Homemade Caramel Popcorn

With a rich homemade caramel sauce drizzled over fresh popcorn, this caramel corn is sure to bring back childhood memories of carnivals and fairs!

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About Homemade Caramel Popcorn

Whether you call this caramel popcorn or caramel corn, the results are always the same:

A salty-sweet snack that’s perfect for eating or gifting.

And with a simply delicious flavor profile like that, it’s easy to see why caramel-covered popcorn has become a fan-favorite at carnivals and binge-watching movie nights alike.

Only now you can make it at home!

What’s in caramel popcorn?

Before you can make this carnival classic at home, you’ll need to gather the following ingredients:

• Popped Popcorn: This is the heart of the recipe, providing the base for your caramel popcorn. The air-popped popcorn serves as the crispy, crunchy foundation that will be coated in sweet caramel.
• Unsalted Butter: Butter is a key component in the caramel sauce. It adds a rich and creamy texture to the caramel, making it luscious and indulgent.
• Light Brown Sugar: Brown sugar provides the sweetness and caramelization in the caramel sauce. It gives the caramel its distinct flavor and color.
• Light Corn Syrup: Corn syrup is essential for creating a smooth and glossy caramel sauce. It helps prevent the sugar from crystallizing and adds a desirable consistency.
• Vanilla Extract: Vanilla extract adds a delightful hint of vanilla flavor to the caramel, enhancing its overall taste.
• Salt: Salt is the perfect counterbalance to the sweetness of the caramel. It adds a touch of saltiness that creates a wonderful sweet and salty contrast.
• Baking Soda: Baking soda plays a unique role in caramel popcorn. It causes the caramel sauce to bubble and expand, creating a lighter and more delicate texture on the popcorn.
• Peanuts: Peanuts are an optional addition that provides a delightful crunch and a nutty flavor to the caramel popcorn. You can choose your favorite type of peanuts to customize the recipe.

Do you have to add baking soda?

Of all the ingredients you’d expect to be in caramel corn, baking soda is probably a bit of a surprise – and it’s absolutely necessary to make sure the caramel has the right consistency to work with.

The baking soda has a chemical reaction with the brown sugar and corn syrup, causing a foam of carbon dioxide air bubbles to form. This reaction gives the caramel sauce a soft, silky texture, and it helps keep the caramel from hardening too fast, giving you time to completely cover the popcorn in sauce.

Why do you bake caramel popcorn?

I’m all for consolidating steps or making recipes more simple, but in this case, it’s very important that the caramel popcorn be baked.

The short answer: Baking caramel popcorn gives this treat the dry, crispy texture we all love about it.

The long answer: After adding baking soda to the caramel sauce (see point above), the caramel sauce has essentially “transformed” from the quick-to-dry, sticky substance we all know caramel to be to a smoother, softer sauce. So in order to get the caramel to “set” on the popcorn and make it a finger-friendly food, it must be baked to remove the moisture, helping the sauce solidify around the popcorn.

What if you prefer chewy caramel popcorn?

This recipe makes a crispy, carnival-quality caramel popcorn, but if you prefer a softer or chewier texture, simply cook the popcorn for less time.

This recipe calls for 45 minutes in the oven, so you can start off by testing a piece of popcorn after 20 minutes of baking. Pinch the popcorn with your fingers first (careful, it may be hot!) and if it feels okay, try taking a bite. If the popcorn isn’t the right consistency yet, cook for another five minutes and try again. Repeat this step until the popcorn has the consistency you like.

What else can you add to caramel popcorn?

Nothing is better than snack food except for snack food you can customize with more snack food, and that is exactly what you can do with caramel corn.

So if you’re looking to jazz up this recipe, check out this list of my personal favorite additions:

• Peanuts (as pictured)
• Cashews
• Cheddar Popcorn (Garrett’s Popcorn style)
• Rolos
• M&M’s
• Pretzels, candy-coated and classic
• Reece’s Pieces
• Peanut Butter-Stuffed Pretzels
• Reece’s Minis
• Mini Marshmallows
• Circus Animal Cookies
• Bugels
• Swedish Fish
• Cheez-Its
• Raisins or other dried fruits
• Sunflower Seeds (shelled)

How long does caramel popcorn last?

When stored in an air-tight container, caramel corn should remain good for up to five days.

notes & this for this easy caramel popcorn

• I mention this in the recipe instructions, but I think it’s worth stating again: making caramel corn is easy, but it’s also very messy. Make sure you have a large baking sheet, a silicone baking mat (parchment paper will not cut it for this recipe), and wax paper on hand.

More great caramel recipes

How to make caramel popcorn

This next part is only a photo tutorial of the recipe steps. If you’re looking for the full recipe measurements and instructions, scroll down to Recipe Details.

Step 1 – In a medium saucepan, add butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup. Cook and whisk until butter is melted and sugar has dissolved.

Step 2 – Quickly add vanilla, salt, and baking soda to the saucepan, then continue to whisk. The sauce will get a thick, fluffy texture and turn a much lighter shade of caramel (it’s actually pretty cool to watch!) The whole process should take about 2-4 minutes. Once sauce is ready, remove the pan from heat.

Step 3 – Line a large baking sheet with a silicone baking mat, then arrange popped popcorn on top. Pour the caramel sauce on top of the popcorn and use a spatula to toss and coat the popcorn. Be sure to work quickly so the sauce doesn’t cool and harden too early.

Step 4 – Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake the caramel popcorn, tossing it every 15 minutes or so to ensure the caramel is baked on evenly.

Step 5 – Remove popcorn from the oven. Line a flat surface with wax paper and pour the finished caramel popcorn out on top. If you’re adding peanuts, pour them over the caramel popcorn and then toss to mix. Spread popcorn out in an even layer.

Step 6 – Let the caramel popcorn cool completely.

Step 7 – Enjoy!