Sweet and crunchy, this Homemade Caramel Corn is the best ever, melt in your mouth treat! Perfect for your next movie night.
Love homemade popcorn treats? Be sure to use our microwave popcorn recipe to make these soft and chewy popcorn balls!
Traditional Caramel Corn Recipe
Being from Chicago, I’m quite particular about my pizza, Italian Beef, and my popcorn.
Through over 12 years of blogging, I’ve tried to perfect these Chicago favorites. You can get my recipes for Chicago Deep Dish Pizza and Italian Beef.
And now, you can make my recipe for Homemade Caramel Corn.
If you’ve ever bought the grocery store caramel corn, you won’t make that mistake ever again. Once you’ve made this melt in your mouth Caramel Corn recipe for yourself, you’ll understand.
Step by Step Instructions
Popcorn. First you’ll need to start with about 16 cups of popped corn. You can pop it yourself on the stove top, air popper, or you can use microwave popcorn. You’ll need 3 regular sized bags of microwave popcorn for this recipe.
For the popcorn, you can use any style you prefer. Whether it’s a light or a butter, you decide. I usually go for the light because this melt in your mouth caramel corn doesn’t need anything extra!
Be sure to remove ALL SEEDS (popcorn kernels) after popping your popcorn. Place your popcorn in a large bowl. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Line two roasting pans with parchment paper. Set aside.
Make the caramel. In a small saucepan, melt butter with brown sugar, light corn syrup, and kosher salt. Bring it to boil over medium high heat, and boil for one full minute, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat and stir in baking soda and vanilla extract. The mixture will lighten in color upon mixing. Pour over popped corn and stir gently with a wooden spoon until all the popcorn is completely covered in caramel mixture.
Bake. Pour popcorn mixture into two prepared baking sheets. Bake for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes.
Remove from oven and cool completely. Once cooled, break apart and store in airtight container or large ziploc bag.
Enjoy for up to two weeks.
Recipe FAQs
I add baking soda to the caramel corn so that it will react with the brown sugar and corn syrup. It creates carbon dioxide air bubbles, making the caramel foamy. Why is this important? The purpose of the air bubbles is to create a softer caramel. You don’t want to bite into a hard caramel. Instead, this results in a chewy, soft, melt in your mouth piece of caramel corn.
Store cooled caramel corn in air tight container or ziploc bag at room temperature for up to one week.
If your caramel corn turned out sticky, it most likely hasn’t been cooked to the proper temperature.
More Caramel Corn Recipes
Add a delicious peanut butter twist! Whip up a batch of this Peanut Butter Caramel Corn with Butterfingers.
Imagine all the possibilities when you coat your popcorn in chocolate? This easy Chocolate Covered Caramel Corn is just the beginning!
Making Homemade Cracker Jack popcorn is super easy and delicious! Sweet and crunchy, this addictive snack is better than the original!
More Easy Snack Recipes
Pin this now to find it later
Pin It
Caramel Corn
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 2 cups light brown sugar packed
- ½ cup light corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 16 cups popped popcorn about 3 bags of microwave popcorn**
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250°F. Line two large roasting pans (or baking sheets) with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan, melt butter. Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a boil and stir constantly. Boil for one minute, then remove from heat.
- Add in baking soda and vanilla. Stir until foamy.
- Gradually pour over popped corn. Mix well.
- Pour into prepared pans. Place one pan on top rack (middle of oven) and one on bottom rack.
- Bake for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes (and rotating in the oven). Remove after an hour and allow to cool. Store in airtight containers or ziploc bags. ENJOY.
Notes
- Make sure ALL seeds have been removed! Use my homemade microwave popcorn recipe instead.
- Store cooled caramel corn in air tight container or ziploc bag at room temperature for up to one week.
- If your caramel corn turned out sticky, it most likely hasn’t been cooked to the proper temperature.
I’ve made your recipe twice, it is so easy and so delicious! Thank you for sharing it!
Hi,
This recipe looks so delicious! My girls are vegan, do you think I can swap the butter for earth balance ?
Thanks 😊
Why did my caramel corn look dull?
I have used this same recipe for at least 40 or more years. Given to me by my Mother-in-law many, many years ago. It is easy to make, taste wonderful and never fails.
Hi! I just found your recipe, and I’m so excited to try it. I just tried a different recipe that required 5 minutes of the boiling. No stirring. It turned out more like Cracker Jacks Carmel corn, of which I am not a fan. I want the light, melt-in-your-mouth kind that I see here. Do you think the difference lies in the amount of time boiling?
Have you tried using puffed/ hulless corn instead of popped corn. It’s even better.
Yes it is!
I use pancake syrup instead of corn syrup. Don’t it for years
Yes, because the pancake syrup is likely full of corn syrup!
I made caramel corn and I think I forgot the corn syrup. ??♀️ Can I add it after it’s been baked? Thank you
Nope. That definitely would not work 🙁
How yo you keep popcorn from clumping from the carmel when you pour and stir it.
Once you bake it, you stir every 15 minutes, it breaks down to more individual pieces in the oven.
This popcorn will be a huge hit at my house! Yum!
I loved how easy it is to make! Everyone loved it!
I am officially obsessed with this caramel corn! It’s incredible! The whole batch was gone in minutes!
My family loves caramel corn! I’m excited to have a recipe for it!
This caramel corn is our favorite, we can’t stop making it!
Oh my goodness, this is fantastic!! I could eat the whole thing!! YUM!!
This was a hit at movie night!
How delicious!!
I absolutely love caramel corn and make it for every trip we take as a nice munchie in the car. I’ve never tried it with the baking soda but now you’ve given me something to up my popcorn game. This would be great Super Bowl party time.
This is the ultimate treat and snack! Homemade is always the best!