Description
This homemade caramel popcorn recipe delivers a perfectly crunchy and sweet snack made from air-popped popcorn coated in a rich, buttery caramel sauce. Ideal for movie nights or gifting, the caramel is cooked to a smooth boil and baked onto the popcorn for an indulgently crisp finish that stays fresh for weeks.
Ingredients
Scale
Popcorn
- 1/4 cup (60ml) vegetable oil (not required if air popping with a popcorn maker)
- 1/3 cup popping corn (10 cups popcorn; see note for lighter caramel coverage)
Caramel Sauce
- 100g / 7 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 cup (220g) packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (170g) light corn syrup (can substitute glucose syrup or honey)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
Instructions
- Pop the Popcorn: Heat vegetable oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add a few kernels and wait for them to pop, then remove those fully popped ones. Add the remaining popcorn kernels, immediately remove the pot from the heat and shake to spread kernels evenly. Cover the pot with a lid and return to heat. Once the kernels begin popping vigorously, gently shake the pot once. When the popping slows to about a three-second gap between pops, remove from heat and pour the popped popcorn into a very large bowl. You should have about 10 cups of popcorn.
- Preheat Oven: Set your oven to 110°C (230°F) to prepare for baking the coated popcorn.
- Make Caramel Sauce: In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt, stirring just until combined. Allow the mixture to bubble and simmer for 4 minutes without stirring to develop a smooth caramel.
- Finish Caramel: Remove the saucepan from heat and quickly whisk in vanilla extract and baking soda. The caramel will foam up and increase in volume—this aerates it for a lighter texture.
- Coat Popcorn: Immediately pour the foamy caramel over the popcorn in the bowl. Toss the popcorn thoroughly to ensure even coverage before the caramel begins to harden.
- Bake for Crispness: Spread the coated popcorn evenly on two baking trays. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, tossing every 10 minutes to redistribute caramel and coat popcorn evenly. The caramel will remelt and coat more uniformly in the first few tosses. If using glucose or honey as a substitute, bake an additional 15 minutes.
- Cool and Serve: Remove the popcorn from the oven and let it cool completely on the trays. Once cooled, gently break the popcorn into chunks. Store in an airtight container to maintain crispness for 2-3 weeks.
Notes
- If you prefer lighter caramel coverage, use 10 cups of popcorn as stated in the recipe.
- Light corn syrup can be substituted with glucose syrup or honey; if using these substitutes, extend baking time by another 15 minutes to achieve crispness.
- The oil is not necessary if using an air popper to make the popcorn.
- Be careful while whisking in baking soda and vanilla as the caramel foams and can bubble up quickly.
- Stirring during caramel simmering is avoided to prevent crystallization and maintain a smooth texture.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Category: Snack
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: caramel popcorn, homemade caramel popcorn, sweet snack, movie snack, easy caramel recipe, popcorn recipe
