Easy Homemade Caramel Popcorn has just the right crunch and chewiness that you want, without sticking to your teeth. It’s everything you hope for in the best caramel corn recipe!
Do you love candy recipes as much as I do? Try this Sweet Chex Mix, Peanut Butter Popcorn, or Chocolate Covered Marshmallows!
Why I love this popcorn:
I have noticed that a lot of caramel popcorn recipes out there just don’t have the right caramel to popcorn ratio. They’re either too sticky, or too hard. With a little trial and error, I believe I’ve created the best caramel popcorn recipe you can find!
The caramel is made on the stove, without the need of a candy thermometer. Then we drizzle the caramel all over the popcorn and bake it over low heat, stirring a few times, to allow the soft caramel to lightly coat all of the popcorn and bake until it’s the perfect texture and crunch. Now, who’s ready for movie night?
Caramel Popcorn Ingredients:
- Popcorn– For a healthier version of Caramel Popcorn, pop your own popcorn without adding salt, sweeteners, or butter. If you like undertones of butter flavor, use movie theater style popcorn.
- Brown Sugar – light or dark.
- Corn Syrup
- Butter
- Vanilla Extract
- Baking Soda – is key to achieving softer, silky texture of caramel sauce that sticks to the popcorn and doesn’t get tacky and hard.
How to make Caramel Popcorn:
Pop Popcorn: Use air popped popcorn or movie theater style popcorn. Pour on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
Combine Ingredients: Melt butter in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Once melted, stir in brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt until smooth.
Boil: Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. As soon as the caramel starts to gently boil, boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
Remove Heat: Take skillet off of heat and stir in baking soda and vanilla.
Drizzle over popcorn, tossing gently with a spatula until the popcorn is evenly coated.
Bake at 200°F for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Serve homemade caramel corn for movie night, game day, or anytime!
Pro Tip: I use a large non-stick skillet to make the caramel sauce for the popcorn because it’s much less messy to clean afterwards, and it comes to a boil faster then a saucepan. I also use a silicon spatula to stir the caramel because it’s heat resistant and doesn’t get as messy as say, a wooden spoon would.
How to Pop Popcorn Without a Popper:
Add ¼ cup popcorn kernels to a brown paper lunch bag and fold the top closed. Microwave for a minute or two, until you hear the popping begin to slow.
Add melted butter and salt and shake the bag to coat the popcorn.
Why is my Caramel Corn Grainy?
Grainy caramel (or crystalized caramel) happens when the sugar crystals in the caramel seize up or cling together. This easy caramel popcorn recipe will not result in grainy caramel because we have added baking soda and corn syrup, both of which will help break up the brown sugar molecules and prevent them from crystalizing.
Storage Instructions:
To keep your caramel corn fresh, be sure to store it in an airtight container or resealable bag (making sure to press as much air out as you can). The better you seal your container, the longer it will last. You can store it at room temperature on your counter for up to 2-3 weeks. (Though at my house it’s all eaten in about 2-3 hours!)
More Dessert Recipes:
- Butterfinger Bars
- Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- S’mores Bars
- Key Lime Pie
- Red Velvet Cookies
- Chocolate Fudge
- Chocolate Milkshake
- Oreo Balls
- World’s Best Peanut Butter Bars
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Recipe
Caramel Popcorn
Ingredients
- 8 cups popped popcorn (about 1 microwaveable bag, or ¼ cup kernels)
- 6 Tablespoons butter
- 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
- 6 Tablespoons light karo syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda (heaping)
- 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.
- Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper. Add popcorn to a large pan, spread out in an even layer.
- Melt butter in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Once melted, stir in brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt until smooth.
- Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. As soon as the caramel starts to gently boil, boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Remove from the heat and stir in baking soda and vanilla.
- Immediately drizzle caramel over popcorn. Toss gently with a spatula until the popcorn is evenly coated.
- Bake at 200 degrees F for 45 minutes, stirring the popcorn every 15 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
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*I originally shared this recipe March 2015. Updated March 2019 and September 2022.
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I made this today using 16 cups of movie theater popcorn left over from last night’s movie (The Holdovers–I recommend it). I used butter and dark brown sugar, and that may have changed the texture some. I was hoping for more of a glaze, but this was full-on caramel sugar. It cooled crunchy, like you want caramel corn to, but it’s pretty grainy. I may have slightly overcooked it. Anyway, I’m totally using my large rectangle baking pan next time instead of cookie sheets, as this was rough to stir on a cookie sheet. It turned out extremely tasty and satisfying.
Followed the recipe exactly & there is no way to “toss” the popcorn after drizzling the caramel. It is all lumped together. I thought maybe it would be more tossable in the oven but checking every 15 min to stir made no difference.
I found it a little too chewy. I like more of the brittle kind. But it is real tasty. My husband has no problem scarfing it down.
I just made a batch, was hoping it would be more crunchy, maybe after it cools it will. But very good, will make again. I misread the recipe and put the vanilla and baking soda in at the beginning, but it turned out ok so not sure if it makes a big difference or not.
I just made another batch, this time I put the baking soda and extract in at the end. Big difference, very good. I recommend this recipe.
This was seriously the best ever! Thank you so much. I made a double batch for a gathering, and it went quickly. I am planning to make it next year for neighborhood Christmas gifts! Thank you for posting!
Great recipe! Followed directions exactly except I mixed the carmel glaze with popcorn in a large metal pan. Used cooking spray on the pan to keep from sticking and kept pan with corn in the oven until ready to mix. Then spread out the glazed popcorn on sheet pan with parchment paper to finish baking. Gifting this for Christmas in cute tins I found at Target. Always have success with the recipes on your website. Thanks!
GREAT caramel taste! I added 1 snack pkg of peanuts to the syrup mixture before pouring…I guess this is a throwback to my days as a Cracker Jack lover! This IS a great recipe! Thanks!
Great
Tastes great! The only downside for me was trying to stir it in my pan without spilling it everywhere. I found it worked better for me to use two table knives to scrape and turn every 15 minutes.
Hi! I’ve made this recipe twice: once with honey and once with maple syrup. The one with honey turned out great, but the one with maple ayrup had the sugar granulated rather than melted (even though I did boil it for the two minutes). Is this something you would have expected with Maple syrup? Or did I follow some other step of the recipe wrong? Just wondering if I should try again with maple or just stick to honey.
Really great recipe! Everyone likes caramel corn but everyone loves homemade fresh caramel corn! So easy & quick to have a batch ready! After you’ve made the caramel corn go one step further and drizzle with some melted chocolate & chopped pecans! Thanks for this recipe! It definitely brings smiles in my house!
This recipe looks delicious. I saw under nutrition that it has 322kcal. I looked that up and it converts to 322000 calories! Please tell me this is incorrect!
It’s 322 calories per serving!