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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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.
Might try a turkey roasting pan.
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!