Hands down the BEST baked caramel popcorn recipe you will find. Buttery caramel is poured over the popcorn and baked to perfection! This post was originally shared in 2012 and now includes a step by step video.
Watch our step by step video!
Homemade Caramel Corn
Homemade English toffee and baked caramel corn have been our go to gifts during the holidays for over about 15 years. Forget making cookies, a bag of caramel popcorn is where it's at! I've tried microwaved versions, sticky caramel corn, etc. but nothing has been as good as this recipe. What family wouldn't want a bag of fresh baked caramel corn to snack on during a Christmas movie night?
The caramel coated popcorn is buttery, crunchy, and so delicious. I stumbled across it online back in 2006 on Paula Dean's website and quickly memorized it after making it SO many times. I love that it is a no-nonsense recipe. 6 ingredients, minimal prep work, made on the stovetop, and no candy thermometer!
Here's what one reader said, "Used this recipe for my daughter’s wedding last fall. Made enough for 100 people, everyone raved about it. In fact right now I’m making some for my son’s wedding this weekend. It’s the only thing he insisted on. Plus he wants a little bin for himself after the wedding!"
Baked Homemade Caramel Popcorn Ingredients
- 6-8 quarts of popped popcorn (about ⅔ cup unpopped kernels, popped)*
- 1 cup butter
- 2 cups brown sugar
- ½ cup light corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
*You can also use microwave popcorn. If you go this route, use a homestyle one that doesn't have a lot of butter and salt already on it.
Instructions
Pop popcorn kernels in air popper.
Why do you need to use baking soda in this recipe?
Can you make caramel popcorn with margarine?
Baked Caramel Corn Recipe
Perfect Baked Caramel Popcorn
Ingredients
- 8 quarts of popped popcorn about ⅔ cup unpopped kernels, popped
- 1 cup butter
- 2 cup brown sugar
- ½ cup light karo syrup
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- Place popcorn into a roasting pan or large baking pan. Set aside.
- Combine butter, sugar, salt and karo syrup in a medium sauce pan and heat over med-high heat. When bubbly, set timer for 5 minutes and boil, stirring constantly.
- Remove from heat and add baking soda. Stir.
- Pour over popped corn and stir to coat evenly.
- Bake at 200 degrees, stirring every 15 minutes, for 1 hour. Pour out onto waxed paper and cool.
Amanda says
This is similar to my grandmother's recipe. Her recipe also has 1 tsp of Vanilla that you add with the baking soda and is baked at 250. I have made it with both butter and margarine, both work fine. The margarine makes it soak into the popcorn a bit more than the butter but no appreciable difference. I have a friend's mother that is allergic to dairy so I always make hers with margarine and nobody else can tell which batch I gave them.
Belinda says
I’d like to make this with plain skinnypop popcorn I bought at Costco! Could you give me a rough idea how many cups of made popcorn for this recipe? Thanks!!!!
Brandy says
6-8 quarts. I’m not sure exactly how many cups of popped popcorn that would be. 24 would probably work.
Barbara Cohen says
My husband grew up in Argentina. They sell popped corn with orange marmalade. Wonder if I could substitute marmalade for less corn syrup and sugar--heat, add baking soda????????
Brandy says
That sounds interesting and worth a shot!
Anna says
Do you use light brown sugar or dark?
Brandy says
Hi! I use light.