⅓ cup water. It’ll bubble like crazy, so be careful!
Stir until smooth: Once the bubbling calms down, stir the sauce until it’s fully dissolved and glossy.
Cool and store: Let it cool completely, then pour into a jar and store in the fridge.

Notes

Use warm water when adding to hot caramel to reduce bubbling and splattering.
Don’t walk away! The color changes quickly—once it turns amber, it can burn in seconds.
Need a thinner sauce? Add a little more warm water to thin it to your liking.
Store in the fridge in an airtight jar—it’ll keep for weeks!

Nutrition