Old-Fashioned Homemade Caramel Corn (No Corn Syrup)
Got a crowd coming that needs something to snack on before the big meal? This old-fashioned homemade caramel corn coats a big batch of freshly popped popcorn in a from-scratch caramel made with honey, butter and brown sugar instead of corn syrup, then bakes low and slow until every piece is crisp. One batch makes about 3 gallons, enough to fill a stack of gift tins.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Recipe Name: Homemade Caramel Corn
- Serves: 4
- Main Ingredients: honey, unsalted butter, packed brown sugar, salt, baking soda, popped popcorn, vanilla extract, butter flavoring
- Why You'll Love It: This recipe for caramel corn includes freshly popped popcorn covered in a homemade caramel sauce. It's perfect for a holiday gift or snack.
Years ago I started bringing a batch to Thanksgiving to keep everyone happy until dinner, and now it’s a tradition. It’s inexpensive to make, naturally gluten-free and stays crisp for up to 2 weeks, so it makes a great homemade gift alongside candied pecans and candied peanuts.
Why This Caramel Corn Recipe Works
Letting the honey caramel boil undisturbed for 3 minutes gives it the right thickness, and stirring in baking soda at the end makes it foam up light so it coats the popcorn in a thin, even layer. Baking at a low 250°F for an hour, with a stir every 15 minutes, dries the coating out so it turns crunchy instead of sticky.
Ingredients for Homemade Caramel Corn
Popcorn: I pop about 1 ½ cups of kernels in ⅓ cup oil on the stovetop. A popcorn maker or plain, unbuttered microwave popcorn works too.
Honey: I like the flavor of honey better than corn syrup. If you swap in corn syrup, keep an eye on it in the oven since it may cook faster.
Butter flavoring: It gives that movie theater taste, but extra vanilla works fine.
You’ll find the exact amounts in the recipe card below.
Helpful Tips Before You Start
- Use a big pot with a lid to pop the corn, and keep the lid on, since popping kernels are very hot.
- Pick out any unpopped kernels before coating so nobody cracks a tooth.
- Coat the popcorn in two batches in a large dishpan so it’s easier to stir.
- Add 2 cups of salted peanuts with the popcorn for a sweet and salty crunch.
How to Make Caramel Corn
1Pop the Popcorn
Preheat the oven to 250°F and grease two large baking sheets. Pop the popcorn and let it cool.
2Start the Caramel
Combine the butter, honey, brown sugar and salt in a heavy saucepot over medium heat, stirring constantly until it comes to a boil.
3Boil Undisturbed
Stop stirring and let it boil for 3 minutes.
4Add the Baking Soda
Remove from the heat and stir in the baking soda, vanilla and butter flavoring.
5Coat the Popcorn
Put half the popcorn in a large dishpan, pour half the caramel over it and stir until evenly coated.
6Spread on the Pans
Spread the coated popcorn on a baking sheet and repeat with the rest.
7Bake
Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.
8Cool and Break Apart
Let it cool completely, then break it into pieces and store in an airtight container.
Gifting and Serving Ideas
Pack it into tins or cellophane bags for teachers, neighbors and coworkers at Christmas, or set out a big bowl on Thanksgiving to tide everyone over. It’s also a fun Halloween party snack next to chocolate caramel apples and sweet and salty fall snack mix, and you’ll find more ideas in our list of easy Halloween treats and desserts. A mug of slow cooker caramel apple cider on the side doesn’t hurt.
Stored in an airtight container, it stays crisp for up to 2 weeks.
Homemade Caramel Corn FAQs
Can I make caramel corn without corn syrup?
Yes, this recipe uses honey instead of corn syrup, which gives it a richer flavor.
Why is my caramel corn sticky?
It usually needs more time in the oven. The full hour at 250°F with regular stirring is what dries the coating so it turns crunchy.
Can I use microwave popcorn?
You can, as long as it’s plain and not buttered or the caramel corn can turn out too rich and sweet.
Old-Fashioned Homemade Caramel Corn (No Corn Syrup)
Ingredients
- 1 cup honey
- 1 cup unsalted butter two sticks
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 3 gallons popped popcorn
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon butter flavoring can use more vanilla instead
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Grease two large baking sheets.
- In a heavy saucepot, combine the butter, honey, brown sugar, and salt. Place over medium heat and stir continuously until it comes to a boil. Stop stirring and let boil, undisturbed, for three minutes.1 cup honey, 1 cup unsalted butter, 1 cup packed brown sugar, 1 teaspoon salt
- Remove from the heat and stir in the baking soda and flavorings. Place 1/2 of the cooled popcorn in a large dishpan (I do mine in two batches) and pour over half of the caramel sauce. Stir until evenly coated. Spread onto baking sheet and repeat with remainder on another baking sheet.1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon butter flavoring, 3 gallons popped popcorn
- Place in the oven and bake at 250 for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Allow to cool and break apart before placing in an airtight container.
WAIT – you did some redecorating over here…didn’t you?
wow, you have GREAT timing! Haylo and I were looking for a recipe for popcorn balls to make for christmas when I got a new email alert and saw the title… We checked it out (as usual) and she saw the pic of Daz…and instead of popcorn balls everyone is getting this! (Daz could be our cats twin, only Boo is still young) So Daz saved me a load of time, and I bet everyone in my family would want to thank him! BTW I like the new site look 😉
Hey Y’all!!! Thanks for reading and especially for commenting!!!! I LOVE COMMENTS!!! its like giving me doggie treats! lol
Ashley, don’t you fret one little bit. Popping popcorn has never damaged my pots in any way, shape, or form! I can see how it would seem it would though but I’ve never had any problem and I’ve even made it in little inexpensive nonstick pots before, with no issues whatsoever!
Its so much fun to make! If you do make it just for popcorn, pour about a teaspoon (or less) of salt over your kernels once you get them in the hot oil (before they pop).
Gratefully,
Christy
I love popcorn. Freshly popped popcorn on the stove beats anything store bought. For many years now I have made both wet and dry caramel to mix with popcorn and other ingredients and it is so much better than store bought. I have worked in restaurants for many years and took culinary arts in high school and love making caramel and various other candies.
I agree Michael, It does beat out store bought any day!!
I’ve been considering buying kernels to pop on the stove but wasn’t to keen on the idea of ruining my pots….should I invest in a new pot or is it nothing to worry about?
What a wonderful idea!! We are definitely going to be making some of these this weekend. My boys (mommy) needs caramel corn after this hard week. lol Thanks for the ideas.
I havent made homemade caramel corn in so long. I have never made it with honey eitehr. Love the bags and a great steal on the bows. I am making my list for goodies for chirstmas baskets i have serveral of you ideas to add Ü.
It looks delicious! Jeff and I have made caramel corn like this before, and it’s so fun to do it together. Except for the one time when I was pouring the sauce and he was stirring the popcorn, and I accidentally poured some really hot sauce right on his hand! He had some severe blistering after that! But the popcorn sure tasted delicious anyway. 🙂
What a great idea having caramel popcorn ready to eat while waiting for Thanksgiving dinner! Everyone tends to hover around the kitchen hoping to sample the turkey while it’s resting, so this is a great snack to have available, and it’s not too heavy. I’ll be making this a day ahead so I can just pour it into a large bowl and watch everyone nibble on it. Thanks, Christy!