homemade caramel corn

Sweet and crunchy, this caramel corn is so easy to make at home. You'll find yourself baking batch after addicting batch. It's a great make-ahead recipe for a party or guests and can easily be doubled.

Grandma's Caramel Corn

(100 grams) air-popped popcorn*

(200 grams) packed light brown sugar

(80 grams) light corn syrup

unsalted butter

cream of tartar*

salt

baking soda

Preheat the oven to 200°F (93°C). Spread the popcorn out onto 2 large baking sheets. Set aside.

Combine the sugar, corn syrup, butter, cream of tartar, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly as the butter melts and mixture comes to a boil. Boil, without stirring, for 4-5 minutes. (If you have a candy thermometer, the mixture should be 234°F-235°F (112-113°C). Remove from the heat and quickly stir in the baking soda. Caramel will be foamy and frothy. Pour the caramel over the popcorn and stir gently until all the kernels are coated.

Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes. Allow to cool on the pan and break apart large clusters if desired. Cover the popcorn tightly once cooled.

So easy and absolutely delicious! Put on your fat pants and enjoy because once you take a bite there's no stopping!!! 

I have made about 5 batches of this, soooooooo good. Easy easy
Thank you for sharing your recipe

I made this today and my grandson loves it. Thanks for sharing this recipe

Amazingly easy to make and it hits the spot.
This caramel popcorn is almost as good as the popcorn I grew up eating from Margaret Junkins Candy shop in Hampton Beach, NH. Thanks for bringing back great famuly vacation memories.

This is truly the worst caramel corn recipe I have ever tried. The “caramel” comes out in a big thick blob. There is zero chance it will spread over more than 1/4 of the popcorn. 2 stars for good flavor.

I made this yesterday, but I doubled the caramel recipe and it took about 1 hour and 20 minutes for the caramel to harden in the oven but it was delicious!  In Jordan, the movie theaters serve caramel popcorn and I always get the mixed option, so I mixed the caramel popcorn with salted popcorn and served it in a bowl!

I’ve made this recipe as is and I love it! I’m curious if I can sub dairy free butter instead of regular butter for my vegan friends?

I’ve been making this caramel corn for years, passing it off as my own grandmother’s recipe. The care required to pull it off makes me feel like an alchemist every time. I just made the caramel to see if it can be poured and shattered to sprinkle on some chocolate mousse also just made.

Excited to make this as gifts for friends at work. Add a little Mapeline for maple flavored popcorn. It's delicious!

Such a great recipe. Every recipe I've tried on this site are all easily 5 stars. I'd give more if I could. Always look forward to trying something new on here.

What actual temperature is the carmel mixture suppose to reach before poring over corn?

My popcorn also took an hour and 20 to thoroughly crisp. 
I have a tip too. I double up a Trader Joe’s bag and I collect my corn from my machine as it’s popping. I fold the bag over to keep it warm while I make the caramel. I then pour the caramel
Right into the bag while stirring with an oven mitt (on my stirring hand). Shaking right in the bag is also a good way to mix. It’s super east clean up too!

Sally never does me wrong; I don't even bother going to any other sites for recipes anymore. 

I wanted to do something fun for "Galantines" movie night with my friends. This caramel corn turned out perfectly, was super easy and I didn't need my candy thermometer. Follow the instructions, and you won't be disappointed!

I would ad to the recipe as a tip that the purpose for putting it in the oven is to enable all the popcorn to get coated. The crispness of the coating is determined by the temperature it reaches when on the stovetop. The higher u take it the more hard candy-like the coating will be when it cools.  Here's a link to a guide for temperatures
https://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/candy/sugar-stages.html

This sweet popcorn is perfect for Snickers lovers. Enjoy this caramel popcorn drizzled with chocolate, with chopped bits of Snickers inside for the perfect treat!

Snickers Popcorn Recipe

T oil

c popcorn kernels (4 quarts popped popcorn)

c butter, unsalted

c brown sugar

c corn syrup

t salt

t baking soda

Snickers bars

oz dark chocolate

Pop your popcorn on the stove with the...

Pop your popcorn on the stove with the oil and popcorn kernels. (Or omit the oil and pop in your air popper.) Measure out 16 cups or 4 quarts of popped popcorn.

Line a large roasting pan with tin foil...

Line a large roasting pan with tin foil and add the popcorn to it.

Preheat your oven to 250 degrees.

In a heavy pot, add the butter, brown...

In a heavy pot, add the butter, brown sugar, salt, and corn syrup. Over medium heat, melt and continue to cook. Once it has melted, stir constantly until it reaches 240 degrees.

Remove the caramel from the heat immediately and...

Remove the caramel from the heat immediately and add the baking soda. Stir to combine. Once it starts to foam, pour over your popcorn and stir gently to coat all the popcorn with the caramel.

Place the caramel corn in the 250 degree...

Place the caramel corn in the 250 degree oven and cook for 30 minutes, removing the popcorn after the first fifteen minutes to stir. Stir again when you remove it at the thirty minute mark.

While the caramel corn is baking, chop your...

While the caramel corn is baking, chop your SNICKERS bars into small bite size pieces about the size of a piece of popped popcorn.

Once the caramel corn is stirred at 30...

Once the caramel corn is stirred at 30 minutes, add the SNICKERS pieces to the caramel corn and stir to distribute them throughout the caramel corn. Return to the oven for 5 minutes to let the SNICKERS soften.

Remove from the oven and place the popcorn...

Remove from the oven and place the popcorn on tin foil or wax paper in a thin layer to cool slightly.

While the popcorn is cooling, melt your dark...

While the popcorn is cooling, melt your dark chocolate over low heat until just melted. Using a fork, drizzle the chocolate over the popcorn. Let sit for ten or so minutes for the chocolate to harden.

Serve immediately. Store any leftover popcorn a sealed...

Serve immediately. Store any leftover popcorn a sealed container for two to three days on the counter.

Brimming with buttery flavor, sweet crunch, and from-scratch caramel, each bite of this homemade caramel corn is undeniably irresistible. You'll make the 6-ingredient caramel sauce on the stove, and while a candy thermometer is helpful, you certainly can get by without one. The recipe below is for plain caramel popcorn, but see Notes for other variations. This is a great make-ahead recipe for a party, bake sale, or gathering, and can easily be doubled.

Homemade Caramel Corn

(about 70–75 grams) air-popped popcorn*

(80 grams) light corn syrup*

Preheat the oven to 200°F (93°C). Line 1 or 2 12&#215;17-inch baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.

Pour the popcorn into the largest bowl you have, or spread it onto the prepared baking sheets. (Either way is fine.)

Combine the sugar, corn syrup, butter, salt, and cream of tartar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly as the butter melts and mixture comes to a simmer. Once simmering around the edges, allow to bubble, without stirring, for 4 minutes. (If you have a candy thermometer, the caramel should reach 234–235°F (112–113°C).)

Remove caramel from heat and immediately stir in the baking soda. The mixture will bubble up, almost double in volume, and appear frothy on the surface as you stir; this is normal and expected. Be careful, it&#8217;s very hot.

Pour the caramel over the popcorn and, with a large spoon or spatula, stir gently until all of the popcorn has been coated. Go slowly here and have patience; it requires quite a few turns of the spatula/spoon as the caramel begins to harden. If it&#8217;s not already, spread the popcorn evenly onto prepared baking sheet(s).

Bake for 1 hour, gently stirring every 20 minutes.

Allow to cool on the pan for at least 30 minutes. The caramel hardens as it cools. Once cool enough to handle, you can break apart any large clusters.

Cover the popcorn tightly once cooled. This caramel corn stays fresh for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container, so it&#8217;s a great recipe to make ahead of time.

The best caramel corn ever!  I find it easier to mix the caramel into the popcorn using a large mixing bowl, then spread out onto a baking sheet. Not all the popcorn is coated, but just double the caramel recipe if you like more caramel!  Perfect for us!! Thank  you

Nice! One little thing though, as a lil correction, not everyone knows that cream of tartar is the acid that foams with baking soda (C of T plus BS make baking powder). You can prove it with a tiny taste of C of T - it’ll taste sour, a bit acidic. The sugars are not the acid part. The foaming in the sugar melt are just due to the boiling water making bubbles. The tiny bubbles that soften the crunchy caramel are from the “leavening” of the baking soda plus tartaric acid. If you leave out the C of T, the caramel won’t spread well and will be waaay too dense and crunchy, perhaps like some of the commenters found. But hey, if you don’t have C of T, you can use baking powder instead.

Good easy recipe! I toss in some chopped up cooked crispy bacon pieces before spreading it out...adds nice salty bacony (?)goodness to the mix!

The best and easiest caramel corn recipe ever!  The caramel came together beautifully.  I used Lyle’s Golden Syrup instead of corn syrup and it  worked great.  I’ve created a monster now as my husband wants a steady supply of this popcorn!  He liked it better than his Garrett caramel corn!

I used Jiffy Pop and it worked perfectly. A wonderful recipe!

This truly is the best caramel corn recipe! It&#039;s easy to make, and perfect for snacking or gifting during the holidays. Trust me — you won&#039;t be able to stop eating this sweet, crispy, irresistible caramel corn!My #1 tip for homemade caramel corn - add a little baking soda to the caramel! This is the secret ingredient for a crispy topping. Be sure to watch the video below for the full how-to!

Best Caramel Corn Recipe

(452 grams) butter

(426 grams) brown sugar

(120 milliliters) light corn syrup

(213 grams) unpopped popcorn kernels

Preheat oven to 250°F. Pop the popcorn kernels in an air-pop popcorn machine.

Divide the popcorn evenly between 2 large baking sheets lined with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. (Note: Try and leave behind as many unpopped kernels as you can!)

In a medium saucepan, combine the butter, sugar, light corn syrup, and salt. Melt slowly over medium heat, stirring constantly.

When mixture comes to a full boil, continue to boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and add the baking soda. Mix in baking soda carefully as the mixture will expand when you add it.

Divide the caramel between the 2 large baking sheets and mix well to coat the popped kernels.

Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Cool and enjoy!

I make caramel corn and also Chex mix in my 20 quart Roaster Oven-it works great and I can double or even triple batches!

Fantastic!!!
I made 4 batches and gifted to friends and family. It got rave reviews from all!
It’s my new holiday tradition.

This was pretty close to my mom's recipe (she only used 1 cup of butter). I had been having trouble with hers because the caramel was going grainy on me. I used 1 1/2 cups butter ( a compromise) and followed the rest of this recipe, but I also added about a 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice to it, and the caramel came out buttery smooth. Soooo good.  We call it "crack" in our house. I have been known to eat the whole batch on my own in a couple days!

Made this recipe exactly as written with one addition - 2 teaspoons of Vanilla 

Turned out amazing - will use this recipe from now on

Thank you so much for sharing your delicious I say delicious recipe

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/u20Xbwur.mp4

This TRIED-AND-TRUE recipe is a family favorite! You won’t be able to stop eating this sweet, crispy and completely addictive caramel corn!

Put your favorite snack into overdrive with Microwave Caramel Corn—an easy way to turn savory to sweet in no time!

Top 5 homemade caramel corn recipes from across the web

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Grandma's Caramel Corn

Snickers Popcorn Recipe

Homemade Caramel Corn

Best Caramel Corn Recipe

Easy Microwave Caramel Corn

Top 5 homemade caramel corn recipes from across the web

The most viewed homemade caramel corn recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Grandma's Caramel Corn

Snickers Popcorn Recipe

Homemade Caramel Corn

Best Caramel Corn Recipe

Easy Microwave Caramel Corn

The most viewed homemade caramel corn recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine