Quick and Easy Homemade Caramel Popcorn - Just 5 Ingredients!

This caramel popcorn recipe is a family favourite - especially around the holidays! It makes a perfect homemade Chritmas gift, dessert table dish, or the perfect treat for watching Christmas movies (Elf is my favourite!).

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If you want to pair this treat with a savoury Christmas snack, check out this savoury pecan recipe.

You could consider me somewhat of a popcorn connoisseur. The perfect caramel popcorn, to me, is one that is crispy but not hard, and has a healthy coat of caramel on it without being sticky. This recipe blends these together into a perfectly sweet (and a little salty) popcorn treat. And the best part, this one-bowl recipe only has 5 ingredients and you probably have all of them in your cupboard already! Bonus, this recipe has no corn syrup! This quick and easy recipe can be whipped up quickly and left to bake!

Caramel Popcorn Ingredients

• Butter - adds a rich and creamy flavour to the caramel sauce.

• Maple Syrup - using corn syrup means you don't have to deal with melting sugar or using a candy thermometer.

• Vanilla - Adds some depth and sweetness to your caramel sauce.

• Baking soda - causes a reaction that makes the sauce bubble, getting light and airy.

• And of course - Popped popcorn - plain unsalted popcorn works best. I pop mine in an air popper, but you can also pop yours in the microwave. Fresh is always best in my opinion, but I've also used this recipe as a way to use up some day old popcorn from a movie night.

Recommended mix-ins for Caramel Popcorn

• Nuts - I tend to give mine a healthy sprinkle of chopped peanuts and always mix in some whole pecans. The pecans get nice and toasted so they add a really nice texture to the mix.

• Pretzels - you can add these before or after you drizzle with caramel sauce. If you add them after the sauce, skip putting them in the oven and mix them in after you bake. Pretzels add a nice savoury surprise!

• Flaky sea salt - this creates a salted caramel flavour, which really helps to cut through the sweetness of the sauce.

Steps for Caramel Popcorn

1. Pop your popcorn and set aside.

2. Add butter to a saucepan and melt on medium high heat. Once melted, add your maple syrup. Bring to a gentle boil for 5 minutes, or until it starts to thicken into a sauce. You'll know it's ready when a drip on a plate starts to harden and thicken.

3. Remove from heat and add in vanilla and baking soda. The mixture will bubble, that is completely normal!

4. Immediately pour over the popcorn, stirring to coat evenly. Add in any desired mix-ins here.

5. Spread mixture onto a cooking sheet and bake at 250F for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. If you want your popcorn to be less crispy, reduce the baking time.

Kid help tip: Let older kids stir the popcorn to coat with caramel sauce. Younger kids can help filling mason jars or treat bags once everything is cooled.

Caution: the caramel mixture is extremely hot. Melted sugar is dangerous and the stovetop part should only be performed by an adult.

This homemade caramel popcorn will keep up to a week in an air tight container for up to a week, but I promise it won't last that long! Divvy up into cellophane bags or mason jars with cute labels to give away as teacher gifts, add to a Christmas gift basket for the neighbors, or in a holiday movie package for friends.

This homemade caramel popcorn isn’t just a snack — it’s a memory in the making. Pop a batch with your kids, package it up with a bow, and spread a little sweetness this Christmas.

Leave a comment if you have any other mix-in ideas, I'm always looking for variety!

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RECIPE