This Homemade Caramel Popcorn Recipe is made without corn syrup for a delicious sweet and salty snack or treat! Be sure to read the Kim’s Tips section as something like this has a lot of variables and can be tricky to make!
Table of Contents
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.
Kim’s Tips
I have gotten both rave reviews and the opposite for this recipe.
This is a difficult recipe to make! We are pretty much making homemade syrup/candy. And we have a LOT of variables.
Here are some tips based on the nature of this recipe, and people that have left comments who would benefit from some additional insight:
- Do not use a thin, cheap pot when cooking something like this. They do not heat evenly and will burn anything very easily, especially something like a caramel. Make sure your pot has a heavy, thick bottom. (It does not have to be a Dutch oven, just make sure it is not super thin and light).
- Every stove, just like every oven, cooks differently. Watch the sugar because you might need to turn down the temperature, cook for less time, or the opposite of cooking longer or a little hotter. If you try to cook “exactly as I said” but your stove runs hot, you run the risk of burning it. Pay more attention to my notes about smell/color/look rather than time or specific heat level. As bloggers we do our best to address “majority rules” for the variation we see in home kitchens, but it ultimately depends on your exact equipment.
- Sometimes, it might feel like the caramel is still a little sticky or wet on the popcorn at the end. First, it will harden up a little as it cools. But you might need to bake it a little longer to get it as hard as you want. The “hardness” is also a personal preference.
Ultimately, with any kind of baking recipe that is a little complicated, you might need to make this a couple times to learn (a) how the recipe adapts to your equipment/kitchen and (b) how to get it exactly to your preference.
I have done my absolute best to give you the best place to start from 🙂 Please feel free to leave a comment or write us an email at [email protected] if you have any questions and I will do my best to help!
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
What is a substitute for corn syrup in caramel?
Is caramel corn the same as caramel popcorn?
What gives caramel its flavor?
Why is my caramel popcorn not crispy?
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Homemade Caramel Popcorn Recipe (without Corn Syrup)
Equipment
- Measuring Cups
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil for popping kernels
- ¼ cup popcorn kernels (approximately 8 cups once popped)
- ¾ cup unsalted butter (1.5 sticks)
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250℉.
- Heat a large pot over low heat with the oil and kernels. Put a lid on the pot slighty adjar.2 Tablespoons vegetable oil, ¼ cup popcorn kernels
- Cook the kernels to pop them, shaking the pot occasionally, until the popping slows. Remove from heat and remove any un-popped kernels.
- Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the butter, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt.¾ cup unsalted butter, ¾ cup brown sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Once the sugar is dissolved and everything is melted, it will come to a simmer. Once simmering, DO NOT mix or touch the caramel. Let simmer for 7 minutes. It will be a beautiful amber color. *If it is cooking quicker, pull it off quicker. If it feels too hot, turn the temperature down just a little to avoid burning. Making caramel depends on your stove, pot, and many variables, not just time.
- Remove from heat. Add the baking soda and stir. It will foam up.1 teaspoon baking soda
- Pour the caramel over the popcorn and mix to combine.
- Spread the caramel corn out in an even layer on a parchment or silicone mat lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 15 minutes, or longer if desired, to crisp up and dry out the popcorn. *Again, keep an eye on it. If it is cooking faster, you can take it out earlier OR use a lower temperature. It will harden a little more as it cools. If you want it firmer, cook it a little longer. The time for this step also varies slightly with exactly how light/dark your caramel was before mixing. Use your senses and judgement!
- Let cool completely before storing in an airtight container.
Notes
- Do not use a thin, cheap pot when cooking something like this. They do not heat evenly and will burn anything very easily, especially something like a caramel. Make sure your pot has a heavy, thick bottom. (It does not have to be a Dutch oven, just make sure it is not super thin and light).
- Every stove, just like every oven, cooks differently. Watch the sugar because you might need to turn down the temperature, cook for less time, or the opposite of cooking longer or a little hotter. If you try to cook “exactly as I said” but your stove runs hot, you run the risk of burning it. Pay more attention to my notes about smell/color/look rather than time or specific heat level. As bloggers we do our best to address “majority rules” for the variation we see in home kitchens, but it ultimately depends on your exact equipment.
- Sometimes, it might feel like the caramel is still a little sticky or wet on the popcorn at the end. First, it will harden up a little as it cools. But you might need to bake it a little longer to get it as hard as you want. The “hardness” is also a personal preference.
Caramel popcorn has always been my guilty pleasure! I’ve never made my own but it sounds like a fun idea for movie night. Definitely need to try!
Caramel popcorn is my favorite! I love that this recipe uses no corn syrup. Can’t wait to make this for my kids!
Love that the caramel was made without any corn syrup, it’s crazy how much stuff it’s added to lately! So good!
Such an amazing recipe for popcorn, a delicious and easy to make snack indeed. I’ll be making this one out, thank you for this!
This homemade caramel popcorn recipe is a quick and simple sweet treat. Perfect for when I watch a movie! Thanks for sharing.
This caramel popcorn is addicting. We love it for movie nights, or Netflix binges. Thank you!
This Homemade Caramel Popcorn is a reminder to my movie time with family. Thanks for all the detailing and healthier way of doing it.
Oh my, this caramel popcorn was the best we’ve tried yet! It’s sooooo much better than the store bought kind!!
Woah! This is genius! Very tasty and i love caramel, perfect when watching movies!
I tried this since it was without corn syrup and it was AWESOME! The taste and texture of the caramel were just perfect. Thank you!
Loved this recipe! We had it on Friday night for our movie night, and it was simply perfect! Making it again soon!
This is delicious and makes the house smell amazingly good! My husband says this is the best caramel corn he’s ever had 🙂 Thank you for sharing
How wonderful! I am so glad you liked it! 🙂
Best recipe I’ve found on the internet, I used monk fruit sweetener with Allulose sugar instead of brown sugar or refined sugar.., i also used plant butter instead of cow butter….I also used a candy thermometer to get the right temp to soft crisp, it is so delicious, my husband keeps raving how delicious and addictive it is.
Thank you!
That is so wonderful! Thanks!
Out of this world!!!
We eat only organic-nonGMO so it’s rare we would buy a commercial caramel popcorn. Found this recipe and I only made half the topping for about 8 cups of popcorn. And easy to make!!! It was amazingly delicious! It will definitely be a go to snack from now on!