How to Make Caramel Popcorn

You can’t beat homemade popcorn. And this is not just any popcorn, we’re making caramel popcorn. So how do you make caramel popcorn? Well we’ll keep it quick, easy, and have you feeling about yourself. Isn’t that awesome?

A lot of caramel popcorn recipes out there include a lot of corn syrup and sugar. We don’t label food as good or bad as that can lead us to feeling guilty and oftentimes wanting what we “can’t” have even more.

Yet what if we could learn how to make caramel popcorn without using corn syrup and tons of sugar and still get that coveted buttery caramel flavor. Wouldn’t that be cool?

To make this caramel popcorn recipe, we’ll be using a stovetop to cook our popcorn. You can use a microwave if you’d like to pop the popcorn. Once you learn how easy it is to make home cooked popcorn, you’ll be amazed that you didn’t make this popcorn sooner.

Preheat the oven to 350 F / 176 C.

Heat the oil in a large pan on medium heat. The oil needs to be nice and hot before adding in the popcorn kernels. I used coconut oil to cook the popcorn yet really any oil works well as long as it isn’t too flavorful. When the oil is hot, add the popcorn kernels to the pan. Give it a stir to make sure the kernels are well coated.

Place the lid on the pan and turn down the heat. You want to give the pan a shake to move the kernels around as it’s cooking. You can crack the lid to let some air in and beware that popcorn will come out. You’ll want to keep a bowl close by.

Once the kernels stop popping, you know the popcorn is done. Transfer the popcorn to a large bowl. Sprinkle a pinch of salt over the popcorn. Set aside.

Next, you want to measure all of the caramel sauce ingredients. This is helpful to do ahead of time. Bring the honey to a boil over medium heat and cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove the honey from the heat and transfer to a small mixing bowl. Add in the peanut butter, cinnamon, and vanilla. Use a whisk or spatula and stir until well combined.

Pour the caramel sauce over the popcorn in the large mixing bowl and toss until well coated.

Transfer the popcorn to a parchment lined baking sheet and spread the caramel popcorn out in a flat layer.

Bake the popcorn for 5 minutes in the oven and then remove from the heat. The popcorn doesn’t need to cook long in the oven. The popcorn will get crispy as it sits out and cools.

If you want your popcorn sooner, you can omit the step of baking the popcorn in the oven. The popcorn will get crispy as it sits and cools regardless if you use the oven or not.

Grab this caramel popcorn and get cozy under a blanket. It can be made and enjoyed any night of the week.

And this caramel popcorn is great to make and share when friends or family come over. It doesn’t require many ingredients or time. And it tastes so good, nice and warm. There is no shame in what we eat. So I’ll be enjoying this caramel popcorn by the handful. Who’s with me?

If you liked this caramel popcorn recipe, you’ll love my no bake granola bars recipe. It’s a quick and easy snack that you can take on the go.