Best Caramel Popcorn

This is the Best Caramel Popcorn recipe you’ll ever need! It’s completely addictive and it rivals any famous commercial caramel corn popcorn brand on the market (even Garrett’s in Chicago)!

This homemade caramel corn popcorn is perfect for snacking, holiday parties, potlucks and gift-giving.

This is my mom’s famous caramel popcorn recipe and we have made it so many times over the years for the holidays and to take to parties and potlucks. It’s always popular and we have been asked countless times for the recipe. 

Caramel Popcorn Recipe

• Butter. We use unsalted butter for this recipe because we add kosher salt to the caramel sauce.
• Sugar. Use light brown sugar.
• Karo syrup. We use just 1/4 cup of Karo syrup.
• Salt. We stir in kosher salt while making the caramel sauce.
• Baking soda. This makes the sauce bubble up and thins it out.
• Pure vanilla extract. This gives our caramel sauce a rich flavor.
• Popped popcorn. We like to use white popcorn for this recipe, because it makes for a lighter and crispier texture. Use a somewhat neutral tasting oil to pop the popcorn in, like light olive oil, canola or safflower oil.
• Nuts. We use a mix of roasted nuts (pecans, cashews, macadamia nuts, almonds). We usually purchase roasted nuts from the bulk section at the store so we can choose only nuts that we want, but I have directions for you (below) on how to roast nuts at home.

Find printable recipe with the measurements below.

How To Make Caramel Corn

If you’ve ever wondered how to make caramel corn, you’ll be surprised by how easy it is!  This easy caramel corn recipe comes together in about 1 hour and 15 minutes.   

1. Preheat oven and prepare baking sheets.
2. Pop popcorn and pour into large mixing bowl. I measure the popcorn using a 4 cup glass measuring cup.
3. Add the nuts to the popcorn and toss.
4. Melt butter in saucepan.
5. Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup and salt.
6. Bring to a boil and boil for 4 minutes without stirring.
7. Remove from heat and add the soda and vanilla.
8. Pour the caramel mixture slowly all over the popcorn mixing it well to cover all of the popcorn and nuts.
9. Scoop the caramel coated popcorn and nuts on the prepared baking sheets. 
10. Bake for 1 hour, tossing and turning every 15 minutes.
11. Remove from oven and cool completely before breaking into pieces.

Tips For Making Best Caramel Popcorn

• Discard any un-popped kernels from the popped popcorn before pouring caramel sauce over it.
• If using salted roasted nuts, reduce the amount of kosher salt you use to 1-1/4 teaspoons (instead of 1-1/2 teaspoons)
• For lighter caramel coating toss in more popcorn.
• For heavier caramel coating use less popcorn.

How To Store It

Store in an airtight container (or containers) at room temperature. If properly stored, it should stay crispy for up to 3 weeks.  

How To Make Stovetop Popcorn

1. Heat oil in pan.  Heat oil in a large pan.
2. Sprinkle in corn kernels. Add the popcorn kernels, then sprinkle the sugar over the top of the kernels.
3. Popcorn popping.  You’ll want to be sure to shake the pan frequently as the popcorn pops to keep it from burning on the bottom 
4. Remove from heat.  When the popping stops, turn off the heat and transfer to a large mixing bowl.

How To Toast Nuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat (Silpat). Sprinkle the measured amount of nuts on the cookie sheet. Toast the nuts in the oven keeping a close watch so they don’t burn for 3-7 minutes or until they start to turn golden brown and become fragrant. Stir the nuts a couple of times so they get evenly toasted.

Looking For More Dessert Recipes To Make?

• Carrot Sheet Cake
• Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Cowboy Cookies
• Best Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Fried Apples 
• Apple Crisp
• Gluten Free Brownies

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Print

Yield: 16 servings

Best Caramel Popcorn

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

This is the Best Caramel Popcorn recipe you'll ever need! It's completely addictive and it rivals any famous commercial caramel popcorn brand on the market (even Garrett’s in Chicago)!

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 1-3/4 cups brown sugar
• 3/4 cup corn syrup (light Karo syrup)
• 1-1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 12 cups popped popcorn
• 1-1/2 cups mixed roasted nuts (pecans, cashews, macadamia nuts, almonds

Instructions

1. Preheat oven and prepare baking sheets.
2. Pop popcorn and pour into large mixing bowl. We measure the popcorn using a 4 cup glass measuring cup.
3. Add the nuts to the popcorn and toss.
4. Melt butter in saucepan.
5. Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup and salt.
6. Bring to a boil and boil for 4 minutes without stirring.
7. Remove from heat and add the soda and vanilla.
8. Pour the caramel mixture slowly all over the popcorn mixing it well to cover all of the popcorn and nuts.
9. Scoop the caramel coated popcorn and nuts on the prepared baking sheets. 
10. Bake for 1 hour, tossing and turning every 15 minutes.
11. Remove from oven and cool completely before breaking into pieces.

Notes

Tips For Making Best Caramel Popcorn

• Discard any un-popped kernels from the popped popcorn before pouring caramel sauce over it.
• If using salted roasted nuts, reduce the amount of kosher salt you use to 1-1/4 teaspoons (instead of 1-1/2 teaspoons)
• For lighter caramel coating toss in more popcorn.
• For heavier caramel coating use less popcorn.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

16

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 817Total Fat: 24gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 358mgCarbohydrates: 154gFiber: 2gSugar: 146gProtein: 4g

theharvestkitchen.com attempts to provide accurate information, however, this nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. The nutritional information provided comes from online sources and calculations. See full disclaimer on About page.