An easy recipe for homemade Baked Caramel Popcorn – made from a simple brown sugar caramel, and then baked until perfectly crispy. This caramel corn is perfect for family movie night at home!
If you love making popcorn at home, you also need to try this Peanut Butter Popcorn.
When I was younger, every so often, we would have what we called “pig-outs.” It was usually when my dad and my brother would be gone on camp-outs, but us girls and our mom would get lots of candy and junk food, and get to sit in front of the tv, pigging out and watching movies. This was a real treat for us, as we didn’t get to have a lot of junk food normally.
As I went to make this caramel popcorn the other day, the memory of these pig-outs came to mind. My memory is horrible, so I called my mom this morning to see if we ever ate this caramel corn at our pig-outs. I knew that we always had Brach’s candy, but beyond that, I couldn’t remember!! She told me that yes, we always had the candy, and that it was always just an array of junk food. She said she was sure we probably had this caramel popcorn from time to time, but she wasn’t sure either!
So even if we didn’t have this at our pig-outs, I love having these special nights with my kids from time to time, and this caramel popcorn is a favorite to put on the menu!
Ingredients
- Unsalted Butter – I like to use unsalted and then add in my salt. If you use salted butter, you’ll want to cut down on the amount of salt you add.
- Light Brown Sugar – I have never tried making this with dark brown sugar. I’m sure it would work, but I almost always prefer light brown sugar in recipes.
- Light Corn Syrup – Not to be confused with high fructose corn syrup (if you use Karo syrup, it is HFCS free), the light corn syrup helps the caramel to not crystalize. I’m sure there are corn syrup substitutes out there, but I haven’t personally tried any of them.
- Salt – The salt helps to bring out all of the flavors in the recipe, and I always suggest adding a bit of salt. This recipe uses more than some sweet recipes, but I love the tiny bit of saltiness you get.
- Vanilla Extract – I always use pure vanilla extract.
- Baking Soda – Do not skip the baking soda! I know it sounds like a weird ingredient, but the baking soda reacts with the sugar and the corn syrup, which causes it to form lots of tiny bubbles. (You’ll see this happen when you add the baking soda in and the caramel will bubble up.) These bubbles will help to keep the caramel a bit softer so that you won’t break your teeth when you are eating the caramel corn.
- Popcorn – I have an air popper (it’s really one of my favorite kitchen appliances) but you can use microwave popcorn or popcorn cooked on the stove. Just be aware that the flavor and texture might change some if you use buttered or salted or oiled popcorn. I just use plain air popped popcorn.
How Much Popcorn?
You will need 6 quarts of popped popcorn, which is about 24 cups, for this recipe. But how do you know how much that is?
The good thing is that you don’t have to be exact. A little more or a little less – you’ll still have delicious caramel popcorn! But here are some basic guidelines. Be aware that different brands or sizes of kernels can affect it all, so measuring the popcorn before you start is a good idea.
Using an air popper: You will need about just over 3/4 cup of popcorn kernels. You will need to do this in batches.
Using microwave popcorn: If using a standard size microwave popcorn, you will get just over 12 cups of popcorn per bag. So two bags should give you enough.
Using a whirley pop: You will need about the same as air popped – 3/4 cup of kernels. Make sure you read the instructions to see how much you can make at a time. You will have to add in some oil, so that may change the flavor of the final caramel popcorn.
How to Make Baked Caramel Popcorn
- Start by making the caramel. In a pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add in the brown sugar, the corn syrup, and the salt, then stir it all together.
- Bring this mixture to a boil, then set a timer for 5 minutes and let it boil without stirring the mixture.
- While the caramel is cooking, put your popcorn in 2 large bowls or one really large bowl.
- Remove the caramel from the heat.
- Stir in the vanilla and the baking soda. The caramel will bubble up – don’t worry, that’s supposed to happen!
- Pour the caramel over the popcorn and stir until the popcorn is coated with the caramel.
- Pour the coated popcorn out onto two half sheet baking sheets. Put it in a single layer as much as possible.
- Bake the caramel corn at 250ºF for about 30 minutes, stirring it twice during the cook time. It probably won’t be completely crispy by the end, but will crisp up as it sits.
- Pour the caramel corn out onto a piece of wax paper or parchment paper. When it’s cool enough to handle, break it into bite-sized pieces.
Tips and Tricks
- You’ll want to make sure you are using a bigger pot to make the caramel, as the mixture will bubble up when you add the vanilla and baking soda. You don’t want this to overflow as it is really, really hot.
- I also like to use a really, really large bowl to mix everything together. If you don’t have one, use two large bowls and pour half of the caramel into each one.
- Store the caramel corn in an air-tight container. It should be good for 1-2 weeks, although it never lasts more than a day or two in our house.
More Popcorn Recipes
- Muddy Buddy Popcorn
- Caramel Marshmallow Popcorn
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Popcorn
- Red Hot Popcorn
- Red Velvet Popcorn Cake
Tools Used
If you want one big bowl to mix the caramel popcorn in, this 9-quart mixing bowl would work perfectly.
I use half sheet baking pans to bake the popcorn.
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Baked Caramel Popcorn
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 2 cups light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 6 quarts popped popcorn
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 250ºF.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the sugar, corn syrup, and salt; stir to combine. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Once the mixture comes to a boil, let it boil for 5 minutes without stirring.1 cup unsalted butter, 2 cups light brown sugar, 1/2 cup corn syrup, 1 teaspoon salt
- Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and the baking soda. Be careful – as the mixture will bubble up.1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- Gradually pour the caramel over the popped corn, mixing well. (I usually have the popcorn in 2 big bowls to give me enough room to stir to coat it with caramel.)6 quarts popped popcorn
- Turn the coated popcorn out onto 2 large, shallow baking sheets. I usually use half sheet baking sheets.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minute, or until fairly dry, stirring twice during baking time. Remove from the pan and break into pieces.
- Store the caramel popcorn in an air-tight container.
Nancy Koch says
Perfect caramel corn and so easy. I used 4 pkgs of PLAIN not butter microwave popcorn. Easy and delicious
Deborah says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Nancy! Thanks so much for the review and rating!
Diane Watts says
I love this recipe and it was very easy to read and make
Sheila DeBaere says
I cook longer than recommended because I want my caramel corn crisp. But it’s lovely! And so easy! I made 5 gallons a few years ago. I love this recipe!
Deborah says
I’m so glad it has been such a hit! Thanks for the review and rating!
TERI MCGUIRE says
This is the same recipe I use but I add 1-2 T of water to the beginning of the caramel to keep it from getting grainy. I always had grainy caramel til I read about this trick. I add vanilla but I also add a capful of rum extract.
T.J says
I have the same recipe handed down from my mom. Usually turns out great but when making several patches it seems to not harden like the first run… Any suggestions how to have it harden correctly each time?
Deborah says
I can’t say for sure but are you doing single batches? Is the popcorn sitting out for awhile before baking? Are they baking all the same amounts of time? It could be several different factors.
Sunshine Belle says
I have used this recipe for over 30 years and nothing beats it!!!! My family won’t let me use any other recipe. I bake it in a turkey roaster and stir it 3-5 times during cooking. You’ll be surprised how the Carmel sauce spreads by the end.
Brenda Hansen says
Just wondering if this carmel would be OK to use to make camel apples
Deborah says
I don’t think this one would work for caramel apples. It’s meant to be baked and ends up fairly dry, not sticky and thick.