Homemade Caramel Popcorn Recipe (without Corn Syrup)

5 from 27 votes

Homemade Caramel Popcorn Recipe (without Corn Syrup)

The perfect snack recipe, this Homemade Caramel Popcorn Recipe (without Corn Syrup) is a fast and easy sweet and salty dessert. A great appetizer or party food for fall. Gluten free.

Prep Time10

Cook Time15

Total Time25

Cuisine: American, International

Course: Appetizer, Dessert, Snack

Servings: cups

Calories: 253kcal

Equipment

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

***PLEASE read the Kim's Notes section in the post and abbreviated below for additional insight. This is a finicky recipe with many variables and you will need to rely upon your senses more than a literal number of minutes in order to make this correctly.

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.

The caramel corn is best eaten same day but can last three days in an airtight container.

This caramel corn is not super crunchy. If you want extra crispy or crunchy caramel corn, increase the simmering time by a couple minutes. 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.

Nutrition