This Easy Homemade Caramel Popcorn is the perfect sweet, salty and crunchy snack...and it's much easier to make than you might think!
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And I'm giving you fair warning right now: It's totally irresistible!
With just a few simple ingredients - I bet you have all or most of them on hand - and a little bit of time, you'll soon be in snacking heaven.
We start with plain, freshly popped popcorn. Fresh popcorn makes the best caramel corn. Use your favorite method for making popcorn: stove top, microwave, air popper, etc. (instructions for using the stovetop method are below).
Next up is the caramel, which we make in a pot on the stove. It's simple, quick and - Hooray! - you don't need a candy thermometer.
Then we pour that luscious golden caramel all over the popcorn, give it a toss, and bake it low and slow to get that awesome crispy crunch.
The caramel coating is, in my opinion, absolute perfection when it comes to caramel corn. Instead of being too hard, sticky or chewy, it's actually rather light and kind of just melts in your mouth. Like I said...irresistible!
Ingredients You Need
Note: Ingredient amounts are in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Popcorn (freshly popped and plain; use your favorite method for making popcorn; instructions for making popcorn on the stove are in the next section)
- Butter (salted)
- Light brown sugar
- Light corn syrup (look for it in the baking aisle of the grocery store or near the pancake syrups and honey; note that this type of corn syrup is not the same as high-fructose corn syrup)
- Salt (balances the sweetness; I use regular table salt)
- Vanilla extract
- Baking soda (the "secret" ingredient to making the best caramel coating)
How to Make Popcorn on the Stovetop
This is how I make the popcorn for this recipe. It makes 8 cups, which is the amount you will need.
- Place 3 tablespoons of light olive oil, vegetable oil or coconut oil and 3 popcorn kernels in a heavy-bottomed 3-quart or larger pot over medium heat (if using solid coconut oil, allow it to melt completely before adding the kernels).
- Cover the pot with the lid and cook until the 3 kernels pop. Remove the popped kernels with a slotted spoon and discard.
- Add ⅓ cup of popcorn kernels to the oil, put the lid back on the pot, remove the pot from the heat, and let it sit for 30 seconds.
- Return the pot to the heat. Once the kernels begin popping rapidly, adjust the lid so it is slightly ajar to allow steam to escape (steam/moisture can make your popcorn tough and chewy), and frequently shake the pot gently to help prevent any burnt popcorn.
- Once the popping slows to a few seconds between pops (or stops completely), remove the pan from the heat, remove the lid, and immediately pour the popcorn into a large bowl.
How to Make Caramel Popcorn
Note: This is just a brief overview of the steps. For the full printable recipe with ingredient amounts and detailed instructions, please go to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Preheat the oven to 250°F.
Place the popcorn in a large bowl; set aside.
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, stir the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup and salt until the butter is completely melted and the sugar is dissolved.
Continuing over medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and boil gently for 5 minutes (do not stir).
Remove the pot from the heat and add the vanilla extract and baking soda; stir until well combined.
Immediately pour the hot caramel mixture over the popcorn in the bowl; working quickly, toss gently until the popcorn is evenly coated.
Transfer the coated popcorn to a large, rimmed baking sheet and spread it out evenly.
Bake in the center of the oven for 45 minutes, stirring the popcorn every 15 minutes.
Remove the popcorn from the oven, give it a final stir, and then let it cool completely on the baking sheet. Once it's cooled, it's ready to enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Once the caramel mixture comes to a boil, don't stir it, as doing so can make the caramel grainy.
- Use a larger bowl than you think you need for tossing the popcorn and caramel; it makes the process much easier and quicker.
- Work quickly when you combine the caramel and popcorn so that the caramel evenly coats as much as the popcorn as possible before it starts to cool down and firm up.
- It isn't necessary to grease the baking sheet or line it with parchment paper or foil. I most often use a nonstick baking sheet, but I have also used an aluminum baking sheet without a nonstick coating, and the popcorn has never stuck to the pan. Plus, I find that the foil or parchment just gets in the way when you're trying to stir the popcorn.
- For easy clean-up of your saucepan, baking sheet and utensils, simply soak them in hot soapy water for several minutes. Any hardened caramel will melt and come off easily.
Substitutions & Variations
- Unsalted butter can be used instead of salted; adjust the amount of salt accordingly.
- Dark brown sugar can be used instead of light brown sugar, or you can use a combination of the two. Dark brown sugar has a deeper, richer, more molasses-y flavor.
- If you'd like to make caramel popcorn without corn syrup, I've successfully made it with pure maple syrup instead (use an equal amount).
- Add nuts (peanuts, walnuts, almonds, pecans, cashews, etc.) if you'd like a treat similar to Cracker Jack or Poppycock.
Storage
Once cooled completely, store your caramel popcorn at room temperature in an airtight container or a resealable storage bag, removing as much air as possible (the less air and moisture that gets to the popcorn, the longer it will last).
When stored properly, it should last for at least a week or more...that is if you don't eat it all sooner (ours is usually gone in a day or two)!
I hope you try this Easy Homemade Caramel Popcorn recipe and love it as much as I do. Not only is it great for snacking, but it also makes a nice homemade gift (and the holidays will be here before we know it).
Thanks for visiting today!
If you make this recipe, I'd love to know how it went. Please leave a star rating and comment below. Thanks!
📋Recipe
Easy Homemade Caramel Popcorn
Ingredients
- 8 cups freshly popped popcorn, plain (no butter, salt or other seasonings)
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
- 3 tablespoons light corn syrup
- ¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste (I use regular table salt for this recipe)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅜ teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 250°F.
- Place the popped popcorn in a large bowl (make sure to remove any un-popped kernels); set aside.Use a larger bowl than you think you need; this will make tossing the popcorn and caramel together much easier and quicker.
- In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan (I use a 3-quart saucepan) over medium heat, stir the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup and salt until the butter is completely melted and the sugar is dissolved.
- Continuing over medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low and gently boil for 5 minutes (do not stir during this time; stirring caramel can make it grainy). Keep an eye on it. It should just be bubbling gently (see step-by-step photo in post). If it starts to bubble too fast or risks bubbling over, turn down the heat. If it's not bubbling enough, turn up the heat.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the vanilla extract and baking soda; stir until well combined.Once you start stirring, the mixture will bubble up a bit, and it will take on a somewhat fluffier texture and it will become lighter in color as well.
- Immediately pour the hot caramel mixture over popcorn in the bowl; working quickly, toss gently with a spatula until the popcorn is evenly coated with the caramel.You should be able to get most of the popcorn coated with the caramel at this point. If there are a few bare spots here and there, that's okay. Take care to not break the popcorn into small pieces while stirring.
- Transfer the popcorn to a large, rimmed baking sheet (I use a half sheet pan, which measures 13 x 18 inches) and spread it out evenly with the spatula.
- Bake in the center of the oven for 45 minutes, gently stirring the popcorn and spreading it back out in the pan every 15 minutes.
- Remove the popcorn from the oven, give it one final stir, place the pan on a cooling rack, and let the popcorn cool completely in the pan, about 30 minutes.Right from the oven while still hot, the caramel may be slightly sticky, but it will dry out and firm up as the popcorn cools.
- Once completely cooled, the popcorn is ready to enjoy!
Notes
- Use your favorite method to make the popcorn (stove, microwave, air popper, etc.). ⅓ cup of popcorn kernels will make the 8 cups of popped popcorn you need for this recipe. Instructions for making stovetop popcorn are in the post.
- Once completely cooled, store your popcorn in an airtight container or a resealable bag, removing as much air as possible (the less air and moisture that gets to the popcorn, the longer it will last). When stored properly, it should last for at least a week or longer.
- It isn't necessary to grease the baking sheet or line it with parchment paper or foil. I have used both a nonstick baking sheet and uncoated aluminum baking sheet, and the popcorn has not stuck to either type of pan.
- For easy clean-up of your saucepan, baking sheet and utensils, simply soak them in hot soapy water for several minutes. Any hardened caramel will melt rather quickly and come off easily.
- Estimated calories shown are based on making popcorn on the stovetop with oil. If you use a different method that doesn't use any oil, the estimated calories per serving will be 221.
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