This easy caramel popcorn recipe is buttery, crunchy, and perfectly sweet and salty. A simple homemade treat for movie nights, parties or bake sales.
This caramel popcorn is dangerously addictive. Like, make-a-batch-and-then-eat-half-of-it-straight-from-the-tray addictive. It’s crunchy, buttery, sweet, and salty – everything a good caramel popcorn should be.
It’s perfect for school bake sales, movie nights, birthday parties, or just a sweet treat to snack on during the day. Bonus? It’s surprisingly easy to make, and you probably already have most of the ingredients sitting in your pantry.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Super easy – no special tools or fancy ingredients
- Sweet and salty – the perfect flavour combo
- Perfect for parties or bake sales – makes a big batch and looks great in little bags
- Freezer-friendly – yes, you can freeze caramel popcorn!
- 100x better than store-bought – crunchy, buttery, and totally irresistible
Step-by-step: How to make caramel popcorn
1. Prep your tray and oven
Line a baking tray with baking paper and preheat your oven to 150ºC (fan forced).
2. Pop the popcorn
In a large saucepan, heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil over medium heat.
Add ½ cup popcorn kernels, cover with a lid, and give the pot a gentle shake to coat the kernels in oil.
Let the popcorn do its thing. Once the popping slows down, remove from heat.
Transfer to a large bowl and discard any unpopped kernels.
3. Make the caramel
In a separate saucepan, melt 250g butter over low heat.
Stir in 1 cup brown sugar, ½ cup maple syrup, and ½ of the 1½ tsp salt. Mix until smooth.
Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Add the magic
Take the caramel off the heat and stir in 1 tsp vanilla extract and ½ tsp baking soda.
The mixture will bubble a little and turn glossy – that’s your cue it’s ready.
5. Coat the popcorn
Pour the caramel sauce over the popcorn and quickly stir to coat everything evenly.
6. Bake until golden
Spread the coated popcorn onto your prepared tray and sprinkle with the remaining salt.
Bake for 20 minutes, then let it cool completely.
7. Serve or stash
Once cool, break into chunks and pop into bags, jars, or just serve it up in bowls. It keeps beautifully in an airtight container – if it lasts that long.
Easy Caramel Popcorn
Description
This easy caramel popcorn recipe is buttery, crunchy, and perfectly sweet and salty. A simple homemade treat for movie nights, parties or bake sales.
Ingredients
1/2 cup popcorn kernels
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
250g butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Instructions
- Line a baking tray with baking paper. Preheat your oven to 150ºC.
- In a large saucepan, heat the vegetable oil. Add the corn kernels, place the lid on and give the pot a shake to coat the kernels.
- Pop the corn, and once the popping slows down – turn the heat off.
- Empty the popcorn into a bowl. If you have any unpopped kernels in the bottom of the pot, exclude them or remove them from the bowl.
- In a smaller saucepan, melt the butter and mix in the sugar, maple syrup and half of the salt. Stir until combined. Bring it to the boil, and then turn back down to a simmer. Simmer for 4 minutes.
- Add the baking soda and vanilla to the caramel mix. Stir until you have a beautiful, glossy sauce.
- Pour the caramel sauce over the popcorn, and quickly stir to coat. Place the popcorn onto the baking trays, sprinkle with the remaining salt and then place into the oven.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Once cooled, separate into goodie bags or cups for the bake sale. Or just eat it. Totally up to you!
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