The BEST Homemade Caramel Corn Recipe! (2024)

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This is the BEST homemade caramel corn recipe! This caramel popcorn is so much cheaper and fresher than the store bought kind and my kids and family love it! It’s great for parties and after school snacks

The BEST Homemade Caramel Corn Recipe! (2)

The BEST Homemade Caramel Corn Recipe!

Below are some great snacks for any holiday party, football get together or just curled up on the couch watching TV.

Peanut Caramel Popcorn
(just like Cracker Jacks)

1 cup margarine
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup light or dark corn syrup
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
6 qts. popped corn
1/2-1 cup peanuts

Melt margarine in large saucepan. Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil without stirring for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in baking soda and vanilla. Gradually pour over popped corn and peanuts. Mix until coated. Makes 6 quarts.

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice Popcorn

1/4 cup butter
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 cup walnuts
1/4 cup peanuts
8 cups of popped corn

In a microwave container, melt butter and add sugar and spices. Add nuts and coat well. In a large bowl place popped corn and pour in butter and nut mix, tossing to coat everything well.

For more quick and easy recipes like this homemade caramel corn recipe, check out our cookbooks!

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Comments

  1. The BEST Homemade Caramel Corn Recipe! (7)Angie M.

    I tried this last night. My two kids and I needed a treat for watching “It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown”. This hit the spot. I only had butter flavored microwave popcorn, so I popped a bag of that. The recipe calls for 8 cups of popped popcorn. According to the nutrition facts on the microwave popcorn, one bag makes 10 cups so I used 5 tablespoons of butter (recipe calls for 4 tablespoons) and a pinch more brown sugar. I decided to leave out the cinnamon and nutmeg this time. It was SO yummy! The microwave popcorn was a little salty and we LOVE sweet/salty popcorn. I was afraid that since the microwave popcorn was butter flavor it might be too buttery…but it wasn’t. It turned out really good. The kids said it reminded them of kettle corn and it kind of did…better I thought! We loved it and will be making it again. I will try popping plain popcorn sometime and add the cinnamon and nutmeg to the butter/brown sugar. Thanks Tawra and Jill for another yummy recipe!!!

    Reply

    • The BEST Homemade Caramel Corn Recipe! (8)Jill

      Thanks for letting us know how that worked with microwave popcorn so now we will know how to do it. For you or anyone else who happens to have Dining and like seasoned popcorn check out pages 316-317 and it is all popcorn recipes – different spices and flavors to add, barbecue, spiced and there is a too simple recipe for Kettle corn too.

      Reply

      • The BEST Homemade Caramel Corn Recipe! (9)Susie

        Is that in Volume 1 or 2?

        Reply

        • The BEST Homemade Caramel Corn Recipe! (10)Jill

          It is in volume 1 Susie

          Reply

  2. The BEST Homemade Caramel Corn Recipe! (11)grandma

    I did this using brown sugar splenda and it had a nice mapley flavour. I also add a fair bit of salt since Don likes sweet and I like salty so it pleased both of us.

    was going to post on baked potatoes but there is no place to post a comment.

    Reply

  3. The BEST Homemade Caramel Corn Recipe! (12)sheila

    This is the first time I have commented on anything, but I was fixing oatmeal the other day, and I wanted to flavor it somehow. I usually add butter and sugar to mine. Well I had purchased some hazelnut coffee creamer, the powered kind. I added about 4 T. of it to the oatmeal, and it was delicious. I was just thinking, when I read your popcorn/kettlecorn post, that instead of brown sugar, you may can add the hazelnut coffee creamer. I will try this later and let you know. Great website.

  4. The BEST Homemade Caramel Corn Recipe! (13)JANIS NEILL

    DO YOU HAVE RECIPES FOR HOT AND SPICEY POPCORN????

    Reply

    • The BEST Homemade Caramel Corn Recipe! (14)Jill

      Yes Janis we do. One of our many popcorn recipes in Dining on a Dime is
      Spiced Popcorn
      1 tsp. paprika
      1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
      1/2 tsp. ground cumin
      1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
      1/4 cup butter, melted

      Mix together and pour over popcorn.

      Reply

  5. The BEST Homemade Caramel Corn Recipe! (15)Clay Blacklock

    Would like to see more tips on saving money at the grocery store

    Thanks

    Reply

    • The BEST Homemade Caramel Corn Recipe! (16)Jill

      Clay we have many many posts on that subject plus Dining on a Dime is packed and we have a whole e book set on it. Here is a link to many of the posts – you can scroll down and start picking out which ones you would like to read – don’t forget the boxes at the bottom to take you to even more.
      Saving Money on Groceries posts

      For more here is our whole set of grocery saving e books

      Reply

  6. The BEST Homemade Caramel Corn Recipe! (17)Mary Jane

    Years ago, a neighbour got us hooked on garlic and onion flavoured popcorn, on movie night. (The things you learn in the dead of winter, and town is 15 miles away on dark, snowy roads!) Just butter your popcorn as usual, then experiment with 1/2 tsp. of garlic powder, or onion powder and add to it to suit your taste. The only advice I have is to avoid what those same neighbours did….don’t have a garlic popcorn night when all of you have dental appointments first thing the next morning.

    Reply

  7. The BEST Homemade Caramel Corn Recipe! (18)Kerry

    I just made this for my grandkids trick or treat this afternoon. I’ve this same recipe – sans nuts – for years,but my directions say that once thoroughly mixed, dump coated popcorn onto a lightly greased cookie sheet (I use my roaster) and bake at 200* for 1 hr. It crisps the outside coating without altering the flavor of the buttery caramel. Oven toasted or not, this is the easiest, yummiest caramel corn!

    Reply

  8. The BEST Homemade Caramel Corn Recipe! (19)Susan Buchanan

    I’m trying this tomorrow. Love your show and all the demos. Kitchen looks great also.

    Reply

  9. The BEST Homemade Caramel Corn Recipe! (20)Dawn M Curtis

    My recipe for caramel corn involves baking for an hour at 250 and stirring every 15 minutes. This looks way, way easier. Can’t wait to try it!

    Reply

  10. The BEST Homemade Caramel Corn Recipe! (21)Kathy Bullmer

    I think this would make a great Christmas gift and you could add a prize to it just like cracker jacks. 😋

    Reply

    • The BEST Homemade Caramel Corn Recipe! (22)Jill

      Yes cute idea Kathy to add the prize.

      Reply

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The BEST Homemade Caramel Corn Recipe! (2024)

FAQs

Why is my homemade caramel corn soggy? ›

Make sure to allow your caramel corn PLENTY of time to cool before packaging it up into ziplock bags or an airtight container. Otherwise, condensation will form and the moisture will cause the popcorn to become soggy.

Which caramel popcorn is best? ›

Nutrition info refers to 1 ounce, roughly ½ a cup.
  • Werther's Original Caramel Popcorn. ...
  • Harry & David Moose Munch Premium Classic Caramel. ...
  • G.H. Cretors Handcrafted Small-Batch Caramel Corn. ...
  • Popcornopolis Caramel Popcorn. ...
  • The Original Cracker Jack. ...
  • Poppyco*ck Original Gourmet Popcorn. ...
  • Crunch 'n Munch Caramel Popcorn with Peanuts.
Feb 3, 2023

How to make caramel popcorn Martha Stewart? ›

In a small saucepan, bring butter, sugar, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons water to a boil, stirring constantly. Working quickly, drizzle popcorn with sugar syrup, and toss. Spread popcorn evenly on prepared baking sheet. Bake, tossing occasionally, until golden and shiny, about 40 minutes.

What does cream of tartar do in Carmel? ›

Cream of Tartar: Cream of tartar, an acid, will help prevent crystallization as the caramel cooks. If you don't have any, you can leave it out. Corn syrup does the same job. I still like to include it, so the caramel says nice and smooth.

Why isn't my caramel corn shiny? ›

A granule of sugar, over-mixing, or uncooperative clumps of sea salt can turn caramel from a glossy, shiny confection into a dull grainy heap of chewy, brown sugar crystals. Candy making, or in this case caramel popcorn making, involves a significant amount of chemistry.

Why put egg in caramel popcorn? ›

While some people said that she added the egg to absorb extra heat, others had different views. "Whole eggs absorb excess heat so it's an easy way to regulate the temperature balance of the other ingredients," a user wrote.

Why is my caramel popcorn not crunchy? ›

The longer you cook the syrup (the mixture of sugar and water the forms the base of the caramel sauce), the crunchier your popcorn will be. For very crunchy popcorn (my favorite!), stop cooking when you see the first wisps of smoke coming from the sugar mixture.

What is a fiddle faddle? ›

Fiddle Faddle is candy-coated popcorn produced by ConAgra Foods. Introduced in 1967, the snack is commonly found in US discount and drug stores. Fiddle Faddle consists of popped popcorn covered with either caramel or butter toffee and mixed with peanuts.

What is the best popcorn kernels for caramel corn? ›

You could use either butterfly or mushroom popcorn for caramel corn. Mushroom might be better, however, as has a more uniform shape with a lot of surface areas for the caramel to cling to. Either variety should be easy to find online or at a grocery store.

Is white or yellow popcorn better for caramel corn? ›

Either yellow or white popcorn kernels will work great for this recipe. Air-popped popcorn will yield the best results. If you prefer you can use organic corn syrup. Be sure to stir every 15 minutes so each piece of caramel corn gets fully coated.

Is caramel corn the same as caramel popcorn? ›

Caramel corn or caramel popcorn (toffee popcorn in the UK) is a confection made of popcorn coated with a sugar or molasses based caramel candy shell that is normally less than 1mm thick. Typically a sugar solution or syrup is made and heated until it browns and becomes thick, producing a caramelized candy syrup.

Why did my caramel popcorn turn out chewy? ›

Generally, the caramel will have a higher 'water activity' than the popcorn. As a result, if you leave the popcorn for a while, moisture from the caramel will migrate into the corn. This causes the popcorn to lose its 'crunch' and become soft and chewy.

What happens when you add baking powder to caramel? ›

Why do caramel recipes often call for baking soda? When you add baking soda to cooking caramel, it foams up rather dramatically. That foam is creating tiny air bubbles, which aerate the caramel and prevent it from becoming too dense.

What does sodium bicarbonate do to caramel? ›

The purpose of baking soda in the caramel is to react with the acid. It helps to soften the caramel for pour-over desserts and/or to use as an additive.

What can I use instead of baking soda in caramel? ›

Baking powder is, without a doubt, the best baking soda substitute you can find. They're not the same thing (baking soda is about three times stronger), but they are both leavening agents that work in similar ways.

Why did my caramel corn come out chewy? ›

Generally, the caramel will have a higher 'water activity' than the popcorn. As a result, if you leave the popcorn for a while, moisture from the caramel will migrate into the corn. This causes the popcorn to lose its 'crunch' and become soft and chewy.

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