Easy Homemade Caramel Corn
Our Easy Homemade Caramel Corn is a family favorite. It is super yummy and super easy. And you don’t need Corn Syrup for this recipe.
We’ve tried a lot of recipes looking for good, Easy Homemade Caramel Corn that doesn’t use corn syrup. We’ve finally found one that we love. This popcorn tastes amazing … buttery and caramel-y just the way it should. And no corn syrup required! And it could not be easier to make. It has quickly risen up the list of most requested family treats!
Ingredients You Will Need
Preparing the Popcorn
Step 1: You will need 10 cups of popcorn. We pop our popcorn on the stove (you can find our directions on How to Make Perfect Popcorn here) but you can use air-popped or microwave.
Step 2: After the popcorn is popped, make sure to remove all of the un-popped kernels. You don’t want to bite down on one of those!
Step 3: Once you have made the popcorn, add some salt. Sweet and salty is a great combination and it goes especially nicely with the caramel.
How to Make the Caramel Mixture
Step 4: Melt 1 cup of butter in a medium saucepan over low/medium heat. It should be hot enough to melt the butter but not too hot or the butter will burn (or turn into brown butter.)
Step 5: Add 1 cup of light brown sugar and stir until the brown sugar and the melted butter are thoroughly mixed.
Step 6: If you can see a thin layer of butter on the surface of the butter/brown sugar mixture (as shown in the picture above) continue to stir on low heat. The butter and brown sugar will come together so continue to stir until thoroughly combined.
Step 7: When the butter and sugar are completely combined, increase the heat to medium-low, just high enough to bring the caramel mixture to a low boil. When the surface starts to bubble, set the timer for 4 minutes and stop stirring.
Step 8: When the 4-minute timer goes off, add 2 teaspoons of vanilla to the mixture.
Step 9: Set the timer for 1 additional minute and stir the vanilla into the caramel mixture.
Step 10: When the 1-minute timer goes off, add the 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda and mix.
Step 11: This will cause the caramel to change colors and foam up a bit. This is the chemical reaction that you want. The bubbling effect of the baking soda will aerate the caramel and make it lighter and smoother and therefore easier to coat the popcorn. Take the caramel mixture off the heat.
Putting It Altogether
Steps 12-15: Drizzle the caramel mixture over the popcorn a bit at a time. Use a spoon to gently fold the popcorn with the mixture until all the kernels are covered.
Step 16: Pour the popcorn out onto a cookie sheet covered with, parchment paper, aluminum foil, or a silpat liner. Allow the homemade Caramel Corn to cool prior to serving. Our family loves this popcorn so it has never lasted longer than a day at our house. This popcorn definitely tastes best right after it is made but will keep for a few days in an airtight container.
Expert Tips and FAQ’s
We make our popcorn from scratch on the stove – nothing is better than that in our opinion. You can find all the tips and tricks you need to make the perfect popcorn right here. You can also use Microwave popcorn but you should use a type that has no butter flavoring added.
The contrast of sweet and salty in this popcorn recipe is super yummy. To get that combination you should lean towards over-salting the popcorn. We try to salt the popcorn as soon as it comes out of the pan so that salt sticks to the hot popcorn.
Our family loves this popcorn so it has never lasted longer than a day at our house. This popcorn definitely tastes the best right after it is made but will keep for a few days in an airtight container
Other Caramel Recipes You Will Love
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Easy Homemade Caramel Corn
Our Easy Homemade Caramel Corn is a family favorite. It is super yummy and super easy. And you don't need Corn Syrup for this recipe.
Ingredients
- 10 Cups Popped Popcorn
- Salt (to taste)
- 1 cup Butter (Sweet Cream Salted)
- 1 cup Light Brown Sugar (packed)
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
Instructions
- You will need 10 cups of popcorn. We pop our popcorn on the stove (you can find our directions on How to Make Perfect Popcorn here) but you can use air-popped or microwave.
- After the popcorn is popped, make sure to remove all of the un-popped kernels. You don’t want to bite down on one of those!
- Once you have made the popcorn, add some salt. Sweet and salty is a great combination and it goes especially nicely with the caramel.
- Melt 1 cup of butter in a medium saucepan over low/medium heat. It should be hot enough to melt the butter but not too hot or the butter will burn (or turn into brown butter.)
- Add 1 cup of light brown sugar and stir until the brown sugar and the melted butter are thoroughly mixed.
- If you can see a thin layer of butter on the surface of the butter/brown sugar mixture (as shown in the picture above) continue to stir on low heat. The butter and brown sugar will come together so continue to stir until thoroughly combined.
- When the butter and sugar are completely combined, increase the heat to medium-low, just high enough to bring the caramel mixture to a low boil. When the surface starts to bubble, set the timer for 4 minutes and stop stirring.
- When the 4-minute timer goes off, add 2 teaspoons of vanilla to the mixture.
- Set the timer for 1 additional minute and stir the vanilla into the caramel mixture.
- When the 1-minute timer goes off, add the 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda and mix.
- This will cause the caramel to change colors and foam up a bit. This is the chemical reaction that you want. The bubbling effect of the baking soda will aerate the caramel and make it lighter and smoother and therefore easier to coat the popcorn. Take the caramel mixture off the heat.
- Drizzle the caramel mixture over the popcorn a bit at a time. Use a spoon to gently fold the popcorn with the mixture until all the kernels are covered.
- Pour the popcorn out onto a cookie sheet covered with, parchment paper, aluminum foil, or a silpat liner. Allow the homemade Caramel Corn to cool prior to serving. Our family loves this popcorn so it has never lasted longer than a day at our house. This popcorn definitely tastes best right after it is made but will keep for a few days in an airtight container.
Did you Make this Recipe? Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @twosisterscrafting on Instagram so we can see it!
I made using dairy free butter and 3/4 light and 1/4 C dark brown sugar (what I had), and I had to stir long time for the sugar and butter to mix but the end result was wonderful!!! Thank you!
Thank you for this great, simple recipe, very tasty, and I made it vegan. It was perfect caramel corn
I just made this deliciously easy snack for the first time ever! First caramel experience as well and it is soooooooo easy!!! And my boyfriend who refuses to eat popcorn ate 2 bowls of this! It will be a staple in our house for snacks from now on!
OMG
Just made this for an afternoon snack…my teenager devoured it and asked me to show him how to make it.
This recipe is a keeper!
I’ve tried so many recipes online over the years but this is the first I’ve takin time to write a comment because I truly can’t believe how easy and simple this was to make, I followed your recipe and instructions exactly and it came out Amazing! Taste Sooo Good!!!!!! Thank you so much will definitely be making this often!!
This was such an easy thing to make and so delicious. It’s the best I’ve had in a long time. What’s this cooling down idea? We munched 1/4 while spreading it out…… so good!
Easy and DELICIOUS!
This recipe is dangerously good! I used one stick of salted butter and one stick of unsalted butter (since I don’t know how to salt things evenly) and it was so perfect! I can’t wait to make this again!
I just ate half of the batch. By myself. In one sitting. (The only consolation I have is that I only started out with half the recommended butter and brown sugar.)
I have been making caramel popcorn for years but it never turned out well. I think your directions are WONDERFUL!
This tastes amazing!! And your instructions were so clear and easy to follow! I used margarine and added kosher salt in with the brown sugar. Followed timings to a tee —>> and ohhh sooo goood!!!! Thank you so much!! 🙂
I made this last night. I did cut the caramel recipe in half and it was still delicious. It didn’t even last the entire movie. I will be making this again and maybe add peanuts to have homemade cracker jacks and will also try the cookies and cream next time the little ones come over.
Yesterday I had Caramel Corn that was $11.99 for 7 oz. It was delicious. Today I made your caramel corn – following the recipe perfectly. It’s even better ! ! Thank you !
Easiest recipe ever!! My 7 yr old granddaughter and i made this for grandpa and her family ad well!! Will use this one forever and ty!!
I just made this and love it. Great recipe! So easy make and the popcorn is delicious. Thank you.
Thank you for the recipe. I tried it because it didn’t require baking, which is nice. It was overly buttery (I know, what a problem, lol). I checked my other recipe and the ratio of butter to sugar is half that of recipe. I’ll stick with that one in the future, to avoid the extra butter, and since it’s crispy vs chewy.
I had to halve this because I would eat the whole thing all by myself in one day. As it is, I ate most of the halved in one day. This is very good. My only question is If I should decide to share it with someone else, how would I store it? As in, a ziplock bag, a sealed container, on the counter, in the fridge? Thank you again for a great recipe. I like popcorn farrrrr too much.
June 11, 2021 I just discovered this delightful recipe this afternoon and it will be my Forever Go To Carmel Corn Recipe!! It turned out PERFECT and Delicious! (Old dogs can learn new tricks!) And I must confess I took one lady’s suggestion of using a paper bag and shaking like crazy! I have tried every way possible to mix the caramel and popcorn with a spoon and it just clumps up – tongs whatever else..The bag was easy and clean up a breeze! Thank You and I give it more stars than allowed! Thank You!
This was so good and so easy!
I made this tonight
I added a pinch of salt to the caramel and a bit of salt over the popcorn after poppand it was AMAZING!!
Thank you so much!
Great easy to follow delicious
The carmel is good for dipping apple slices or in coffee I found
This is an Awesome recipe! It was a happy accident that I came upon this recipe! Every recipe I looked for caramel popcorn has corn syrup or has to be put in the oven! I was about to give up when your page showed up! I looked over the recipe watched the video then went to the comments!
I was hesitant since I only have unsalted butter so I added a tsp of salt when I melted the butter. I didn’t add the vanilla because I didn’t want it too sweet. And Wow! Did I say this is an Awesome recipe!?!? This is going into my recipe book because it is a life saver! I’m allergic to nuts so I cannot buy caramel popcorn in the grocery stores!
I teared up a bit on my first taste, yes, it made that happy! It has been a long time since I had Caramel popcorn! BTW, my husband loved it too also the salt gave it a salty sweet taste which we both love! Thank you so very much for sharing this recipe! Stay well, stay safe, stay blessed!
Kindest regards!
Excellent! I’m no Betty Crocker; was nervous to ruin the pans. But this was simple & delicious!
Made some this morning for Football snacking & it was REALLY, REALLY good. I only had dark brown sugar so next time I will use light brown. I did warm the vanilla before adding (on the advice of other comments). I also put it in the oven for 10 minutes (also on advice from other comments) but I don’t think I’ll do that next time. I think it kept the caramel too soft. I think I could manage 12 cups of popcorn & there would still be plenty of caramel coating. Soooo good! Thanks!
I’ll never buy store bought tins of popcorn again!
I love this so much! Even my very picky younger brother enjoyed it! It’s super easy and quick (im 12 and was able to make it easy peasy). Also this is better than most store-bought caramel corn.
I cannot put into words just how delicious this is. On top of it being Amazing, it was quick and easy. Thank you for sharing!
This is really easy and really good, not too sticky. I tossed it till it cooled instead of spreading it out.
I make Carmel Popcorn all the time only I add about 1/3 of a cup of vinegar. It reacts with the Baking Soda and foams up to cover the popcorn. Makes it taste AMAZING!!!
Easy, efficient, and excellent. Started minutes before the Packer game and was seated eating it by the first play. Added pecans. Yum! My husband and son both said it was by far the best they have ever had. I have already shared the recipe with friends.
I have made different kinds of caramel corn over many years. I will have to say this is the easiest recipe I’ve ever had. The one thing I have noticed is it is a little greasier than I’m used to. And I’m guessing it’s because it’s not really candied. And for those that I’ve noticed with comments about it being grainy it’s because your sugar is not cooked down enough low is definitely better. I generally cook more popcorn so it is a little bit lighter of a coating and they found it not to be a saturated. Just a personal preference since I’m really not a big fan of greasy hands lol. And if you want a Richard darker flavor keep your temperature down and cook it a little longer so it gets darker it’ll give it a richer flavor just don’t burn it.
Thank you for such an easy recipe. I’m a Popcorn Head, I made this for the first time it’s not completely covered but the taste it’s outstanding.
After putting the popcorn onto the baking sheet melt some dark chocolate chips/semi sweet chips and drizzle it over the caramel corn. Even better!
That’s a great idea going to this on my next try!!! This recipe was so easy I’m glad there was no corn syrup I added mixed nuts to mine. This is too addictive !!!
Turned out great!
This was super easy and delicious! I don’t have and won’t buy corn syrup, which most of the caramel corn recipes use. I halved the recipe as I like the caramel taste but not quite so much sweetness, and used a tablespoon of vanilla bean paste and it was perfect.
I had this recipe years ago written in my cook book. Over the years I lost the recipe. Been looking for it and decided to ask for carmel corn with the baking soda in it. Thank you very much. It is so easy to make and I love the idea of not having to put it in the oven for 1 hr, stirring it every 15 minutes.
Super easy & yummy! Mine didn’t come out grainy at all. All I had n hand was ultra butter flavor microwave popcorn so was hesitant to give it a try but it came out awesome. I did use too much popcorn so not all of it go coated – but it’s still just great! A keeper recipe for sure. THANK YOU!
Hello! I’m pregnant right now and was craving caramel popcorn, but it’s not easy to find right now so I followed your recipe and it turned out amazingly! The husband also loved it! Thanks for the recipe, will make it again!
I love it, I’ve always tried to make caramel to eat with popcorn, but never work and always failed. But I found this recipe and I suddenly I wanted to try one more time. It works perfectly! I just change a little bit of butter with milk, and I still loving it.
Thanks!!
I really like this recipe, I have always tried to make caramel but always I failed. When I found this recipe I feel like ”Ok, let’s try it one more time” and I love it.
I did not make the same amount of ingredients because I don’t wanted a lot of butter, but I added replacing it a little bit of milk, and it still work, So in fact I loveee it.
Thanks!!
I just tried this today. Apparently, I have no self control. I had everything but the baking soda. I may need to use this recipe for caramel. Delicious.
Came out pretty good!I I used Orville Redenbacher’s Kettle corn in the microwave. This corn seems to have a taste/flavor of it’s own. Next time, I will use cheap popcorn and pop it with an air popper. Bottom line….Quick, easy tasty caramel corn recipe. Easy clean up TOO!
Amazing recipe. Took no time at all and I am the laziest so that was a plus. Saved me a trip to the store for something sweet. Delicious flavor. Thank you!!
Wonderful! Used this recipe but at the end I put the popcorn in a paper bag and pour the Carmel over and close the bag and shake it until coated then put on a cookie sheet. The coating was perfectly even. An old trick I learned from my mom.
I can’t eat popcorn/caramel corn because I have diverticulitis. I substituted the popcorn for Better Made corn pops (butter flavored corn puffs.). It was great and I didn’t get sick!
Next time I’m going to try using a bit of almond extract, we’ll see.
It won’t let me check the stars, but I give it five.
Unfortunately for me, I discovered this DELICIOUS and Perfect-Every-Time recipe during the Covid-19 Quarantine of 2020.
Needless to say, the result is a greater “quarantine cushion” than I would have had otherwise.
I made it with what I had on hand.. 6 oz of popcorn kernals which I popped using your perfect stove top popcorn recipe. Divided to 2 large lined pans, used the same pot to make the caramel using soft tub margarine, dark brown sugar, vanilla flavoring and the baking soda. I’m surprised how good it tastes since I subbed for the butter and real vanilla extract.
You really can’t go wrong with caramel and popcorn! Glad it turned out!
I made this recipe and it turned out amazing best caramel popcorn I’ve ever had!! It’s a lot easier to make than I thought it would be! Thank you so much for the recipe!
I make mine with just the butter and brown sugar (no vanilla or baking soda) and it comes out great every time. I’ll definitely try with the baking soda soon but I think I’ll still omit the vanilla. The flavor is fine as is.
Thanks for the tip! I’m going to try this without the baking soda.
How long does it cook after adding baking soda? After the foam calmed down mine was gritty and separated…
You really need to work with brown sugar and the melted butter in the beginning to get it melted. It might help to watch the video on this page to see this part.
I’ve made this recipe three times. The first time, it came out PERFECTLY- it looked exactly like your pictures and tasted even better!
Unfortunately, the other two times I’ve made this recipe, it didn’t go too well 🙁 It still tasted okay, but you could taste the sugar granules and it didn’t harden right away like the first batch I made (and stayed sticky for a while). Also, when I poured the caramel, you could see some of the butter separating on the silicone sheet and the popcorn itself was a bit oily from butter separation. I don’t recall doing anything differently the second and third times I made this recipe, any ideas why this might have happened?
It is so hard to say after the fact. But if you want to try again I would start out at a lower temperature with the butter and the brown sugar. Make sure you stir that enough to get the brown sugar melted. Then bring the temp up to medium and get it boiling and let it do it’s thing to become caramel.
Best cramel corn I’ve ever eaten. NEVER thought I’d be able to make it my self. Had my doubts but you really came through! Thank you!❤
Update: When my husband ate this, he did not speak a word….all he could do was make some kind of prehistoric caveman sound….he did not blink or move except movement of popcorn into his mouth. It is that good.
Ha ha ha ha ha – LOVE IT!
We made this !!!all we could say when eating it was:
Oh my gosh
Oh my
Oh wow
Oh my gosh
Oh man
Oh wow
Yes it is really good!
I made this and the flavor is amazing……. but it is a little sticky and chewy. (We still ate all of it, of course) What did I do wrong?
This is so nice Laurie. Thanks a lot. My dream is to become a chef. I’ve made cupcakes and cakes, even cookies. They all came out nice. Thanks again. I’ve been dying to make this. The first time I made it, it was burnt, but I was determined. I tried again the same day. It came out yummy. I really want to be on chopped junior. Thanks again Laurie. I can thank you over and over again.
I have been looking for a chewy caramel corn forever – I found it. Lordy this is a beautiful thing. I didn’t wait til it cooled, I stirred and then started in…
Yay!! That sounds like us when we make it!
OMG so delicious . I made extra popcorn. I like having a little plain mixed up with the caramel. Easy recipe. Thank you!
What a great idea!
I’ve used this recipe I couldn’t tell you how many times. My mom doesn’t even like caramel but she loves this so much she tried to make it herself. I won’t use any other recipe again because this one is by far the best.
I had to try this it’s super easy and delicious I will make again! ❤
I take and drip melted chocolate over the cooled popcorn. My family loves both white and chocolate it makes a wonderful combination. Thank you for this amazing recipe.
What a great idea!!
A little grainy, great flavor!! Poured popcorn in Brown paper bag and shook. Much easier than on cookie sheets.
That’s a good idea. Going to have to try that next time. Glad you liked the flavor.
I stumble upon this recipe when I was looking for a sweet popcorn, omg I couldn’t be happier. This recipe is so easy and delicious. I used dark brown sugar and still came out smooth. I just mixed very well at the beginning and made it in low heat. Thank you for sharing the recipe, it is a keeper for sure!!
I love this recipe! I’ve made it a few times now and the first few were perfect but the last 2 times the caramel doesn’t seem to harden no matter how long i leave it to cool. Still tastes delicious but the popcorn is almost soggy. Any ideas as to why this might be happening? I swear I’m still following the recipe!
Are you using the same amount of popcorn each time?
I have made this a lot my family loves it the whole time I’m making it our German Shepard follows me and doesn’t give up until someone gives her some she doesn’t ask for any other popcorn and if she gets some she spits it out we just love it on the second try we used margarine instead of butter this made it soggy and it wouldn’t harden margarine is made with a lot of water and we used dark brown sugar and a very small can of mixed nuts now they must have nuts thank-you so much
this stuff is so good! and not hard to make, my husband would not stop eating it. will be making it again.
Wow this is a perfect recipe! Easy, tastes great, no corn syrop, no candy thermometer, doesn’t take an hour and a half…when we’re excited to eat it, there’s no way we want to wait that long 🙂 The texture is terrific also. Thank you!
Really, really delicious! People at work can’t get enough, and works great for my diet plan, which consists of feeding sweets to everyone around me so that I’ll look relatively skinny!
Tried this recipe thinking it looked simple. I’ve always used the recipe on the Puff Corn bags. Must say this easy, but when it cooled it was leaving a very greasy/ buttery coating on our hands. Definitely could not serve this for game night. I decided to bake this at 250 for 45 mins, stirring every 15 minutes. MAGIC, now it’s perfect
Phenomenal recipe- the only issue I ran into was the time line – we have a natural gas stove and even on Lo-Med-Lo if I cook this recipe the full time it scorches pretty badly. Fortunately I love cooking and baking and have made caramel before so it has just been a matter of watching and smelling instead of strict times and it’s turned out beautifully!
A fun twist we’ve done is to add cinnamon to the popcorn itself before it’s popped and added a heaping tsp of cinnamon to the caramel when you mix/fold the brown sugar in – delicious!
Thanks for posting this recipe!
DON’T try to sub out the butter!!! At least not with coconut oil – the result was awful!!!!
I often sub coconut oil for butter in recipes, but I knew it was a huge risk in this recipe for a few reasons. (Different boiling points, different flavor, and I’m sure there’s a chemistry reason they don’t blend well)
It was not successful, the sugar burned before it melted and then separated from the oil when I started adding the other ingredients. It smoked up my whole house and had my whole family in an uproar.
Next time I’ll wait till I have butter on hand
This was an epic fail!
Looking forward to trying the recipe with correct ingredients.
butter has got dairy in, which acts as an emulsifier in caramel. coconut oil has non of that. you can try a softer, runny caramel with coconut oil and coconut cream (not too much cream) not for the popcorn, but it is a nice vegan caramel.
I read a comment down here about adding 1/4 creme of tartar to keep the caramel from crystallizing so that it doesn’t come out grainy. I took their advice and the popcorn was theater/gourmet quality. I love buttery popcorn as well so this recipe was absolutely perfect for someone who doesn’t have corn syrup around the house!
Thanks lot for the recipe, looks yumm .. And do we need to use salted butter or the unsalted one ?
Brilliant recipe.
This is really awesome and super easy to make!! My 3 year old grandson and I just made it and we love it as does his papa, who is s real caramel corn lover! I think the next time, we will cut the popcorn by a cup or so, other than that…PERFECT and so are the directions! Ten stars!!!!
Made the caramel popcorn it was so easy and best of all it taste so good
I feel compelled to add a tablespoon of cinnamon to this at the end before glazing the popcorn… thoughts?
Yum!
I read through the comments and the only thing I did that the recipe doesn’t mention is I warmed up the vanilla and made sure my spoon was warm. It turned out perfect. So easy to make such a delicious snack. Thank you!
Very easy and super delisious. Thank you Lynda
I made this delicious recipe and was amazed at how easy and how quick it set up. The buttery flavor of the carmel well its adicting. But, that said the next batch didnt set up, so I put it in the oven for 5 min its really good, not as good as the first batch, so I tried again, burned it, somehow. maybe the heat was too high it stsrted smoking, so I turned it down then it was really dark, and smelled burned. Third time i cooked it on lower heat, it came out but I realized that its on the burned smell side. There must be a fine line. I also started the pan on fire the first time i added vanilla, so i remove from heat when adding it. I’ll get it,,,, I wanted to post so maybe I could save someone from my mistakes. This recipe is worth getting it right.
YUMMY SNACK I PRE MEASURE MY SYRUP INGRIDIENTS I FIND ITS A HUGE HELP THE BUTTER DOESNT TAKE LONG TO BURN THAT DID HAPPEN TO ME ONCE BUT IT WAS STILL EDIBLE I GIVE IT FOR XMAS GIFTS ITS ALWAYS A BIG HIT .
Just made this for my kiddos teachers! So yummy and super easy!! I had to stop my kids from eating it so we could give it to their teachers lol! So I have to get more butter and made a double batch for the kids thanks so much for recipe,we all made it together
I tried making this and must have did something wrong when I added the baking soda I then stirred it in and the Carmel burned smoked up my whole kitchen and tasted really burnt what did I do wrong should I have not stirred in the baking soda should I have removed it from the heat WHAT HAPPENED?
I’m guessing that the temperature might have been too high and you need a slightly bigger pan.
This is amazing! It tastes exactly like the kind from the mall. It is super simple to make, too.
I made a triple batch to take to work for veterans day. Or was so easy and taste so amazing. I’ve made it for years with the corn syrup but this is my new go to recipe.
I made this tonight on a whim by googling ingredients we had in the pantry. OMG! My boyfriend raved! One slight addition: I added sea salt after coating. Sweet and salty. SO good.
Sea Salt is a GREAT idea!
YUM! Thank you. Taking all my self control not to eat this before I need to serve it! Hoping it stays good overnight. 🙂
I just made this (1&1/2 times recipe because it still won’t be enough)and added 2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice with the vanilla. Soooooo good!!
I was very skeptical about this. I worried it would be gritty, and in my (not much) experience, I’ve never heard of putting vanilla extract in something that is boiling. However, after all the glowing reviews, I made it.
You guys… this recipe is dangerously delicious!!! I’m pretty sure I’m gonna eat half the batch in one sitting!!
I turned the heat down once the mixture started boiling, I think out of nervousness mostly, but it turned out amazing! Everything else I followed to a T.
I will be making this again, to the detriment of my pant size 😉
This tastes much better if you bake it for 5 mins after adding the sauce at 350. It makes it really crunchy and it keeps longer if your making it for gifts
It was absolutely yummmy turned out perfect thanks so much for the recipe
I absolutely love this popcorn. I have made it 3 times!
i also have made this several times i use half the recipe for one bag of microwave popcorn and its great evrey corn is caramalized family love it
This recipe is incredible. I was wanting to make caramel popcorn without using cream of tartar or corn syrup and found this one. My sister was skeptical that it would turn out because it wasn’t baked, but OH MY! That you can make it in less than 10 minutes and eat it right away is amazing. We have been snacking on it all morning. Followed the recipe exactly using microwave popcorn.
Hi Susie – so glad you liked it!
Fabulous recipe, tastes so authentic. We loved it!!
Thanks!
Have made this many times…….YUM. Tonight however, I only had 1/2 cup butter so I put in 1/2 cup coconut oil……..YUCK!! It separated and the end was like concrete. Won’t try that again.
I add molasses in place of kero syrup and peanuts normally which turns out like Cracker Jacks………wonderful.
I have tried using Becel margarine and it worked good recipe
We love this popcorn, We make it on Family-gamesnight
Us too!
Great popcorn!!! Followed the carmel recipe perfectly and did a batch of stove top popcorn. Nice and crispy
Fantastic! Addictive!
Thank for the simple receipe for caramel corn, I am going to try it
I am unable to eat butter. Has anybody had success using margarine instead?
We have never tried it but I’m sure it would work.
I tried it with margarine. Still super tasty. 🙂
Good to know! Thanks!
No corn syrup or baking so win-win!!! I used vegan butter and this was DELICIOUS. I also cheated and used pre-made Skinny Pop popcorn because I had a late night craving actually had all the ingredients and whipped it up in five minutes. I attempted to store some for later that didn’t happen because it was so good.
I made it with unwhipped cream instead of butter, also worked 🙂
This is truly an easy,delicious Caramel popcorn!!
I’ve been wanting to make carmel corn for years now but kept putting it off because in my mind it was a difficult and messy task!
This recipe was super easy to follow and not messy at all. It is a new favorite in our household. Began with your directions for “perfect popcorn” which resulted in a light and crispy and sweet and buttery carmel corn treat!
Definitely keeping this in my repertoire!!!
I make this all the time for my aunt she said it’s the only way she will eat popcorn. Although I do dry it in the oven for about 15 mins.
At what temp do you set the oven for the carmel corn?
350° bake for 10 minutes, worked great for me
Great recipe! My family love this popcorn. Thank you!
I made this 4 times. First 2 were great. Last 2 were oily. Can’t think of even one thing I did different. I used the exact same ingredients. The syrup seemed thicker in the last two batches and didn’t spread as evenly. I wonder if the humidity in the house effects this. We live in Florida and we had the heat on when I made the last batches because it was cold out. Any thoughts? Absolutely LOVED the first 2 batches.
Hi Connie – I found this article (https://www.thespruce.com/why-did-my-butter-separate-when-making-toffee-or-caramel-520448) and it looks like the humidity could be the culprit.
Hmm…but it would seem like if you had all the doors/windows closed and the heat on that would actually result in a DRIER environment than normal for that area…no?
Gas would be drier, not so for electric.
An interesting idea. However this appears to be a standard caramel corn recipe that merely omits the corn syrup. You can do that, however the purpose of the corn syrup is to help prevent crystallization. (Gritty, or grainy). A better choice is to add 1/4 teaspoon of cream of tartar to the original ingredients. This also helps against crystallization although not as well.
Without any acid or syrup, you at the mercy of nature. Your caramel could be smooth once, grainy the next time. A few careful steps will improve your odds.
Make sure there is no sugar on the sides of the pan once the sugar boils. Wash the sides down with a warm wet brush.
Do not stir the boiling sugar
Do not insert any cold ingredients or utensils after the sugar boils. Warm your vanilla and spoon.
Do not use a metal utensil
I have made this as written multiple times and have never had it grainy. You simply have to stir it until the sugar is fully dissolved before starting the 4 minute boil time.
Thank you for this! Was looking for an easy and simple way to make caramel popcorn for the kiddos. We loved it! Perfect!
Great recipe! I will probably make it many, many more times, although when I put the vanilla in, some of the caramel splashed out of the pot… Why did it do this? Is there a way to avoid it?
Hi Elizabeth – it is the alcohol in the vanilla hitting the heat of the caramel mixture. It has happened to me. Maybe a bigger pan next time?
There is alcohol in vanilla?!
Hi – Pure Vanilla Extract does contain alcohol but if it says Vanilla Flavoring, it does not.
Have you added peanuts to this? And if so what did you do to the peanuts before you added them? Thanks.
Hi Kim – we haven’t done that yet. But I would add the peanuts before you pour on the caramel mixture so that everything is covered with caramel. And I would use salted peanuts and just add them in as is. Hope that helps! Let us know how it turns out if you try it.
I just made this tonight and added pecan pieces to it and all I can say is yum….
Whats the best way to store the leftover carmel popcorn?
Hi! We store it in an air-tight container. No need to refrigerate it.
Way too dangerous
Proceed with caution.
Best dam Carmel corn I ever made
The best caramel corn I’ve ever tasted! Crunchy when cooled, but the caramel is still sticky when you eat it. You won’t regret making this recipe!
This recipe was very easy to make and so delicious. The only problem was trying not to eat the entire batch in one sitting!
Came out perfectly started out with low heat first then I turned the heat up, constantly stirring with a wooden spoon.
Omg. This tastes soooo good! We took the kids to see the new Star Wars movie last night and came home with two half-eaten bags of popcorn. This morning I tried this recipe to use up the leftover popcorn. I’m glad I read some of the reviews before making it, so that I knew to turn the stove right down as the recipe doesn’t explicitly state that. Otherwise I can see the sauce burning in the pot if it’s left to boil at a high heat. It was so easy and quick to make, and best part was the pot was easy to clean as well.
I can’t stop eating it! It’s the perfect caramel flavour and the popcorn is coated in this velvety caramel sauce. So glad I found your recipe. Every other recipe I found online used corn syrup which is a big no-no for me.
I can see myself making bags of microwave popcorn just so I can make this again!
is it crispy when cooled?
Hi Melanie – it does harden up. It is not sticky if that is what you mean.
Yes!
I’m hoping someone sees this soon How many days will this stay fresh do you think? I’m thinking of making it tomorrow (Tuesday) and serve it Saturday. Any thoughts?
The caramel corn tastes best right after you make it but it will last for a couple of days. It will not be as crunch on day two or three but it still tastes yummy.
This may be the best caramel corn ever! I followed the recipe to a “T” except I made 20 cups of popcorn by accident. So, I stretched the recipe amount of caramel across twice the called for popcorn and it was still delicious and coated well without being too coated. I loved it!
Delicious and easy! Made as per instructions but added some pecans. New favourite for me
We madde your recipe for Carmel corn. It came out really good. It’s going to be a family favorite with us also. Thank you for sharing it.
Very good, and easy, 2 bags of microwave popcorn. Brown sugar, butter. & WHITE VANILLA!!
Perfect!
OK – This was definitely the easiest and best tasting caramel recipe for popcorn! I did end up with flambe at one point because my vanilla extract is made with alcohol. When it hit the pan, it totally caught on fire! Put the fire out and continued to cook. All was good! Thanks for a great and easy recipe!
Oh no! That must have been scary! We’re glad it turned out in the end. Thanks for visiting!
Is this caramel popcorn crunchy or chewy?
Hi Ana – I’d all it chewy.
Halved the recipe for the Mrs. and myself.. Buttery deliciousness, first time i tried making caramel and it turned out great! Super easy snacking, thank you!
This is so easy and simple!
my popcorn turned out super grainy. what did I do wrong?????
Hi Connie – Next time … in the beginning, when you are stirring the melted butter and the brown sugar, try working the brown sugar with a spoon or spatula to get it all broken down before the mixture starts boiling.
Thank you for explaining Why it gets grainy…I had my favorite one do that to me several times I finally gave up, but I will try this recipe…
Thank you,
Rexanna
Ohh, maybe this will help me also. I did it twice and both times it was grainy and looked like coffee ♀️
Made this last night for a party. everyone loved it! My hubby said it was the BEST popcorn he has ever had!
This one in going in my ‘Mom’s favourite recipes’ notebook.
Thanks!
My family and I LOVE this recipe! The only thing I did differently was bake the popcorn on 350 for about 5 – 10 mins until it was a dark gold colour! It added an awesome crunch, and i found it stayed fresh longer!
Thanks for the great recipe!!
can i use caramel syrup instead of going through all the trouble of mixing the ingredients?
Hi Albertina – we’ve never tried that. You might want to do a search and see if you can find a recipe that uses caramel syrup as an ingredient. Good luck!
I tried making this and some how the Carmel mixture ended up burning after I added the baking soda to it. I am not sure what I did wrong 🙁 Is there any advice for what to do next time so it does not burn?
HI Krystian – I would suggest turning down the heat a bit. And try Light Brown Sugar instead of Dark Brown Sugar.
The hardest part of this recipe is waiting for it to ccool! The first time I made it, I made a mistake in adding the ingredients and did not boil for the required 5 min. But it was still good, though a bit grainy. The 2nd batch I made as per the recipe. So good and so easy. I did double the recipe because one recipe is not enough! No problem with doubling. Thank you for this recipe.
This was incredible. I made one batch with nuts one batch without. Soooooooo delicious. I took it to small group and everybody raved. They asked me to bring it again next time I am in charge of snacks.
Do you need to bake the caramel corn once you’ve coated the popped corn? if so, what temp and how long?>
Hi! Nope. You don’t need to back this version of caramel corn.
This was the most delicious recipe we ever made! It will become a family tradition for sure! I tried making it a second time and for some reason it had a “grainy” texture instead if the smooth chewy texture of the first batch. The only difference I can think of was that I used dark brown sugar the second time rather than light. Any ideas as to what I may have done wrong?
Hi Summer – It might have been the Dark Brown Sugar. I’m going to try that myself and see what happens.
Hi I have recently found out that there are two kinds of popcorn. The most common popcorn like is sold in stores and movie theaters is butterfly popcorn. The popcorn most often used to make caramel corn is called mushroom popcorn. Mushroom popcorn is supposed to pop up bigger and rounder. I bought some mushroom popcorn on line and will be trying this recipe on it.
We’ve never heard of Mushroom popcorn. We’d love to hear how it turns out!
Love caramel popcorn
Just made this! So good! Thank you! I’ll be trying more soon!
Hi Tracy, isn’t it delcisous? So glad you like it.
Wow, that worked out perfectly…….. thank you! Yum!
Yay! We’re so glad you like it!!!
if i am going to use microwave popcorn, do you know how many bags 10 cups is?
Hi Chloe – you’ll probably need two bags of microwave popcorn depending on what brand you use.
Can I use white instead?
Hi, I have seen recipes that use white sugar instead of brown, but I don’t think that would in this recipe.
Mine isn’t shiny.
Hmmm … I wonder what happened. How did it taste?
What do u do with the 1/4 of caramel mixture after u pour 3/4 of it on the popcorn?
Hi Sheri – that was a typo. Thanks for catching that. You just mix all of the caramel mixture with the popcorn.
Drizzle 3/4 of the Carmel? What do you do with the rest? Confusing.