Homemade Caramel Popcorn Recipe (without Corn Syrup) (2024)

Why You Will Love This Recipe

Homemade caramel popcorn is a delicious treat that’s perfect for a movie night, parties, or just satisfying your sweet tooth.

Crunchy caramel corn makes a great snack and great holiday gift!

No candy thermometer is required here! You can adjust the caramel to your desired level of crispness when you bake it in the oven at the end.

Making caramel popcorn without corn syrup is possible and can be just as tasty. And this is the best caramel corn recipe I have made!

This easy caramel popcorn recipe is great for fall, Halloween, and as a snack with sweet and salty flavors.

Ingredients

These are the ingredients you need to make the recipe, with some notes. You can find quantities and the full recipe in the recipe card below.

Popcorn – I like to use home-popped stovetop popcorn, which is how this recipe is written. This is done by popping kernels in a pot on the stove. You can skip this and use bagged popcorn if desired, but it is best to use unsalted, unflavored plain popcorn. You will need approximately 8 cups of popcorn.

Unsalted Butter – unsalted butter is better than salted butter so that you can control your salt, but you can use salted and cut back on the salt in the recipe if needed.

Brown Sugar

Vanilla Extract

Baking Soda – this will lighten up the caramel sauce and make it perfect to coat the popcorn

Vegetable Oil – to cook the popcorn kernels in (or coconut oil). A neutral oil is best. Do not use olive oil as its strong flavor will interfere.

Salt

Instruction Overview

Full detailed instructions can be found in the recipe card below.

Pop your popcorn. I like to pop mine from kernels in a large pot over medium heat with some vegetable oil. (You want to use a neutral oil).

Remove any un-popped kernels if there are any.

Make your homemade caramel sauce by heating a medium saucepan over medium low heat.

Combine butter and brown sugar in the pot and cook gently. Melt the butter mixture until it is melted and the two ingredients are combined.

Add the vanilla and salt, and stir to combine.

Let the butter mixture sit, without touching it, until it comes to a simmer.

Once it starts simmering, set a timer for 7 minutes.

Do not touch the caramel! This can mess up the development of the crystals and end product.

After the simmering is done, add the baking soda and stir.

The caramel will bubble up, which is what we want! You now have hot caramel

Remove from the heat and mix the caramel mixture with the popcorn either in a large bowl or in the popcorn pot.

Spread the caramel popcorn out on a cookie sheet or sheet pan lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil and spread into an even layer.

Bake at 250F for 15 minutes to set and crisp up the caramel.

Let cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Modifications

If you are using microwave popcorn, it is best to use varieties with no butter and minimal salt. As plain as possible is ideal since we are adding so much flavor!

If you want a softer texture caramel corn, simmer the brown sugar and butter for just 5 minutes instead.

If you want it really crunchy like cracker jacks, you might have to cook it longer. The longer you cook the sugar butter mixture, the crisper the caramel will be. If you want to use a candy thermometer, you want it to read closer to 275-300F for it to be crisp. Without a thermometer, we rely on time cooked, scent, and color to determine how crispy it will be. But do not cook it too far as it can easily burn!

The exact cooking time to set and crisp up the caramel will vary based on your preference, your environment (humidity, etc.) and the exact ingredients you used.

Elevate this easy homemade caramel corn by adding some chocolate chips, candy pieces, or a drizzle of maple syrup to the mix.

FAQs

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