Caramel corn is the best crunchy, sweet snack, and it's so easy to make at home! This easy Candied Popcorn recipe is perfect to make for your next movie night!
This caramel corn is the ULTIMATE treat. It's chewy, crunchy, sweet and delicious.
My Gram has been making this candied popcorn recipe for the holidays for as long as I can remember. It's devoured in seconds at her holiday table, and once you try it you'll understand why.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Quick and fun to make. You'll start by air popping the kernels in a pot on the stove top. It's really fun, and including time to make the caramel and baking your treat in the oven, it only takes 45 minutes to make a huge batch.
- Easy and budget-friendly holiday gifts: You can make caramel corn balls or simply wrap the candied popcorn in clear bags with a bow.
- Customizable: Add salted peanuts, a drizzle of chocolate, or anything else you want to the caramel corn, for a sweet and salty treat.
Making candy isn't just for candy companies - YOU can do it too! I have recipes for making candied walnuts and old-fashioned peanut brittle. This homemade fudge is another great addition to a holiday dessert table.
Ingredients
- popcorn kernels
- salted butter: Using salted butter eliminates the need to salt the popcorn
- light brown sugar: brown sugar has molasses in it, which is an acidic ingredient that reacts with the baking soda to make the caramel softer.
- corn syrup: Be sure to use clear corn syrup, not the dark variety. Clear Karo syrup is also known as as white Karo syrup or light Karo syrup.
- baking soda: It's very important to use baking soda, NOT baking powder.
- vanilla extract:
Why do you need baking soda to make a caramel corn recipe? Baking soda is essential to making candied popcorn! It reacts with the acids in brown sugar, creating tiny air bubbles that make the texture of the caramel slightly softer. This also makes it easier to spread onto the popcorn.
Substitutions and Recipe Variations
- popcorn: If you would rather use store-bought popcorn, that's perfectly fine. Just be sure to use a plain, unflavored variety.
- baking powder: If you happen to be out of baking powder, but you have baking soda and cream of tartar on hand, you can make a baking powder replacement!
To use baking soda as a substitute for baking powder, mix ½ teaspoon of cream of tartar with ¼ teaspoon of baking soda for every 1 teaspoon of baking powder. - brown sugar: If you're out of brown sugar, you can make your own by stirring 1 tablespoon of molasses into 1 cup of white sugar.
- salted butter: If you need or want to use unsalted butter, just add a small pinch of salt to the caramel sauce.
I do not recommend using non-dairy butter, because it has a lot of water in it. This can make it very difficult to cook the caramel to the right consistency. - vanilla extract: If you need an alcohol-free flavoring, you can use vanilla essence, or you can omit it completely if you'd like.
If you want to experiment with corn syrup substitutes, here are some possible options. Keep in mind that I have not tested any of these, so I can't say whether they'll work or not.
- Glucose syrup - Adds moisture and sweetness, it is the best replacement option.
- Honey - is lightly flavored and helps to retain moisture.
- Maple syrup - Maple flavored, an easy one-for-one swap with corn syrup.
- Brown rice syrup - Sweet flavor, great option as a corn syrup replacement.
How to make Homemade Caramel Corn
Summary only. The complete recipe instructions are in the card at the bottom of this post ⬇️
- Pop the corn and remove unpopped kernels.
- Make the caramel.
- Add the caramel to the popcorn.
- Bake until the caramel corn is no longer sticky.
Liz's Tips for the Best Candied Popcorn
- Remember to remove unpopped kernels. Trust me, you won't enjoy biting into one of those!
- To easily look for unpopped kernels, pour the popcorn into a colander. Use one with large enough holes for the kernels to fall through. If you don't have a colander that will work, you can use the holes on a grid-style cooling rack.
- When the caramel syrup comes to a boil, immediately turn down the heat and bring it to a simmer.
- Do not stir the candy syrup while it's simmering.
Storing Leftovers
Storing: You can store homemade caramel popcorn for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container at room temperature.
Do not freeze or refrigerate caramel corn. The moisture will ruin the consistency of the candy.
Caramel Corn Recipe FAQ
To maintain its freshness, it's important to keep candied popcorn sealed in an airtight container. If you use a Ziploc bag, be sure to squeeze the air out before sealing it.
Using too much caramel syrup or a caramel syrup that's too thick can cause your treat to be chewy. Heat your caramel syrup a bit longer to thin it out and help distribute evenly over your popcorn.
If you forget the baking soda in this caramel popcorn recipe it will completely change the texture of the treat. The caramel will harden too much, and you won't be able to enjoy it.
Other Easy Movie Night Treats
- Edible Sugar Cookie Dough Recipe
- Saltine Cracker Candy
- No Bake Butterscotch Haystack Cookies
- Snickerdoodle Cookies Recipe
Homemade Caramel Corn
Ingredients
- 1 cup popcorn kernels air popped follow directions for popcorn)
- 1 cup salted butter
- 2 cups light brown sugar
- ½ cup white karo syrup
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- First, air pop the popcorn. To do this, place a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat on the stove, and cover it with a lid. Heat the empty pot for 2 minutes. After two minutes, put a few drops of water in the pot to see If it sizzles. When it does, add ½ cup popcorn kernels and place the lid back on the pot.When you hear the kernels beginning to pop, carefully lift the pot and shake it, repeating every 5 seconds. It should take about 3 minutes for the kernels to pop.
- Make sure to consistently shake the pot to prevent the popcorn from burning. When the popping slows down, remove the pot from the heat. Pour the popped corn into a large bowl and set aside.
- Repeat with the other ½ cup of kernels.
- When popcorn is finished popping, quickly look it over and pick out any un-popped kernels. **This is important - don’t skip this step! Set the bowl of popcorn aside.
- In a large non-stick saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.
- Stir in brown sugar, karo syrup, baking soda and vanilla extract into the melted butter.
- Bring to a rolling boil over medium heat (it boils quickly), then immediately reduce the heat to low. Simmer the mixture undisturbed on low heat for 5 minutes. Do not stir it!
- Quickly pour the caramel mixture over the popcorn and stir with a stirring spatula to coat the pieces. *You may have to do it in batches unless you have a big bowl!
- Preheat the oven to 250℉. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Pour caramel corn onto lined baking sheets. Bake for 10-15 minutes, then remove the pans from the oven. Stir the candy, return to the oven, and continue baking for 10 more minutes, or until the candied popcorn is no longer ‘gooey’.
Helpful Notes and Tips From Liz
- Remember to remove unpopped kernels. Trust me, you won't enjoy biting into one of those!
- To easily look for unpopped kernels, pour the popcorn into a colander. Use one with large enough holes for the kernels to fall through. If you don't have a colander that will work, you can use the holes on a grid-style cooling rack.
- When the caramel syrup comes to a boil, immediately turn down the heat and bring it to a simmer.
- Do not stir the candy syrup while it's simmering.
Shauna Jean
I made this today and it was soooo good! The smell of the caramel cooking woke my husband up and both he and my daughter loved it. I had just run out of vanilla, so I left that out, but can imagine that it would have only made the popcorn even better. I can't wait to make this for my daughter's class for Halloween!
Liz Marino
This makes me so happy to hear, Shauna! Thank you so much for trying it 🙂