Dairy Free Caramel Apple Suckers

Caramel apple suckers on a baking sheet.

Dairy Free Caramel Apple Suckers

If you're looking for a delicious and dairy-free fall treat, you have to try these homemade dairy free caramel apple suckers! They are easy to make and are a great allergy-friendly alternative to the Tootsie brand Caramel Apple Pops for Halloween or a sweet treat any time of year.

Dairy free, vegan, gluten free, peanut free

Course Candy

Cuisine American

Keyword dairy free caramel apple pops, dairy free caramel apple suckers

Prep Time 2

Cook Time 15

Cooling time 10

Total Time 27

Servings suckers

Calories 158kcal

Author Sarah Jane Parker

Equipment

Baking sheet pan
1-quart saucepan
Parchment paper
10 Lollipop sticks or popsicle sticks

Ingredients

20 pieces green apple Jolly Rancher candies
⅓ cup dairy free butter (we use Country Crock plant butter sticks)
¾ cup sugar (use brown sugar for darker caramel,
¼ cup Karo light corn syrup
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar (this helps prevent sugar crystalization)
3 Tablespoons canned coconut milk* (the Silk dairy free half and half also works here)
Dash salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

Green apple suckers:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a baking sheet pan with parchment paper.
Arrange 10 green apple Jolly Rancher candies on the baking sheet in pairs with space between each pair for the candy to melt.
Bake for 3 to 5 minutes until just melted. Remove from the oven immediately and add lollipop sticks to the candy before the candy cools.
Allow the candy to cool and set up while making the dairy free caramel.

Dairy free caramel:

In a 1-quart saucepan with a sturdy/thick bottom, melt the dairy free butter over medium heat (this only takes a few minutes).
Once the butter is melted, whisk in the sugar (or brown sugar), corn syrup, canned coconut milk, and dash of salt.
Simmer over medium-low heat for 7 minutes, whisking regularly to keep things mixed, but try not to scrape down the sides of the pan.
Remove from the heat and whisk in the vanilla. Allow to cool for about 10 to 15 minutes to thicken. You will want this caramel to be warm enough to scoop onto the suckers, but cool enough it will still stick and won't melt the candy.
Coat the suckers in a layer of caramel that isn't super thick and put back on the parchment paper and allow to cool completely. Some of the caramel may settle on the sides if you make the softer caramel with 3 Tablespoons of coconut milk.
Store any leftovers on parchment paper in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Video

Notes

*Use 2 Tablespoons of coconut milk for a thicker caramel. We've tried this recipe with both 2 and 3 Tablespoons of coconut milk and brown sugar vs white sugar, you can check out the blog post for our detailed notes on the different variations.

Nutrition