Caramel Popcorn

5 from 3 votes
3 Comments

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This soft caramel popcorn is so delicious, I dare you to eat just one handful. Try it on its own or add some fun mix ins!

Basket of Caramel popcorn.

I have a weakness for sticky, gooey, caramel popcorn. It’s perfect for cozy movie nights, game nights, or placed in a cute bag as a gift. This caramel popcorn is soft and pliable. Not the crunchy-Cracker Jack style. If you are looking for more of a crunchy-style caramel popcorn, try our Copycat Harry and David Moose Munch. This caramel popcorn recipe makes an irresistible popcorn that keeps you going back for more, more, more. It isn’t hard to make, just a few steps.

Ingredients in Caramel Popcorn

The main ingredient, of course, is popcorn. You can pop your own or you can use microwave popcorn. Butter and salt the popcorn to your taste. For the caramel sauce, you will need butter, light corn syrup, brown sugar, and sweetened condensed milk.

Ingredients to make caramel popcorn including butter and salted popcorn, brown sugar, corn syrup, butter and sweetened condensed milk.


How to Make Caramel Popcorn

Making homemade caramel popcorn only takes a few easy steps, and the taste is worth it!

Pop the popcorn – First, pop the popcorn and season it with butter and salt as you normally would. I like using fresh kernels and a popcorn popper rather than microwave popcorn because it just tastes better. Place the popcorn in a very large bowl making sure you leave room to stir.

Make the caramel– Stir together butter, corn syrup and brown sugar in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring the sugar mixture continually so nothing burns to the bottom. Bring caramel mixture to a boil and let it boil for 3-4 minutes, continuing to stir constantly. Remove the pan from heat and stir in can of sweetened condensed milk. Once it is completely stirred in, return to heat and boil for 3 more minutes, stirring constantly.

Test the caramel– You are looking for a certain consistency called soft ball stage. To test for this, place a small drop of the hot caramel into a small bowl of cold water. Roll the caramel from the water into a ball with your hands. You want the caramel to be a soft ball that can hold its shape. This is your finished product.

Pour over popcorn– Remove from heat again, let it sit for 2 minutes, then pour over the popcorn you have already prepared and stir/toss until well coated.

Enjoy! – Eat as is or make into caramel corn balls using buttered fingers and placing the balls on a sheet of waxed paper until cool. Store in an airtight container to enjoy at a later time.

Pouring caramel on top of bowl of popcorn.

Try Some Add Ins

This is where it gets fun! If I am throwing a party or just want to get fun and creative with my popcorn I will stir in some different candies or toppings. You can stir them in when you are making the whole batch or you can separate into individual portions and let everyone make their own creation. You can also make them into balls and roll the balls into the different toppings. Get creative! Some of my favorite add ins include Mini M&Ms, chopped pretzels, nuts, chopped candy bars, sprinkles, and marshmallows.

Caramel popcorn cooling on waxed paper.

Storing Caramel Popcorn

Store caramel popcorn in an airtight container or Ziplock bag for up to 3 weeks at room temperature. It stays fresh and delicious for you to snack on.

Tips and Suggestions

Cool your popcorn– make your sure popcorn is fully cooled before you coat it in caramel. Hot or even warm popcorn will result in soggy/chewy caramel corn.

Casserole dish– try putting half your popcorn in a large casserole dish, and pouring half the caramel mixture into there to mix. It will give you more room to mix the popcorn. It will also be more crisp if it isn’t stuck to so many other pieces.

Type of popcorn– choose the right type of popcorn. The debate of popcorn type people like is mushroom vs. butterfly. For this recipe, the best type to use is mushroom because this type of popcorn, as the name suggests, resembles a large, round, dense mushroom. It has more surface area of popcorn for the caramel sauce to adhere to. It’s just a larger, crunchier piece of popcorn.

Gifting– caramel corn makes a great gift! Whether you wrap it up in cellophane, a big glass jar, or a plastic bag, everyone loves this stuff and are grateful for a bite. Try adding in things that the person you are gifting it to loves, like a s’mores version, or a granola version, movie lovers, or dark chocolate!

Ball of caramel popcorn next to a bowl of caramel popcorn balls.

More Popcorn Recipes

Can’t get enough popcorn? Try some of out other popular popcorn recipes:

White Chocolate Popcorn
Peanut Butter Popcorn
Christmas Popcorn
Moose Munch Popcorn
Homemade Kettle Corn

Basket of caramel popcorn.

Caramel Popcorn Recipe

5 from 3 votes
This soft caramel popcorn is so delicious, I dare you to eat just one handful. Try it on its own or add some fun mix ins!
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 17 minutes
Course candy
Cuisine American
Servings 24

Video

Equipment

  • 1 heavy saucepan

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Place the popped corn in a very large bowl, or two large bowls, leaving some room to stir. Be sure to remove all kernels.
    Two bowls of popped popcorn with butter and salt.
  • In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, stir together butter, corn syrup and brown sugar.
    Wooden spoon stirring brown sugar, corn syrup and butter in a saucepan.
  • Bring mixture to a boil and boil for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly.
    Boiling caramel in saucepan with wooden spoon.
  • Remove from heat and stir in can of sweetened condensed milk.
    Pouring sweetened condensed milk into a saucepan of boiling caramel.
  • Return to heat and boil for 3 more minutes, stirring constantly.
    Boiling caramel in a saucepan with a wooden spoon.
  • Test for soft ball stage by placing small drop of the hot caramel into a small bowl of cold water.
    Dripping caramel into a small glass of water from a wooden spoon.
  • Roll the caramel from the water into a ball with your hands and it will give you the consistency of the finished product. You want the caramel to be a soft ball that can hold its shape.
    Rolling caramel into a ball in hands over a glass of water.
  • Remove from heat again, let it sit for 2 minutes then pour over prepared popcorn and stir until well coated.
    Pouring caramel on top of bowl of popcorn.
  • Eat as is or make into balls using buttered fingers and placing the balls on a sheet of waxed paper until cool.
    Rolling a ball of caramel popcorn with hands over a bowl of caramel popcorn.
  • Store in an airtight container.
    Bolt of caramel popcorn.

Notes

For the popcorn you will need 9 quarts measured after it is popped, then butter and salt it as you would if you were just eating it as regular popcorn. OR buy prepped corn enough to total 9 quarts and remove the unpopped kernels as much as possible. 
 
Testing caramel  for soft ball stage is easy without a candy thermometer. Get a bowl of cold water and set it to the side of your heavy saucepan of caramel. When you want to test the consistency of the caramel, drizzle some caramel from your wooden mixing spoon into the bowl. Using your fingers, scoop out the caramel drizzle from the water and try to roll it into a ball. The cold water will set the caramel right away and if it rolls into a ball and is still soft, then it’s the perfect consistency. 

Nutrition Information

Calories: 1579kcalCarbohydrates: 317gProtein: 47gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 7gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 94mgPotassium: 1258mgFiber: 51gSugar: 43gVitamin A: 858IUVitamin C: 0.4mgCalcium: 92mgIron: 11mg

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Heidi Rasmussen

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5 from 3 votes

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Yes, this popcorn was everything that I was wishing it would be and more! thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe

  2. 5 stars
    Caramel popcorn is seriously one of my favorites!! I could sit & munch on it all day! This recipe makes it so perfectly & it’s easy to make!