Homemade Caramel Corn - A baJillian Recipes (2024)

Buttery, sweet, crispy, and crunchy! This homemade caramel corn is exactly like the kind you buy at the state fair and harvest festivals! Naturally gluten-free!

So…I’m a little embarrassed to admit this but…I’ve never made caramel corn before. At least not until about a week ago when my best friend and I made it together. For some reason, I always had this thought in my head that homemade caramel corn was super sticky and nothing like the crisp and crunchy kind you always find at the state fairs and harvest festivals. I was amazed not only by the fact that it was possible to get those same crispy, buttery results at home, but also how easy it was! After that, I just KNEW I had to post a caramel corn recipe on my blog.

And guys, I think I’m officially obsessed with making caramel corn now…

I could not be more pleased with the results! This caramel corn turned out exactly like the kind you have to pay $10-$15 for at the carnivals and festivals–sweet, buttery, crispy, and crunchy!

And with the addition of toasted almonds and pecans, you’ve got an addiction just waiting to happen. It’s definitely one of those treats that you should portion out into a smaller bowl instead of just grabbing handfuls from the container. Otherwise, the ENTIRE batch of caramel corn will be in your stomach before you know it! It is seriously THAT good.

So what are the secrets and crucial steps to making THE BEST caramel corn at home? Well, let’s start with the popcorn kernel…

I’m not sure how particular you are about caramel corn, but I’m pretty particular. I even went as far as ordering a special type of corn kernel online instead of simply purchasing a well-known brand from the grocery store. The reason being that there are different shapes of popcorn. There’s the “butterfly” or “snowflake” popcorn shape which is commonly used in movie theatre popcorn or home-popped popcorn products. Then there’s the “mushroom” shape which is more of a ball shape and less prone to being crushed, thus making it perfect for coating in heavy sauces like caramel. THIS is the kind of popcorn I prefer!

However, it’s important to note that just because you have the “mushroom” kernels, doesn’t mean you’ll get that perfect ball-shape popcorn every time. I learned after about four batches of popped popcorn that the temperature of the pot had to be at least 450ºF. Any cooler, and it produced the “butterfly” shape. Now, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing because butterfly popcorn works just as well in caramel corn. It’s just not the desired shape I was going for.

To pop the popcorn, I ended up just using a large heavy-bottom pot. It also helps to use a pot with a glass lid so that you can gauge the progress of your popcorn as it pops. I also popped the kernels in coconut oil since it has a higher smoke-point, which means it can withstand high temperatures. Other oils that are great for popping popcorn are peanut, soy, safflower, sunflower, and olive oil.

To prevent the kernels from overcrowding, I worked with 1/4 cup kernels and 1.5 Tablespoons of coconut oil. Before throwing all of the kernels in, I like to do a “test kernel” by tossing one in and waiting for it to pop. This is basically my way of knowing when the temperature is hot enough. To get that nice crispy exterior on the popcorn, make sure to keep the lid slightly ajar so that the steam can escape.

Since hot caramel sauce does NOT way for anyone, you must have your popcorn and nuts spread out on parchment paper-lined baking sheets BEFORE you start making the caramel. Silpat mats work great too, but either way, you’ll definitely want your baking sheets properly lined to make clean-up 10x easier on yourself.

As far as the nuts go, feel free to use any kind of nut you like. I went with almonds and pecans because those are two of my favorites and they typically go well with caramel corn. However, peanuts, cashews, and hazelnuts would also be swell options!

The caramel sauce that coats the popcorn is actually a lot easier to make than your standard caramel sauce. All you do is melt some butter with brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Once this mixture comes together and starts to boil, allow it to boil for about 5 minutes. After those 5 minutes are up, remove the pan from the heat and immediately stir in the baking soda and vanilla. The baking soda will cause the mixture to bubble up and become foamy, so make sure your saucepan is deep/large enough to prevent the caramel from spilling over. If you’re wondering what purpose the baking soda serves, it basically creates that softer texture in the caramel, so you’re not biting into caramel corn that’s rock hard.

To coat the popcorn, just drizzle the caramel sauce evenly over both baking sheets of popcorn/nuts. I found that a silicone spatula was the best for coating the popcorn. It not only scrapes the sauce up from the bottom of the pan better, but the caramel doesn’t stick to it and harden like it does with a wooden spoon. Since the caramel becomes harder to work with as it starts to cool, it’s nearly impossible to coat every single piece of popcorn at this point, so don’t worry if it’s not fully coated before it goes into the oven. You’ll be able to get more even coverage each time you remove the caramel corn from the oven to stir every 15 minutes.

Now, the key to getting those nice individual pieces of caramel corn is simple. While the caramel corn is baking, I place 2 pieces of parchment paper onto my kitchen counter. Once the caramel corn comes out of the oven, I transfer it directly to the parchment paper. Immediately, I break the caramel corn apart into individual pieces before they cool and harden into large clumps. Depending on how sensitive your fingers are to heat, you might want to allow the caramel corn to cool for a minute. My fingers are pretty much asbestos with the amount of baking I’ve done in my lifetime, so I wasted absolutely no time in digging right in. I also left the second baking sheet of caramel corn in the oven while working on the first baking sheet. That way I could take my time in separating the first sheet of caramel corn without worrying about the second sheet cooling and hardening before I got to it.

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. And no one likes soggy caramel corn! Or soggy ANYthing, for that matter…

Oh, and before I forget! This snack is naturallygluten-free! So hooray for the gluten-intolerant community, or anyone currently on a gluten-free diet!

Of course, if you’re on a diet, popcorn that’s been coated in rich, buttery caramel probably isn’t the most diet-friendly of snacks…but hey, it’s GF, which basically means healthy in my book!

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