This homemade Caramel Popcorn recipe is so flavorful and has the crunchy, chewy texture you want without sticking to your fingers or teeth!
If you want more sweet snacks, try our Peanut Butter Popcorn, Chex Mix, Sweet Chex Mix, or a perfect Rice Krispies Treat!
Not all Caramel Popcorn recipes are created equal.
Not all Caramel Popcorn recipes are created equal.I've had my fair share of caramel corn and for me, the best ones have a healthy coating of caramel covering the entire kearnal, and they're not too sticky, or too hard. This version accomplishes that and I love that the caramel is made in one pan on the stove and you don't even need a candy thermometer. Drizzle the caramel over fresh popped popcorn and bake it for a few minutes to get that perfect crunchy, chewy texture. This will be the highlight of your next movie night or game day!
How to make Caramel Popcorn:
Pop Popcorn: Pop your own plain kernels in the microwave in a brown paper bag, or with an air popper, or if you want a richer butter flavor, use a bag of movie theater microwave popcorn. After it's popped, line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and pour the popcorn on top.
Make Caramel: Add butter to a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Once melted, stir in brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt, whisking until smooth. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Let it gently boil for 2 minutes then remove from heat and stir in baking soda and vanilla.
Coat Popcorn: Drizzle caramel over popcorn, gently tossing it with a spatula until it's coated evenly. Bake 200°F for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Enjoy the best caramel corn for a movie night, game day, or really anytime!
Pro Tip: Don't forget a silicone spatula! It's heat resistant and stays cleaner then a wooden spoon. I love to use a large non-stick skillet for this recipe because it's so easy to clean and it comes to a boil much quicker than a saucepan.
More Caramel Recipes:
- Homemade Caramels
- Caramel Apples
- Salted Chocolate and Caramel Pretzel Bars
- Caramel Sauce
- Pumpkin Bars with Caramel Frosting
- Caramel Apple Dip
- Chocolate Covered Marshmallows
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Recipe
Caramel Popcorn
Equipment
- Popcorn Popper optional, you can use the microwave!
Ingredients
- 8 cups popped popcorn* (about 1 large 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
- 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200 degrees F. Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper. Add popped popcorn and spread in an even layer.
- Caramel: 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
- 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.
- Store caramel corn in an airtight container at room temperature for to 2-3 weeks
Notes
Nutrition
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*I originally shared this recipe March 2015. Updated March 2019, September 2022 and September 2024.
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Finally! Caramel popcorn that’s easy, delicious, and nearly foolproof! Threw in a handful of roasted peanuts and turned out great. We love the crunch factor and are making this our official caramel popcorn for movie night! Yum!
Excellent Carmel popcorn
Really good really easy but this amount, it would coat three bags of microwave popcorn!
Love the recipe made it today. Thank you.
I just wanted to add that my crazy attempt at a double/triple the recipe I thought I’d say i used the same amount of sauce, just 3 cookie trays of popped corn. The 1st tray came out as pictured. The other 2 were great, just thicker more “globby”(my fault!!) bits. Thank you again! I’m going to use this sauce on all kinds of things!
1st time I’ve made caramel corn! Had lots of bad corns so looked up how to do it & landed here! The sauce tastes like I remember the “Kraft” caramel squares, without the ‘whatevers’ in it & no unwrapping required! I was so gung hoe I decide to make double, ok, triple! I don’t recommend it! I batch at a time will yield the best results! I had 3 cookie trays! Lol! It still tastes great it just gets really hard to work with very fast!!! So delicious I don’t need to try any other recipes! Curse You! Now thats all I want to eat!! Thank you really!
Good popcorn and easy to make. If you dont have brown sugar , you can make your own .
Sugar and molasses
I followed everything the recipe said but the caramel turned out very hard in the end. Based on what the recipe said, I was expecting it to be more medium… Not super goopy but not hard. It was delicious while cooking in the oven when it was still soft, but now that it has hardened completely not my favorite.
Very amazing recipe. Thank You very much! I have enjoyedmaking and taking this to fall family get togethers!
Thank you so much for this! I just made a batch, substituting a casein-free margarine for the butter, and not only was it good enough to pass my own high standards, but, even more important, my 23-year-old daughter, who had never tasted caramel in her life due to various food sensitivities, loved it! Now it will be unthinkable for me to make it any other way!
It’s a rare treat to be able to find something new that my daughter and I can both enjoy so much. Thank you again!