Homemade Caramel Corn
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
Skip the line at the candy shop and whip up your own batch of irresistibly sweet and crunchy caramel corn right in your kitchen. This old-fashioned treat is surprisingly simple to make—no fancy gadgets or candy thermometers required.
When we visit my parents in Sarasota, our evenings often include a stop at Kilwin’s, a beloved ice cream and candy shop on Lido Key. The scent of freshly made waffle cones and the sight of candy-makers mixing fudge right in the front window is part of its charm, and it’s hard to pass by without stopping in. The best part? Sampling different sweets while waiting in line. We all love the sweet, crunchy caramel corn, so I thought it would be fun to recreate it at home.
Turns out, homemade caramel corn is surprisingly easy to make and doesn’t require any fancy equipment, not even a candy thermometer. But be warned: it’s habit-forming. Seriously, don’t make this stuff unless you have the willpower of a saint or many friends to share it with!
Table of Contents
“Another recipe that hit it out of the park! I knew going in I was going to need a lot of willpower to keep my fingers out of it….and I was right. I added dry roasted peanuts. This is such a winner, completely YUM.”
What You’ll Need To Make Caramel Corn
- Vegetable Oil: Used to pop the popcorn kernels. It has a high smoke point, making it ideal for high-heat cooking without imparting much flavor.
- Popcorn Kernels: It’s easy to make homemade popcorn on the stovetop, but if you’d like to use plain microwave popcorn or air-popped popcorn, note that 2/3 cup kernels makes about 16 cups popcorn.
- Butter: Adds richness and flavor to the caramel sauce.
- Light Brown Sugar: Provides sweetness and a slight molasses flavor to the caramel.
- Light Corn Syrup: The corn syrup helps to prevent the caramel sauce from crystallizing, which results in a smooth texture (sugar crystals make caramel grainy).
- Maple Syrup: Adds a unique, rich flavor to the caramel different from traditional recipes. It gives a subtle maple undertone that pairs well with the buttery caramel.
- Salt: Enhances the flavors of the caramel and popcorn, and balances the sweetness.
- Baking Soda: Reacts with the acidic components in the caramel to create tiny air bubbles, making the caramel lighter and more aerated so it’s not rock-hard when you bite into it. This reaction also helps ensure the caramel spreads more easily over the popcorn.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by making the popcorn. Heat the vegetable oil in a very large pot over medium-high heat. Add the popcorn kernels, then cover with a tight-fitting lid.
Wait for the popcorn to start popping, then shake the pan gently every now and again to keep the kernels moving. When the popping slows to 2-3 seconds apart, remove the pan from the heat. Transfer the popcorn to a large bowl, making sure to leave any unpopped kernels behind. (Alternatively, you can leave the popcorn in the pot for mixing; just be sure you don’t have any unpopped kernels or burnt pieces at the bottom.)
Set the popcorn aside and make the caramel. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the brown sugar, corn syrup, maple syrup and salt.
Stir until the sugar dissolves. Stirring occasionally, boil the syrup over medium heat for 5 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and add the baking soda. Stir well as the mixture turns foamy.
Immediately (and carefully — it’s very hot!) pour the syrup over the popped corn in three separate additions, stirring as you go.
Gently toss until the popcorn is evenly coated.
Spread the caramel corn into even layers on parchment-lined sheet pans.
Bake at 200°F for one hour. The caramel will be a little soft at this point; let it cool completely to crisp up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can add nuts such as almonds, pecans, or peanuts to boost the flavor and crunch. However, to maintain the balance of flavors and textures, reduce the amount of popped kernels by the same volume of nuts added.
Store caramel corn in an airtight container at room temperature to keep it fresh and crunchy. Avoid storing it in the refrigerator, as the humidity can make it soft.
While you can use alternatives like honey or maple syrup, they won’t prevent crystallization like corn syrup, which will affect the texture of the caramel corn. For the best texture and consistency, I recommend sticking with corn syrup.
You May Also Like
Homemade Caramel Corn
Skip the line at the candy shop and whip up your own batch of irresistibly sweet and crunchy caramel corn right in your kitchen. This old-fashioned treat is surprisingly simple to make—no fancy gadgets or candy thermometers required.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- ⅔ cup popcorn kernels (see note)
- 1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup light corn syrup
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200°F and line two large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a very large pot over medium-high heat. Add the popcorn and shake the pan to coat the kernels with oil. Cover with a tight fitting lid (alternatively, cover tightly with foil). Wait for the popcorn to start popping, then shake the pan gently every now and again to keep the kernels moving. When the popping slows to about 2 seconds apart, remove the pan from the heat. Transfer the popcorn to a large bowl, making sure to leave any unpopped kernels behind.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the brown sugar, corn syrup, maple syrup and salt and stir until the sugar dissolves. Let the mixture come to a gentle boil. Stirring occasionally, boil the syrup over medium heat for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and add the baking soda. Stir well as the mixture turns foamy.
- Immediately and carefully (it's very hot!) pour the syrup over the popped corn in three separate additions, stirring gently as you go, until the popcorn is evenly coated. (If at any point the caramel stiffens and becomes difficult to pour, you can rewarm it gently on the stove.)
- Spread the caramel corn into even layers on prepared pans. Bake at 200°F for one hour. The caramel will be a little soft at this point; let it cool completely to crisp up. Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Note: If you want to use microwave (be sure it's plain) or air-popped popcorn, note that ⅔ cup popcorn kernels makes 16 cups.
Nutrition Information
Powered by 
- Per serving (8 servings)
- Serving size: 2 cups
- Calories: 326
- Fat: 19 g
- Saturated fat: 8 g
- Carbohydrates: 40 g
- Sugar: 32 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Sodium: 163 mg
- Cholesterol: 31 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
I love, Love, LOVE caramel corn!! But I have always thought it would be too hard to make at home. This looks like something even a novice like myself could handle. Thanks for the recipe! PS: I love your pots/pans!
Hi, Jenn,
I appear to be replacing all my previous recipes with yours. Trust me, I’m not complaining. You’re making me a better cook. Friday night was movie night, and we did a taste test (for science, of course) between my previous recipe and your recipe, for Caramel Corn. Yours won (licked clean); the other (leftovers) didn’t. Query from the movie goers: could you add peanuts with the same ingredients, or would they have to be increased? How much peanuts/ingredients?
Thanks,
Deborah
So glad it was a hit, Deborah! Peanuts would be delicious. I would either reduce the amount of popcorn or increase the caramel. You can wing it but if you add 2 cups of peanuts, I would increase the sauce by about 25%. Please let me know how it turns out 🙂
Hi, Jenn,
Movie night tonight, so I made the Caramel Corn with 2 cups peanuts. I adjusted the sauce ingredients as follows : 1 stick unsalted butter, plus 2 Tablespoons; 1-1/4 cup light brown sugar; 3/8 cup light corn syrup; 3/8 cup pure maple syrup; kept 1/2 teaspoon each salt and baking soda. Movie goers gave a 5-star rating. Many thanks for making me look good.
Deborah
So glad, Deborah!
I add roasted nuts to mine that have been lightly salted. Takes the Carmel corn to a new level. I like making four batches and giving for Christmas gifts.
It sounds like the 1 hr. baking is important… can you please explain the purpose? Without your instructions I would have immediately cooled and eaten them after tossing in the carmel 🙂
Hi John, The caramel is very sticky before you dry it in the oven. After baking, it’s dry, crisp and crunchy.
Just to close the story… my son is 11 and he wanted to start a small business, so we used your recipe here and he sold caramel popcorn to our neighbors. This was a huge hit, and we made a lot of it. The recipe was simple enough he was able to do most of the batches himself. Really amazing stuff 🙂
That is so cool, John! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Can honey or other syrup be used to replace the maple syrup? if so, would you use the same amount be used?
Hi Shon, I haven’t tried it so can’t say for sure — caramel is finicky — but I do think it should work. Yes, use the same amount.
Yes, honey does work. We used honey to replace maple syrup because that was what we had. It was so good that we didn’t even wait till it was cooled. It taste even better after it is cooled completely.
Yes, honey does work. We used honey on our batch because that was what we had. It worked great!
I love Carmel popcorn and am really excited to try this recipe. I like the popcorn to be on the soft side. Does it work to not bake it?
Hi Peggy, Yes, it is soft and a bit sticky before baking.
Love your caramel corn however I always use coconut oil when popping corn. It’s absolutely the best, once you try it you’ll never go back. It’s definitely healthier for you and there’s no coconut flavor taste, just great flavor.
Hi Jenn,
I love in Sarasota and love that you enjoy it here!!! Lots of great food choices here too. Have you been to Mortons or Detwiler’s markets? Any how, back to the popcorn, in always looking for foodie holiday gifts.. Would this popcorn keep for a bit to give as a gift? How long do you think it would keep?
Thanks for all you do!
Hi Pam, I love love love Sarasota. My parents live in Long Boat and we have so much fun visiting them there (and also love those markets!). I’d say it keeps well for 3-4 days in an airtight container 🙂
I am interested in making your caramel corn, but was wondering if I could replace the butter with coconut oil or something else with no animal fat? The reason I ask is my daughter is a strict vegan and I have made it sort of a challenge to make recipes vegan where I can! Thank you!
I haven’t tried it but looks like another reviewer did with success 🙂
This recipe sounds great and answers the question of why my popcorn always burnt to the bottom of the pan. I always added the sugar to the popcorn, rather than the other way around! Thank you for explaining why you need the baking soda in this recipe. Yum!