Easy Homemade Caramel Popcorn

This Easy Homemade Caramel Popcorn or caramel corn recipe shows you how to make the best sweet, salty, soft, crunchy, gourmet caramel popcorn!

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Caramel Popcorn

I have personally spent too much time trying to come up with or find a way to make perfect caramel popcorn, or caramel corn, at home and finally, I am proud to share this perfectly sweet, salty and crunchy version with you.

Our version of The Best Caramel Corn recipe has the right amount of caramel on every kernel without being too sticky on your fingers or so hard you worry about breaking a tooth!

This is definitely the best, soft caramel popcorn recipe and it will quickly become a favorite in your household as well! This Caramel Popcorn recipe is one of my favorite snacks of all time. No need to spend ridiculous amounts of money on store bought any longer!

Caramel Popcorn Recipe

This soft caramel popcorn recipe is easier than I ever thought possible and with no candy thermometer involved what could be better than that?

Do not be intimidated, this recipe is tried and tested and most of the ingredients required already exist in your pantry!

I have to mention that you will even love the way the house smells while it is baking and have difficulty waiting, we always do.

Fresh caramel popcorn is so totally irresistible and truly addictive and that is why I always make a double batch!

Homemade Caramel Popcorn

This is the perfect treat for everything from movie night, parties with friends or family or as edible gifts.

Feel free to add in nuts, a sprinkling of coarse sea salt or any other treat you can think of.

Best Caramel Chocolate Popcorn Recipe 

This easy caramel corn recipe is also so good made with our White Chocolate Cake Popcorn, with or without the cake mix added. A little bit of chocolate and/or caramel in every bite and oh so good!

You may also add nuts or drizzle melted chocolate over top of your hardened caramel popcorn if you prefer just a little bit of chocolate and don’t want to make an entire batch of chocolate popcorn.

This awesome dessert, appetizer or snack is so easy to make ahead and perfect to give as an edible gift! Afterall, is there anything better? Ok, yes, there are lots of things that are better but wait until you see the smile on the receivers face when this gift is opened!

The Best Edible Gift 

The Best Gourmet Caramel Popcorn makes one of the greatest edible gifts! The perfect, reasonably priced or inexpensive, addictive treat is great for  neighbors, teachers, friends and family! Easily made by adults and children alike, this is something you can have a ton of fun with.

To make this into an edible gift, all you may need is a cup or container of some kind and/or some cellophane wrap and some ribbon. I have filled a paper cup with popcorn that I purchased at the local dollar store with a seasonal pattern on it.

Next, I placed it on top of a square cut piece of cellophane, lifted and gathered all of the cellophane together and tied it up with ribbon. Add a gift tag on it and there you have it, your edible gift is ready to go! 

How do I serve the Best Caramel Corn Recipe?

You have a couple options besides preparing the caramel corn portioned as an edible gift.

First, you can serve a big bowl of this gourmet caramel popcorn and have everyone grabbing handfuls out of the bowl.  Or you can serve little bowls full of popcorn, ready to eat, and refill them as necessary.  I find the second option to be a little more sanitary.

Regardless, everyone is going to devour and be grateful for this amazing sweet treat!

Ingredients in Easy Caramel Popcorn

• popped popcorn, unpopped kernels removed 
• brown sugar
• butter
• clear corn syrup
• vanilla extract
• salt
• baking soda

How to Make Caramel Popcorn

From my experience, with this recipe, it is best to have everything ready before you start cooking anything. When working with caramel you need to work quickly and efficiently to avoid the caramel burning or hardening before it is supposed to.

I also recommend watching the video above just to see exactly the way everything goes. That being said, I am sure the instructions are good enough as I wrote them myself! This gourmet caramel popcorn is amazing so get ready to enjoy a special treat!

First, measure out all of your ingredients and get out your equipment, including a timer.

This includes making your popcorn, pouring the popcorn on top of your cooling racks to remove unpopped kernels, you really do not want to bite down on one of them, and into your large bowl.

Also, getting your large rimmed baking sheet ready with a silpat liner or tinfoil coated in cooking spray. You can use parchment paper with cooking spray but I have found it better and less messy to not use it. 

Once this is done, grab your biggest, ideally non stick, skillet. If you prefer you can also use a large saucepan.

Once you add baking soda the caramel mixture will expand so I recommend a skillet or pot that seems too big for creating this wonderful caramel mixture.

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees.

In a large pot or skillet, over medium heat, melt butter.

Once melting, add corn syrup, brown sugar, and salt, stirring frequently until dissolved and blended.

Keep stirring until mixture starts to boil, around 10 minutes or so.

As soon as mixture begins to boil set your timer for two minutes exactly and stir until your timer goes off.

Remove mixture from heat immediately, and stir in baking soda and vanilla.

Mixture will turn a light caramel color and expand as I mentioned. Keep stirring until the color is uniform and the texture is smooth, a few more minutes.

If you are adding anything to your popcorn like peanuts or pretzels, you need to decide if you want the treats coated in caramel too. If so add 1 cup or as many as you would like to your popcorn before pouring on the caramel.

Pour this sticky and thick caramel all over your popcorn in your large bowl, and turn gently while moving quickly, until all of your popcorn is fully coated. 

Pour out onto your prepared baking sheet and spread out popcorn as much as possible.

Bake for 45 minutes, allowing caramel to set and harden evenly on each kernel, stirring your popcorn every 12 minutes, breaking up any clumps as best you can, until done. I like to adjust the popcorn three times while baking for the best results!

After trying this recipe once you will need to decide if you prefer your popcorn crispier, increase the baking time slightly and if you like your popcorn chewier, reduce the bake time somewhat until you find the timing that is perfect for you.

Once out of the oven, add nuts, pretzels, coarse sea salt or any additional ingredients if you are using them. They will stick to the popcorn kernels if the popcorn is hot. Allow dry popcorn to cool and continue to break up the pieces or clumps that remain stuck together.

I end up adjusting or stirring the popcorn a few times as it all cools down to prevent as much clumping as possible.

Serve this gourmet caramel popcorn as desired and enjoy every bite.

How you Store the Best Caramel Popcorn

You can easily store this gourmet caramel popcorn for up to about 4 or 5 days, after it is cool, in an airtight container and at room temperature.

Left out, this caramel corn will eventually become sort of soggy or soft. It’s so tasty and addictive though, it usually never lasts that long!

Gourmet Caramel Popcorn Options

• nuts like peanuts, almonds, walnuts, pecans, cashews or coconut
• chocolate popcorn 
• M&Ms of all kinds
• bite sized pretzels, I find the sticks make eating difficult at times but it is up to you
• extra sea salt
• mini or sliced chocolate candy bars like Snickers, Kit Kat or Oh Henry
• Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups or Reese’s Pieces
• sprinkles or sparkles
• Any other candy you can think of or desire!

Tips for the Best Soft Caramel Popcorn Recipe

Make a Double Batch because one batch just never seems to be enough and the popcorn will last for several days in an airtight container if there are any leftovers

Remove Popcorn Kernels by pouring all of your popcorn on top of your cooling racks and watch the unpopped kernels fall right through the holes in the rack or spread your popcorn on to a rimmed baking sheet and pick through and remove unpopped kernels

Adjust your bake time depending on how chewy (slightly reduce bake time) or crunchy (slightly increase bake time) you enjoy your caramel popcorn after trying the recipe once

Tools for the Best Soft Caramel Popcorn

Silicone Spoon, Spatula or Whisk will save you lots of time with clean up. Silicone kitchen utensils are non stick and perfect for a sticky recipe like this! If you use a wooden spoon to stir this mixture you may end up spending quite a bit of time cleaning it! 

Nonstick Skillet or Saucepan if possible will make cleaning up so much easier, the caramel will come right off

Use a Large Saucepan or Skillet by using a larger saucepan or skillet you are sure to have enough room for your caramel mixture once you add the baking soda and the mixture expands 

Use a Large Tin Foil Pan to bake and toss your popcorn that is big enough to hold a turkey, sprayed lightly with cooking spray, is cheap and disposable, meaning no clean up at all

Best Soft Caramel Popcorn

I usually use buttered, salted popcorn, that I have prepared in the microwave but I have bought it in the past. Both worked beautifully and left the popcorn with such a wonderful flavor.

I enjoy the buttered and salted microwave popcorn with the caramel coating and my husband prefers ths recipe made with plain popcorn. Truthfully, both are amazing!

There are so many ways to make popcorn and you have many choices! I have taken these from a list of 15 ways to make popcorn that you can find here if you want to know more about it.

Air poppers

Air Poppers have been around since I was young in the 1970’s and I remember having one. They use hot air and steam to pop the kernels into edible popcorn.

Microwave Popcorn

Use an unopened store bought bag of microwavable popcorn to make some perfect popped kernels in a few minutes. Be careful when opening the bag though because boy oh boy is the steam hot!

Your other option is to throw about 1/4 cup of popcorn kernels into a paper bag, fold the end over a few times and start the microwave.

Once popping reduces to almost nothing remove from microwave and open top of bag slowly to avoid burning yourself from the heat! Add melted butter and salt, give the bag a shake and you are good to go!

Old Stove Top Method

The old stove top method will work. Take a large pot, toss in some oil and allow it to heat up over medium high heat. Add your popcorn kernels and stir them with a spoon.  Cover the popcorn with a lid.

Once kernels begin to pop you can slightly set the lid to the side and let a little air in.

Shake and adjust the pot periodically, every 45 seconds or so, and leave the lid slightly off.

Once popping slows down remove the pot from the heat and don’t totally remove the lid.

Wait until you don’t hear anymore popping.

Once popping has stopped remove lid and continue making this recipe.

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Grandma’s Chocolate Eggnog Pudding Cake

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Eggnog Cookie Bars

Stovetop Raisin Almond Rice Pudding

Grandma’s Fruit Salad

Holiday Chocolate Stuffed Cookie Cups

The Best Caramel Popcorn Video